ACO Relaxed Performance: Chopin & the Mendelssohns

Sharing music with new audiences lies at the heart of everything we do. Presented with flexible seating, adjusted lighting and sound levels, and a quiet space to chill out, ACO Relaxed Performances welcome people on the autism spectrum, people with sensory sensitivities, people with disability and access needs, and parents and carers with babies in an informal, daytime experience.

This performance is tailored to those for whom the traditional concert hall experience may be inaccessible, or who may not have seen our orchestra perform live before – we want to bring the music to you. Come along, respond to the music, make noise, be yourself and have fun!

This performance will feature a 50-minute selection of music from our Chopin & the Mendelssohns program.

Polina Leschenko’s deep affinity with Chopin is a rare gift; so too is her remarkable rapport with Richard Tognetti and the ACO.

Polina makes a long-awaited return to the Orchestra with one of the most beloved Romantic works for piano and orchestra, Chopin’s Piano Concerto No.2. The second movement has the exquisite beauty of his later nocturnes and was inspired by unrequited love.

Chopin’s close friend Felix Mendelssohn brings Polina and Richard together in a Double Concerto abundant in individual displays of dazzling bravura from both soloists. This exceptional program closes with the energy and inventiveness of Fanny Mendelssohn’s string quartet, arranged by Richard Tognetti.