Georges Bizet (1838 —1875)
Symphony No 1 in C Major

Bizet’s precocious talent was so evident that the Paris Conservatoire accepted him as a student when he was only nine. Bizet wrote his first symphony in 1855, aged seventeen, apparently as a school exercise. Yet its joyful spontaneity sounds nothing like schoolwork. The work lay undiscovered in the Paris Conservatoire library until 1933, delaying its premiere until 1935.

The symphony dashes along, filled with sunlight and shade and the dramatic shifts that hint at Bizet’s bright future with his opera Carmen. Perhaps best known is the slow movement, with its dreamily transparent opening chords and haunting oboe solo. It’s followed by the hearty peasant dance of the Menuetto, its trio kicked off by heavy drone notes recalling the old French bagpipe, the musette. The final movement shows Bizet tossing ideas around with masterful ease, from the feverish Rossini-like gaiety of some string passages to the march-like woodwinds with little fanfare gestures that prefigure the street-urchins’ scene in Carmen.

Felix Mendelssohn (1809 — 1847)
Concerto for Violin op 64 in E minor

The precocity of Mendelssohn’s talent is famous. This concerto reveals the artist fully developed. The work’s exuberance, delicacy and romanticism have charmed audiences since its 1844 premiere. It was written for the violinist Ferdinand David, Mendelssohn’s friend and musical collaborator since their meeting when Mendelssohn was 15.

The soloist enters immediately with a piercingly lovely melody, intensifying to a dramatic mood; flutes and clarinets introduce a wistful second theme. A solo bassoon note pivots the key to the next movement with its gently-sung violin melody and darker central section. The third movement features chipper little fanfares and a light-footed twittering collaboration between soloist and the woodwinds.

Dmitri Shostakovich (1906 — 1975)
Symphony No.1 op. 10 in F minor

In1925, Shostakovich was only18 when he wrote this as his graduation piece from the Leningrad Conservatory. It was a startling debut. Its boldly original orchestration and emotional breadth led to acclaimed performances by the Berlin Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Orchestra the following year.

The symphony opens with short angular phrases, highly coloured by different soloists, answered by a swooping theme from the strings. Their almost conversational interplay recalls theatre cues — and indeed, Shostakovich was working as a cinema pianist at the time. The second movement adds a piano for sparkle and percussive weight. Except for a slow stealthy flute passage, it moves at whirlwind speed. The next movement features a yearning oboe solo over a gently murmuring strings. Trumpet calls spark unease. The final movement begins with some slow passionate statements before erupting into a whirling white-knuckle ride.