BBC NOW 2026-27 Season West Side Story

Elegance, energy and irresistible rhythm shape this vibrant programme conducted by Samuel Lee. Ravel’s Pavane pour une infante défunte opens the evening with poised melancholy, its flowing lines and refined orchestral colours offering a moment of quiet reflection.

At the heart of the concert is a world premiere: Salina Fisher’s Violin Concerto, written for and performed by Geneva Lewis. Drawing on Fisher’s distinctive lyrical voice and Lewis’s expressive virtuosity, the concerto blends clarity, urgency and luminous colour, placing the violin at the centre of an unfolding, contemporary sound world.

After the interval, Poulenc’s playful Les Biches Suite sparkles with charm and wit, before the orchestra launches into Bernstein’s West Side Story: Symphonic Dances. Pulsing with jazz-inflected rhythms, sweeping melodies and explosive energy, it brings the programme to a thrilling, high-spirited close.