Moussa, Strauss and Sibelius

Both nuanced and soaring, Vier letzte Lieder (Four Last Songs) sees a then 84 year old Strauss describing a series of transitions - from changing seasons and the setting sun to death - with a calm acceptance and sense of completeness, while Sibelius’s Second, with its triumphant closure, is often associated with themes of independence and liberation.

The concert begins with contemporary composer Samy Moussa’s mournful Adgilis Deda. Loosely translating as ‘mother place’, it was inspired by Georgia’s Caucasus Mountains.

Accompanying the boundary-pushing Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is rising star Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha, the multi-prize-winning South African soprano.