BBC NOW 2026-27 Season Ballet Music – Stravinsky & Ravel

Under the direction of Ludovic Morlot, this programme brings together three composers who reshaped musical language with imagination and originality. Stravinsky’s dazzling ballet Jeu des cartes opens the concert with wit and rhythmic brilliance, spinning a sly narrative around the deceitful Joker in music of razor‑sharp invention.

At the heart of the evening is Britten’s youthful Double Concerto for Violin and Viola, written while still a student at the Royal College of Music. Performed by Ben Baker and Tim Ridout, the work reveals Britten’s unmistakable voice, from its striking horn‑like opening to its urgent dialogue between the soloists.

After the interval, Ravel’s enchanting Mother Goose Suite unfolds a world of fairy tales in glowing orchestral colour. Delicate, imaginative and richly evocative, it is a masterclass in musical storytelling and a magical close to the programme.