A celebration of music by women composers

Live from the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester
Presented by Mark Forrest

'I have spent my life trying to create a kind of cathedral of sound'. The words of Sofia Gubaidulina, one of the most significant living composers in the world. Her music, deeply spiritual and dramatic, forms the backbone of the BBC Philharmonic's celebration of International Women's Day.

In this programme Anja Bihlmaier makes her Manchester debut as the orchestra's Principal Guest Conductor to explore this kaleidoscopic programme. There's the UK premiere of 'Dreydl' by the genre-defying Olga Neuwirth, alongside music from Sarah Gibson, 'beyond the beyond' is a BBC commission, written as Sarah's joy at becoming a mother was tempered by a progressive and terminal illness. This concert will see the posthumous premiere of the work.

To finish, the F minor Symphony by Emilie Meyer. A trailblazer in her lifetime, Mayer's music earns her a place amongst the greatest composers of the 19th century.

Olga Neuwirth: Dreydl
Sofia Gubaidulina: The Light of the end

8.10 Interval

Sarah Gibson: beyond the beyond (BBC commission, world premiere)
Emilie Mayer: Symphony in F minor

Anja Bihlmaier (conductor)
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra

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