Ravel Daphnis et Chloé

The evening

Imagine a world of gods and nymphs – a sunlit paradise, where two young lovers experience adventures beyond imagination. ‘I think and feel in sounds’ said Maurice Ravel, and in his 1912 ballet Daphnis and Chloé you can hear every flurry of birdsong and see every drop of glittering dew. It’s a showstopper alright, and it’s not every day that you get to hear the full, ravishing score, complete with magical vocals from the Philharmonia Chorus. But it’s only one of the stories that Vasily Petrenko and the RPO are telling tonight. In Richard Strauss’ uproarious Don Quixote, the eccentric hero tilts at windmills and battles with an army of sheep. With cellist Johannes Moser portraying the mad knight, he’ll break your heart, too, alongside his sidekick Sancho Panza from solo viola Abigail Fenna.