Based on Slavic folklore, this music evokes a world of enchanted princesses, wicked sorcerers and a mythical creature whose flight brings the story to a spellbinding close. It’s no wonder this music catapulted Stravinsky to global fame.

This program opens with Liadov’s dizzying Kikimora, a thrilling nod to the traditions that shaped Stravinsky, followed by Shostakovich’s First Cello Concerto, a work of contrasts with a haunting slow section and a cadenza that speaks straight from the soul. Regarded by Intermusica as one of the ‘most remarkable cellists on the international stage’, Maximilian Hornung makes his Sydney debut in one of the most challenging works in the repertoire.