Mendelssohn’s music is pure pleasure. One of the great prodigies, he wrote his sunny Octet at just 16 years of age. It’s one of the most loved pieces of chamber music ever written and a favourite of the ACO.

Moving from one young genius to another: the ACO presents a new commission from trailblazing young composer Jakub Jankowski in his first work for string orchestra. Opening the program, Anna Thorvaldsdottir’s pulsating octet Illumine makes a striking contrast with the Mendelssohn.

If Mendelssohn is pleasure, then Bach is worship. Bach sought God in his music and became like a god for musicians, a touchstone to which all other music is compared. His music is filled with drama, joy and remarkable discipline.

That is an altar to which Richard Tognetti will return to again and again. His interpretation of the great Violin Concerto in A minor is a powerful experience: intimate and electrifying.