“The greatest work created by a 16-year-old in musical history” may sound like faint praise, but the work in question is an indelible musical picture of Shakespeare’s magical comedy.

As it happens, every work in this concert has stage connections, for Rachmaninov’s darkly glittering Rhapsody for piano and orchestra found a second fame as a ballet. Not surprising, really, for the work is a vivid musical black comedy, in which the theme from Paganini’s 24th caprice for solo violin battles it out with the plainchant for the dead, Dies Irae, in a mordant tour-de-force like no other work in the keyboard repertoire.

Tchaikovsky paid tribute to Mendelssohn’s gift for musical scene-painting in a number of pieces, and like Mendelssohn, was drawn to the theatre. His vividly illustrative scores for Swan Lake and The Nutcracker are among the world's favourite musical fables.

Ticketholders can also enjoy free 30-minute recital before each concert on the magnificent Town Hall organ, commencing at 6.30pm.