Weddings, house parties, farewells, and an autumnal song.

This is a programme to lift your mood – and maybe to lift you out of your seat. Haydn came to the end of his impressive roster of symphonies with his last: No.104. It is a vivacious final statement, full of thrilling contrasts, and with a glorious montage of folk tunes at the end. Mozart’s ‘Haffner’ Symphony was originally composed as background music to a wedding, but later reworked into one of his most inventive symphonic works, with a few surprises thrown in. The Horn Concerto No.2 by Strauss is from his golden, late period and is infused with the warmth of the solo instrument. CBSO’s own Elspeth Dutch steps into the solo role. And with Les Biches, Poulenc invites us to a surrealist 1920s house party. Who could possibly resist?