Two monumental musical masterpieces influenced by landscape and location take us from the glacial grandeur of the Scandinavian mountains to the warm melodies of the verdant forests of Bohemia.

Mihhail Gerts, hailed by critics for his “astonishing precision, very expressive gestures and warmth” as “a name to remember”, directs the RTÉ The National Symphony Orchestra and “sensational” violinist (Bachtrack) Simone Lamsma in two works that revel in orchestral color and symphonic weight.

Sibelius makes much of his only foray into concerto form with a virtuoso violin piece that is as grand as it is graceful in its performance. Laced with mystery, its lyrical dimensions are fueled by a muscular score and immediately memorable melodies leading to an ecstatic finale.

Composed in the summer of 1875, Dvořák’s Fifth Symphony is a glorious hymn to the idyll of long, misty and sunny days, even as fleeting shadows pass by. Marking the beginning of his maturity as a composer, it is a music of pastoral sweetness that ends with a thrilling finale led by luminous bursts of thundering brass voices.