Pekka Kuusisto with Manchester Collective

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It takes real courage to break out of the box. Once or twice in a generation, music fans embrace an artist who totally redefines what is possible in their field. Pekka Kuusisto is one of these artists. The Finnish superstar violinist is electric in performance, showcasing unparalleled freedom and an infectious disregard for the ‘rules’ of classical music.

Pekka leads the full Manchester Collective string ensemble into an adventurous programme of the familiar and the new. At the heart of it is a new commission by Oliver Leith – the voice of a new generation of British composers.

Described as “deadpan, subversive and quietly anarchic” (BBC Radio 3), Oliver’s music seamlessly crosses the boundary between contemporary classical and electronic worlds.Elsewhere, we’re transported to the flower gardens, little stone paths and imposing beech trees at the beautiful Dumbarton Oaks estate in the USA. This is Pulitzer Prize-winning Caroline Shaw’s Plan & Elevation. Dmitri Shostakovich’s tour-de-force Chamber Symphony stands in stark contrast – a gut-wrenching musical rollercoaster that packs a devastating emotional punch for seasoned concert-goers and first time audiences alike. The show opens with You Know Me From Here by Missy Mazzoli, a firebrand Brooklyn composer described by NPR as “the 21st century’s gatecrasher of new classical music”.

To hear a string orchestra going full pelt is a full-body experience. To hear one led by Kuusisto is something else altogether.

Oliver Leith’s new work has been co-commissioned by the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra and is supported by the British Council.