Christoph Koncz returns to Orchestre Métropolitain de Montréal, after a successful debut with them in 2019. He conducts a vivid and varied programme, Fiery Flight, beginning with the 1919 version of Stravinsky’s The Firebird, and concluding with Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra, which draws on folk tunes from the Balkans. The concert’s centrepiece is Julia Adolphe’s Viola Concerto, Unearth, Release. This is played by Québécois native Marina Thibeault. The first performance occurs in the Église Notre-Dame-des-Sept-Douleurs in the Verdun district on 6 February, before coming to Maison Symphonique de Montréal on 9 February.

The following week, Koncz makes his debut with Flanders Symphony Orchestra, embarking on a tour of Belgium. He leads the orchestra in a characteristically diverse programme around the theme of Protest, featuring Elgar’s Cello Concerto with Johannes Moser, and a world premiere by young Belgian composer Siebe Thijs.