Conductor Yutaka Sado’s return to The Hague is an event in itself. With his international reputation and electrifying musical presence, he leads a programme that sweeps you along from start to finish. From Copland’s bold brass to Barber's passionate melodies, the journey culminates in Dmitri Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 10: a symphonic thriller brimming with tension, memory and explosive release.

Sado brings together a remarkable range of styles in one afternoon. The concert opens with Copland’s iconic Fanfare for the Common Man, written in 1942 to honour ordinary individuals, scored exclusively for brass and percussion and bursting with open, commanding sounds. Next, violinist Paul Huang shines in Barber’s lyrical, melancholic Violin Concerto. The piece moves effortlessly between delicate poetry and exuberant virtuosity, with a dramatic arc that is stretched ever further. Culminating in Shostakovich’s turbulent, powerful and deeply emotive music, this concert takes the audience on a journey through hope, stillness and cathartic release.