On 22 February, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra premieres Freya Waley-Cohen​’s new work for orchestra, Demon. Co-commissioned by CBSO and Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, the work is conducted by Ilan Volkov at Birmingham Symphony Hall. The concert also features Sibelius’ Symphony No.5 and The Oceanides, alongside Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No.3 performed by Isata Kanneh-Mason.

“In many old folk tales from the British Isles, there’s often a hidden horror waiting to be revealed. As you start to read the story you know this darkness will appear somewhere, often connected to the landscape or earth, sometimes within a character or even the narrator — but until it is revealed, the demon is potentially anywhere or everywhere. This is a piece with a demon simmering away within it. Sometimes menacing, sometimes playful, it’s a speed demon; a moto perpetuo, with a constant energy in the depths that rises up to the surface.” — Freya Waley-Cohen on Demon