On 11 & 12 February, Ludovic conducted the BBC National Orchestra of Wales at Swansea’s Brangwyn Hall and Cardiff’s St. David’s Hall.

The first half of the programme consisted of Brahms’ Violin Concerto in D Major, performed by Canadian violinist James Ehnes. For the second half, Ludovic welcomed The BBC National Chorus of Wales for a performance of Messiaen’s O Sacrum Convivium, followed by Fauré’s Requiem in D minor. Listen to the Cardiff concert on demand on BBC Radio 3.

‘In the opening bars, Morlot was quite prepared to take Fauré at his word with his tempo indication Molto largo and incredibly slow metronome mark. The return of the same material at the end of the Agnus Dei was heralded with some really rich orchestral playing, despite the reduced number of violins. The score was given in the composer’s full-scale instrumentation of 1900, but the muddy textures – which can result from the divided viola and cello forces – were skilfully avoided and the internal balances were ideally judged.’
Seen and Heard International

This week, Ludovic returns to Bridgewater Hall to conduct the BBC Philharmonic on Saturday 25 February, joined by soprano Elizabeth Atherton. The programme will consist of Honegger’s Pacific 231, Jolas’ A Little Summer Suite, Dutilleux’s Le temps l’horloge, Dukas’ The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Birtwistle’s The Triumph of Time and Ravel’s Boléro.