O n Tuesday, March 24 the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra returns to The Hexagon for the second of their three concerts this season, for a programme of Mendelssohn, Mozart and Tchaikovsky.

Opening the concert is Mendelssohn’s overture The Hebrides depicting the Scottish scenery at Fingal’s Cave with mysteriously intense melodies and calmer passages.

This is followed by a work written by Mozart at the summit of his creative genius – the Piano Concerto No.24. The work’s unique quality if fashioned through the ominous darkness of the minor key and a touch of Mozart’s elegance renders it all the more poignant.

This will be performed by worldwide, esteemed virtuoso, Janina Fialkowska.

Beloved the world over for her exquisite pianism, Janina Fialkowska has enchanted audiences for almost 40 years with her glorious lyrical sound, her sterling musicianship and her profound sense of musical integrity.

Celebrated for her interpretations of the classical and romantic repertoire, she is particularly distinguished as one of the great interpreters of the piano works of Chopin and Mozart.

She has also won acclaim as a champion of the music of Franz Liszt as well as of twentieth-century Polish composers, both in concert and on disc.

Born to a Canadian mother and a Polish father in Montreal, Janina Fialkowska started to study the piano with her mother at the age of five.

Eventually she entered the Ecole de Musique Vincent d’Indy, studying under the tutelage of Mlle. Yvonne Hubert.

The University of Montreal awarded her both advanced degrees of “Baccalaureat” and “Maitrise” by the time she was only 17.

The concert concludes with Tchaikovsky’s turbulent Symphony No.5 in which (according to Tchaikovsky) the opening motif signified his ‘complete resignation before fate’. It remains one of his most admired large-scale creations.

For this concert, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra will be under the baton of Polish conductor, Michał Nesterowicz.

Tickets for this concert start at just £18.

Or if you’ve never been to a Classical Music Alive concert, you can book a £10 Test Drive ticket.

Call the box office on 0118 960 6060 to book, or for more details visit www.readingarts.com