Japanese violinist Akiko Suwanai joins the BBC National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales for a programme of Sibelius and Elgar, to be performed in Cardiff.

The Orchestra and Chorus, conducted by Principal Guest Conductor Jac van Steen, visit St David’s Hall, Cardiff, on Friday February 10.

Violinist Akiko Suwanai will perform Sibelius’s Violin Concerto – a work which Akiko has performed around the world to critical acclaim. One of the last major works written by Sibelius, and notable as it was the only concerto he wrote, it is a demanding work for the soloist, both technically and emotionally.

The concert will also feature a rare performance of Elgar’s The Music Makers, where the Orchestra and Chorus are joined by talented mezzo-soprano Jane Irwin. The work is Elgar’s most intensely personal and private reflection on his life and work, with a text based on the poem Ode by Arthur O’Shaughnessy. Although much of the music is original, it also features quotations from Elgar’s previous works, including The Dream of Gerontius, Sea Pictures, his Violin Concerto and Enigma Variations.

Tickets for the concert at St David’s Hall, Cardiff, on Friday February 10, 7.30pm, are £10 to £26 (discounts available) and are available from St David’s Hall Box Office on 02920 878444.

Alternatively, tickets are available from the BBC National Orchestra of Wales Audience Line on 0800 052 1812. For more information about the Orchestra, visit bbc.co.uk/now