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³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ National Orchestra of Wales (NOW) open their new season as orchestra in residence at Cardiff's St David's Hall with a "musical journey through Russia in all her moods and humours".

The season kicks off on Friday 17 September with the Russian-themed concert conducted by the orchestra's principal conductor Thierry Fischer. The programme includes Mussorgsky's Night On A Bare Mountain, Tchaikovsky's Variations On A Rococo Theme, Rimsky-Korsakov's Overture, May Night and Shostakovich's Symphony No 6.

French-born cellist Gautier Capuçon will join the orchestra to perform Tchaikovsky's Rococo Variations and the concert will be broadcast live on ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Radio 3's Performance on 3.

The new season of 12 concerts at St David's Hall has "a theme of myth and story-telling, using the power of music to bring legends to life with the thrill of a live performance". The season includes Ravel's Daphnis Et Chloe, Roussel's Bacchus Et Ariane, Mahler's Third Symphony and Roméo Et Juliette amongst many other works. A 'Christmas Celebrations' family concert with conductor Grant Llewellyn is also planned.

The season will see international and world-class conductors and soloists joining the orchestra including Gautier Capuçon, Katarina Karnéus, Peter Donohoe, Anthony Marwood, Lars Vogt, Viktoria Mullova, Llyr Williams, Grant Llewellyn, Olivier Charlier, Douglas Boyd, Andrew Litton and the Orchestra's conducting team of Thierry Fischer, Jac van Steen, Tadaaki Otaka and François-Xavier Roth.

In addition music lovers can hear the orchestra in Cardiff at ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Hoddinott Hall, the orchestra's recording and rehearsal home at Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay. The ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Hoddinott Hall series will include a short series of concerts focusing on the music of contemporary composers, an evening concert featuring the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ National Chorus of Wales and a series of afternoon concerts.

"Every time I open the score of Ravel's Daphnis et Chloé, with which we end our season, I marvel at the range of colours, inflections and power of which the symphony orchestra is capable," said Fischer.

"This season we open with the bright, vivid Russian colours of Mussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich, then, later in the season, we will be exploring the entirely different refined French palate of orchestral colours, from Berlioz to Henri Dutilleux.

"Today's composers also have found new colours in the symphony orchestra and amongst those contemporary works that we'll be playing are pieces by John Adams, Thomas Adès and our composer-in-association, Simon Holt - composers who have reinvented the symphony orchestra for the 21st century."

Further information on subscription tickets, single prices tickets, family tickets and discounts are available from the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ National Orchestra of Wales Audience Line on 0800 052 1812.