IT IS a concert with thrilling and beautiful music from a range of extraordinary composers.

Slaithwaite Philharmonic Orchestra rounds off a powerful season tomorrow with a concert at Huddersfield Town Hall.

At its heart lies Symphonie Fantastique, the brilliant orchestral showcase by Hector Berlioz.

This revolutionary work which re-defined orchestral music offers a vibrant and thrilling conclusion to the current Slaithwaite Philharmonic Orchestra season.

“It is a work with a profound and terrifically exciting narrative,” said Benjamin Ellin, the orchestra’s music director who will conduct the concert.

“Berlioz was a man of vivid imagination as well as a character of wonderful excess,” said Ben.

“The ‘Symphony’ takes us on a rollercoaster of a journey through unrequited love that is almost biographical except, that is, for the fantasy sounds of witches and beheadings!”

The work heralded Berlioz as one of the founders of what is now thought of as Romantic music.

“He was 27 years old when he finished it. 27! When you see and hear how brilliant these minds were it is exciting and humbling in the same moment.”

The concert opens with one of the most frequently performed orchestral American pieces – Bernstein’s jaunty and tuneful Overture to Candide.

“This overture is from Bernstein’s operetta of the same name (Candide) and itself is based upon the novella Candide by the French writer Voltaire,” said Ben.

“The operetta has not always remained as successful as would have been hoped but the music was an instant hit.

“This sparkling overture has become a musical thumbprint of Bernstein and perhaps American compositional sound.

“Even if you don’t recognise the name you’ll know the music!”

The concert will also include a rather beautiful work by British Composer Ralph Vaughan Williams, Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus which was written during the period of composition for his Symphony No.5.

“This 5th Symphony can be thought of as part of a trilogy of symphonies influenced by World War One and later World War Two. “The work in our concert gives little away to this and is as serene and beautiful as any early Vaughan Williams might be imagined despite being written in 1938,” said Ben.

The soloist for tomorrow’s concert will be the talented young Russian pianist Veronika Ilinskaya.

Veronika, who is from Moscow, made her first appearance as a soloist with an orchestra at the age of 10.

She is building a global reputation for her sensitivity, musicality and honesty in performance.

Tomorrow she will play the lyrical second Piano Concerto by Saint-Saëns.

The concert starts at 7.30pm and tickets, priced £10 to £15 (concessions £7.50) are available from Kirklees Box Offices, call 01484 223200).

As at all Slaithwaite Philharmonic town hall concerts, children accompanied by adults are admitted free to the area and gallery.

To learn more about this exciting programme, head for the town hall at 6.30pm where Ben will lead a discussion in the concert hall.