Richard Strauss Capriccio Sextet Op. 85 Wagner Siegfried Idyll Mahler Symphony No. 1 (arr. Farrington) Our favourite orchestra returns to Richmond under its leader Bradley Creswick, with a superb programme. First is the sextet from Strauss’s opera, Capriccio, which brings the composer’s rich instrumental textures to a stylised recreation of elegant Rococo chamber music. It’s a miniature delight. Next is Wagner’s famous and very recognisable Siegfried Idyll , which threatens to drown the listener in a warm sea of gorgeousness. Lucky Cosima Wagner. Did any man ever give his wife a better birthday present? After the interval, we hear the First Symphony by Mahler, famous for the enormous scale of his instrumentation. Yes, a chamber orchestra can play Mahler, but it does need to be a very good chamber orchestra. Royal Northern Sinfonia have attracted some of our largest audiences in recent years. With a programme like this one we’re bound to get