Wayne McGregor, LPO, A Body for Harnasie, RFH

The early 20th century Polish composer Karol Szymanowski created Harnasie as a ballet-pantomine heavily influenced by folk songs. Set in the Tatra mountains, it's based on the legend of the abduction of a shepherd's bride by the robber Harnaś and his band, the Harnasie of the title.

The rarely played score for Harnasie can be heard at the Royal Festival Hall, performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra under conductor Edward Gardner with solo tenor Robert Murray as part a one-off concert. But this is not Harnasie as Szymanowski conceived it – it's a lavishly reimagined concert production renamed A Body for Harnasie, that brings together a fascinating array of big names in a range of visual and performance arts.

So, Wayne McGregor, whose interest in science has informed much of his choreographic work, combined live dance by two men and one woman (Szymanowski's three original characters) with new photographic and film material of the Tatra mountains alongside AI, to tell the story in contemporary fashion. The resulting film is projected onto visual artist Ben Cullen Williams's sculptural video installation, which will be suspended above the orchestra on the stage during the performance.

The initiative for A Body for Harnasie came from the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, which gave the work its world premiere on 26th February in the Polish city of Katowice, with Edward Gardner on the rostrum. The London Philharmonic Orchestra, which co-commissioned the work, will give it its UK premiere on 6th March, again under Edward Gardner's baton.

For the RFH concert A Body for Harnasie will be paired with two other works: Ravel's La Valse and the world premiere of LPO's composer-in-residence Tania León's Raices.

Age Guidance: 7+