‘Tales is an exploration of African American folklore and Afrofuturist stories’, Carlos Simon writes in the booklet note for this digital-only EP. And, in fact, each of the Symphony’s four brief movements simultaneously looks forwards and backwards. The opening movement, ‘Motherboxx Connection’, for example, was inspired by the work of the visual artists known as Black Kirby, who consider the overwhelmingly white world of comic-book superheroes and reimagine it from an Afrofuturist perspective. Brassy and bright, with glittering shimmering percussion, Simon’s music has a cinematic quality here.

The central movements reference Spirituals. ‘Flying Africans’ is delicate and gorgeously lyrical, with dripping glissandos from the violins, while the narrative thrust of ‘Go Down Moses (Let My People Go)’ – at eight minutes, the longest of the set – shows Simon to be an immensely gifted storyteller. In the finale, ‘John Henry’, he puts the NSO brass and percussion sections through their paces, and both acquit themselves brilliantly. Indeed, Noseda has the entire orchestra playing at the top of their game throughout.

I predict that (in the US, at least) Tales will be coming soon to an orchestra near you.