The Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra concludes its 2013-14 season on Sunday afternoon with Brahms’ Fourth Symphony, a monumental work that represents his supreme achievement in orchestral music.

The finale’s irresistible flow of ideas, crowned by a thrilling coda, should leave the audience wanting more.

And more is promised, thanks to the generous support of the orchestra’s many fans, with the imminent release of next season’s programme.

Sunday’s programme also includes a performance of The Sea, a colourful orchestral evocation by Frank Bridge, who was born in Brighton and died in Eastbourne.

The pull of the Sussex Downs and the sea held a lifelong fascination for Bridge. He built a house called Friston Field on the Downs, overlooking East Dean and Friston Forest.

The ten-year-old Benjamin Britten, who was to become Bridge’s pupil, was “knocked-sideways” when he first heard it. In capturing the sea in all moods and states, the piece remains a masterpiece of English tone-painting.

Lowell Liebermann may be one of America’s most frequently performed and commissioned contemporary composers, but his name is not widely known this side of the Pond.

Described by the New York Times “as much of a traditionalist as an innovator”, he writes music “that the public enjoys”, which is never a bad thing.

His Piano Concerto No 1 is full of pianistic athleticism and striking orchestral colour, an enlarged percussion section playing no small part in this. No wonder it has been used at Covent Garden as music for a ballet.

The soloist in Sunday’s performance, Robert Clark, has performed it there and brings his own virtuosity and flare to a work that will be new to many.