The overture to Nielsen’s joyful and exuberant opera Maskarade, is the perfect start to our celebrations, filled as it is with all the fun and drama of a masked ball. Despite being considered the ‘national opera’ of Denmark and acknowledged by Denmark’s Ministry of Culture in 2006 as one of the nation’s 12 greatest musical works, the piece is rarely performed outside of the composer’s home country. 

Beethoven’s lyrical fourth piano concerto opens with a quiet invitation from the soloist to join them, and the Orchestra, on a musical journey like no other. Lise de la Salle is the perfect guide for this piece that was nearly eclipsed by Beethoven’s other works, but was championed by none other than Felix Mendelssohn, whose own Violin Concerto we will hear on Saturday 29 June.

For the second half of tonight’s concert, we welcome back to the stage Tama Matheson, who will bring to life some of the incidental music which Edvard Grieg wrote for Henrik Ibsen’s Peer Gynt. Regular RPO audience members may remember Matheson’s unique 2022 rendition of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, in which he embodied Shakespeare and retold the story live on stage.  

The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Cadogan Hall were saddened to hear of the untimely passing of Sir Andrew Davis, who was due to conduct this performance. 

We send our deepest sympathies to Sir Andrew’s family.

We are incredibly thankful to Adam Hickox for graciously stepping into Sir Andrew’s role for this concert. Following successful debuts with leading orchestras around Europe and his recent appointment as Principal Conductor of The Glyndebourne Sinfonia, British conductor Adam is fast building a reputation for his impressive and elegant performances and mature interpretations of a wide range of repertoire.

“Few would venture to Chelsea, unarmed and unattended” so wrote Charles Dickens in his 1841 novel Barnaby Rudge. It was certainly a different time, but the bohemian feel and reasonable rents (because of the prevalence of highwaymen) attracted huge numbers of writers and musicians to Chelsea.

Tonight, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and friends take the words of some of Chelsea’s more famous residents, including A.A. Milne, Jane Austin and J.R.R. Tolkien, as the inspiration for an evening of words and music, celebrating the unique surroundings of Cadogan Hall.

GRAMMY-award winning conductor Christian Măcelaru takes to the Cadogan Hall stage to conduct South Korean violin sensation Bomsori Kim. Kim, who ‘wowed’ the Proms audience in 2023 (The Times), will play Mendelssohn’s exquisite Violin Concerto in a rare London appearance. Full of ravishing, flowing melodies, it is easy to see why this piece is a favourite of audiences across the world. As a precursor, young composer Oana Vardianu’s piece Genesis, written for Măcelaru and the Romanian Chamber Orchestra, charts the evolution of music itself from folkloric tradition passed through the generations to its myriad and ever-changing forms in the present day.

In the second half of the concert, Măcelaru and the Orchestra will perform Sibelius’ Symphony No.5, filled with vivid musical depictions of the natural world, from the earth to swans flying through the air. As Sibelius himself wrote in his diary while he was composing the symphony, "the melodies are divine!!".

Wonder, passion and pure delight, as pianist Kirill Gerstein brings both heart and mind to bear on the music of Chopin, Schumann, Poulenc and Liszt.

Dancing chickens, luminous skulls, a witch’s hut… sounds spectacular? It’s amazing what you can achieve with a head full of stories, an ear for musical colour, and a few shots of vodka! In the opening concert of our new season, guest conductor Long Yu – China’s pre-eminent living conductor – opens up a veritable musical picture book, and whether it’s a radiant vision of a Russian dawn or Mussorgsky’s fantastic musical art gallery, you’re guaranteed terrific tunes in fabulous colours. As for the Serenade: perhaps only Leonard Bernstein could have taken an Ancient Greek meditation on love and transformed it into a big-hearted (and delightfully quirky) violin concerto. The amazing Esther Yoo is our soloist – critics have praised her ‘freedom, invention and glorious sound’. You’re about to hear why.

Copland Fanfare for the Common Man
Bernstein Candide: Overture
Rogers Carousel: Waltz
Barber Adagio
Bernstein West Side Story: Suite No.1
Williams Olympic Fanfare and Theme
Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue
Gershwin An American Paris

Join the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra for a celebration of some of the most iconic pieces of American music ever composed.

A sparkling programme filled with timeless American classics, from the captivating sounds of Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man to John Williams’ Olympic Fanfare and Theme. Originally composed for the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 1984, our performance will celebrate its 40th anniversary and coincide with the Games in Paris this year. Plus Gershwin’s jazz-inspired Rhapsody in Blue and An American in Paris, as well as music from the much-loved musical West Side Story.

Featuring pianist Eric Lu, the Orchestra is also thrilled to be joined by conductor Michael Seal for a spectacular evening at the one-and-only Royal Albert Hall.