Boulez’s shattering Second Piano Sonata, and two extraordinary works for solo clarinet, performed by the talented musicians of the Guildhall School and introduced by BBC Radio 3’s Kate Molleson.
Three French composers rub shoulders in this captivating Sunday afternoon concert.
.jpg)
Âme creative studio returns to Southbank Centre’s Purcell Room with violist Lawrence Power to transform the space into an immersive multimedia instrument, vibrating with kaleidoscopic video, beautiful music and dynamic sound design.
An evening-long tribute to the limitless creative mind of Pierre Boulez, culminating in a rare performance of his five-movement epic masterpiece Pli selon Pli.
‘Peace Shall Defeat War’ wrote Boris Lyatoshynsky on the score of his Third Symphony, and the message of this great 20th-century Ukrainian composer has never felt more urgent or compelling. LPO Conductor Emeritus Vladimir Jurowski believes passionately that it needs to be heard, and you’ll be gripped by its epic sweep and uncompromising emotional power. Jurowski has paired it with music from Prokofiev’s operatic tale of Ukrainian struggle, and Mussorgsky’s pitch-black, darkly comic songs – perfect for a singer as dramatic, and as characterful, as the British bass Matthew Rose.
Get ready for an unmissable night of soul music as the Royal Albert Hall is filled with music from the legendary Motown record label and leading artists of the era.
Featuring unforgettable tracks such as R.E.S.P.E.C.T., Ain’t No Mountain High Enough, I Heard It Through the Grapevine, Reach Out (I’ll Be There), Dancing in the Street, Midnight Train to Georgia, Stop! In the Name of Love, Don’t You Worry ‘Bout A Thing, My Guy, Proud Mary, What Becomes of the Broken Hearted, My Girl and more.
Shostakovich in both revolutionary and festive mood alongside a MacMillan Concerto, written for Nicola Benedetti.
Poetry unlocks the imagination, as Ryan Wigglesworth and soprano Sophie Bevan plunge into the wild, wondrous sonic universe of Claude Debussy and Alban Berg.
For Vilde Frang, ‘music is the noblest form of communication, a constant interaction’ – and that generous philosophy, combined with her luminous, deeply expressive sound, has made this remarkable Norwegian violinist a real favourite with British audiences. Tonight, she explores the special poetry of Schumann’s only violin concerto: the tender heart of a concert that begins with Beethoven’s drama-fuelled Coriolan Overture, and ends with the wide-open spaces and pure, sunlit energy of Schubert’s unstoppable Ninth Symphony. It’s known as ‘the Great’ – and with LPO Conductor Emeritus Vladimir Jurowski bringing all his insight and imagination, you’ll hear why.
Two towering works of 20th-century chamber music, bringing together the violinist Alina Ibragimova and three of her closest colleagues.
Beethoven’s ‘Pastoral’ Symphony, Schubert’s ‘Unfinished’… it’s just tune after classic tune (and a few surprises too) as Turkey’s leading orchestra makes a keenly-awaited return to London. Enjoy the effortless charisma and glorious sound of cellist Pablo Ferrández in Saint-Saëns’ passionate Cello Concerto No. 1. Plus a firecracker of a showpiece from the great 20th-century Turkish composer Ferit Tüzün – East meets West, and it’s an absolute delight.
If you enjoy Dvořák’s ‘New World’ Symphony (No.9), you’re going to love the one that he wrote back home in the heart of Bohemia. Hymn tunes, birdsong and folk dances; village bands, summer sunsets and blazing triumph – they’re all here, in what might be the single happiest symphony by any great composer (and, definitely, one of the most tuneful). For guest conductor Eduardo Strausser, it’s a natural way to end a concert that positively glows with Central European sunshine. The award-winning violinist Liya Petrova steps into the limelight in Korngold’s soaring Violin Concerto – composed in Hollywood by a composer with his heart in Vienna. And there’s a chance to discover a real neglected gem: the folk-inspired Suita Rustica by Vítězslava Kaprálová, who lit up Czech music between the wars.
The harp takes centre stage in this free early-evening performance by members of the Philharmonia Orchestra.
Prokofiev’s mind-blowing Second Symphony, plus early Beethoven and a charming opener from Schubert.
‘The greatest graduation piece of all time’ crowns this evening of 20th century classics.
England’s dreaming: Sakari Oramo rediscovers rare and wonderful British masterpieces by Vaughan Williams, Doreen Carwithen and Malcolm Arnold.
Pianist Sunwook Kim multi-tasks with the high octane Chamber Orchestra of Europe in a concert featuring a Beethoven double.
Imagine a swelling river of sound; a musical voyage that begins amid the tranquillity of nature and ends in a surge of triumph. That’s Sibelius’s Second Symphony, and there are few experiences in classical music more invigorating, or more stirring. For the young Finnish conductor Tarmo Peltokoski, Sibelius is a national hero. There’s another tale about memory to be told here, as Canadian pianist Jan Lisiecki takes centre stage to showcase the grandeur and glory of Beethoven’s mighty ‘Emperor’ Concerto – a work dedicated to the composer’s patron and friend, Archduke Rudolf.
The Philharmonia pairs Shostakovich’s extraordinary final symphony with the famous overture quoted in its first movement.