‘Hear the bells ring out, with their singing and ringing … they tell of oblivion’. For Serge Rachmaninoff, the sound of bells embodied the eternal soul of Russia, and he poured all his imagination into this sumptuous choral symphony, an odyssey through the whole of human life told in music of sparkling joy and rich, deep sorrow. It’s a glorious showcase for Edward Gardner and our world-class London Philharmonic Choir, and a wonderful way to follow the epic sweep of Rachmaninoff’s grandest piano concerto, with LPO favourite Leif Ove Andsnes (‘magisterial elegance, power, and insight’ – The New York Times) in the spotlight.
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Masterpieces by Sibelius and Nielsen frame a new work by composer Miho Hazama, written to accompany underwater film footage of the Nordic coast.
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Enter the world of Henryk Górecki’s cathartic and hauntingly beautiful Symphony of Sorrowful Songs at an immersive performance, conducted by Charles Hazlewood.
Join this dynamic group for a celebration of today’s music for strings at its most thrilling and varied, including the meditative Third Symphony by Philip Glass.
Enter the world of Henryk Górecki’s cathartic and hauntingly beautiful Symphony of Sorrowful Songs at an immersive performance, conducted by Charles Hazlewood.
Continuing his residency, James McVinnie offers a programme that celebrates music of flair and fantasy on the Royal Festival Hall’s historic organ.
Beethoven and Bartók both insist that there’s no such thing as a ‘mere bagatelle’ when Polish pianist Piotr Anderszewski pairs two compelling sets of inventive miniatures.
Sibelius sees a flight of swans on a summer evening, and hears a melody that could have been wrought from the elements. Britten opens the emotional floodgates and creates one of 20th-century music’s mightiest outpourings of grief. And Shostakovich whispers secrets in the shadows, in a concerto that refuses to be silent. It’s all about memory, and all about truth. Big music demands big personalities, and they don’t come much bigger than violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja: virtuoso, storyteller and all-round phenomenon. With Edward Gardner conducting, she’ll drive straight to the heart of this powerful programme.
Concert generously supported by Victoria Robey CBE.
An all-indigenous female youth choir from North East Australia with dance, visuals, plus a visceral song cycle about ancestry and stewardship. The result? The dazzling phenomenon that is Spinifex Gum.
Discover the compelling music of two of the leading Nordic composers of recent decades, in this free early evening concert.
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Enjoy an evening of Classical masterpieces, featuring two of the finest piano concertos of the late 1700s.
From the heart of Ukraine, music of joy, courage and reconciliation by Beethoven, Brahms, Sibelius and Stankovych. There’s always a special atmosphere when a Ukrainian orchestra plays at Cadogan Hall – an indomitable spirit, grounded in a deep-rooted and fiercely-cherished musical tradition. And in Lviv – a city where Central European culture meets the Slavic world – that spirit burns brighter than ever.
The Chineke! Orchestra honours women composers whose powerful music resonates through the ages, ending with a UK premiere of a rediscovered Florence Price work.
A deep dive into the potential of the violin, expanding and enhancing the instrument through microtonality, electronics, and the sound of multiple violins.
Channel waves, folk rhythms and the heartbeat of the cosmos, as conductor Dinis Souza, pianist Bertrand Chamayou and the BBC Symphony Orchestra play Debussy, Bartók and Unsuk Chin.
Cyborg pianist Zubin Kanga summons ghostly vocal samples with the press of a key in a brand-new Laurence Osborn piece.
Interweaving singing, dance, and cutting-edge theatre, Gorges Ocloo’s ground-breaking AfrOpera re-examines Nana Yaa Asantewaa’s defiant stance against colonialism and cultural appropriation.
Embedding the intricacies of the patter song, Kenneth Hesketh’s orchestral show-stopper prefaces two compelling Russian master works as John Wilson and his Sinfonia of London return.
Alongside something hot off the press, death, despair, and eternity stalk the Dudoks’ typically ear-opening programme in which Messiaen tempers the anguished ardour of Gesualdo and Schubert.