All events Concert

Mendelssohn and Friends

Cancelled

Booking open to Friends only. Join now
Tickets go on general sale on Tuesday 3 March 2020 at 9.30am.

Conductor Laurence Equilbey on stage, holding a baton, wearing a black blazer over a white shirt

Artists

Laurence Equilbey – conductor
Sunwook Kim – piano

Programme

Weber Overture, Oberon

Robert Schumann Piano Concerto

— Interval —

Mendelssohn Symphony No. 4 (Italian)

“This is Italy!… And I am loving it… thank you, dear parents, for having given me all this happiness”: The European tour Mendelssohn took in his early twenties was a rich source of inspiration.

One of its many musical fruits was the Italian symphony, full of southern warmth and exuberance.

Weber’s opera Oberon (another influence on the young Mendelssohn) premiered at Covent Garden in 1826, and it was a triumph.The story features familiar characters such as Titania and Puck, but also mermaids, pirates, and the Caliph of Baghdad. The overture begins with the mysterious call of a distant horn, which is revealed later in the opera to have magical powers.

Mendelssohn conducted several early performances of Robert Schumann’s beloved Piano Concerto, with Clara Schumann as the soloist. And Clara summed up its appeal: “how rich in invention, how interesting from the beginning to the end, how fresh and what a beautifully coherent whole.” Pianist and orchestra are collaborators rather than rivals in this concerto – a role well-suited to soloist Sunwook Kim, renowned for the natural ease of his playing.

Need to know

Prices & Discounts

£12 – £58 (premium)

Subscription discounts available; under-18s and concessions discounts available; £8 tickets for students via Student Pulse one month before the concert (limited availability)

Running Time

1 hour 40 minutes, including 20 minute interval

Recommended age

From 7+

Box office

Philharmonia Box Office: 0800 652 6717

Venue

Royal Festival Hall

Royal Festival Hall

Southbank Centre
Belvedere Road
London
SE1 8XX

View on Google Maps

London season illustration

Part of 2020/21 London Season

Cancelled
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