Bruckner 4 with Esa-Pekka Salonen

Programme

Two magisterial musical statements by Beethoven and Bruckner are united in a concert of deep emotion, beauty and vigour.

Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 balances classical elegance with Romantic drama, shifting between a stormy first movement, the dreamlike serenity of its second and an imposing, triumphant conclusion. In the hands of Leif Ove Andsnes, whose complete cycle of Beethoven’s piano concertos was described by BBC Music Magazine as “some of the best Beethoven playing you will ever hear”, we can expect a masterclass in Beethoven’s stormy passion and heartfelt beauty.

Somewhere in the forest, the air shimmers and the light glows. In the mist, a lone hunter sounds his horn. From this mystical, otherworldly opening, the majesty of Bruckner’s Fourth Symphony unfolds: building gradually from minor key darkness to the life-affirming radiance of its blazing finale, this is a symphony which is alive with soaring imagination. When Conductor Laureate Esa-Pekka Salonen first heard Bruckner’s Fourth Symphony on the radio as a child, he thought: “Maybe I should become a musician, if music can be like this.” Bruckner’s extraordinary musical structures, monumental yet inviting, seductive yet awe-inspiring, still have the power to amaze, enchant, and change us.

Unfortunately, Herbert Blomstedt is unable to travel to London for health reasons and will therefore not be able to conduct the concert. We are grateful to our Conductor Laureate Esa-Pekka Salonen who is stepping in to conduct. Please note the repertoire will now be Bruckner’s Symphony No. 4 instead of Bruckner’s Symphony No. 5, and Leif Ove Andsnes will join us for Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3.