Open Rehearsal: Herbert Blomstedt and Leonidas Kavakos

Programme

How does a conductor communicate their interpretation of a piece with an orchestra and the soloist as they prepare for a performance?

Our Open Rehearsals give you access to this creative process and allow you to see the Philharmonia at work. Learn more about the pieces and start to listen to your favourites with a fresh pair of ears.

Revered conductor Herbert Blomstedt, still sharing the delight he finds in music-making in his late nineties, conducts Mahler’s Ninth Symphony.

The last work Mahler completed, his Ninth is a work of overwhelming emotional impact. In almost 90 minutes, it spans doubt and defiance; grief and hope; climaxes of devastating power, and a hushed ending that can make an enthralled audience of thousands almost forget to breathe. This chance to hear it in the hands of the Philharmonia Orchestra, and one of the most respected and well-loved conductors of our time, is a highlight in London’s cultural calendar.

Violinist Leonidas Kavakos joins us in the fourth of Mozart’s five violin concertos. Its clarity and refinement are the perfect foil to Mahler’s full-bodied fare. Kavakos’s last performance with us was “pitch perfect… [He] gave the audience an afternoon of life-enhancing joy” (Seen and Heard International).

This rehearsal will be followed by a Q&A with one of our musicians.