Santtu and Yuja Wang

Programme

Brilliant and charismatic pianist Yuja Wang joins the Philharmonia for an afternoon of unabashed Romanticism.

Rachmaninov began his First Piano Concerto when he was just 17 years old, but it’s already full of his trademark mix of ravishing melodies and dazzling showmanship. It’s a huge challenge for most pianists – but the sensational Yuja Wang is certainly not most pianists.

Tchaikovsky’s music was a major influence on the young Rachmaninov. His Capriccio Italien is a souvenir of a holiday in Rome, full of memorable folk memories and lively orchestration. His Fourth Symphony, opening with a portentous horn fanfare, is a product of Romanticism at its height. From deceptively simple melodies, Tchaikovsky builds a spellbinding forty minutes of high emotional drama.