Resident Orchestra at
Welcome to our Resident Season at Cadogan Hall
Music is about people. People tell stories. And with the combined talents of the 75 artists who make up the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, there’s no limit to the tales we can tell, or the pictures we can paint. The RPO’s 2024–25 Season at Cadogan Hall begins with Mussorgsky’s famous Pictures at an Exhibition, but that’s just the start of the adventure: 15 concerts filled with favourite melodies, contemporary classics, new discoveries and sonic surprises. And from the English landscapes of Elgar to the unbridled emotions of Beethoven and Tchaikovsky – whether we’re playing a glittering piano concerto, or surrendering to raw operatic passion – every one of them is bursting with stories.
To help us tell them, we’ve invited some of our favourite soloists and conductors – artists from Britain and around the world who feel as passionately as we do about the sound of great music played by a world-class orchestra.
The RPO’s Principal Associate Conductor Alexander Shelley conducts Brahms, Martyn Brabbins conducts Vaughan Williams and Shiyeon Sung harnesses the elemental energy of Carl Nielsen. Violinist Esther Yoo plays Bernstein, pianist Daniel Ciobanu plays Prokofiev, and throughout the season – as our 2024–25 Artist-in-Residence – we’re thrilled to welcome the phenomenal young Swedish-Norwegian violinist Johan Dalene: one of those rare performers who makes everything they touch light up.
And that’s not even the half of it. One thing’s for sure, though, somewhere in our season there’s a musical story that will speak directly to you. Come to Cadogan Hall, and let us share it.
At a glance
2024
Wed 18 Sep Esther Yoo plays Bernstein
Thu 26 Sep Mendelssohn, Schumann and Wagner
Wed 30 Oct Rachmaninov, Prokofiev and Shostakovich
Tue 12 Nov Mozart’s Requiem
Thu 28 Nov Tribute to a Hungarian Legend
Sat 7 Dec Christmas Cracker
2025
Fri 14 Feb Orchestral Valentines
Thu 27 Feb Johan Dalene plays Tchaikovsky
Wed 12 Mar Bizet’s Carmen Symphony
Wed 9 Apr Korngold’s Violin Concerto
Wed 16 Apr Elgar’s Enigma Variations
Thu 1 May Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony
Thu 29 May Tchaikovsky’s Sixth Symphony
Wed 11 Jun Prokofiev and Borodin
Esther Yoo plays Bernstein
Mussorgsky, orch. Rimsky-Korsakov Khovanshchina: Prelude
Bernstein Serenade (after Plato’s ‘Symposium’)
Mussorgsky, orch. Ravel Pictures at an Exhibition
Long Yu Conductor
Esther Yoo Violin
Rachmaninov, Prokofiev and
Shostakovich
Shostakovich Festive Overture
Prokofiev Violin Concerto No.2
Rachmaninov Symphony No.3
Robert Trevino Conductor
Johan Dalene Violin
(RPO Artist-in-Residence, 2024–25)
Mendelssohn, Schumann and Wagner
Wagner Rienzi: Overture
Schumann Piano Concerto
Mendelssohn Symphony No.3, ‘Scottish’
Jac van Steen Conductor
Curtis Phill Hsu Piano (Winner of the Hastings International Piano Concerto Competition 2024)
Kindly supported by Sarah and David Kowitz
Mozart’s Requiem
Mendelssohn Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage
Mozart Exsultate, jubilate
Beethoven Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage, Cantata for Chorus and Orchestra
Mozart Requiem
Daniel Hyde Conductor
With soloists including Rachel Nicholls Soprano
City of London Choir
Tribute to a Hungarian Legend
Smetana The Bartered Bride: Overture
Péter Eötvös Cziffra Psodia (UK premiere)
Brahms Symphony No.2
Alexander Shelley Conductor
János Balázs Piano
Presented by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the Cziffra Festival
Orchestral Valentines
Richard Balcombe Conductor
Petroc Trelawny Presenter Soloist to be announced
Petroc Trelawny presents an evening filled with much-loved romantic pieces from the worlds of film, opera and the concert hall. See the RPO website for full programme details.
Christmas Cracker
Stephen Bell Conductor
Katie Birtill Vocalist
Oliver Tompsett Vocalist
Join us for our annual celebration of all things festive: a mouth-watering spread of Yuletide music old and new, with well-loved tunes, seasonal classics and a few magical surprises.
Johan Dalene plays Tchaikovsky
Sibelius Nightride and Sunrise
Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto Nielsen Symphony No.2, ‘The Four Temperaments’
Shiyeon Sung Conductor
Johan Dalene Violin (RPO Artist-in-Residence, 2024–25)
Bizet’s Carmen Symphony
Rossini William Tell: Overture
Tchaikovsky Variations on a Rococo Theme
Tchaikovsky Eugene Onegin: Polonaise, Waltz and Ecossaise
Bizet, arr. Serebrier Carmen Symphony (in Twelve Scenes)
Stephanie Childress Conductor
Anastasia Kobekina Cello
Elgar’s Enigma Variations
Vaughan Williams Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus
Bliss Piano Concerto
Elgar Enigma Variations
Martyn Brabbins Conductor
Mark Bebbington Piano
Korngold’s Violin Concerto
Kaprálová Suita Rustica
Korngold Violin Concerto
Dvořák Symphony No.8
Eduardo Strausser Conductor
Liya Petrova Violin
Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony
Weber Der Freischütz: Overture
Hummel Trumpet Concerto
Beethoven Symphony No.7
Adam Hickox Conductor
Matthew Williams Trumpet
Tchaikovsky’s Sixth Symphony
Mozart The Magic Flute: Overture
Nielsen Violin Concerto
Tchaikovsky Symphony No.6, ‘Pathétique’
Antonello Manacorda Conductor
Johan Dalene Violin
(RPO Artist-in-Residence, 2024–25)
Prokofiev and Borodin
Britten Peter Grimes: Four Sea Interludes
Prokofiev Piano Concerto No.3
Victoria Borisova-Ollas Open Ground
Borodin Prince Igor: Polovtsian Dances
Gemma New Conductor
Daniel Ciobanu Piano
Johan Dalene
RPO Artist-in-Residence, 2024–25
For the 2024–25 Season, we are delighted to welcome acclaimed Swedish-Norwegian violinist Johan Dalene as our Artist-inResidence. Winner of the prestigious Carl Nielsen International Competition in 2019 and Gramophone’s 2022 Young Artist of the Year, he combines dazzling virtuosity with an engaging stage presence and his passionate performances are not to be missed. Johan told us a little more about his journey so far:
Tell us about your journey to becoming a violinist.
Both my parents are musicians. My mum plays the piano and my dad is a cellist, and there was always music around the house when I was growing up. Before starting to play the violin at the age of four, I really wanted to play the cello and be like my dad. I was fascinated by the instrument and would watch (and disturb) my father when he was practising. Eventually, I was persuaded to try the violin
Mats Bäcker
What are you looking forward to in performing for audiences in London and around the UK?
Outside of Scandinavia, the UK is the place where I’ve performed the most. I’m always struck by how kind people are and how enthusiastic audiences can be. I’m incredibly excited to be Artist-in-Residence with the RPO, an orchestra I’ve admired for a long time. It will be my first time playing with the Orchestra as well as my debut at Cadogan Hall, and I can’t wait to get to know the Orchestra and the audience there!
Where do you look to for inspiration? When it comes to music, my biggest source of inspiration has always been my teacher Per Enoksson, who is a fantastic violinist himself. Other idols of mine are, for example, Janine Jansen, Gidon Kremer and David Oistrakh, and I am always inspired listening to their playing. In my everyday life, my friends and family always inspire me. Listening to other sorts of music like pop or rock can give me new ideas and perspectives, and sometimes just being in nature somewhere in Sweden when the weather is nice can be a huge source of motivation.
instead. The teacher in my hometown, Norrköping, had a fantastic reputation and my parents thought it would be nice if we could play a piano trio together (which we have done a few times, though not for a while now...). I tried the violin and fell in love with it. When I was about 12 or 13, I had a period when I really wanted to play football and do other things. All my friends were into football and it just felt more fun at that time, but about a year later, I discovered recordings on Spotify of some fantastic violinists (such as Jascha Heifetz and Maxim Vengerov) and I started becoming extremely interested and inspired and wanted to be able to play like that myself. Since then, my dream has been to live my life as a musician and travel around the world playing concerts.
Do you have any advice for young musicians? My biggest piece of advice would be to focus on developing your own personal style of playing. When I’m working on a piece, I try not to listen to too many recordings (even though there are so many wonderful recordings of great violin playing). For me, it then feels easier to look at the music from a fresh perspective and interpret things from the score in your own original way.
Don’t miss Johan’s performances on Wednesday 30 October 2024, Thursday 27 February 2025 and Thursday 29 May 2025.
HOW TO BOOK
Tickets from £18*
Orchestral Valentines and Christmas Cracker
Tickets from £28*
Under 18 £5*
Book as early as you can to secure the best choice of seats at the best possible prices.
Box Office
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra rpo.co.uk
Cadogan Hall
cadoganhall.com 020 7730 4500
5 Sloane Terrace, London SW1X 9DQ
2 minutes’ walk from Sloane Square
Underground station
Series Discount
Book 2 or 3 concerts save 15%
Book 4 or 5 concerts save 25%
Book 6 or more concerts save 30%
Excludes Christmas Cracker concerts
Groups
Groups of 6+ save up to 35%
School group tickets from just £5, subject to availability
Call 020 7608 8840 to find out more and reserve tickets
(Book 6 to 9 tickets online and immediately save up to 15%)
*Prices subject to change & booking fees apply.
JOIN THE RPO CLUB
RPO Club members can save 50% on up to two tickets for each of our concerts at Cadogan Hall and the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, as well as selected performances at the Royal Albert Hall.
From just £150 per year or £12.50 per month, you can support the work of the RPO and receive additional benefits, including priority booking and discounted tickets.
rpo.co.uk/club
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra gratefully acknowledges the generous support of Arts Council England. Cover images from left to right: © Mats Bäcker, Je Won Kim, Artis–Naples/Darron Silva, Lusine Pepanyan