Artistic Director and Principal Conductor: Charles Dutoit
ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL
ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA 2018
Box Office: 020 3879 9555
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is delighted to return to Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall for five concerts in 2018.
The RPO’s outstanding international reputation entices a plethora of distinguished artists to join the Orchestra in a brand new season at London’s Royal Festival Hall. Artistic Director and Principal Conductor Charles Dutoit takes the helm for two enthralling concerts featuring gems of the repertoire, including Strauss’ depiction of infamous lothario Don Juan and Stravinsky’s mystical The Firebird. Virtuoso violinist and RPO’s Principal Guest Conductor Pinchas Zukerman leads an unmissable concert involving Bruch’s fiendish Violin Concerto No.1 along with Elgar’s timeless ‘Enigma’ Variations. Other highlights include renowned cellist Steven Isserlis performing Elgar under the baton of Thomas Dausgaard, joining the likes of Pavel Kolesnikov, Alban Gerhardt and Kirill Gerstein in a roster of outstanding soloists featured in this season. Ilan Volkov conducts the opening concert, performing a programme with much gravitas: Liszt, Beethoven and Mahler’s momentous Symphony No.1. From Mozart to Britten, this eclectic series spans several musical periods, providing memorable experiences for everyone, all in the incomparable surroundings of one of the UK’s finest concert venues.
The Orchestra looks forward to seeing you soon www.rpo.co.uk
TUE 06 FEBRUARY, 7:30PM
Conductor
ILAN VOLKOV Piano
PAVEL KOLESNIKOV LISZT From the Cradle to the Grave BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No.4 MAHLER Symphony No.1, 'Titan' Ilan Volkov opens the series with a gripping concert, beginning with Liszt’s yearning From the Cradle to the Grave, which sets an expressive tone for the evening. Following this is Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No.4, which begins unusually with the piano rather than the orchestra, with its searching melody of repeated notes, performed here by accomplished young pianist Pavel Kolesnikov. The ethereal opening to Mahler’s Symphony No.1 ensures a spine-tingling atmosphere, with brooding, winding melodies beginning to emerge from the deep, giving a sense of the threat to come. With references to fanfares, the pastoral, dances, klezmer music and nursery rhymes, this momentous Symphony encompasses all, giving a hint as to why it is nicknamed ‘Titan’. The monumental piece culminates in a frantic and stormy finale, which erupts in majestic brass fireworks.
Ticket prices: £50, £40, £30, £20, £10 (subscription and friends discounts apply)
TUE 27 MARCH, 7:30PM
Conductor
CHARLES DUTOIT Cello
ALBAN GERHARDT STRAUSS Don Juan MOZART Symphony No.35, ‘Haffner’ STRAUSS Don Quixote The RPO’s Artistic Director and Principal Conductor Charles Dutoit takes the helm for the first of his two concerts in the series. Strauss’ depiction of the famous philanderer Don Juan opens the concert, with its insatiable energy and confident, heroic themes only interrupted by glimpses of romance. This is followed by Mozart’s light-hearted Symphony No.35, a work which was originally penned as a serenade to be used as background music for the ennoblement of Sigmund Haffner. Celebrated cellist Alban Gerhardt then joins the Orchestra for Strauss’ playful Don Quixote, a dramatic set of variations illustrating the story of Miguel de Cervantes’ fictional knight.
Ticket prices: £50, £40, £30, £20, £10 (subscription and friends discounts apply)
WED 04 APRIL, 7:30PM
Conductor
THOMAS DAUSGAARD Cello
STEVEN ISSERLIS BRITTEN Peter Grimes: Four Sea Interludes ELGAR Cello Concerto RACHMANINOV Symphonic Dances Conductor Thomas Dausgaard sets the scene with Britten’s picturesque Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes, an opera in which the sea is an ever-present figure in the life of fisherman Grimes and the local community. This is followed by Elgar’s much-loved Cello Concerto, with its tumultuous opening chords immediately communicating the angst which characterises the piece. Renowned soloist Steven Isserlis, who has been described as ‘Britain’s greatest cellist’ (The Telegraph), will take on this familiar favourite. The concert ends with Rachmaninov’s last composition, the lively Symphonic Dances, which contrasts rhythmic vivacity with lyrical melodies, bursts with energy and exuberance and the distinctive tonal colours and sonorities ensure Rachmaninov’s legacy lives on.
Ticket prices: £50, £40, £30, £20, £10 (subscription and friends discounts apply)
THU 26 APRIL, 7:30PM
Conductor/Violin
PINCHAS ZUKERMAN SIBELIUS The Swan of Tuonela BRUCH Violin Concerto No.1 ELGAR Sospiri ELGAR Variations on an Original Theme, 'Enigma' The RPO’s Principal Guest Conductor Pinchas Zukerman is both conductor and soloist in this varied programme. Sibelius' evocative The Swan of Tuonela opens the concert, casting the cor anglais in a starring role as an elegant swan. This is followed by Bruch’s fiendish Violin Concerto No.1, showcasing the virtuosity of the soloist and the extraordinary capabilities of the instrument. The evening culminates in two pieces by Elgar: his stirring Sospiri – a nostalgic musical sigh – and the quintessentially English ‘Enigma’ Variations, which has long been surrounded by an air of mystery, as Elgar hinted at more than one enigma embedded in the work.
Ticket prices: £50, £40, £30, £20, £10 (subscription and friends discounts apply)
WED 16 MAY, 7:30PM
Conductor
CHARLES DUTOIT Piano
KIRILL GERSTEIN BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No.5 ‘Emperor’ STRAVINSKY The Firebird (complete ballet) Maestro Charles Dutoit returns for a show-stopping finale to the RPO’s Royal Festival Hall concert series. Virtuosic pianist Kirill Gerstein opens the programme with one of the most energetic – and yet moving – piano masterpieces of its time, Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No.5, ‘Emperor’. The series concludes with Stravinsky’s The Firebird, a dramatic musical illustration of the Russian fairytale. The story’s hero is Prince Ivan, who falls in love with a princess under the spell of Koschei the Immortal and is helped on his quest by an enchanted Firebird. The music is extremely theatrical; the menacing and repetitive opening gives a sign of the trouble to come, while the ethereal strings conjure the magic of the Firebird.
Ticket prices: £50, £40, £30, £20, £10 (subscription and friends discounts apply)
RPO Young Professionals Club The RPO Young Professionals Club provides a community within the RPO family for like-minded, London-based young professionals. Supporting Principal Associate Conductor Alexander Shelley, the RPO Young Professionals Club brings together a vibrant group of young people who enjoy great orchestral music in a relaxed and sociable environment. Club members have access to discounted tickets and complimentary concert programmes, receive invitations to exclusive Young Professionals events and much more. Members play an important role in the life of the Orchestra and have the opportunity to meet the musicians and network with their peers.
For more information and to join, please contact Huw Davies (Deputy Managing Director and Head of Development) on 020 7608 8825 or DaviesH@rpo.co.uk
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The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra gratefully acknowledges the generous support of Arts Council England