Prom 57: Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Royal Albert Hall

The Chamber Orchestra of Europe is a unique group, gathering some of the finest musicians from the continent yet forsaking a hall or chief conductor. For their appearance at the BBC Proms 2015, they have managed to gather two old masters for a collaboration made in heaven. Dutch conductor Bernard Haitink (Royal Concertgebouw) and Portugeuse pianist Maria Joao Pires will join the esteemed ensemble for a night of Mozart and Schubert.

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Bernard Haitink is one of the living legends of classical music; his almost thirty year stint as the principal director of Amsterdam’s Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra saw their reputation to soar to become the most acclaimed in the world. Now retired from permanent posts, he nevertheless remains an active guest conductor.
Portugal's Maria Joao Pires is a Mozartian like no other, famed for her lack of showboating narcissism. She is spontaneous yet eminently professional, able to create incredible waves of feeling while remaining entirely graceful and controlled. Her recordings of Mozart, Schubert and Chopin are generally considered among the best ever laid down.
Pires will take the lead in Mozart’s blissfully unfurling Piano Concerto No. 23 (1786), one of his finest works in the genre. It will be preceded by Schubert’s C major Overture in the Italian Style (1817), a bouncy piece which draws upon the bel canto operas of Rossini. After an interval, the concert will conclude with the same composer’s Symphony No. 9 (1825). Seldom has a work so deserved its nickname of ‘Great’ – over the course of almost an hour, it maintains exquisite melodic heights as it surges forward to a staggering conclusion.

Seating for this concert has sold out, but £5 Promming tickets will be available on the day.