Prom 44: West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, Royal Albert Hall

When conductor Daniel Barenboim (Berlin State Opera) brought his West-Eastern Divan Orchestra from Seville to the Royal Albert Hall last year, the queues for promming ran almost as far as Gloucester Road station - for a line-up of newly commissioned work and Ravel's Bolero. This year, with the great conductor himself taking the piano in Beethoven’s dazzling Triple Concerto (1803) before Tchaikovsky’s crowd-pleasingly rambunctious Symphony No. 4 (1877-8), expect an almost instant sell-out as soon as tickets are released on Saturday 16^th May.

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Daniel Barenboim, Argentina's greatest classical son, needs little introduction. There are few conductors in the world who can equal his tremendous energy, and even fewer who can match their skill at the baton with their dexterity at the keyboard. The West-Eastern Divan is a unique ensemble, founded by Barenboim with the legendary post-colonial scholar Edward Said to bridge political differences in Middle East. Consequently, the orchestra is composed of young players from the region, including both Palestine and Israel.
The concert opens with Schoenberg’s Chamber Symphony No. 1 (1907), a punchy clarion-call against the gigantism of late romanticism. Although exploratory and ever-shifting, it is far more accessible than many of the composer’s later works. The Beethoven concerto will feature Baronboim alongside young string soloists Guy Braunstein and Kian Soltani, who both seem pegged for future stardom. Finally, the Tchaikovsky will be sure to bring everything to a melodic and melodramatic close. Lambasted during its time for its ‘barbarism’, it has become one of the great composer’s most popular works.

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