Vasily Petrenko and LPO: Berlioz, Rachmaninoff, Elgar- Royal Festival Hall

If it’s emotion you are looking for, this concert is set to be a rollercoaster of different moods. From the fast pace of the Berlioz to the sweeping strings of Rachmaninoff, it will thrill you with music from the peak of romanticism.

This cracker of a concert presents the award-winning London Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of the young Russian Vasily Petrenko, who is entering his tenth year of conducting.  Petrenko started out with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra in 2004 and has since won many awards, including Gramophone Orchestral Recording of the Year in 2009. The Lord Mayor of Liverpool has even made him an honorary Scouser.

French composer Berlioz’s Overture to Le Corsaire contains impressively fast passages. It is invigorating and should grab your attention nicely for the emotionally charged Russian composer Rachmaninoff‘s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini . The latter is one of those pieces which never works as well on the radio or a recording: it’s a must-see live. Keeping the performance faithful to its origins, American-Russian pianist Kirill Gerstein has been chosen to perform the piece. His experience in jazz early in his career leads to unique interpretations.

Just over twenty years before Rachmaninoff wrote his sweeping melodies of Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, the quintessentially British composer Elgar wrote his Symphony No. 2. He intended it to be a sort of musical high, but after completion it was clear that this piece had far more depth to it. It is now regarded as one of the great Romantic scores of central Europe, with a wonderful array of emotions displayed throughout. Don’t miss out on one of the world’s best orchestras performing it live in a world-class venue.

Tickets: £9-£39

Address & Map:   Royal Festival Hall,   Southbank Centre, Belvedere Rd, SE1 8XX  ‎

Nearest Tube: Waterloo