In this groundbreaking take on William Shakespeare’s bittersweet tragedy, Hector Berlioz combines the playwright’s influence with all the musical drama of Ludwig van Beethoven’s symphonies. PROGRAM Berlioz: Romeo et Juliette, Overture: Benvenuto Cellini
LSO: Gergiev conducts Brahms 4 & Szymanowski 4
Conductor Valery Gergiev leads the London Symphony Orchestra in a stunning interpretation of Johannes Brahms’ fourth and final symphony that showcases the composer’s architectural musical skill. PROGRAM Brahms: Symphony No 4; Szymanowski: Symphony No 4
LSO: Gergiev conducts Brahms 3 & Szymanowski 3
Johannes Brahms’ Symphony No. 3 is considered to mark a new level and stage of maturity, and is performed here alongside his first orchestral piece Variations on a Theme of Haydn. Completing the program is Szymanowski’s Third Symphony, which was written during his second Franco-Arab period and sees tenor Toby Spence take to the stage. PROGRAM Brahms: Symphony No 3, Variations on a Theme of Haydn, Szymanowski: Symphony No 3
LSO: Gergiev conducts Brahms 2 & Szymanowski 2
Presented alongside his Tragic Overture, Johannes Brahms’ relaxed Symphony No. 2, improvisatory in nature with a fuller orchestral sonority, is paired with Karol Szymanowski’s own second symphony. PROGRAM Brahms: Tragic Overture, Symphony No 2; Szymanowski Symphony No 2
LSO: Gergiev conducts Brahms 1 & Szymanowski 1
Johannes Brahms’ Symphony No. 1 is presented alongside Karol Szymanowski’s own first symphony and Violin Concerto No. 1, featuring the acclaimed soloist Janine Jansen.PROGRAM Brahms: Symphony No 1; Szymanowski: Symphony No 1, Violin Concerto No 1
LSO: Gergiev conducts Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique
Featuring the acclaimed mezzo-soprano Karen Cargill, this triple header includes Hector Berlioz’ Waverley Overture, Les nuits d’été and Symphonie fantastique. PROGRAM Berlioz: Waverley Overture, Les nuits d’ete, Symphonie fantastique
LSO: Gardiner conducts Mendelssohn & Schumann
Inspired by his travels around Britain, and full of the influence of the rolling Scottish landscape, Felix Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 3 – often known as ‘Scottish’ – and his Overture: The Hebrides are among his most popular and admired works. Programmed with Schumann’s richly imaginative Piano Concerto, acclaimed pianist Maria João Pires joins the Orchestra as soloist.”Even if they spoke with different accents these genial Romantics were united in their ambitious fervour for ‘abstract’ music to be acknowledged as having the same expressive force as poetry, drama or the literary novel. The three works on this album exemplify the endeavour and range of invention of two of them, friends and colleagues in Leipzig” (Sir John Eliot Gardiner). PROGRAM Mendelssohn, Overture: The Hebrides, Symphony No. 3; Schumann, Piano Concerto