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Sergey Prokofiev hoped his musical retelling of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet would have ‘immediate appeal yet sound like nothing written before’. Even now, his score delivers on both fronts, showing the composer’s gift for melody and his ability to reconcile his music’s hard edge with a soft, romantic core. Jaime Martín conducts dramatic highlights from Prokofiev’s ballet score after charismatic Franco-Serbian soloist Nemanja Radulović sets off fireworks in the ultimate Romantic violin concerto. And, to begin, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales unleashes the strident energies of Grażyna Bacewicz’s thrilling Overture, which quotes the famous ‘V for Victory’ motif from Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony.

Gramophone’s Artist of the Year in 2021, the Canadian violinist has been described by The Times as ‘in a class of his own’. Here he joins with an American musician equally acclaimed as a soloist and collaborative pianist for a selection of substantial works from the 18th and 20th centuries.

Three 20th-century works prominently featuring the oboe. Martinů’s Quartet was composed in New York in 1947. Poulenc’s delightful duo Sonata (1962) was his final work, described by a New York Times critic as ‘a paradoxical mix of the elegiac, the suave and the clever’; the composer dedicated it to the memory of Prokofiev, the material of whose 1924 Quintet largely derives from his ballet, Trapeze.

Pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason makes her solo debut with the orchestra in a night of depth and diversity, under the baton of Kevin John Edusei.

Join us for an unforgettable afternoon of music at the Royal Festival Hall on Sunday, 1st December 2024, at 3pm, featuring the ebullient saxophonist Jess Gillam and the Philharmonia under the baton of Principal Conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali. This irresistible Sunday matinee promises a blend of classical masterpieces and captivating performances. **Event Highlights:** - **Date & Time:** Sunday, 1st December 2024, 3pm - **Venue:** Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX - **Artists:** Santtu-Matias Rouvali (Conductor), Jess Gillam (Saxophone) - **Programme:** - Shostakovich arr. Cornall: Suite from Moscow, Cheryomushki - Glazunov: Saxophone Concerto - Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet excerpts Jess Gillam, celebrated for her infectious enthusiasm for music and remarkable achievements including an MBE for services to music, a Classical BRIT award, and her own show on BBC Radio 3, will light up the stage with her performance of Glazunov’s Saxophone Concerto. The programme also features Shostakovich’s satirical operetta Moscow Cheryomushki and selected highlights from Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet, chosen by Santtu himself. **Additional Information:** - **Prices & Discounts:** Tickets range from £15 to £75, with multibuy offers and discounts for under-18s and concessions. - **Running Time:** 1 hr 50 mins, including an interval - **Recommended Age:** From 7 - **Programme Notes:** Free printed programmes available at the venue. Digital programme notes will be available a week before the event. - **Box Office:** Philharmonia Box Office: 0800 652 6717 (Monday to Friday 10am – 5pm) **Before the Event:** - **Insights Talk with Jess Gillam** - **Date & Time:** Sunday, 1st December 2024, 1.30pm, Clore Ballroom - **Admission:** Free, no ticket required Meet saxophonist Jess Gillam and delve deeper into the afternoon’s performance at this pre-concert talk. Don’t miss this opportunity to experience the magic of live classical music in the heart of London. Priority booking for Friends is now open, with general booking commencing at 10am on Tuesday, 23rd April. Join the Friends to book your tickets now and secure your seat for this captivating concert.

Ebullient saxophonist Jess Gillam joins the Philharmonia Orchestra and their Principal Conductor for an irresistible Sunday matinee.

Of the young German pianist’s debut disc – which included sonatas by Beethoven and Prokofiev – Gramophone wrote: ‘It is rare to encounter this degree of instrumental mastery wed to musical depth and sensitivity in one so young’. After winning major international prizes she joined the BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists from 2018 to 2020 and made her BBC Proms debut the following year. She is now a regular visitor to Wigmore Hall, and her programme is themed around goodbyes.

This enchanting ballet by The Royal Ballet’s Founding Choreographer Frederick Ashton is a theatrical experience for all the family this Christmas.

Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No 1 is a tribute to the composer’s formidable skill at the keyboard. It has a lightness of touch alongside hints of the storminess Beethoven would become known for.

The wind rises, and waves smash against the North Sea coast of England. The earth shakes, as the very ground beneath our feet threatens to give way. And, in 19th-century Russia, a chemist with a gift for music dreams of ancient times and exotic tribes and creates sheer sonic alchemy. Music can show us the world in magical new ways, and as conductor Gemma New brings the RPO’s season to a close, she’s chosen four pieces that stir the imagination even while they thrill the senses. Britten’s seascapes, Borodin’s oriental fantasies and Victoria Borisova-Ollas’ tribute to the imagination of Salman Rushdie will make a vivid setting for the playfulness and wit of Prokofiev’s brilliant Third Piano Concerto – played by young pianist Daniel Ciobanu for whom every performance is a new adventure.