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Dancing chickens, luminous skulls, a witch’s hut… sounds spectacular? It’s amazing what you can achieve with a head full of stories, an ear for musical colour, and a few shots of vodka! In the opening concert of our new season, guest conductor Long Yu – China’s pre-eminent living conductor – opens up a veritable musical picture book, and whether it’s a radiant vision of a Russian dawn or Mussorgsky’s fantastic musical art gallery, you’re guaranteed terrific tunes in fabulous colours in Pictures at an Exhibition. As for the Serenade: perhaps only Leonard Bernstein could have taken an Ancient Greek meditation on love and transformed it into a big-hearted (and delightfully quirky) violin concerto. The amazing Esther Yoo is our soloist – critics have praised her ‘freedom, invention and glorious sound’. You’re about to hear why.

### Event Description: War and Peace - LPO **Event Title:** War and Peace - LPO **Date and Time:** Wednesday, 2 April 2025, 7:30 PM **Location:** Royal Festival Hall, London **Tickets:** £7 - £70 **Event Overview:** Join the London Philharmonic Orchestra for an evening of powerful and emotionally charged music under the baton of Conductor Emeritus Vladimir Jurowski. The program, titled "War and Peace," features a selection of works that delve into themes of conflict and resolution, showcasing the profound emotional depth and historical significance of each piece. **Program:** - **Prokofiev:** Selection from *Semyon Kotko* (20 minutes) - **Mussorgsky arr. Denisov:** *Songs and Dances of Death* (19 minutes) - **Lyatoshynsky:** *Symphony No. 3* (46 minutes) **Performers:** - **Conductor:** Vladimir Jurowski - **Bass:** Matthew Rose **Event Highlights:** - **Lyatoshynsky's Symphony No. 3:** A powerful piece with the message "Peace Shall Defeat War," reflecting the urgent and compelling themes of the 20th-century Ukrainian composer. - **Prokofiev's Operatic Tale:** Music from *Semyon Kotko*, depicting Ukrainian struggle. - **Mussorgsky's Darkly Comic Songs:** *Songs and Dances of Death*, arranged by Denisov, perfect for the dramatic and characterful British bass Matthew Rose. **Special Offers:** - **Multi-Buy Series Discounts:** Save up to 30% on full-price tickets at the Southbank Centre, London. - **Group Discounts:** Book 10 or more seats to access discounted tickets for Southbank Centre concerts. **Related Event:** - **LPO Showcase: Crisis Creates** - **Date and Time:** Wednesday, 2 April 2025, 6:00 PM - **Description:** A project aimed at improving participants' wellbeing and confidence through self-expression, collaboration, and developing creative skills. It offers a channel for participants to express themselves and combat isolation. **Booking Information:** - **Book Now:** [Link to booking page] **Critical Acclaim:** - "Jurowski's conducting was clean, clear, and exactingly precise." - The Guardian **Sign Up:** - **Mailing List:** Stay updated by signing up to our mailing list. Experience the gripping and uncompromising emotional power of "War and Peace" with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Secure your tickets now for an unforgettable evening of music.

Frederic Chopin took the piano and transformed it into the ultimate vehicle for the Romantic imagination. There’s a burning fire beneath the poetry of his music, or as one contemporary put it ‘cannons hidden in flowers’. In the hands of Yunchan Lim – who in 2022 became the youngest-ever winner of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition – his Second Piano Concerto will blaze as never before. But first comes Mussorgsky, battling his demons in music of spine-tingling drama.

Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition may have inspired more arrangements than any other piece in the classical canon, but this performance eschews the most famous by Ravel for a more intimate version for String Quartet. Mussorgsky’s aren’t the only images in this programme – Crawford-Seeger’s Wind Quintet paints a compelling image of the ailing composer returning to the thing she most loves, while Arnold’s Guitar Concerto is a tacit portrait of the great jazz guitarists – Django Reinhardt’s influence on the piece is unmistakable.