Composer

As different as we humans are – in one respect we are all the same, without exception: We must die; all life on earth ends. When, where and how – that is the great question that has preoccupied us as long as we can think and feel. What is death like? As the 34-year-old Richard Strauss imagined it: a look back, sublime, solemn, a tremendous crescendo towards a shining horizon? Or is the same composer closer to an inscrutable truth when, in 1948, a year before his own death, he lets the soul soar in free flight in the Four Last Songs and presents us earthlings with one of the most moving works of classical music? The Finnish soprano Anu Komsi and Sakari Oramo on the podium delve into this overwhelming realm between melancholy, peace, farewell and the premonition of death. But dying can also have quite different sides… the British composer George Benjamin sings a song about it.

EPSG:4326

Swan song

Cologne Philharmonie

Deeply in love and enlightened by Sanskrit literature, Gustav Holst embarked upon what many consider his true masterpiece. The Cloud Messenger recounts an ancient tale in which a man sends a message of love to his distant wife via a passing cloud. It drew from the composer a rich and passionate work charting love’s trials and rewards. This performance, marking 150 years since Holst’s birth, comes after Elgar’s ever-popular, bittersweet Cello Concerto and the gentle exhalations of Jonathan Harvey’s Tranquil Abiding, inspired by Buddhist meditation.

Prom 19: Elgar’s Cello Concerto

Royal Albert Hall

Discover the captivating sounds of contemporary music at Real Collegio! Join us at 12:00 for a groundbreaking concert featuring works by Jörg Widmann, Unsuk Chin, Johnathan Harvey, Sir Harrison Birtwistle, and Brett Dean. Experience the extraordinary talents of Yejin Gil, Adrian Brendel, Joanna MacGregor, and Carter Muller as they bring these innovative compositions to life. Witness the Italian premieres of Birtwistle's enchanting pieces and Dean's poignant "Huntington Eulogy." Don't miss this unique musical journey!

Composer

Jonathan Harvey

Events

Past events

7 - 9 Dec, 2025

Swan song · Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne

Aug 3, 2024

Prom 19: Elgar’s Cello Concerto · BBC Symphony Orchestra

About

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