Name: Johan Dalene plays Tchaikovsky
Start: 2025-02-27T19:30:00
Location: Cadogan Hall

Experience the magic of Jean Sibelius in London this season! From Sir Antonio Pappano's grand opening with the LSO at the Barbican, to the Philharmonia Orchestra's Nordic Soundscapes at the Southbank Centre, and María Dueñas's captivating performance at the Royal Festival Hall, London is set to be enchanted by the profound and evocative works of Sibelius. Don't miss these unforgettable concerts that promise to transport you to the natural and emotional landscapes of Finland.

Symphonic Splendor: Sibelius in London

London is set to resonate with the captivating music of Carl Nielsen and other great composers. From the season-opening concert of the London Symphony Orchestra at the Barbican to a special performance by the Philharmonia Chamber Players at the Royal Festival Hall, these events promise to be a treat for music lovers. Highlights include Santtu-Matias Rouvali conducting at the Royal Festival Hall, María Dueñas playing Sibelius at the Southbank Centre, and Johan Dalene's rendition of Tchaikovsky at Cadogan Hall. Don't miss out on these extraordinary concerts and the chance to experience the rich Nordic soundscapes.

Experience the Magic of Carl Nielsen and More in London

This February, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra takes audiences on a captivating musical journey across the UK. From romantic classics to orchestral masterpieces, a series of events promises to enchant classical music lovers. With venues spanning from Cadogan Hall in London to the Sunderland Empire Theatre, each concert is set to showcase the talents of renowned performers and conductors, delivering unforgettable experiences. Join us as we explore these must-see events that fill the air with the sounds of love and passion.

A Melodic Journey: The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra's February Serenade

Johan Dalene

Shiyeon Sung

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

A trumpet sounds an ominous fanfare, the orchestra cries out, and Mahler’s Fifth Symphony thunders into life. But that’s just the beginning – and, after all, this is Mahler! 68 minutes later, the whole orchestra is punching the sky in triumph. It’s an epic struggle from darkness to light, as powerful as any Hollywood blockbuster and every bit as colourful, filled with horn calls, dark visions and, of course, Romantic music’s most passionate love letter – the famous Adagietto that Mahler wrote for his young wife Alma.

Mahler x Korngold

Royal Albert Hall

‘In this realm, time becomes space…’ From CS Lewis to Terry Gilliam, Wagner’s Parsifal has been an inspiration to the very greatest creative artists. Vasily Petrenko conducts a symphonic suite that weaves all the power and beauty of Wagner’s five-hour masterpiece into one sumptuous orchestral tapestry: music that glows from within, sounding more radiant than ever in the Royal Festival Hall.

Wagner x Taneyev

Royal Festival Hall

A clarinet soars upwards – and immediately, you can picture the skyscrapers of jazz-age Manhattan. There’s nothing quite like Rhapsody in Blue, and few living pianists play Gershwin with more flair than our soloist today, Japanese jazz legend Makoto Ozone. And with RPO Conductor-in-Residence Kevin John Edusei conducting, there are endless pictures to be painted and stories to be told. High in the mountains of Transylvania, György Ligeti hears a shepherd blow his horn, and gypsy fiddles flash around the campfire. And far from his Hungarian homeland, composed in the USA, Béla Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra sets out to put a great orchestra through its paces and ends up by punching the air with glee. This is music that loves life – and believe us, you can feel it.

Makoto Ozone plays Gershwin

Cadogan Hall 

Back by demand: the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra’s annual Film Music Gala at the Royal Albert Hall, featuring the exhilarating music from your favourite action and adventure films.

Join us on an epic journey through sensational soundtracks, depicting the action-packed thrills of Mission: Impossible, Indiana Jones and Jurassic Park; the fantasy and magic of Star Wars, Harry Potter and E.T.; the rousing heroic adventures of Batman, Gladiator and The Great Escape, and the sweeping, iconic landscapes of The Lord of the Rings, Dances With Wolves and Avatar. To name just a few!

Film Music Gala: Action and Adventure - Matinee

Some composers think bigger, but it takes a special sort of genius to create a whole new musical universe. Everything about Scriabin’s Third Symphony is larger than life, from the enormous orchestra to the galactic ambition of Scriabin’s inspiration – music that he described as ‘ecstatic’, ‘drunken’ and even ‘divine’! If you like Mahler, you’ll love ‘The Divine Poem’, and for Vasily Petrenko, it’s a passion – a musical experience that doesn’t come around every day.

Hisaishi x Scriabin

The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra’s sensational Symphonic Rock show is back! For one night only, join us at the Royal Albert Hall for an exhilarating evening of classic rock anthems, performed by the Orchestra and its rockin’ rhythm section, which promises to raise the roof of this iconic venue.

Hear the genre-defining hits of Meat Loaf, Guns N’ Roses, Bonnie Tyler, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Tina Turner, Bon Jovi, The Rolling Stones and many more as you’ve never heard them before – each performed with the Orchestra’s signature symphonic twist, and accompanied by a host of backing vocalists, as well as a spectacular light show and effects.

Conducted by Pete Harrison and featuring a special guest presenter.

Symphonic Rock

Tchaikovsky never held back. He asked for his Fifth Symphony to be performed con desiderio e passione –‘with desire and passion’ – and when guest conductor Cornelius Meister joins the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Cadogan Hall, we can promise exactly that. With its heartfelt melodies and blazing colours, we love playing Tchaikovsky’s Fifth as much as you love hearing it, and there’s no more stirring way to finish a season packed with music at its most uninhibited. But that’s not all: the evening opens with a delightful new miniature from Composer-in-Association Joe Hisaishi (Spirited Away). And Clara-Jumi Kang brings all her world-class insight to Britten’s powerful Violin Concerto, written on the eve of World War II. Strong emotions, stunningly played.

Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No.5

A big anniversary calls for an even bigger celebration and, as the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra turns 80, that’s exactly what we’re hosting tonight – live from the spectacular surroundings of the Royal Albert Hall, where the RPO is proud to be Associate Orchestra.

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at 80

An entertaining one-hour exploration, featuring insights and a complete performance. This concert has no interval.

In 1788, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart composed his last symphony. We’re still not quite sure how he did it: creating a masterpiece so perfect that for more than two centuries, it has shared a name with the king of the gods. But why is it considered to be a masterpiece? Here to answer that question (and more) are multi-award-winning writer and historian Leah Broad, Vasily Petrenko (conducting the RPO for the first time at Cadogan Hall) and the full Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, with an entertaining guide to what makes Mozart tick. They’ll take the Symphony apart and show you how it works. And then they’ll put it back together, concluding the evening with a full performance. Whether you’re a hardcore Mozart fan or a total newbie, it’s an experience that never fails to inspire.

Mozart Revealed

Cadogan Hall

Get ready for another unmissable evening of soul music with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra as the Royal Albert Hall is filled with the seminal sounds of the iconic Motown label, as well as other sensational soul artists of the era.

This get-up-and-dance concert features songs by the artists who brought gospel, blues and soul music to new heights such as: Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross, Jackson 5, Martha Reeves and, the Queen of Soul herself, Aretha Franklin.

Symphonic Soul: A Celebration of Motown and More

In the darkest days of the Second World War, the 70-year-old Ralph Vaughan Williams wrote a symphony that sounded like a vision of peace. From misty opening to visionary finish, the Fifth Symphony is Vaughan Williams doing what he does best: spacious, eloquent and rapturously beautiful. But it’s got drama, too, and this evening conductor Adam Hickox places it alongside two powerful and atmospheric 20th-century landscapes by Vaughan Williams’ contemporaries. Grażyna Bacewicz’s Overture is bold and defiant – the work of a woman who spoke with her own voice in communist Poland. And RPO Artist-in-Residence Liya Petrova explores the fire and ice of Sibelius’ mighty Violin Concerto: a gripping showcase for the ‘gorgeous sound’ (Sunday Times) of this award-winning violinist.

Sibelius Violin Concerto

Join the RPO for an evening delving into deep space in high definition.

Grammy® award-winning American composer Eric Whitacre’s symphonic work Deep Field was inspired by the world’s most famous space observatory, the Hubble Space Telescope, and its greatest discovery – the iconic Deep Field image.

After the interval, the RPO presents Anne Nikitin’s score to Lightroom’s critically acclaimed The Moonwalkers. Narrated and co-written by Tom Hanks, The Moonwalkers provides an insight into the impending return of crewed surface missions to the moon by going behind-the-scenes of the Artemis programme, including interviews between Hanks and Artemis astronauts. Shown on a big screen in the Royal Albert Hall, this will be the first chance to hear Anne Nikitin’s original soundtrack, performed live in concert by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

Accompanying the evening’s music, our big screen will feature two specially created films. This concert offers audiences their first opportunity to experience The Moonwalkers outside its original Lightroom setting, in a specially curated edition featuring original NASA footage, Andy Saunders’ Apollo Remastered images, and a pre-recorded narration by Tom Hanks – transporting you to the lunar surface. Opening the evening, Eric Whitacre’s music is paired with Deep Field: The Impossible Magnitude of Our Universe, combining Hubble’s breathtaking imagery with bespoke animations.

The Moonwalkers: Live in Concert

When Johan Dalene won the Carl Nielsen International Violin Competition in 2019, one critic predicted that he’d become the greatest Swedish violinist in generations: a player with ‘a wondrous tone, an elegant straightforwardness and a freshness of utterance.’ We just say come and hear for yourself, as Dalene returns for his second Cadogan Hall concert as the RPO’s Artist-in-Residence. He joins forces with conductor Shiyeon Sung in Tchaikovsky’s hugely popular, gloriously tuneful Violin Concerto. First, though, experience the primal splendour of a Nordic dawn, as seen by Jean Sibelius, and then brace yourself for the unbridled life force of Carl Nielsen in full torrent. His extraordinary Second Symphony took its inspiration from a painting in a Danish pub – and you’d better believe it goes straight to the head!

Johan Dalene plays Tchaikovsky

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