In the lead-up to the 50th anniversary of Benjamin Britten’s death, young firebrand conductor Adam Hickox returns with music by the great composer, drenched in rustic charm and nostalgia. A similar primal yearning drives Stravinsky’s revolutionary The Rite of Spring, and the world premiere of Gavin Higgins’ new Clarinet Concerto is given by Mark Simpson as his time as our Artist in Residence comes to a close. Raised in a ‘heart-shaped’ territory on the Welsh border, a woodland region with its own dialect, Higgins’ musical language is also unique, infused with spirituality and an affinity with nature.

The Rite of Spring

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic

Dinis Sousa leads a voyage across the English Channel, celebrating four visionary French masters. In tribute to the wit and beauty of Couperin’s keyboard music, Thomas Adès adds layers of sparkling instrumental texture. Georgian superstar Mariam Batsashvili is the soloist in Saint-Saëns' Piano Concerto No.2, with its pretty cascading melodies and dramatic twists and turns. Debussy lulls us with washes of impressionistic orchestral colour that conjure the different states of the sea, from calm to storm, and Ravel’s Boléro reminds us of a legendary moment in Olympic figure skating history.

Boléro

Nobuyuki Tsujii returns with Shostakovich’s jocular and fun-loving Second Piano Concerto, and a similar playfulness runs through a brand-new piece by the sensational young composer Carmel Smickersgill. Her work blends pop and classical influences to explore themes of love, heartbreak and death – she describes it as ‘silly music that comes from a serious place’. Much darker forces emerge in Mussorgsky’s Night on the Bare Mountain and dawn breaks to the sound of one of the Orchestra's mighty Forever Bells. Peace is finally restored thanks to Sibelius’ Sixth Symphony, a luminous, restrained work inspired by early English music.

Nobu Returns

Women take centre stage in a celebration of their leading role in art and life. Princess Melisande, the jewel of Byzantium, arrives on the Provençal coast in Nikolai Tcherepnin’s dreamlike overture for Rostand’s play La Princesse lointaine. A canny and enchanting queen captivates her brutal Sultan husband for 1001 nights in Rimsky-Korsakov’s vivid retelling of the ancient tale, Scheherazade. And rising star soprano Sarah Brady makes her debut with the Orchestra in Richard Strauss’ Four Last Songs. Written at the end of his career, this sublime, autumnal orchestral song cycle is Strauss’ farewell to life, love and music.

Four Last Songs

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Belgian maestro Karel Deseure presents a feast of French talent as Mel Bonis – a favourite of Saint-Saëns – lends her lyrical musical voice to three female figures of historical, mythical and biblical legend. 20th-century pioneer Lili Boulanger also revels in the richness of religious texts, drawing on the pain and yearning in Psalm 130 to create her choral masterpiece. Songs of mourning give way to hymns of praise in a radiant performance of ‘Du fond de l'abîme’ by the Orchestra and Choir. And finally, that famous Persian queen returns in Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade.

Scheherazade

Nature, childhood and lullabies weave through this concert, which puts the spotlight on Benjamin Britten to mark the 50th anniversary of his death, and showcases our Composer in Focus Caroline Shaw and Timothy Jackson too. Britten composed themes for his Simple Symphony between the ages of just nine and twelve, while A Charm of Lullabies reimagines texts by Blake and Burns, and explores the hidden dangers of the night and the anxieties of parenthood. Timothy Jackson’s Be not Afeard offers a gentle hymn of comfort, and two works by Pulitzer and Grammy Award-winning composer Caroline Shaw, whose music features throughout our season, offer a psychedelic take on fairytales and the natural world.

Reinventing Britten

Yoko Ono Lennon Centre

Boundary-breaking and genre-defying, the London Symphonic Rock Orchestra return to the UK with a brand new set. Performing legendary anthems with breathtaking scale and intensity, fusing the majestic power of the symphony orchestra with the rebellious energy of rock.

London Symphonic Rock Orchestra

Fresh voices and landmark firsts Clara-Jumi Kang, hailed as one of the most technically masterful violinists of her generation, makes her Hope Street debut in Mendelssohn’s first and only violin concerto. This triumph of Romantic expression is followed by Edward Elgar’s First Symphony, the UK’s first truly ‘major’ symphony. Chief Conductor Domingo Hindoyan delves into the dark heart of this work which proved hugely important, not only for Elgar himself, but for the entire history of British music. Rene Orth’s Chasing Light opens our programme with a rush of restless, relentless energy.

Mendelssohn Violin Concerto

A spectacular concert to kick off our Youth Company season. Continuing our celebration of Benjamin Britten, Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Orchestra take on his Soirées musicales – a whirling, glittering piece based on works by Rossini. We’ll be hopping over the Atlantic as we hear music inspired by the sounds of Edmund Thornton Jenkins’ South Carolina hometown, and we’re off to the French capital in Gershwin’s fabulously bluesy and jazz-inspired An American in Paris. 

Youth Company Celebrates Britten

Ever the quintessential sad clown, Pierrot is the protagonist in Korngold’s charming short work written when the composer was only 11 years old. Then it’s the turn of the Orchestra’s Principal Clarinet Miquel Ramos Salvadó to take centre stage with the melancholy beauty and extraordinary lyricism of Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto. A voyage into outer space comes next, with a 2019 work by this year's Composer in Focus Caroline Shaw. Finally, a 16th-century painter is the inspiration for Hindemith’s powerful symphony about the role of the artist in times of crisis

Mozart Clarinet Concerto

There’s a Nordic cool to the keyboard playing of Víkingur Ólafsson, a glacial stillness and an atmosphere that’s as fresh as any Arctic sea breeze. Hailed as one of the most innovative artists of his generation, the world-famous Icelandic pianist returns to Liverpool once again with his distinctive approach to Brahms’ vast, charismatic and spiritually rousing piano concerto. The composer’s Symphony No.3 opens this programme with its recurring motto, ‘free but happy,’ and an atmosphere that’s both playful and dramatic.

Víkingur Ólafsson & Domingo Hindoyan

Boris Giltburg and Vasily reunite for Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No.4 – the sound of a man in transition, newly arrived in New York and exploring trends like jazz and impressionism. Britten reaches new artistic maturity in his Sinfonia da Requiem too. It’s a powerful plea for peace and we hear it now ahead of the 50th anniversary of his death. Perhaps the most magical ballet score ever, Tchaikovsky’s festive favourite The Nutcracker never fails to please – especially under the baton of Vasily Petrenko tonight.

The Nutcracker

Our Beethoven Symphony Festival kicks off with his exuberant overture for Prometheus, which captures the divine splendour of this mythical hero through strident moments, excitable strings and some very pretty lyricism. There’s a similar energy in his Symphony No.1, which pays homage to the great classical tradition while giving us a taste of the vibrant and pioneering symphonic voice Beethoven developed over the following decade. Written at the dawn of the 19th century, there’s even more emotional intensity, humour and dramatic irony in the composer’s Second Symphony.

Beethoven 1 & 2: The Beginning

Step back in time for an unforgettable evening of big band brilliance with the Glenn Miller Orchestra at Philharmonic Hall. This iconic ensemble brings the spirit of the 1940s to life, celebrating the unforgettable sound of Glenn Miller and the golden age of swing.

Glenn Miller Orchestra

The Eroica Symphony is one of the most daring and pivotal works in music history. Beethoven’s dramatic reimagining of the very idea of a symphony expands its every dimension and has come to express the composer’s own artistic and personal triumph through adventurous orchestration and its sheer size and scale. Overshadowed by the titanic forces of the Eroica and Symphony No.5, Beethoven’s Fourth is often overlooked, yet it is just as technically accomplished, bursting with wit and sunshine, not to mention it's one of Domingo's personal favourites.

Beethoven 3 & 4: Eroica – Revolution

Beethoven’s iconic Symphony No.5 is considered music’s most powerful journey from turmoil to victory, reflecting the composer’s own struggle with depression and the reality of his encroaching deafness. With its famous four-note ‘Fate’ motif, this watershed work wrestles with profound personal pain before reaching triumph in the face of destiny. Having overcome the powers of providence, Beethoven takes us on a more leisurely and romantic exploration of nature with his Symphony No.6. Still boldly innovative, this work paints a remarkable and imaginative picture of the natural world.

Beethoven 5 & 6: Fate – Nature

A musical ode to a 16th-century freedom fighter, the shifting moods in Beethoven’s Egmont Overture portray the grappling forces of good and evil. Symphony No.7 follows with its driving pulse, joyous mood and its deeply moving, famous second movement. While there’s far less dramatic tension in his Eighth Symphony, it was one of Beethoven’s favourites. Nicknamed the “little” symphony, it’s a witty and compelling work, cherished for its humour and eccentric charm.

Beethoven 7 & 8: Energy – Rhythm

The combined forces of the Orchestra and Choir open this concert with Beethoven’s miniature masterpiece Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage, before a cast of superstar soloists joins the Choir in the monumental Symphony No.9. A powerful homage to brotherhood and freedom, the Ninth is a work of unfathomable genius, especially given Beethoven’s near-total deafness at the time of its creation.

Beethoven 9: Ode to Joy

Taking us across the Atlantic in this all-American extravaganza, South Carolina native Kellen Gray celebrates the diversity of American culture and its influence on classical music. Bernstein’s genre-defying operetta Candide is full of wit and emotion while Short Symphony by Copland fizzes with vibrant Mexican folk themes. Jessie Montgomery’s Hymn for Everyone is full of lush, chorale-like textures, and there’s a dynamic mix of classical and African American traditions in the Symphony No.4 by Harlem Renaissance icon William Grant Still.

Rhapsody in Blue

We’re thrilled to welcome back conductor Kristiina Poska, who leads the Orchestra through the fast-sweeping overture of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, setting today's concert off at quite a pace, before perhaps the most romantic of all concertos slows us back down a little. It was only after pioneering hypnotherapy that Rachmaninov was able to conquer his writer’s block to compose his extraordinary Second Piano Concerto, given a rigorous and stylish performance today by Clare Hammond. The struggle with, and ultimate submission to, destiny also lies at the heart of Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony, a work of great emotional power.

Orchestral events in Liverpool

The Rite of Spring

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic

Boléro

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic

Nobu Returns

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic

Four Last Songs

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic

The Artelize Podcast Pres...

Artelize

The Artelize Podcast: 'Am...

Artelize

The Artelize Podcast and ...

Artelize

The Artelize Podcast - A ...

Artelize

Scheherazade

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic

Reinventing Britten

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic

London Symphonic Rock Orc...

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic

Mendelssohn Violin Concer...

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic

Youth Company Celebrates ...

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic

Mozart Clarinet Concerto

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic

Víkingur Ólafsson & Domin...

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic

The Nutcracker

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic

Beethoven 1 & 2: The Begi...

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic

Glenn Miller Orchestra

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic

Beethoven 3 & 4: Eroica –...

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic

Beethoven 5 & 6: Fate – N...

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic

Beethoven 7 & 8: Energy –...

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic

Beethoven 9: Ode to Joy

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic

Rhapsody in Blue

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic

Rachmaninov Piano Concert...

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic