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Classical Concerts at
Royal Festival Hall

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Upcoming Concerts

Concerts at Royal Festival Hall in season 2024/25 or later

January 25, 2025
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An evening with Amjad Ali Khan

Sat, Jan 25, 2025, 19:30
Lidiya Yankovskaya (Conductor), Amjad Ali Khan (Sarod virtuoso), Amaan Ali Bangash (Sarod), Ayaan Ali Bangash (Sarod), Tanmoy Bose (Tabla), Jonathan Mayer (Sitar), Natasha Agarwal (Soprano), Madhusoodhan (Indian flute)
Sarod Grand Master Amjad Ali Khan comes together with his two sons for a concert that spans continents and cultures. Sarod Grand Master Amjad Ali Khan was born to a family steeped in Indian classical music and is regarded as one of the undisputed icons of the music world, bringing a new and yet timeless interpretation to the technique of playing the Sarod. His sons Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash are virtuoso performers in their own right, and tonight they come together with conductor (and regular collaborator) Lidiya Yankovskaya and the LPO at the centre of a concert that spans continents and cultures – from a flamboyant new overture by Indian-American composer Reena Esmail to the hugely popular Bollywood film scores of AR Rahman, the composer they call the ‘Mozart of Madras’.
January 29, 2025
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Benjamin Grosvenor plays Mozart

Wed, Jan 29, 2025, 18:30
Karina Canellakis (Conductor), Benjamin Grosvenor (Piano)
Benjamin Grosvenor unlocks the majesty, beauty and unchained melody of Mozart’s 21st Piano Concerto. ‘A mighty hero, in his veins the blood of ages …’ Lemminkäinen was a warrior like no other: loving, hunting, and challenging death itself. As a proud Finn, Sibelius knew all those ancient tales, and his Lemminkäinen Suite retells them in music that’s as vivid as a film score and as powerful as any fantasy epic. LPO Principal Guest Conductor Karina Canellakis does nothing by halves; she opens with Sibelius’s gripping evocation of the Viking age before joining Benjamin Grosvenor in the majesty, beauty and unchained melody of Mozart’s 21st Piano Concerto. Expect both sunlight and shadow from this much-loved British pianist.Please note start time.
February 19, 2025
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Symphonic Dances

Wed, Feb 19, 2025, 19:30
Juraj Valčuha (Conductor), Boris Giltburg (Piano)
Juraj Valčuha presents Rachmaninoff’s final masterpiece, the electrifying Symphonic Dances. The horns throw down a challenge, the piano strides forward, and Tchaikovsky launches his First Piano Concerto with a tune you’ll never forget. This is music that demands total commitment, so it’s perfect for Boris Giltburg, the Moscow-born piano virtuoso whom BBC Music Magazine described as ‘characterful, sensitive and technically dazzling’. But even the most brilliant jewel needs the right setting, and conductor Juraj Valčuha pairs it with showpieces by two of Tchaikovsky’s most devoted fans: Glazunov’s elegant whirl around the ballrooms of St Petersburg, and Rachmaninoff’s final masterpiece, the electrifying Symphonic Dances.
February 21, 2025
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LPO Showcase: Junior Artists

Fri, Feb 21, 2025, 18:00
Matthew Lynch (Conductor), LPO Junior Artists, Members of the Foyle Future Firsts programme, Members of the London Philharmonic Orchestra
The LPO Junior Artists Programme supports exceptionally talented teenage musicians from backgrounds currently under-represented in professional UK orchestras.Junior Artists spend a season with us and become fully immersed in the workings of the LPO. They are each mentored by a member of the Orchestra, and take part in a variety of performances, behind-the-scenes activities and skills workshops, as well as events to inspire future generations of young musicians.In this free performance, the Junior Artists perform alongside LPO musicians, Foyle Future Firsts and Junior Artist alumni in a celebration of vibrant young talent, under the baton of Matthew Lynch, LPO Fellow Conductor 2024/25.No booking required.
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An Alpine Symphony

Fri, Feb 21, 2025, 19:30
Edward Gardner (Conductor), Alexandra Dovgan (Piano)
Waterfalls, glaciers, an ear-splitting storm – spectacular isn’t the word for Strauss’s Alpine Symphony. No composer tells a story quite like Richard Strauss – or paints a picture in more fabulous sounds. So when he set out to depict the majesty of the Bavarian Alps, the results are … well, hear for yourself as Edward Gardner and a specially-enlarged LPO conquer the summit of Strauss’s mighty Alpine Symphony. Waterfalls, glaciers, an ear-splitting storm – spectacular isn’t the word. But first, enjoy the fresh Nordic melodies of Grieg’s famous Piano Concerto, played by a true rising star, and hear Pasajes by LPO Composer-in-Residence Tania León, which evokes memories of her youth, blending Latin American melodies, Caribbean rhythms and vibrant Carnaval dances.
February 26, 2025
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Symphonie Fantastique

Wed, Feb 26, 2025, 19:30
Edward Gardner (Conductor), Augustin Hadelich (Violin)
Berlioz claimed that his Symphonie fantastique depicted an opium dream, but really he was just high on the sound of a supersized orchestra going for broke.Sex and drugs and symphony orchestras: Hector Berlioz claimed that his Symphonie fantastique depicted an opium dream, but really he was just high on the sound of a supersized orchestra going for broke. Love, witchcraft, severed heads – it’s all here, in psychedelic colours, and you’d better believe that it’s a hard act to follow. That’s why Edward Gardner and the superb violinist Augustin Hadelich are setting the scene with Britten’s powerful Violin Concerto, and with the world premiere of Sphinx by David Sawer – a British composer whose raw imagination can give even Berlioz a run for his money.
March 1, 2025
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Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider plays Tchaikovsky

Sat, Mar 1, 2025, 19:30
Omer Meir Wellber (Conductor), Omer Meir Wellber (Piano), Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider (Violin)
Three very different composers, but in Wellber’s hands, they’re all part of the same unforgettable story.When Omer Meir Wellber is conducting, there’s no such thing as a routine concert – every performance is a chance to make unexpected connections; to hear familiar pieces in new and fascinating ways. Haydn blows the roof off with one of his most explosive symphonies, and the teenage Mahler gets seriously emotional in a rarely-heard early gem. Add another artist who strikes sparks – violinist Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider – and Tchaikovsky’s hugely popular Violin Concerto will never have sounded more alive. Three very different composers, but in Wellber’s hands, they’re all part of the same unforgettable story.
March 5, 2025
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An evening with Renée Fleming

Wed, Mar 5, 2025, 19:30
Thomas Guggeis (Conductor), Renée Fleming (Soprano)
It always feels good to make music with friends – and when that friend is soprano Renée Fleming, you just know that something extra-special is on the cards. No introduction is required for one of the LPO’s best-loved guests, the American soprano whose personality lights up the world’s greatest stages and whose voice has been compared to double cream. ‘Unforgettable’ was how one critic described her 2022 Gala with the LPO, and tonight she returns to sing Richard Strauss’s radiant Four Last Songs. Music that never grows old, sung by one of the supreme voices of our time.
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Renée Fleming sings Strauss

Wed, Mar 5, 2025, 19:30
Thomas Guggeis (Conductor), Renée Fleming (Soprano)
It always feels good to make music with friends – and when that friend is soprano Renée Fleming, you just know that something extra-special is on the cards. No introduction is required for one of the LPO’s best-loved guests, the American soprano whose personality lights up the world’s greatest stages and whose voice has been compared to double cream. ‘Unforgettable’ was how one critic described her 2022 Gala with the LPO, and tonight she returns to sing Richard Strauss’s radiant Four Last Songs. Music that never grows old, sung by one of the supreme voices of our time.
March 13, 2025
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BrightSparks – Key Stage 1

Thu, Mar 13, 2025, 24:00
Applications for this concert are now closed.‘“The sea is deep and the world is wide! How I long to sail,” said the tiny snail.’When the snail meets an enormous humpback whale, the unlikely pair travel together on a life-changing aquatic adventure around the world. They encounter towering icebergs, starlit seas and fiery mountains, but then disaster strikes! Can the minuscule snail save her gigantic friend?To find out, bring your Key Stage 1 class to the Royal Festival Hall to see the London Philharmonic Orchestra perform The Snail and the Whale live, with the Magic Light Pictures film on the big screen. Alongside this enchanting story, based on the book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, there will be a brand new song to sing and other musical treats to introduce your pupils to the sounds of the orchestra. Lucy Hollins presents and Juya Shin conducts this unforgettable concert experience for young music-lovers.A free resource pack, including the audience participation song, will be available to all bookers in advance of the concert. Teachers who book concert tickets are also invited to attend a free INSET session at the Royal Festival Hall on Wednesday 29 January 2025 (must be booked in advance).Tickets to the concert are £3 per pupil and free for accompanying adults.Full booking terms and conditions can be viewed on the booking form. For a list of FAQs, including information about accessibility, visit our BrightSparks page.
March 19, 2025
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Mahler’s Fifth

Wed, Mar 19, 2025, 19:30
Robin Ticciati (Conductor), Francesco Piemontesi (Piano)
Robin Ticciati presents Mahler’s blockbuster journey from darkness to light. A trumpet sounds a fanfare, the orchestra cries out, and Mahler’s Fifth Symphony judders into life. But a symphony, said Mahler, must be like the world; and 70 minutes later the whole orchestra is storming the heavens in triumph. It’s a blockbuster journey from darkness to light, told in funeral marches, Viennese waltzes and of course, music’s sweetest love-letter – the rapturous Adagietto. But Robert Schumann knew a thing or two about love, too, and Glyndebourne Music Director Robin Ticciati is joined by pianist Francesco Piemontesi in Schumann’s heartfelt Piano Concerto – music in which these two artists share a very special rapport.
March 22, 2025
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London Soundtrack Festival Gala Concert

Sat, Mar 22, 2025, 19:30
Ben Palmer (Conductor), Lior (Vocals)
The London Soundtrack Festival Gala Concert honours Howard Shore's career in a concert featuring music from his iconic Lord of the Rings score.The London Soundtrack Festival Gala Concert celebrates the career of LSF Inspiration Award recipient Howard Shore, featuring music from his Oscar-winning scores for Lord of the Rings together with music from his over 40-year-long collaboration with director David Cronenberg and other highlights from Shore’s incredible career.The concert also features music by the festival’s other Featured Artists, including Harry Gregson-Williams, Hildur Guðnadóttir, Stephen Barton and Anne Dudley, brought to the stage by some very special guest presenters.
March 23, 2025
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FUNharmonics: The Snail and the Whale

Sun, Mar 23, 2025, 12:00
Juya Shin (Conductor), Lucy Hollins (Presenter)
‘“The sea is deep and the world is wide! How I long to sail,” said the tiny snail.’ When the snail meets an enormous humpback whale, the unlikely pair travel together on a life-changing journey around the world. They encounter towering icebergs, starlit seas and fiery mountains, but then disaster strikes! Can the minuscule snail save her gigantic friend?Join the London Philharmonic Orchestra on an aquatic adventure, based on the wonderful book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, as the Orchestra performs ‘The Snail and the Whale’ live with the Magic Light Pictures film on the big screen. With other musical treats along the way to introduce your family to the sounds of the orchestra, plus a chance to join in with a brand new song all about sea creatures, it’s sure to be an unforgettable first concert experience for young music-lovers aged 5 and above.FUNharmonics family concerts are the perfect way to introduce the joy of classical music to the whole family. Concerts start at 12 noon, are one hour long, and are especially designed for children. Each concert is fast-paced and includes a presenter on stage, who breaks down the music or tells a story to keep our youngest audience members engaged and enthralled. There is also a big screen showing images projected behind the Orchestra, and always plenty of audience participation to get everyone joining in!Your concert ticket includes the opportunity to take part in a fabulous array of free musical activities in the foyer spaces at the Royal Festival Hall before the concert begins, so the whole family can make a day of your visit. This could include drop-in interactive workshops exploring the themes of the concert, fun singing workshops, and our extremely popular “Have a Go” sessions, where children can try out instruments of the orchestra. On this date, our “Have a Go” sessions will be on Strings and Woodwind instruments.Activities take place from 10.00–11.45am and are free to concert ticket holders.Workshops suitable for any age; Have a Go suitable for 6+All pre-concert activities are subject to availability. We recommend arriving early to avoid the longest queues.
March 26, 2025
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Alina Ibragimova plays Prokofiev

Wed, Mar 26, 2025, 18:30
Hannu Lintu (Conductor), Alina Ibragimova (Violin)
In a time of revolution, Prokofiev’s First Violin Concerto wove fairytale magic – and no-one makes it dance like Alina Ibragimova.‘Music is life’, declared Carl Nielsen, ‘and like it, inextinguishable!’ Defiant words from a composer who’d seen a world laid waste by war, but they could serve as motto for this concert from the dynamic Finnish conductor Hannu Lintu. In a time of revolution, Prokofiev’s First Violin Concerto wove fairytale magic – and no-one makes it dance like our soloist Alina Ibragimova. There’s a vision of cosmic beauty from the late, great Kaija Saariaho. And finally, Nielsen launches a struggle for the future of existence itself: his shattering Fifth Symphony is one of those pieces that simply has to be experienced live.Please note start time.
April 2, 2025
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LPO Showcase: Crisis Creates

Wed, Apr 2, 2025, 18:00
Members of Crisis UK – all adults who have experienced homelessness – perform original music they have devised with LPO musicians and a workshop leader during a week-long creative project.Crisis Creates aims to improve participants’ wellbeing and confidence through self-expression, collaboration and developing creative skills. The project offers a channel for participants to express themselves and to combat the isolation that comes hand-in-hand with precarious living situations. Using the music of the Orchestra as their starting point, the group creates new and powerful work which they bring to the Royal Festival Hall stage.This event is free to attend, with no booking required.
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War and Peace

Wed, Apr 2, 2025, 19:30
Vladimir Jurowski (Conductor), Matthew Rose (Bass)
Vladimir Jurowski presents a programme of uncompromising emotional power.‘Peace Shall Defeat War’ wrote Boris Lyatoshynsky on the score of his Third Symphony, and the message of this great 20th-century Ukrainian composer has never felt more urgent or compelling. LPO Conductor Emeritus Vladimir Jurowski believes passionately that it needs to be heard, and you’ll be gripped by its epic sweep and uncompromising emotional power. Jurowski has paired it with music from Prokofiev’s operatic tale of Ukrainian struggle, and Mussorgsky’s pitch-black, darkly comic songs – perfect for a singer as dramatic, and as characterful, as the British bass Matthew Rose.
April 5, 2025
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Tragedy to Triumph

Sat, Apr 5, 2025, 19:30
Vladimir Jurowski (Conductor), Vilde Frang (Violin)
Schubert’s unstoppable Ninth Symphony is known as ‘the Great’ – and with Vladimir Jurowski bringing all his insight and imagination, you’ll hear why. For Vilde Frang, ‘music is the noblest form of communication, a constant interaction’ – and that generous philosophy, combined with her luminous, deeply expressive sound, has made this remarkable Norwegian violinist a real favourite with British audiences. Tonight, she explores the special poetry of Schumann’s only violin concerto: the tender heart of a concert that begins with Beethoven’s drama-fuelled Coriolan Overture, and ends with the wide-open spaces and pure, sunlit energy of Schubert’s unstoppable Ninth Symphony. It’s known as ‘the Great’ – and with LPO Conductor Emeritus Vladimir Jurowski bringing all his insight and imagination, you’ll hear why. *Please note change of programme from originally advertised.
April 12, 2025
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Jan Lisiecki plays Beethoven

Sat, Apr 12, 2025, 19:30
Tarmo Peltokoski (Conductor), Jan Lisiecki (Piano)
There are few experiences in classical music more invigorating, or more stirring than Sibelius’s Second Symphony. Imagine a swelling river of sound; a musical voyage that begins amid the tranquillity of nature and ends in a surge of triumph. That’s Sibelius’s Second Symphony, and there are few experiences in classical music more invigorating, or more stirring. For the young Finnish conductor Tarmo Peltokoski, Sibelius is a national hero. There’s another tale about memory to be told here, as Canadian pianist Jan Lisiecki takes centre stage to showcase the grandeur and glory of Beethoven’s mighty ‘Emperor’ Concerto – a work dedicated to the composer’s patron and friend, Archduke Rudolf. *Please note a change of programme from originally advertised
April 23, 2025
April 26, 2025
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Mahler 8

Sat, Apr 26, 2025, 19:30
Edward Gardner (Conductor), Sarah Wegener (Soprano), Emma Bell (Soprano), Jennifer France (Soprano), Christine Rice (Mezzo-Soprano), Jennifer Johnston (Mezzo-Soprano), Andreas Schager (Tenor), Tomasz Konieczny (Bass-Bariton), Derek Welton (Bass-Bariton), London Philharmonic Choir, London Symphony Chorus, Tiffin Boys' Choir
Three choirs, eight starry singers and one of the largest orchestras ever put on stage: there’s a reason why Mahler’s Eighth is often called the ‘Symphony of a Thousand’. The form of the piece, setting the candescent medieval poem Veni Creator Spiritus alongside the lyrical last scene of Goethe’s Faust is in itself radical and mysterious.At the core of the piece is a vast choir who seem to represent the whole human race in a passionate prayer for change but Mahler imagined they stood for something even greater: ‘Try to imagine the whole universe beginning to ring and resound,’ he challenged.‘There are no longer human voices, but planets and suns revolving.’ Exaggeration? Judge for yourself. Mahler’s Eighth Symphony is quite simply one of the most overwhelming experiences that music has to offer.This concert has been specially developed with the Southbank Centre, with further details to be announced. It is commissioned and produced by the Southbank Centre and London Philharmonic Orchestra
May 31, 2025
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FUNharmonics: Petrushka

Sat, May 31, 2025, 12:00
Matthew Lynch (Conductor), Rachel Leach (Presenter)
Roll up, roll up! Explore the heady sights and sounds of the fair where we meet Petrushka, the playful star of the puppet show, and the other characters in his magical world.Follow Petrushka as he falls in love with the talented ballerina, and tries to fend off his rival, the Pirate. The story is told by presenter Rachel Leach, through dazzling music by Igor Stravinsky, and vivid animations on the big screen created especially for the LPO by YeastCulture. A classic story, mindblowing music and audience interaction throughout – what better way to spend a family Saturday?Suitable for ages 6 and above.