Taking his cue from those thunderous words, the young Rachmaninoff hurled himself into the mother of all First Symphonies. Dark, turbulent and burning with unrequited passion, it’s a real gothic melodrama – lost (but later recovered) when its composer fled the Russian Revolution for a life of exile. The concert also features Kinan Azmeh’s jazz-inspired Clarinet Concerto – music infused with the sounds of his native Syria, and performed tonight by the composer himself.

This concert was filmed on 18 January 2023 at Royal Festival Hall

Kinan Azmeh Wedding
Kinan Azmeh Clarinet Concerto
Rachmaninoff Symphony No. 1

Taking his cue from those thunderous words, the young Rachmaninoff hurled himself into the mother of all First Symphonies.

Rachmaninoff’s First

Join the London Philharmonic Orchestra for a musical journey through the solar system; Holst's "Planets."

Holst's celestial masterwork is the composer's most beloved work. Inspired by a discussion about astrology, Holst used our solar system as a structure for his great orchestral suite, giving each planet a unique character. The resulting multi-movement masterpiece is a dazzling journey of emotion, imagination, and mysticism. In this concert, Edward Gardner leads the LPO and the London Youth Choir in an electric performance of this popular suite. 

Movements:
1. Mars, the Bringer of War 
2. Venus, the Bringer of Peace 
3. Mercury, the Winged Messenger
4. Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity 
5. Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age 
6. Uranus, the Magician 
7. Neptune, the Mystic 

Join the London Philharmonic Orchestra for a musical journey through the solar system; Holst's '"Planets.'"

The Planets

★★★★★ ''The total articulation of every note, whirring middle lines included, the forward momentum...at every twist and turn, the refusal to sentimentalise the big melodies.'' - The Arts Desk 

The London Philharmonic Orchestra gives a brilliant performance of Rachmaninoff's stunning choral symphony, ''The Bells.'' His sumptuous choral symphony is an odyssey through the wide spectrum of human emotion told through 4 distinct bells - Silver Sleigh Bells, Wedding Bells, Alarm Bells, and finally, somber Mourning Bells. Led by conductor Edward Gardner, the London Philharmonic Choir, and soloists Kristina Mkhitaryan, Dmytro Popov, and Kostas Smoriginas, this concert is full of emotional intensity and brilliant singing. 

The concert opens with Rachmaninoff's notoriously challenging Piano Concerto No.3 played by soloist Leif Ove Andsnes. 

Program: 
Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3 *
Rachmaninoff The Bells (Choral Symphony)**

*Leif Ove Andsnes - Piano 
** Kristina Mkhitaryan  - Soprano Soloist 
**Dmytro Popov - Tenor Soloist
**Kostas Smoriginas - Bass/Baritone Soloist 

This concert was filmed on 28 September 2024 at the Royal Festival Hall.

Leif Ove Andsnes appears courtesy of Sony Classical, a label of Sony Music Entertainment.
Please note: Leif Ove Andsnes’s performance of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 will also be available to stream on Marquee TV until 9 December 2024, 7.00pm (GMT).

★★★★★ - The Arts Desk. The London Philharmonic Orchestra gives a stunning performance of Rachmaninoff's gorgeous choral symphony ''The Bells.'' 

Edward Gardner conducts Rachmaninoff

Edward Gardner conducts Mendelssohn's Hebrides Overture and Brahms' Symphony No.1 with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. 

After seeing Fingal's Cave in the inner Hebrides of Scotland, Felix Mendelssohn was instantly inspired to write his brilliant concert overture. It's said that upon hearing the overture Brahms remarked, "I would gladly give all I have written, to have composed something like the Hebrides Overture."  It's the perfect pairing for Brahms' epic Symphony No.1. He spent over 14 years writing this emotional symphony, and the depth of his dedication shines through. 

Under the skillful baton of Conductor Edward Gardner, both pieces come alive with dramatic intensity. This program is a harmonious blend of romantic imagination and masterful composition. 

Program: 
Mendelssohn - Hebrides Overture 
Brahms - Symphony No.1 

This concert was filmed on 27 September 2023 at the Royal Festival Hall

Edward Gardner conducts Mendelssohn's Hebrides Overture and Brahms' Symphony No.1 with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. 

Gardner conducts Mendelssohn & Brahms

The London Philharmonic's Principal Guest Conductor, Karina Canellakis, leads an explosive concert of Shostakovich and Brahms. 

Karina Canellakis takes the concert up a notch with Brahm's stunning last symphony. The piece begins softly, as Brahms approaches the end of a lifetime's struggle, then takes a turn striding fearlessly into the raging storm. Canellakis pulls out "all the tricks of the trade in the Passacaglia finale, moving effortlessly between waves of dark power and punctuating blocks of sound" (Bachtrack). 

This concert was filmed on 21 February 2024 at the Royal Festival Hall

Program: 
Mussorgsky (orch. Shostakovich)- Dawn on the Moscow River
Brahms - Symphony No. 4

Karina Canellakis leads the London Philharmonic Orchestra in an "off the Richter scale" (Bachtrack) performance of Shostakovich and Brahms. 

Canellakis conducts Brahms

Joseph Haydn's The Creation is a choral masterpiece that depicts a universe where earthworms and angels are all born from a single creative urge. 

In this performance, Edward Gardner conducts the London Philharmonic Orchestra, accompanied by the LPO's brilliant choir and soloists Louise Alder (soprano), Allan Clayton (tenor), and Michael Mofidian (bass-baritone). The concert was filmed at the Royal Festival Hall on March 2, 2024, and features roof-raising choruses, bubbling melodies, and sparkling colors that bring Haydn's universe to life with a thrilling passion. The entire performance is in English and is sure to lift your spirits.

Lift your spirits with a glimmering performance of Haydn's Creation from the London Philharmonic Orchestra. 

Haydn’s Creation

Edward Gardner conducts a playful program featuring Dukas' The Sorcerer's Apprentice and Stravinsky's Petrushka. 

Made famous today by its appearance in Disney's Fantasia, Paul Dukas' symphonic poem stirs up spirited visions of magic and mischief. It's followed by the score for Stravinsky's beloved ballet full of prancing puppets, musical references to Russian folk songs, and the famous ''Petrushka'' chord. 

Program: 
The Sorcerer's Apprentice - Paul Dukas 
Petrushka - Igor Stravinsky 

This concert was filmed on 3 November 2023 at the Royal Festival Hall.

Edward Gardner conducts a magical program featuring Dukas' The Sorcerer's Apprentice and Stravinsky's Petrushka with The London Philharmonic Orchestra. 

Stravinsky’s Petrushka

While the world shut down in 2020, Israeli classical pianist Boris Giltburg set out to learn and perform all of Beethoven’s 32 piano sonatas. 

Ludwig van Beethoven wrote 32 mature piano sonatas between 1795 and 1822. They ended up comprising what many regard as one of the most important complete collections in the history of music. German conductor Hans von Bülow even referred to them as the New Testament of piano literature. 

Here, Giltburg’s performance of Piano Sonata No. 3 in C major, Op. 2, No. 3.

As part of his project recording all of Beethoven’s 32 sonatas, Boris Giltburg performs Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 3 in C major, Op. 2, No. 3

Beethoven Piano Sonata No. 3 in C major, Op. 2, No. 3

While the world shut down in 2020, Israeli classical pianist Boris Giltburg set out to learn and perform all of Beethoven’s 32 piano sonatas. 

Ludwig van Beethoven wrote 32 mature piano sonatas between 1795 and 1822. They ended up comprising what many regard as one of the most important complete collections in the history of music. German conductor Hans von Bülow even referred to them as the New Testament of piano literature. 

Giltburg performs Piano Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 2, No. 1.

Israeli pianist Boris Giltburg performs all 32 of Beethoven’s hallowed sonatas. Here, he plays Piano Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 2, No. 1

Beethoven Piano Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 2, No. 1

During the pandemic, Israeli classical pianist Boris Giltburg set out to keep art alive and well with a plan to learn and perform all of Beethoven’s 32 piano sonatas. 

Ludwig van Beethoven wrote 32 mature piano sonatas between 1795 and 1822. They ended up comprising what many regard as one of the most important complete collections in the history of music. German conductor Hans von Bülow even referred to them as the New Testament of piano literature. 

In this performance, Giltburg plays Piano Sonata No. 4 in E flat major, Op. 7.

Boris Giltburg’s 2020 project saw him performing all of Beethoven’s 32 piano sonatas. Here, he performs Piano Sonata No. 4 in E Flat major, Op. 7

Beethoven Piano Sonata No. 4 in E flat major, Op. 7

Add Beethoven’s dramatically-charged overture to Tchaikovsky at his most expansive, and this looks set to be another explosive night with Canellakis and the LPO.

‘With desire and passion’, wrote Tchaikovsky over the second movement of his Fifth Symphony, and if you’ve already heard Karina Canellakis in action with the LPO, you’ll already know that she won’t hold back.

This concert was filmed on 15 March 2023 at Royal Festival Hall.

Add Beethoven’s dramatically-charged overture to Tchaikovsky at his most expansive, and this looks set to be another explosive night with Canellakis and the LPO.

Tchaikovsky’s Fifth

Vladimir Jurowsk conducts Strauss’ Don Quixote and Mozart’s Symphony No.40 with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. 

Since 1605, when Cervantes’s tragicomic hero first rode out in search of his impossible dream, the figure of Don Quixote has inspired artists, idealists, and – naturally – composers. Richard Stauss’ spectacular, symphonic retelling complete with sorcerers, knights, windmills that look like giants, and a whole flock of bleating sheep. But first, we open with one of the most well-known pieces in history: Mozart’s dark and stormy Symphony No. 40. 

This concert was captured on 22 April 2023 at Royal Festival Hall

Program:
Symphony No. 40 - Mozart
Don Quixote - R. Strauss 

LPO Conductor Emeritus Vladimir Jurowski presents Richard Strauss’s spectacular, symphonic retelling of Don Quixote: complete with sorcerers, knights, and windmills.

Don Quixote Rides Again

"While the world shut down in 2020, Israeli classical pianist Boris Giltburg set out to learn and perform all of Beethoven’s 32 piano sonatas. 

Ludwig van Beethoven wrote 32 mature piano sonatas between 1795 and 1822. They ended up comprising what many regard as one of the most important complete collections in the history of music. German conductor Hans von Bülow even referred to them as the New Testament of piano literature. 

Giltburg performs Piano Sonata No. 2 in A major, Op. 2, No. 2."

Boris Giltburg made it his mission in 2020 to record all 32 of Beethoven’s Sonatas. Here, Piano Sonata No. 2 in A major, Op. 2, No. 2

Beethoven Piano Sonata No. 2 in A major, Op. 2, No. 2

Watch Principal Conductor Edward Gardner and the London Philharmonic Orchestra play two great works; Lutoslawski’s Symphony No.4 and Stravinsky’s untamable The Rite of Spring. 

When The Rite of Spring premiered in Paris in May 1913, it started a riot – or so the story goes. Even 109 years on, every performance of The Rite is still an adventure. Expect spine-tingling thrills and explosive playing. It’s a gripping counterpart to Lutoslawski’s atmospheric Fourth Symphony, a late masterpiece from one of Gardner’s favorite composers.

Program: 

Lutoslawski - Symphony No.4 
Stravinsky - The Rite of Spring

Conductor Edward Gardner and a super-sized London Philharmonic Orchestra tackle a work that refuses to be tamed: Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring.

The Rite of Spring

Digital Programme

Listen to the London Philharmonic Orchestra's epic concert featuring jazz pianist Julian Joseph and organ sensation Anna Lapwood. 

There’s no mistaking how Saint-Saëns’s 'Organ’ Symphony got its nickname. Now add the playing of organist Anna Lapwood, the unbounded creativity of Julian Joseph (described by The Stage as ‘the most significant jazz musician this country has produced'), and Joseph’s improvisatory version of Rhapsody in Blue (played the way Gershwin himself would have played it). Under the charismatic direction of Jader Bignamini, making his LPO debut, the result is a concert that makes favorite classics sound new all over again.

Program: 
Gershwin - Rhapsody in Blue
Saint-Saëns - Symphony No. 3 (Organ)

This concert was filmed on 22 November 2023 at the Royal Festival Hall

London Philharmonic Orchestra's concert featuring jazz pianist Julian Joseph playing Gershwin's famed Rhapsody in Blue followed by Saint-Saëns Organ Symphony featuring organ sensation Anna Lapwood.

Julian Joseph plays Gershwin

London Philharmonic Orchestra

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