London Philharmonic Orchestra

Paavo Järvi conductor
Benjamin Grosvenor piano

Veljo Tormis Overture No.2
Beethoven Piano Concerto No.5, ‘Emperor’
Shostakovich Symphony No.10

Ludwig van Beethoven died 200 years ago this year – and we’re delighted to welcome star pianist Benjamin Grosvenor and the London Philharmonic Orchestra to launch the ICS’s celebrations of this towering figure.

The ‘Emperor’ concerto is Beethoven at his grandest and most triumphant, the height of the composer’s so-called ‘Heroic’ style. It’s both a stern test and a spectacular showcase for any pianist brave enough to take it on – but it’s not the only epic on tonight’s programme.

The LPO and Paavo Järvi, their incoming Chief Conductor, follow Beethoven’s ‘Emperor’ with Shostakovich’s 10th and perhaps best symphony, a gripping testament to oppression widely regarded as a musical portrait of life under Stalin. We open with a treasure rarely heard in British concert halls: the second concert overture by Järvi’s fellow Estonian Veljo Tormis.