Vasily Petrenko, Conductor
Boris Giltburg, Piano
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Programme:
Walton, Johannesburg Festival Overture
Beethoven, Piano Concerto No.5, ‘Emperor’
Vaughan Williams, Symphony No.2 (A London Symphony)

St David’s Hall Programme Note:
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra returns to St David’s Hall with their new Music Director Vasily Petrenko for an evening of orchestral masterpieces.

Vasily Petrenko and pianist Boris Giltburg have a celebrated and long-standing artistic partnership spanning decades both on stage and in the studio. Giltburg will join the Orchestra for Beethoven’s fifth and final piano concerto, popularly known as the ‘Emperor’ – a majestic masterpiece, remaining the composer’s best-known and most frequently performed piano concerto.

Ralph Vaughan Williams’ second symphony was written in the shadow of the impending Great War. Yet again, music reminds us of the precarious nature of one’s freedoms, whilst at the same time inspiring hope for a brighter future.