Programme:
Hector Berlioz: Roman Carnival Overture, Op. 9
Frédéric Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11
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Gustav Holst: The Planets, Op. 32

With his innovative approaches to orchestration and programmatic works, Hector Berlioz had a significant influence on the development of music. The Roman Carnival Overture  is an early work by Berlioz that features a prominent and famous solo for the cor anglais. Frédéric Chopin combined lyrical, expressive melodies with brilliant piano technique to create a body of work that for many listeners represents the absolute pinnacle of piano music. His Piano Concerto No. 1  is an early work full of emotional fervour. Gustav Holst, by contrast, is a slightly more enigmatic figure, whose original philosophy placed him on a path that was distant from the mainstream of European music. Despite this, he composed the orchestral suite The Planets,  a work that is still extremely popular today. Conducting these works will be Sir Antonio Pappano,  a consummate interpreter of the symphonic and operatic repertoires who has previously worked in Oslo, Brussels, Bayreuth, Rome and many other centres. He will conduct the Kaunas State Choir, internationally renowned for performances ranging from early music to contemporary works, and the famous London Symphony Orchestra, whose chief conductor he will become next season. As well as undertaking regular world tours, the LSO has its own record label LSO Live, through which it has released more than 200 recordings. On the piano will be Bruce Liu, winner of the last International Chopin Competiton Warsaw in 2021, at which the talented slovene-italian pianist Alexander Gadjiev won second prize.

• the winner of the XVIII International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, Bruce Liu is one of the most exciting artists of his generation, whose “playing of breathtaking beauty” (BBC Music Magazine)  has contributed to his “rock-star status in the classical music world” (Globe and Mail)
• the repertoire of the Kaunas State Choir includes more than 250 large-scale works spanning from the Middle Ages to contemporary music and covers oratorios, cantatas, masses, passions and stage and concert versions of operas
• Hector Berlioz’s Roman Carnival Overture  was dedicated to the Prince of Hohenzollern-Hechingen and was conducted by Berlioz at the Prince’s castle in Leuvenberg in April 1863
• the main imagery of the Roman Carnival Overture  embodies the whirl of the carnival, built on the unceasing rhythm of the saltarello,  Berlioz’s favourite Italian dance