Experience music on the edge as orchestra returns to town

Bedford hosts the second of a series of concerts by the Philharmonia Orchestra next week.
The Philharmonia Orchestra are based at the Southbank Centre in LondonThe Philharmonia Orchestra are based at the Southbank Centre in London
The Philharmonia Orchestra are based at the Southbank Centre in London

The Corn Exchange hosts an evening evening celebrating Shostakovich and Rachmaninov, featuring George Li on piano.

The programme comprises Glinka Overture, Ruslan and Ludmilla, Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 2 and Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5, all conducted by Long Yu.

For Dmitri Shostakovich, his Fifth Symphony really was a matter of life and death. Written in Stalin’s USSR, the orchestra describe the piece as “music on the edge – a shout of defiance in a time of terror, and one of the most powerful and personal statements in all of 20th century music”.

The work is in contrast to the romance of Rachmaninov’s hugely popular piano concerto – played by the young American star George Li – and Glinka’s sparkling overture.

The season continues on Friday, February 2, with a concert called Carnival in Prague featuring works by Dvo ák and Hummel, while further nights in 2018 are dedicated to The Young Mozart and Tchaikovsky. The season ends on May 9 with a concert including works by Wagner and Verdi.

Visit www.philharmonia.co.uk more information about the concerts.

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