I habitually hate to make long-term plans, enjoying spontaneity and last-minute surprises too much. But this is a sizzling ticket worthwhile to drop anything and attend:
Lang Lang's first complete Beethoven Piano Concerto cycle in London
Heralded as the 'hottest artist on the classical music planet’ by the New York Times, 27-year-old Lang Lang has played sold out recitals and concerts in every major city in the world. In 2008 over 5 billion people viewed his performance in Beijing's opening ceremony for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (3.8 billion tuned out from the Games afterwards) and the following year he was named as one of Time Magazine's 100 most influential people.
Following his sold-out in-the-round performance at the Royal Albert Hall in 2010, Lang Lang returns to the Hall in March 2012 to perform his complete Beethoven Piano Concerto cycle for the first time ever in London. He will be joined by the acclaimed conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen and the Philharmonia Orchestra.
Programme:
Tuesday 20 March 2012, 7.45pm
Beethoven - Overture, Namensfeier, Op. 115
Beethoven - Piano Concerto No. 1
Beethoven - Piano Concerto No. 4
Wednesday 21 March 2012, 7.45pm - - that's the one I will attend!
Beethoven - Overture, Leonore No. 2, Op. 72a
Beethoven - Piano Concerto No. 2
Beethoven - Piano Concerto No. 3
Friday 23 March 2012, 7.45pm
Beethoven - Overture, King Stephen
Beethoven - Symphony No. 4
Beethoven - Piano Concerto No. 5, Emperor
Sadly, I will miss a brilliant evening at RAH on the 25th, trading a fab concert for a Thanksgiving Party instead. And as my fork and knife dig into some roasted bird and its stuffing, my mind will wander to a concert that I shall miss:
Bruch's phenomenally successful Violin Concerto No.1 - performed by Nicola Benedetti - and it is framed by two English masterworks: Elgar's (yes indeed!) Cockaigne Overture and Holst's celebrated Planets Suite.
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