ICE Classic

ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

This year’s cycle closes on 10 October with the performance by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. One of the finest orchestras in the UK, it was founded in 1946 by the legendary conductor and impresario Sir Thomas Beecham. The ensemble has recorded countless albums under the baton of some of the finest conductors around the globe. Since 2021, the orchestra’s artistic director has been Vasily Petrenko. The concert opens with Sergei Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 1 in D-major “Classical” – one of the masterpieces which were at the forefront of the Neoclassical movement in the early 20th century. The symphony is followed by Max Bruch’s light Violin Concerto in G-minor with soloist Sergei Krylov, and the evening closes with the monumental Symphony No. 2 in D-major by Jean Sibelius. It is one of the greatest masterpieces of Finnish music, and it has been greatly popular since its world premiere in 1902. The concert was due to be performed as part of the ICE Classic cycle in 2020, but of course it had to be postponed due to the pandemic. We are delighted to return to it today while we remember that Ukraine is fighting a heroic battle with the Russian invaders just beyond our eastern border. All our guest artists have expressed their unequivocal protest against the aggression. We believe that their involvement will boost the voice of global opposition to the Russian regime and its brutal crimes.