Tag Archives: Esa-Pekka Salonen

Beethoven keeps the flame burning: Salonen and the Philharmonia recreate the 1808 Akademie

Beethoven: 1808 Reconstructed Salonen/ Philharmonia, Royal Festival Hall, 15th March 2020 The legendary Akademie at the Theater an der Wien on 22nd December 1808 was quite an event: a benefit concert for Ludwig van Beethoven, stuffed with premieres. Some of … Continue reading

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Smudgy haze and glaring sunbursts: Boulez and Debussy juxtaposed by Salonen and the Philharmonia

Boulez, Debussy: Philharmonia/Salonen *** Royal Festival Hall, 4th May 2017 Adventurous programming – or “curation” to employ the overused term from this concert’s publicity – is welcome, particularly if it refreshes fusty routine. Instead of the usual conductor entrance to … Continue reading

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Rhythmic precision: Foxy Stravinsky from Salonen and the Philharmonia

Stravinsky: Renard, Mavra, Les Noces **** Philharmonia/Salonen, Royal Festival Hall, 26th May 2016 A wedding feast, a man in drag and an outwitted fox were unlikely accomplices in the second concert in the Philharmonia’s series Stravinsky: Myths and Rituals. In … Continue reading

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Esa-Pekka Salonen peels the layers of Peer Gynt

Grieg: Esa-Pekka Salonen/Philharmonia *** Royal Festival Hall, 26th November 2015 “You’re not an emperor, you’re an onion!” muses Peer Gynt, looking back on his life. He peels back the layers of an onion, recounting his many different guises… a rogue … Continue reading

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Prom 53: Shostakovich’s Orango keeps the Red Flag flying over South Kensington

Bartók/Mozart/Shostakovich: Philharmonia/Salonen *** Royal Albert Hall, 24th August 2015 Fervent flag-waving is usually reserved for the Last Night of the Proms, so what was going on in this Philharmonia concert? The Arena was awash with a sea of red flags, … Continue reading

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