Vladimir Jurowski, London Philharmonic Orchestra & Russian National Orchestra

Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture
Benjamin Britten: Lachrymae (Reflections on a song of Dowland), Op.48 arr. for viola & strings
Interval
Dmitry Shostakovich: Symphony No.7 in C (Leningrad)

An immense evening for orchestra lovers - the first opportunity to hear the Russian National Orchestra and London Philharmonic Orchestra combine forces in the climax of Vladimir Jurowski's exploration of British and Russian composers.

The percussive crescendo of Shostakovich's Seventh Symphony paints a musical picture of Leningrad under siege between 1941 and 1943 - regarded as both the greatest destruction and the largest loss of life ever known in a modern city.

Opening the concert is the blazing triumph of Tchaikovsky's portrait of human victory, the ever-popular 1812 Overture - a work that revels in the 19th-century's heroic view of warfare.

In between is a solemn, mournful lamentation for solo viola and strings from the pen of Benjamin Britten inspired by the song 'If My Complaints Could Passions Move' by Elizabethan composer John Dowland.

'...an awe-inspiring experience. Should human beings be able to play like this?' (Gramophone on the Russian National Orchestra)

London Philharmonic Orchestra
Russian National Orchestra
Vladimir Jurowski conductor
Lawrence Power viola