Franz Liszt: Les Préludes - symphonic poem
Max Bruch: Violin Concerto No.1 in G minor
Interval
Hector Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique

Kazuki Yamada conducts Berlioz's wild Symphonie fantastique in a programme including Bruch's richly expressive Violin Concerto No.1, with brilliant soloist Vadim Repin.

'Between 1864 and 1868 I rewrote my Violin Concerto at least half a dozen times,' despaired Max Bruch, although the glorious work that emerged became a runaway bestseller. The only problem was he'd accepted a one-off payment and lost out on a fortune in royalties.

If Bruch stood on the traditional Romantic wing, Liszt and Berlioz spearheaded a 'New Music' movement that sought to open up new and exciting realms of expression. Les Préludes became the most popular in a remarkable series of orchestral dramas Liszt described as 'symphonic poems', while Berlioz threw the rulebook out the window in his Symphonie fantastique, with a colourful series of drug-crazed imaginings.

Performers

Philharmonia Orchestra
Kazuki Yamada conductor
Vadim Repin violin