London Philharmonic Orchestra, Maria Joao Pires, Augustin Dumay

Programme to include:

Richard Wagner: Prelude to Act 1 from Lohengrin
Ludwig Van Beethoven: Triple Concerto
Interval
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Symphony No.5

Romantic symphonic masterpieces from Wagner, Beethoven and Tchaikovsky.

When he composed his Fifth Symphony in 1888, Tchaikovsky was on the brink of emotional collapse. Hounded by a homophobic society, tortured by a loveless existence and paranoid as to the worth of his artistic abilities. He confounded all three with his Fifth Symphony, the most honest, dramatic and optimistic of his turbulent final three.

If Tchaikovsky's symphonic journey to his hoped-for redemption is music straight from the heart, Beethoven's Triple Concerto appears to be born more of the head. Here is a concerto all about balance, precision and beauty, but still making room for a lively Polish folk dance in its gregarious finale.