Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO)

In their second visit of the season, the RPO return to Southend with a barn- storming concert of popular classics. The Programme includes Rachmaninov's romantic Piano Concerto No.2 forever linked to the famous 'Brief Encounter'.

Composed in 1900 and comparable to Beethoven's epic Eroica symphony in terms of its scope, drama and majesty, it has seduced audiences the world over ever since and will be performed by the distinguished pianist Alessio Bax.

The RPO will start the second half with the haunting rhapsodic work by Vaughan Williams - his Fantasy on a Theme by Thomas Tallis. This is always in Classic FM's top ten and is a spell-bindingly beautiful piece. The concert ends with perhaps the most famous of all symphonies, Beethoven's elemental Symphony No.5 with its famous opening fate motif.