Philharmonia Orchestra, Edinburgh Festival Chorus, Esa-Pekka Salonen

For their second Festival performance, the Philharmonia Orchestra and Esa-Pekka Salonen present one of the grandest, most ambitious works in the choral repertoire, a piece that draws unmistakably on the expertise of the Edinburgh Festival Chorus in its 50th anniversary year.

Berlioz wrote his Grande messe des morts on a monumental scale, with four sets of timpani and four brass choirs, yet its music ranges from the powerfully elemental to the touchingly poignant.

Salonen has long championed Berlioz’s epic choral work for its startling drama and sheer expressive strength. He is joined by the renowned American tenor Lawrence Brownlee, acclaimed for his vocal intensity on both opera and concert stages.