Maxim Vengerov performs Sibelius

Heralded as one of the world’s finest musicians, legendary violinist Maxim Vengerov takes to the Royal Albert Hall stage with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra for a performance that is not to be missed.

His distinguished career as both a violinist and conductor already spans more than four decades, and his glittering collection of awards, from Grammys to Classical BRITs, gives just a hint of the magical performance that this great master will treat us to. Described as ‘a virtuoso at the peak of his powers’ (The Guardian), Maxim is the perfect soloist for Sibelius’s Violin Concerto, a piece suffused with the atmosphere of his Finnish homeland, a nation which was still yearning for independence.

Music Director Vasily Petrenko concludes this concert with Stravinsky’s dramatic musical illustration of the Russian fairytale, The Firebird. The ballet music, as you might expect, is extremely theatrical, from its menacing opening that foretells the trouble ahead to the ethereal strings that conjure the magic of the enchanted Firebird.