Musical Homelands | Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

The patriotic sympathies of Sibelius led him to create some of his most enduring music, and tonight’s opener, the Karelia Suite, perfectly encapsulates the musical spirit of his home country, Finland. Bruch’s Violin Concerto No 1 with Latvian violinist Kristine Balanas, a musician of ‘eye-popping virtuosity’ (The Times) who has enthralled audiences on the global stage as a young rising star.

Rachmaninov, who had long left Russia since the 1917 Revolution, composed his Symphony No 3 during his self-exile. The unashamed romanticism of the piece is merged with the influence of haunting plainchant and moments of disruption in its melodies, unsettling the music and resulting in a strange melancholic yearning in the search for a true homeland.