London Philharmonic Orchestra: 2002 - Three adventures

Every Beethoven symphony is a journey, and in 1802 the energy and daring of his Second Symphony strained at the outer boundaries of musical possibility. A hundred years later, Jean Sibelius followed Beethoven’s example and created one of the 20th century’s true symphonic epics: a struggle from tranquillity to triumph, rooted in nature and crowned with a melody you’ll never forget. Guest conductor Vasily Petrenko will also bring his unrivalled sense of colour and momentum to Leila Josefowicz’s performance of Oliver Knussen’s 2002 Violin Concerto, described by its (much-missed) composer as ‘a tightrope walker progressing along a (decidedly unstable) high wire’.