Tilson Thomas conducts Brahms | London Symphony Orchestra

LSO Conductor Laureate Michael Tilson Thomas joins Korean piano superstar Sunwook Kim in Brahms’s explosive First Piano Concerto.

Portrait of the artist as a young man: tormented by an impossible passion, Johannes Brahms poured all his emotions into a piano concerto of massive scale and volcanic power. It’s music that burns its way into your memory, sometimes tempestuous, sometimes hauntingly beautiful – and worlds away from the lovely Serenade No 2, with its lilting melodies and subtle, autumnal colours. Two sides of one genius.

It's the first of two all-Brahms concerts conducted by the LSO’s old friend (and Conductor Laureate) Michael Tilson Thomas. He’s joined today by the charismatic Korean pianist Sunwook Kim. ‘Every concert is a great challenge to me, like an audition,’ says Kim. ‘I always try to learn and develop from every concert.’