On Tour at the Bratislava Music Festival

The Concert

Beethoven’s defiant Symphony No 5 meets the sneering mockery of Shostakovich and Prokofiev in exhilarating mood.

The Music

In 1945, Soviet authorities expected Shostakovich to use his Ninth Symphony to celebrate Soviet military might. What they got was a subversive, mischievous work that thumbed its nose at Stalin.

Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No 2 is one of the most powerful and technically challenging of all. Listen out for moments in the opening movement that test the soloist’s stamina to its limits, and a helter-skelter finale that never lets up.

Fate rules over Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, a revolutionary work that grows to dramatic, sublime heights from the simple germ of its opening four notes.

The Performers

The LSO is joined by star pianist Seong-Jin Cho. Sir Antonio Pappano, LSO Chief Conductor, conducts.