On Tour in Brussels

The Concert

Shostakovich’s mischief, Chopin’s romanticism and Beethoven’s fate-filled drama collide in a night of striking contrasts.

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.

Chopin’s Piano Concerto No 2 brings a different kind of intensity: lyrical, intimate, and full of yearning. The middle movement of Chopin’s Piano Concerto No 2 is amongst the composer’s most ravishing music, sparked by his unrequited love for soprano Konstancja Gladkowska.

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 South Korean pianist Seong-Jin Cho. Sir Antonio Pappano, LSO Chief Conductor, conducts.