On Tour in Verona

The Concert

Shostakovich’s mischief, Chopin’s romanticism and Beethoven’s fate-filled drama collide in a night of striking contrasts at Il Settembre dell’Accademia 2025 in Verona.

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 star pianist Seong-Jin Cho, and Sir Antonio Pappano, LSO Chief Conductor, conducts.