Elgar and Tchaikovsky

The evening

Two of classical music’s most heart-rending works take us from the depths of emotion to intoxicating highs.

Composed in the aftermath of World War I, Elgar’s intimate, introspective Cello Concerto is a deeply elegiac work, and a reflection of a world that had been changed forever. The melody that defines its heart-breaking opening movement is almost unparalleled in its expression of grief, yet the concerto ultimately finds a path to hope and resilience.

Tchaikovsky’s 1888 Symphony No 5, with its intense emotional narrative fed by a soaring romanticism, follows a similar trajectory to the Elgar Concerto, as it ventures from darkness to hard-won triumph, all the while accompanied by a powerful ‘fate’ motif.

Cellist Alisa Weilerstein is one of the foremost interpreters of Elgar’s profound concerto, while Sir Antonio Pappano and the LSO are guaranteed to bring deep expressive power to bear on this stirring programme.

The work of the Chief Conductor with the LSO is generously supported by Alex & Elena Gerko, and members of the Chief Conductor’s Circle.