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The Philharmonia is joined by pianist Nikolai Lugansky for the final concert of the season, with a romantic programme of Ravel, Rachmaninov and Respighi.

Presented live from the Royal Festival Hall by Martin Handley.

Ravel: Alborada del gracioso
Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 3

Interval

Ravel: La Valse
Respighi: Pines of Rome

Nikolai Lugansky (piano)
The Philharmonia
Carlos Miguel Prieto (conductor)

The Philharmonia and conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto pull out all the stops in the finale of their 2024/25 season. Nikolai Lugansky performs Rachmaninov’s Third Piano Concerto. One of the all-time great interpreters of Rachmaninov, renowned for his ‘quintessentially Russian sound’ (Independent), Lugansky understands this most challenging and rewarding of concertos inside out. All Rachmaninov’s trademarks are there: bittersweet melodies, pianistic fireworks, and lush orchestral writing.
Alborada del gracioso roughly translates as Dawn Song of the Jester and is a beguiling short piece with a Spanish flavour, complete with castanets and a harp imitating the strumming of a guitar.
La Valse is an altogether darker affair – Ravel’s deconstruction of a Viennese waltz is said to represent the cataclysmic impact of the First World War.
In Pines of Rome, Respighi uses a huge orchestra to paint four pictures of Rome in thrilling detail: the innocence of children playing, gloomy catacombs, a gentle nocturne, and finally a victorious Roman legion returning home, acclaimed by jubilant brass.