Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Programme
Rimskaya-Korsakova A Bewitched Place (world premiere)
Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 2
Beethoven Symphony No. 5
Performers
Vasily Petrenko conductor
Jan Lisiecki piano
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Related Links
- GENERAL BOOKING OPENS TUESDAY 28 APRIL, 10AM.
Beethoven’s Fifth: Vasily Petrenko and the RPO play the classic to end all classics.
‘Thus fate knocks at the door’: even if you’ve never heard a Beethoven symphony, you’ll know the shattering four notes that open his Fifth.
But if that’s all you know, you’re in for the ride of your life, as Vasily Petrenko conducts the symphony that redefined classical music – a white-knuckle ride from despair to triumph, told in music so powerful that it left Beethoven’s contemporaries gasping for breath. Follow that?
You can’t, so we’re beginning with a symphonic scene from Nadezhda Rimskaya-Korsakova, her last piece of composition before her marriage to Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, and a showstopper from the 20th century, the daredevil piano concerto that the young Prokofiev wrote in an age of revolution to demonstrate his own off-the-scale skills.
And who better to play it than a good friend of the RPO – the ‘pristine, lyrical and intelligent’ (The New York Times) Jan Lisiecki?
Duration: approx. 2 hours 10 mins (incl. interval)
Related Links
Ticket Information
£60, £50, £40, £30, £20
Under 18s: £9 for bottom two prices
A single £4.50 transaction fee applies to all online bookings (per order, not per individual ticket). Orders made in person at the box office are exempt from transaction fees. See booking information for details, payment methods and delivery options.
Check out the view from your chosen seat on our interactive seating plan.
Series Discount
Book 2 or 3 concerts, save 15%
Book 4 or 5 concerts, save 25%
Book 6 or more concerts, save 30%
(excludes Christmas Cracker concerts)
Group Discount
Group discounts of up to 35% available – see rpo.co.uk/groups for details.
Future events in this series
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra 2026-27 season
Join the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at its resident home, Cadogan Hall, for its new season, as it celebrates turning 80, a milestone that allows us to reflect on the Orchestra’s glorious history, with a lot of stories to tell, and great music that never gets old.
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Mozart Revealed
Thursday 1 October 2026, 6pm & 8.30pm
RPO Music Director Vasily Petrenko and presenter Leah Broad reveal the secrets of Mozart's final symphony – Symphony No. 41, the ‘Jupiter’ – followed by an exhilarating performance of the piece itself.
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Sibelius Violin Concerto
Thursday 8 October 2026, 7.30pm
RPO Artist-in-Residence Liya Petrova brings fire and brilliance to Sibelius' mighty Violin Concerto, in a concert that opens with Bacewicz's bold, defiant Overture, and closes with Vaughan Williams' serene Fifth Symphony.
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Brahms 1
Wednesday 21 October 2026, 7.30pm
Brahms' heart-racing First Symphony and a sensuous classic from Debussy frame a thrilling world premiere: cellist Zlatomir Fung unveils a brand-new concerto by innovative British composer Laurence Osborn.
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Christmas Cracker 2026
Saturday 5 December 2026, 3pm & 7.30pm
Christmas music couldn’t feel more at home than at the cosy Cadogan Hall – located in the heart of London’s most exquisite borough, Chelsea. The winter season sees the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra don woolly white beards and bobbled hats to bri...
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Vasily Petrenko conducts Beethoven 5
Wednesday 20 January 2027, 7.30pm
RPO Music Director Vasily Petrenko conducts Beethoven's earth-shattering Fifth Symphony, paired with Prokofiev's dazzling, death-defying Second Piano Concerto – performed here by the brilliant Jan Lisiecki.
’S Wonderful: Timeless Love Songs
Broadway & Hollywood classics with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Sunday 14 February 2027, 4.30pm
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra presents a romantic afternoon concert of Broadway and Hollywood classics from the Great American Songbook, with showstopping performances by vocalists Sumudu Jayatilaka and Iain Mackenzie, conducted by Richard Balcomb...
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Beethoven and Dvořák
Thursday 25 February 2027, 7.30pm
Pianist-conductor Sunwook Kim directs Beethoven's sunny First Concerto from the keyboard, in a sparkling programme that is completed by Dvořák's folk-inspired Eighth Symphony.
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Liszt Hungarian Fantasy: Hommage à Cziffra
Wednesday 3 March 2027, 7.30pm
A sizzling celebration of Hungarian music: conductor Emilia Hoving unleashes the power of Liszt, Bartók and Kodály, whilst Hungarian pianist János Balázs brings passionate, virtuosic flair to Liszt's most thrilling works for piano and orchestra
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Beethoven 9
Thursday 22 April 2027, 7.30pm
An unmissable performance of Beethoven's Ninth, with its tragic opening to the world-embracing 'Ode to Joy', alongside the City of London Choir and four stellar soloists. Also featuring Brahms's poignant Nänie and Rossini's thrilling overture to Wil...
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Beethoven Violin Concerto
Thursday 29 April 2027, 7.30pm
Liya Petrova soars in Beethoven's radiant Violin Concerto, in a concert that also features Shostakovich's wickedly funny, subversive Ninth Symphony, and the London premiere of Tabakova's Ivor Novello Award-winning Swarm Fanfares.
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Debussy, Saint-Saëns and Dukas
Sunday 9 May 2027, 4.30pm
A sparkling musical feast awaits you, with Saint-Saëns's colourful ‘Egyptian’ Piano Concerto; Dukas's Sorcerer's Apprentice; shimmering moonlight magic from Debussy, as well as Chausson's ecstatic sea-poem, sung here by mezzo-soprano Nora Gubisc...
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Tchaikovsky Revealed
Wednesday 19 May 2027, 6pm & 8.30pm
Presenter Leah Broad and conductor Adam Hickox lift the lid on Tchaikovsky's passionate Fourth Symphony, using stories and live examples to reveal its secrets, before a full performance.
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Brahms Violin Concerto
Thursday 10 June 2027, 7.30pm
Phenomenal Swedish soloist Johan Dalene returns to play Brahms' warm and lyrical Violin Concerto, alongside Schumann's stormy Fourth Symphony and a must-hear overture from oft-overlooked French genius Louise Farrenc.
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Tchaikovsky 2
Thursday 24 June 2027, 7.30pm
Liya Petrova performs Stravinsky's brilliant Violin Concerto, as conductor Kirill Karabits pairs Tchaikovsky's folk-inspired 'Little Russian' Symphony with the rarely heard colours of Akimenko's Angel.
Related Events
Odyssey Festival Orchestra
More or Less? The Future of the Symphony in 1907
Tuesday 28 April 2026, 7.30pm
National Symphony Orchestra
Roman Sun, Russian Soul
Sunday 3 May 2026, 6pm
English Chamber Orchestra
Mozart & Beethoven
Sunday 10 May 2026, 4pm
Kensington Symphony Orchestra
Nielsen: Symphony No. 5
Tuesday 12 May 2026, 7.30pm
Join our Mailing List
Join our mailing list to be the first to hear about new events and for access to pre-sale tickets.