The patriotic sympathies of Sibelius led him to create some of his most enduring music, and tonight’s opener, the Karelia Suite, perfectly encapsulates the musical spirit of his home country, Finland.

Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1 is performed by Latvian violinist Kristine Balanas, a musician of ‘eye-popping virtuosity’ (The Times) who has enthralled audiences on the global stage as a young rising star.

Rachmaninov, who had long left Russia since the 1917 Revolution, composed his Symphony No. 3 during his self-exile. The unashamed Romanticism of the piece is merged with the influence of haunting plainchant and moments of disruption in its melodies, unsettling the music and resulting in a strange melancholic yearning in the search for a true homeland.

18:45 Free pre-concert performance in the Culford Room (foyer)

Join musicians from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Irene Taylor Trust, refugee and migrant mothers and parents with experience of the criminal justice system for a pre-concert performance of original lullabies created during our recent Lullaby Project in London.