We welcome one of the most exciting orchestras in Southeast Asia, the Philippine Philharmonic from Manila, which has been impressing audiences and critics worldwide in recent years.

They perform a programme of much-loved works including Mendelssohn’s Fourth Symphony, the ‘Italian’, inspired by the sights, sounds and colours of 19th-century Italy, and Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake Suite containing some of the most memorable music from his hugely popular ballet.

Joining them is the internationally renowned soloist Wen-Sinn Yang to perform Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations, a sparkling celebration of the 18th century inspired by Mozart.

The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra’s performance will open with a short work by Filipino composer Jeffrey Ching, the orchestra’s composer-in-residence, who studied philosophy and music in Cambridge and London. In celebration of this cultural exchange between the UK and the Philippines, Jeffrey Ching is writing a specially commissioned piece for the UK tour, which he describes as ‘a dialogue across cultures which is also a playful commentary on the rituals of the concert hall’.

This is a change to the previously advertised concert. Due to governmental budget cuts and challenges in Argentina, the Buenos Aires Symphony Orchestra of Colón Opera has had to cancel its UK tour. As a result, its London concert at Cadogan Hall has been cancelled. We are delighted that the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra from Manila has agreed to take over the tour and perform instead.