In the first of a number of announcements relating to its 75th Anniversary celebrations starting in September, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra today announces its first season of concerts since the outbreak of coronavirus in 2020. The series of ten concerts marks the return of the full Orchestra to its London home, Cadogan Hall, where it has been resident since 2004.
The opening concert features the Japanese virtuoso Fumiaki Miura in his first concert as Artist in Residence. Other featured artists in the season include the return of conductor Anu Tali along with the debuts of conductors Kevin John Edusei and Richard Farnes, Hungarian violinist Barnabás Kelemen, pianists Vanessa Benelli Mosell and Jae-Hyuck Cho, and the winner of the Hastings International Piano Concerto Competition 2018, Roman Kosyakov.
In December, the Orchestra partners with Opera Rara for a concert performance of Ruggero Leoncavallo’s rarely performed Zingari. This one one-act opera is led by Opera Rara’s Artistic Director Carlo Rizzi, with a cast of international operatic stars including Carlos Álvarez and Krassimira Stoyanova.
The season also marks the start of a two-year series of concerts in partnership with City of London Choir, which will explore the teacher/pupil relationship and friendship between Ravel and Vaughan Williams. This opening concert, led by Hilary Davan Wetton features lesser-performed works including Vaughan Williams’ Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus and Toward the Unknown Region alongside Ravel’s Pavane pour un infant defunte.
James Williams, Managing Director of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra commented:
“Following the events of the last year, to say that we are delighted to be presenting our first season back in our London home doesn’t come close to describing just how thrilled we are. It is an absolute joy to be performing once again, in person, for our valued and much-loved audiences. The concert season at Cadogan Hall sits at the heart of everything the RPO does. Its return is an important foundation stone in our musical calendar for the next year and beyond, and today’s announcement marks a key moment as we begin to look beyond the pandemic towards the next chapter in the RPO’s history.
“We are thrilled to be welcoming a diverse line up of guest artists, some of whom are returning to the Orchestra and others who are appearing for the first time, including the outstanding young Japanese violinist Fumiaki Miura, who will be our Artist in Residence. Alongside symphonic classics, the Season will feature a number of works by under-represented composers such as Samuel Coleridge Taylor and Doreen Carwithen. We look forward to sharing the joy and thrill of live performance through a Season of great music.’’
The full list of concerts can be found here.