Between the insistence and upheaval of his Fifth and Seventh Symphonies came Beethoven's Sixth. Gone were the tub-thumping argument and strident protest; in their place was a strange and wonderful radiance. The Sixth feels like a sudden step into daylight ? into the softened world of the countryside, its quiet exaltation and its strengthening sense of communion. Before it comes Ravel's plaintive memorial to lost friends Le tombeau de Couperin, Berlioz's colourful Roman Carnival Overture, and a real virtuosic tour de force: the last violin concerto to have flowed from the pen of Camille Saint-Sa?ns, in which the composer immortalised his friendship with the virtuoso Pablo de Sarasate in music of soaring beauty and sparkling power. London Philharmonic Orchestra website.| 27 Apr 14 | Devonshire Park Theatre Eastbourne, East Sussex Performance Details => Venue archive |
