A performance of contrasting works conducted by Vladimir Jurowski, including Zemlinsky's Lyric Symphony, Listz's Second Piano Concerto and the UK premiere of the orchestral version of Peter Eötvös' Shadows. When Franz Liszt strode onto the concert stage in the middle of the 19th century, he changed it for ever. With Liszt's thunderous piano concertos the age of the virtuoso was born, a fusion of Beethoven's single-mindedness and Paganini's breathtaking virtuosity. The concertos continue to stun with their drama and dexterity today. If Liszt created the modern virtuoso, then Alexander Zemlinsky in early 20th-century Vienna prophesied the language of the movie score. His setting of Hindu poetry by Rabindranath Tagore is an alluring, mysterious and sexy slice of late Romantic lusciousness in which soprano and baritone drape alternate verses over a kaleidoscopic orchestra. A rare chance to hear a brilliantly individual work. London Philharmonic Orchestra website.| 26 Jan 11 | Southbank Centre West End, Greater London Performance Details => Venue archive |
