Icons Rediscovered: Elgar’s Symphony No.2
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra performs an Elgar symphony, a Smyth overture, and is joined by Yunchan Lim for Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No.3.
‘Rarely, rarely comest thou, Spirit of Delight!’ The orchestra hovers, poised. It pulls back – and then surges forward in wave upon sweeping wave of golden sound.
Nothing in British music is more exhilarating than the opening of Elgar’s Second Symphony, and nothing quite matches what follows: a passionate, no-holds-barred emotional autobiography, ending in a sunset of heartbreaking beauty.
If that doesn’t sound like your idea of British music, let Vasily Petrenko and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra show you what you’ve been missing.
It’s hard to imagine a more magnificent complement to Rachmaninov’s mightiest (and most opulent) piano concerto, played tonight by the 2022 Van Cliburn competition gold medallist Yunchan Lim, and a swashbuckling, storm-swept overture by the Suffragette composer Dame Ethel Smyth.
Performers
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Vasily Petrenko conductor
Yunchan Lim piano
Repertoire
Smyth: Overture, The Wreckers
Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No.3
Elgar: Symphony No.2
Need to know
For your visit
This event is held at the Royal Festival Hall Southbank Centre
The Royal Festival Hall is open six days a week.
Tuesday – Sunday, 10am – 11pm
Monday, closed.
Plan your visit
The Royal Festival Hall is home to our largest auditorium as well as The Clore Ballroom, National Poetry Library, Members’ Lounge, Festival Bar & Kitchen, Ballroom Cafe and Skylon restaurant.
Getting here
Our address is Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX.
The nearest tube stations to us are Waterloo and Embankment; Waterloo is also the nearest train station. And more than 20 different London bus routes pass within 500 metres of our venues. More information on getting here by rail, road or river is available on our Getting here page.
We’re cash-free
Please note that we’re unable to accept cash payments across our venues.
Access
We’re working hard to remove barriers, so that our facilities and events can be accessible to as many people as possible.
All help points, toilets, performance and exhibition spaces at the Southbank Centre are accessible to all, as are the cafes, bars and restaurants. We also have excellent public transport links with step-free access.
All information about booking wheelchair spaces, step-free access, blue badge parking, access maps and guides and other help available whilst you’re here, including details about our Access Scheme, can be found on our Access page.
Food & drink
On Level 2 of our Royal Festival Hall you can grab a slice of life by the Thames with drinks and freshly made pizza at our Festival Bar & Kitchen which opens out onto our Riverside Terrace. You can grab a coffee and a slice of freshly made cake from our Ballroom Cafe. Or alternatively enjoy destination dining in the restaurant at Skylon.
From coffee to cocktails, filling favourites to fine dining, plus some of London’s best street food – it’s all here at the Southbank Centre.