Manfred Honeck & Emanuel Ax
With the Philharmonia Orchestra, pianist Emanuel Ax plays one of Mozart’s greatest concertos, framed by music from two operas that couldn’t be more different.
You can almost hear the fizz of champagne in the overture to Die Fledermaus (The Bat). Johann Strauss II’s sparkling music sets the scene for a tale of friendship and frivolity, drinking, dancing and disguise, extra-marital flirtation and forgiveness.
Next comes Mozart’s Piano Concerto K.503, acclaimed by a contemporary critic not just as one of his finest concertos, but ‘maybe the most magnificent of all the concertos which have ever been written’.
Multiple Grammy Award winner Emanuel Ax, a leading light among pianists for over half a century, follows in Mozart’s footsteps as soloist.
The world of Greek mythology is full of dysfunctional families, but Elektra’s is one of the most dysfunctional of them all.
At the opposite end of the emotional spectrum to Die Fledermaus, Richard Strauss’ Elektra is a dark and gripping story of murder and revenge. Manfred Honeck’s suite distils the opera into half an hour of orchestral drama, retaining all the visceral intensity and impact of the original.
Performers
Philharmonia Orchestra
Manfred Honeck conductor
Emanuel Ax piano
Repertoire
J Strauss II: Overture, Die Fledermaus
Mozart: Piano Concerto No.25 in C, K.503
Interval
Strauss: Elektra Suite arr. Honeck & Ille
Need to know
Times & tickets
Dates, times and prices
Dates & times
12 Nov 2026, 7.30pm
Run time
1 hour and 50 minutes (approx)
All timings are approximate and subject to change
Standard entry
from £12 + £4 booking fee
Ticket prices may be adjusted without notice to reflect demand.
Concessions
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Refunds and exchanges
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Multi-buy Autumn/Winter 26/27 discount
3 – 4 events: 10% discount
5 – 7 events: 15% discount
8 – 10 events: 20% discount
11 – 14 events: 25% discount
15+ events: 30% discount
Discounts apply to selected events, September 2026 – January 2027 inclusive. Offer can’t be combined with the Spring/Summer 2026 multi-buy.
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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.