| Tuesday 03 February 2026 | 19:30 |
| Ustvolskaya, Galina (1919-2006) | The dream of Stepan Razin | |
| Beethoven, Ludwig van (1770-1827) | Piano Concerto no. 1 in C major, Op.15 | |
| Shostakovich, Dmitri (1906-1975) | Symphony no. 10 in E minor, Op.93 |
| Vasily Petrenko | Conductor |
| Royal Philharmonic Orchestra | |
| Yuriy Yurchuk | Baritone |
| Benjamin Grosvenor | Piano |
In communist Russia, Soviet officials called it an ‘optimistic tragedy’. Shostakovich simply called it his Tenth Symphony. Dark, tense, packed with secret messages and featuring at its centre a terrifying scherzo that might or might not be musical portrait of Stalin himself. Shostakovich’s Tenth is one of the greatest of all 20th-century symphonies, and few living conductors understand it more intimately than RPO Music Director Vasily Petrenko. ‘Shattering’ and ‘thrilling’ were just two of the words that critics used to describe his recording of the Tenth Symphony.
Today, he probes its secrets once again, paired with a haunting Russian ballad for baritone and orchestra from Galina Ustvolskaya, a composition pupil of Shostakovich. At the centre, we are joined by one of Britain’s best-loved pianists – Benjamin Grosvenor – in a very different masterpiece: the young Beethoven’s exuberant First Piano Concerto.
This concert is generously supported by The Tong Family
On sale autumn 2025
