Haitink at 85: Mozart Symphony No 40

Tormented by dark, urgent depression and acute financial problems, Mozart decided in the summer of 1788 to write three symphonies. Why? We don’t know: almost all the details are lost to history. What we do know is that Mozart was behaving erratically and that he was in need of money. Strange as it may seem, under these circumstances Mozart delivered three of the most astounding orchestral works ever written, including the stream of abundant musical joy that is his symphony numbered 40. Celebrating his 85th birthday, Bernard Haitink also conducts Ravel’s musical souvenir from his trip to New York, a piano concerto enthused with the spirit of jazz and the bustle of Harlem.

Tickets: £15-65