| Vladimir Jurowski | Direction |
| Patricia Kopatchinskaja | Violon |
| London Philharmonic Orchestra |
Beauty is truth, truth beauty ... even when that truth is so honest that it hurts. Berg dedicated his Violin Concerto 'to the memory of an angel', and a bottomless depth of personal loss lies beneath its gorgeous colours. Patricia Kopatchinskaja unlocks its secrets in this concert, between two final symphonies by composers who knew that truth could be a dangerous thing. Shostakovich's Fifteenth Symphony cloaks its sorrows in jokes, enigmas and pitch-black humour; two decades later, his friend Edison Denisov said farewell in a poignant, fantastical Second Symphony of his own. This is a rare British performance of a work that's close to Vladimir Jurowski's heart.
Free pre-concert event | 6.15pm
Dr Johnson said that the prospect of death 'concentrates the mind wonderfully'. Writer and broadcaster Stephen Johnson takes a look at composers' different responses, how they confronted death, and what it tells us about 'simple faith'.
