Michael Rowan looks forward to the upcoming programme of concerts by the London Philharmonic Orchestra

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Credit Benjamin Ealovega

If you have read any of my previous reviews of the London Philharmonic Orchestra concerts, you will be aware that I am something of a fan, albeit one who would tell the truth if I hadn’t enjoyed the performances. Well, let me tell you that the last season was incredible, and each concert brought something special, including the triumphant performance of Mahler’s Symphony No 5, plus a veritable treat from the pianist, Francesco Piemontesi, playing Shuman’s Piano Concerto. (see above)

All the guest performers have been similarly spellbinding, and to be in the presence of such genius is both a privilege and a delight. So, it is no surprise that the upcoming programme has me salivating with anticipation.

Imagine sitting in a restaurant browsing the menu, each dish seemingly more delicious. Well, that was me as I browsed the 2025 – 26 programme:

Harmony in Nature is the title of new concert season for 2025/26. The season explores humanity’s bond with the natural world and issues a call to protect it – through the power of music that confronts, celebrates and inspires.

Season highlights include a performance from seven-time Grammy Award-winning composer and trumpeter Terence Blanchard, who, alongside his own jazz quintet, will perform the UK premiere of A Tale of God’s Will (A Requiem for Katrina) with the Orchestra. The LPO will perform 9 premieres across the season including Tan Dun’s Nine – an ‘ode to peace’ commissioned by the Royal Philharmonic Society as a companion piece to Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony in its 200th anniversary year.

Programming across the season explores the different elements of nature – water, forests, mountains, wildlife and more – reflected in music, including Beethoven’s ‘Pastoral’ Symphony andworks by Sibelius, Mendelssohn, Elgar and Dvořák; masterpieces of an era that saw nature as a mirror of human emotion.

More contemporary perhaps; voices as diverse as Duke Ellington, John Luther Adams and Anna Thorvaldsdottir have all found an unquenchable source of creative energy in the processes of nature.

If you are able to get to London, my advice would be to treat yourselves and buy tickets before they sell out.

https://lpo.org.uk/tickets-and-discounts/ .

Related posts:

  1. Michael Rowan has never heard a good concert by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, they have all been excellent, and Renee Fleming with her rendition of Four Last Songs, is no exception. https://lpo.org.uk/tickets-and-discounts/
  2. Michael Rowan – our second reviewer on this occasion, so popular was this concert – runs out of superlatives, describing the latest London Philharmonic Orchestra concert, Symphonic Dances; as Juraj Valčuha presents Rachmaninoff’s electrifying Symphonic Dances, and Boris Giltburg performs Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1. https://lpo.org.uk/tickets-and-discounts/
  3. Michael Rowan bids au revoir to this season of London Philharmonic Concerts, with a staggering performance of Mahler’s Symphony No 5, and a veritable treat, from the pianist, Francesco Piemontesi, playing Shuman’s Piano Concerto. However, for the rest of you there are still more gems to enjoy. Details at the end of this review.
  4. Michael Rowan witnesses an orchestral mutiny at the Royal Festival Hall, and finds himself cheering from the rafters, as he hears Karina Canellakis conduct the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Truls Mork in a concert featuring the works of Schumann and Bruckner.
  5. Michael Rowan finds himself bewitched, bothered, and completely blown away, by the glorious playing of Patricia Kopatchinskaja, accompanied by the London Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall.