Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Felix Mendelssohn: Overture ‘The Hebrides’ (Fingal’s Cave)
Clara Schumann: Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 7
Interval
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 74, TH30, “Pathetique”

The esteemed orchestra from England returns to The Soraya and brings pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason, a fresh voice in classical music who gained fame in the recent post-pandemic months. Championing the works of female composers, she performs Clara Schumann’s Piano Concerto, a work that also appears on Kanneh-Mason’s 2019 debut recording. Schumann debuted the concerto in 1835 shortly after her 16th birthday. RPO also performs Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6, Pathétique, which debuted in 1893 just nine days before the composer’s death. While the official cause of Tchaikovsky’s demise was cholera, history hands down a counter-narrative that is widely upheld—that his final composition is actually a musical suicide note. Regardless, the piece’s emotional qualities are undeniable.

Performance Underwritten By Colburn Foundation, Lloyd E. Rigler-Lawerence E. Deutsch Foundation