Discover More Music in our 2026–27 Season

On Wednesday 23 September we celebrate 80 years of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. A big celebration calls for a big orchestra, and the forces you will see on stage are used to full effect in Errollyn Wallen’s powerful new fanfare commissioned for the occasion, FLARE. 

And at the centre of the programme is Beethoven's largest concerto that he ever composed, his Triple, featuring soloists Julia Fischer on the violin, cellist Pablo Ferrández, and Jan Lisiecki on the piano. The first concerto to ever feature a piano trio as the soloists, it is a defining centrepiece of the innovative composer's middle period.

‘I am not a hero’, Strauss said some time after composing Ein Heldenleben ('A Hero's Life'). ‘I don’t have the strength for it. I’m not fit for the battle. I prefer to stay in the background, in a quiet place.’ A fin de siècle tone poem compsed in the Bavarian alps, Strauss quotes his previous symphonic works and operas to tell an autobiographical tale of a composer battling critics and self-doubt to emerge on the other side bruised and wearied, but at peace with the world.

Curious to explore more? Listen to our playlist of music we recommend related to the programme...

• To hear how Errollyn Wallen draws upon the past in her future-facing music, listen to her Concerto Grosso (2008) for piano, violin, double bass and string orchestra – a Triple Concerto in all but name.
• Triple Concertos like Beethoven’s are exceptionally rare, but for a modern take on the orchestrated piano trio, try Lera Auerbach’s Serenade for a Melancholic Sea, Op.68 (2002), which features the backing of a string orchestra divided into 23 independent voices. There is no studio recording available, but can listen to a performance here.
• Continue the journey into Richard Strauss’ musical autobiography with his next poem, the Symphonia Domestica, Op.53 (1904). ‘What can be more serious than family life?’ Strauss asked.

Programme notes and listening recommendations by Jo Kirkbride, 2026–27