Photos and reviews: Opening the 80th Anniversary Season in spectacular style

On Wednesday 23 September we opened our 80th Anniversary Season with a celebration at the Royal Albert Hall led by Music Director Vasily Petrenko. Bringing together a world premiere of music by Errollyn Wallen CBE, a landmark work from Beethoven’s innovative middle period, and one of Strauss’ most spectacular orchestral showpieces, the programme explored ideas of heroism, creativity and artistic ambition across more than two centuries of music.

Read on to see more photos and reviews from the evening.

After a welcome given by the Orchestra’s Chair, Principal Second Violin Andrew Storey, the concert began with Wallen’s new fanfare, FLARE, a piece commissioned by the RPO to mark the Orchestra’s 80th Anniversary. In creating the work, Wallen acknowledged that she was ‘composing to the visual space and atmosphere of the astonishing Royal Albert Hall, the place of so many remarkable memories for me.’ FLARE is full of rhythmic energy, colour and dramatic flair. Opening with a call from off-stage trumpets, the fanfare steadily gathers momentum before the full orchestra enters in a blaze of sound. Rich brass writing, sweeping strings and a striking sense of scale make it both a celebration and a call to action, fitting for the opening of a landmark anniversary season.

Julia Fischer, Pablo Ferrández and Jan Lisiecki then took to the stage to perform Beethoven’s Triple Concerto. Composed during the period that also produced the ‘Eroica’ Symphony and the Kreutzer Sonata, the work marked a new chapter in Beethoven’s career and remains unique in the concerto repertoire. Rather than pitting soloists against one another in a virtuosic display, Beethoven treats the violin, cello and piano as equal partners in conversation. The expansive first movement gradually introduces each instrument before bringing them together as a trio, while the lyrical slow movement flows seamlessly into a spirited finale inspired by the Polish polonaise. Innovative and ambitious, the concerto offers a fascinating glimpse of Beethoven’s growing confidence as a musical innovator.

Vasily Petrenko opened the second half with a speech that paid tribute to the Orchestra’s rich history, and the audiences whose support has made the music-making possible.

‘Richard Strauss was saying that ‘I am no hero’ in Ein Heldenleben. He was saying we are the heroes. The orchestras, and everybody around them. Without your support, we wouldn't be here without you. 

Nothing can replace this experience of 100 or so musicians performing together. There are no analogues to such events. Nothing can replace emotional and physical impact of live performance.'

Premiered in 1899, Strauss’ tone poem Ein Heldenleben  traces the journey of a hero through triumphs, struggles and deep introspection. Although Strauss described the work as representing a broader ideal of heroism, audiences and critics quickly recognised autobiographical elements within the score, with the composer famously portraying his critics, his achievements and even his wife Pauline in the music. From its noble opening theme and dazzling battle scenes to its moments of tenderness and serene contemplation, Ein Heldenleben showcases Strauss at his most imaginative and orchestral writing at its most radiant, bringing the evening to a thrilling close.

Thank you to everyone who joined us to celebrate this milestone occasion. We will be back at the Royal Albert Hall, under the baton of Music Director Vasily Petrenko, with Mahler’s ‘Resurrection’ Symphony on Wednesday 7 April 2027. In the meantime, explore our full season below.