Brahms 1

The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra returns to Reading for a performance filled with drama, conducted by Kristian Sallinen. We begin with the thrilling Overture to Beethoven’s Egmont. The music was written for Goethe’s play about Count Egmont, who tried and failed to overthrow the Duke of Alba, resulting in his execution. Listen out for the final, fateful movement of the sword, which is audibly played out by the violins.

The RPO’s Principal Clarinet, Katherine Lacy, will then take to the stage to perform Mozart's serene Clarinet Concerto, a cornerstone of the clarinet repertoire and regarded as one of the finest pieces for the instrument. The concert concludes with Brahms’ monumental First Symphony, which took the composer nearly 15 years to complete. Featuring a titanic opening and soaring strings, the Symphony closes with one of the most stirring finales ever written.