Mahler x Korngold

Need to know

Repertoire

Korngold Violin Concerto
Mahler Symphony No.5

Features

Vasily Petrenko Conductor
Ray Chen Violin
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Location

Royal Albert Hall
Kensington Gore, South Kensington, London SW7 2AP United Kingdom

Venue information

Description

Vasily Petrenko conducts Mahler's epic Fifth Symphony

A trumpet sounds an ominous fanfare, the orchestra cries out, and Mahler’s Fifth Symphony thunders into life. But that’s just the beginning – and, after all, this is Mahler! 68 minutes later, the whole orchestra is punching the sky in triumph. It’s an epic struggle from darkness to light, as powerful as any Hollywood blockbuster and every bit as colourful, filled with horn calls, dark visions and, of course, Romantic music’s most passionate love letter – the famous Adagietto that Mahler wrote for his young wife Alma.

It’s powerful stuff, so Vasily Petrenko has paired it with the rapturous Violin Concerto that Mahler’s protégé Erich Wolfgang Korngold dedicated to Alma when they were both exiled to California. Based on themes that Korngold had written for the silver screen, you can feel the poetry as well as the sunlight, and few living violinists play it with more panache than Ray Chen.

As one critic wrote after hearing Petrenko conduct Mahler at the BBC Proms, ‘under the sensitive direction of conductor Vasily Petrenko, it seemed a proper masterpiece.’

With the generous support of

Offers and discounts

Save 20% off tickets when you book two of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra x Vasily Petrenko concerts at the Royal Albert Hall, and 30% when you book all three.

Reserve now, pay later. Access generous discounts and benefits by bringing a group to this concert.

6+ people save 10% (discount applied directly at checkout)
10+ people save 20%
30+ people save 30%
A free pair of tickets for the organiser (12+ parties)
Free programmes for the entire party (Vasily Petrenko concerts only)
No payment needed until two months before the concert

School party tickets (8+ people, pupils must outnumber staff) are available for £5* at Cadogan Hall and for £7* at the Royal Albert Hall. Phone 020 7608 8840 or visit our group booking page to find out more.

* For group and school bookings of up to 10 tickets, a £4 transaction fee applies. For group bookings of 10 or more, a £1 fee per ticket applies (capped at £30 per booking).

Prices may be subject to change; book as early as you can to secure the best choice of seats at the best possible prices. All requests are subject to availability.

A limited number of £5 adult tickets (two per member, subject to availability) and two FREE under-18* tickets are available via the RPO website* to RPO Brent members in the Stalls, Arena and Circle.

To book tickets, members should make sure that they are logged into their RPO account. The offer will then automatically be applied in the basket.

Tickets are limited so if the offer is not applied that may be because there are no longer any tickets available for this offer.

Live or work in Brent? Find out more about the RPO Brent membership and sign up here.

*Under-16s must be accompanied by an adult. All offers are available to book until 48 hours before the concert begins.

A limited number of discounted tickets are available via the RPO website at £19* (Circle) and £29* (Stalls/Arena) to RPO Under 30s members (two per member, subject to availability). Members should ensure that they are logged into their RPO account for their discount to apply.

Aged 18 to 29? Find out more about the RPO Under 30s and sign up for free here.

*Ticket price includes a £4 transaction fee (charged once per order). All offers are available to book until 48 hours before the concert begins.

RPO Club members can book two half-price tickets* per London Season concert (and two complimentary tickets per season) via the RPO website. Members should ensure that they are logged into their RPO account for their discount to apply.

Find out more about the RPO Club and sign up here.

*All ticket prices are subject to a £4 transaction fee (charged once per order). All offers are available to book until 48 hours before the concert begins.

Student tickets from £12 available via Student Pulse.

Under 18 offers apply: £11* for children aged 7–17 in Second Tier boxes, Rear Arena and Front Circle seats.

*Ticket price includes a £4 transaction fee (charged once per order).

Please note:

all offers are subject to availability
this event is not recommended for children under 5
all customers aged 14 years or below must be accompanied by an adult aged 18 years or over.

What makes this show unmissable

1 Poetry and sunshine from Korngold's filmic Violin Concerto
2 Theatrical panache from the great Ray Chen
3 Mahler 5's famous Adagietto – widely considered Romantic music's most passionate love letter, written by Mahler for his wife Alma

Large print programmes

Large print versions and digital formats of the programme for this concert are available on request for customers with accessibility requirements. Please email your request to Doran Crowhurst crowhurstd@rpo.co.uk at least one full week before the performance.