Events Calendar

An image of Vasily Petrenko

Prom 7: Vaughan Williams, Respighi and Mendelssohn

Wednesday 4 August 2021, 7.30pm
Royal Albert Hall

VAUGHAN WILLIAMS Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis
RESPIGHI Concerto gregoriano
MENDELSSOHN Symphony No. 5 in D major, ‘Reformation’

Vasily Petrenko Conductor
Sayaka Shoji Violin

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Vasily Petrenko appears for the first time at the BBC Proms in his new role as Music Director of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Joined by Japanese violinist Sayaka Shoji for Respighi’s Concerto gregoriano – a spiritual serenade in which the soloist becomes a wordless cantor, whose plainsong-inspired melodies soar over the orchestra.

Two more tributes to the musical past complete the programme: Vaughan Williams’s haunting Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis takes inspiration from Tudor polyphony, while Mendelssohn’s youthful ‘Reformation’ Symphony climaxes in Martin Luther’s stirring chorale ‘A mighty fortress is our God’.


The safety of our audiences is of paramount importance. Government guidelines and safety measures are followed at all the venues in which the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra performs to ensure that you are able to enjoy the performance in a safe, comfortable environment.

Ticket information

Ticket information can be found on the BBC's website here.