John Adams Harmonielehre
Rachmaninov Symphony No 2

One of the world’s most electrifying musical partnerships, Sir Simon Rattle and the London Symphony Orchestra return following two exceptional performances at the International Festival 2018 with a pair of deeply stirring, richly coloured works.

Rachmaninov’s Second Symphony is often held up as the pinnacle of romantic music, the aching beauty of its melodies matched only by its brooding, surging emotions – all building to its triumphant, all-conquering conclusion.

Beforehand, the propulsive rhythms of minimalism collide with the extravagant opulence of Wagner and Mahler in John Adams’s brilliantly powerful Harmonielehre, a love song to the late Romantic full of surreal imagery, sensual ecstasy and explosive energy.