Entertainment: Joe Fuller

London Philharmonic Orchestra kick off
their Saturday night season at the Dome

The London Philharmonic Orchestra’s returning to Brighton Dome for its fifteenth season is a cause for celebration for the classical music lover. The Saturday night setting helps add to the atmosphere; you can have dinner with your gig partner and stroll to the Dome in crisp, autumnal air and make a lovely evening of it, with interval drinks and all.

The LPO also have a special place in my heart since they’ve been instrumental in fostering my love of classical music over the last few years. I took a friend who wasn’t particularly au fait with classical music to see Daniele Rustioni conduct two years ago for example and he was blown away by the startling rendition of the famous ‘William Tell Overture’. The LPO are a vibrant, loud, invigorating orchestra that should win any over anyone who hasn’t yet witnessed the joyful power of live classical music.
This Saturday sees them presenting a French-themed programme that was inspired by part of their London season (Musiciens français) which explores French music and culture. At the centre of the concert is Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G major, a gorgeous jazz-inspired piece with a powerful, bolshy crashing opening movement and an irresistible Adagio assai part that is tranquil and evocative. I’m often moved by slower movements and this one is a real beauty, but one is soon pleasantly jolted by the short third Presto movement with distinct jazz harmonies and idioms. Listen to the wild, disparate, beautiful piece and be enthralled.

Robin Ticciati (former Music Director of Glyndebourne Festival Opera) will conduct and BBC Radio 3’s New Generation Artist Louis Schwizgebel will play the Ravel concerto. Schwizgebel has been described as an “insightful musician” by the New York Times and “already one of the great masters of the piano” by Res Musica so I’m really excited about hearing his performance of a fantastic piece of music.
The programme will also feature some of Ravel’s waltzes (known as Valses nobles et sentimentales) and Fauré’s tragic suite of Pelléas et Mélisande that was created using incidental music from Maurice Maeterlinck’s play of the same name. To finish we’ll then be treated to Debussy’s depiction of the sea, a vast, expansive, dramatic piece that was sketched in Eastbourne and should make for a rousing finale.
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Concert Hall, Brighton Dome,
Saturday 14 November, 7.30pm
Tickets £10-£27.50, 01273 709709, www.brightondome.org