Entertainment: Joe Fuller

Breathtaking Beethoven at Brighton Dome

T he superb London Philharmonic Orchestra were instrumental in my discovering the power of live classical music (zinger!). This strong programme featuring Mozart, Brahms and Beethoven should therefore be a real joy; the three prominent composers are relentlessly melodic and exciting so this would be a perfect concert for a classical newcomer to try out.
Mozart’s Lucio Silla opera isn’t performed very often so you might not be familiar with the overture, but the short piece is a buoyant number that should serve as a lovely appetiser.
The orchestra will be led by Adrian Prabava, who became the first beneficiary of the Bernard Haitink Fund for Young Talent in 2007. He’s been praised for letting strings breathe and for being rigorous, accurate and conveying a real love for the pieces.
It will be fascinating to see how Prabava conducts Beethoven’s majestic, rhythmic seventh symphony. There is a sheer physicality about the piece which is stunning to behold live, with repeated dance rhythms stirring the emotions. The slow march of the Allegretto is a different beast altogether, utilised in countless film soundtracks to create a sense of foreboding. This is a great chance to see an audience simultaneously unnerved, thrilled and mesmerised in one movement, and rhythmically jolted in the next.

Brahms’ piano concerto no. 2 reflects the more intimate, mellow side of the composer and features a solo second instrument (cello) in the slow Andante movement. This unusual technique is startlingly beautiful and moving, the cello playing the theme before the piano adds a different colour and tone to the soundworld.
The piano is obviously the focal point for most of the lengthy concerto however, and will be played by the young Stefan Ćirić (winner of the prestigious 60th Viotti competition in Vercelli, Italy). His style has been eloquently described by International Piano magazine as having “burnished perfection”. He’s touring the world this year taking in Spain, Serbia, Bulgaria, Japan and more, so we are lucky to get the chance to see him at the Dome this weekend.
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Concert Hall, Brighton Dome, Saturday 16 January, 7.30pm, £10-£32.50, brightondome.org
Photo credit: René Knoop