Events Calendar

27 Mar.jpg

Icons Rediscovered: Elgar’s Symphony No.2

Wednesday 27 March 2024, 7.30pm
Royal Festival Hall

Ethel Smyth The Wreckers: Overture
Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No.3
Elgar Symphony No.2

Vasily Petrenko Conductor 
Denis Kozhukhin Piano

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

We are disappointed to announce that Yunchan Lim is no longer able to perform in this concert due to a hand injury. Yunchan Lim is currently undergoing treatment with his doctor and physical therapist. It is therefore with profound regret that he must withdraw from his forthcoming concerts under his doctor’s orders. This will allow the injury time to heal and to protect against future issues. IMG Artists' full statement can be read here.

We are extremely grateful to Denis Kozhukhin for agreeing to perform Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No.3 at short notice.


‘Rarely, rarely comest thou, Spirit of Delight!’ The orchestra hovers, poised. It pulls back – and then surges forward in wave upon sweeping wave of golden sound. Nothing in British music is more exhilarating than the opening of Elgar’s Second Symphony, and nothing quite matches what follows: a passionate, no-holds-barred emotional autobiography, ending in a sunset of heartbreaking beauty.

If that doesn’t sound like your idea of British music, let Vasily Petrenko and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra show you what you’ve been missing. It’s hard to imagine a more magnificent complement to Rachmaninov’s mightiest (and most opulent) piano concerto, played tonight by Denis Kozhukhin, and a swashbuckling, storm-swept overture by the Suffragette composer Dame Ethel Smyth.


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.


Ticket information

Doors: 6.45pm

Concert starts: 7:30pm (approximate end time: 9.45pm)

Tickets: £55, £40, £30, £20, £10.

RPO Club members save 50% on two tickets per London Season concert and receive a host of other benefits – phone 020 7608 8840 to find out more.

Groups of just 6+ save up to 35% – phone 020 7608 8840 to find out more.

Student tickets available, book via Student Pulse.

Under 18 offers apply: £5 for children aged 7–17 in price bands B–E.

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.

Booking fees apply online (£3.50) and over the phone (£4). There are no booking fees for Southbank Centre Members and Supporters Circles. For group bookings of 10+, a £1 fee per ticket applies (capped at £30 per booking).


Tickets for RPO Brent Members

A limited number of tickets are available for this performance at a special price for RPO Brent members in price bands B–E.

To book tickets, members should:

  • click on the 'Buy Tickets' link above to be transferred to Southbank Centre’s website, followed by 'Book Now'
  • click in the top right-hand corner where it says ‘Have a Promo Code?’ and insert your promo code (which was included in your welcome email)
  • select your preferred tickets from the available seats.

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

Find out more about the RPO Brent membership and sign up here.