Nielsen Symphony No 5

LSO Conductor Laureate Michael Tilson Thomas returns for his second of two concerts in 2016/17, with superstar pianist Yuja Wang.

'I have written a tiny, tiny piano concerto with a tiny, tiny wisp of a scherzo' said Brahms, but of course this is an understatement. Brahms Piano Concerto No 2 is an expansive musical narrative for soloist and orchestra, unfolding over four dramatic movements that test equally the skill of soloist and conductor. Yuja Wang and MTT share a long history performing together, and in this work you are bound to experience the fruits of their musical relationship.

Nielsen’s Symphony No 5 has been described as a war symphony, a battle of light against darkness, from a composer testing his faith in the world through visionary music. The piece is enigmatic, but Nielsen himself revealed something about the work’s meaning in a short description: ‘I'm rolling a stone up a hill, I'm using the powers in me to bring the stone to the top. The stone lies there so still, powers are wrapped in it, until I give it a kick and the same powers are released and the stone rolls down again. But you mustn't take that as a programme!’