Britten, Bernstein and Tchaikovsky

Tchaikovsky juggles beauty and suffering, Britten reflects powerfully on grief and conflict, and Bernstein grapples with the modern world. 

The Music

Composed in the midst of global conflict, Britten’s 1940 Sinfonia da Requiem is a grief-stricken cry, its turbulent music finally giving way to Mahlerian tenderness – and hope.  

Bernstein’s post-war symphony The Age of Anxiety, based on W H Auden’s poem, is a piano concerto in all but name, full of Shostakovich-inspired spirit and snatches of Broadway.  

The concert ends with Tchaikovsky’s journey to the depths of the soul. Despite ending on a note of utter despair, the ‘Pathétique’ is among the composer’s most beautiful works. 

The Performers

The LSO is sure to draw high emotion from Britten and Tchaikovsky, while Italian pianist Beatrice Rana reunites with Chief Conductor Sir Antonio Pappano for Bernstein’s fizzing concerto. 

The ‘Pathétique’ Symphony features some of Tchaikovsky’s most heartrending music. 

Sir Antonio Pappano