On Tour in Shanghai

The evening

Liadov conjures magical landscapes while Shostakovich navigates political turmoil translated into music, plus Bruce Liu performs Prokofiev’s dazzling Piano Concerto No 3.

Anatoly Liadov has become something of a footnote in Russian music, yet his sumptuously orchestrated, impressionistic tone poem The Enchanted Lake is one of the defining works of late Romanticism. Composed in 1937, Shostakovich’s Symphony No 5 uses some of the composer’s most powerful music to take us from the darkest depths to life-affirming heights.

At times equally demonic, Prokofiev’s virtuosic Piano Concerto No 3 – featuring star pianist Bruce Liu – is tempered by moments of incredible, expansive beauty. The evening concludes with Brahms’ exuberant Hungarian Dance No 1.

The LSO and Sir Antonio Pappano bring their rich experience with Russian music to bear on this programme. Bruce Liu, winner of the 2021 International Chopin Piano Competition, is sure to dazzle in Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No 3.