London Philharmonic Orchestra

About the Event

The London Philharmonic Orchestra is one of the foremost British symphony orchestras. Since 1951, the ensemble has been based at the Royal Festival Hall.

In summer it plays for the Glyndebourne Festival Opera where it has been Resident Symphony Orchestra since 1964. The Orchestra also records film and video game soundtracks.

Austrian pianist Rudolf Buchbinder has established his musical world on the classical Viennese tradition and the standard piano repertoire. He rose to fame in the 1960s, by winning a special award at the world renowned Van Cliburn Competition. As a soloist, Buchbinder has performed in a number of concerts, while especially worth mentioning are his recordings of the complete series of Sonatas by Beethoven as well as Brahms’ piano concertos.

Columbian‐born conductor Andrés Orozco‐Estrada graduated under Prof. Uroš Lajovic in Vienna. His exceptional talent was internationally recognized in 2004 at the Wiener Festwochen, when the media hailed him as the “Viennese miracle”. This season the maestro, a highly sought‐after guest conductor of major international orchestras, assumed the post of the artistic director of the Houston Symphony Orchestra.

The programme features an interesting history. The first work as well as the last one – Kodály’s Dances of Galánta and Dvořák’s Symphony No. 7 – contain a dedication to philharmonic societies. Kodály dedicated his “sonic memoir” to the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the Budapest Philharmonic Society, while Dvořák included a dedication to the Royal Philharmonic Society London in the manuscript of his Symphony No. 7, in token of his appreciation for the honorary membership. Inserted between the Czech and Hungarian musical tradition is Beethoven’s magnificent Piano Concerto No. 5, supposedly titled “Emperor” by the English owing to its heroic note.

Conductor: Andrés Orozco‐Estrada 

Soloist: Rudolf Buchbinder, piano