Santtu & Alena Baeva with the Philharmonia Orchestra at Royal Festival Hall

On 1 February, Royal Festival Hall hosts an evening of powerful symphonic music featuring acclaimed violinist Alena Baeva and the Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Santtu-Matias Rouvali.

At the heart of the programme is Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 2 — lyrical, intense and full of striking contrasts, where long-breathed melodies are shadowed by darker undercurrents. The second half brings Rachmaninov’s Symphonic Dances, his final completed work: a brilliant showcase of orchestral colour and emotional depth, notable for its expressive use of the alto saxophone. The concert opens with Stravinsky’s Divertimento from The Fairy’s Kiss, a refined 20th-century homage to Tchaikovsky.

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