Tchaikovsky’s Manfred Symphony at Saffron Hall

The music

• Mark Simpson Piano Concerto
• Tchaikovsky Manfred Symphony

The performers

• Edward Gardner conductor*
• Víkingur Ólafsson piano

Tchaikovsky’s explosive Manfred Symphony meets a striking new piano concerto.

Víkingur Ólafsson: the Icelandic phenomenon who has transformed the way we hear the piano. Mark Simpson: the British composer whose boundless imagination channels the neon-lit pulse of 21st-century urban life. Bring them together with Edward Gardner and the LPO in a brand-new piano concerto, and you know this will be an occasion to remember.

Afterwards comes one of Edward Gardner’s particular passions: Tchaikovsky’s explosive Manfred Symphony. Inspired by Byron’s brooding, restless hero, this epic symphonic portrait contains some of Tchaikovsky’s most uncompromising music – and some of his most tender. Vast in scale and alive with colour, it’s among his most vivid and characterful creations.

This concert is made possible by Vivian Falk.

*Edward Gardner’s position with the LPO is generously supported by Aud Jebsen.

_{Shuttle bus:
Pre-show shuttle bus will be operating from Audley End Station to Saffron Hall. This service is free to use, with no need to book in advance}