



In Search of Purpose
In this section
Composers finding their purpose in life’s biggest questions: our season theme for 2026/27
At a moment of deep personal crisis in 1802, Ludwig van Beethoven confronted his hearing loss and questioned whether he could go on. In music, he found a way forward – and in doing so, transformed it into a powerful vehicle for human expression and resilience. From this journey, our 2026/27 season takes its title: In Search of Purpose.
We trace Beethoven’s path from despair to hope in his Fifth Symphony, alongside a cycle of his piano concertos, and explore his ongoing legacy. And we hear from composers finding their purpose in the face of conflict, grief, oppression, and life’s biggest questions.
We invite you to listen – to the music, to each other, and to the purpose within.
Beethoven's search for purpose
Wed 4 Nov 2026, 7.30pm
Karina Canellakis conducts Beethoven
London, Royal Festival Hall
- Elgar Violin Concerto (45’)
- Dai Fujikura Radiance (UK premiere) (10’)*
- Beethoven Symphony No. 5 (36’)
- Karina Canellakis conductor**
- Christian Tetzlaff violin
Fri 6 Nov 2026, 7.30pm
Alice Sara Ott plays Beethoven
London, Royal Festival Hall
- Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 4 (34’)
- Mahler Symphony No. 1 (56’)
- Karina Canellakis conductor*
- Alice Sara Ott piano
Sat 6 Feb 2027, 7.30pm
Lukas Sternath plays Beethoven
London, Royal Festival Hall
- Unsuk Chin subito con forza (5’)
- Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 1 (37’)
- Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6 (Pathétique) (45’)
- Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider conductor
- Lukas Sternath piano
Wed 17 Feb 2027, 7.30pm
Shostakovich’s Tenth
London, Royal Festival Hall
- Tormis Overture No. 2 (10’)
- Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 5 (Emperor) (38’)
- Shostakovich Symphony No. 10 (53’)
- Paavo Järvi conductor
- Benjamin Grosvenor piano
Wed 24 Mar 2027, 7.30pm
Mitsuko Uchida plays Beethoven
London, Royal Festival Hall
- Wagner Prelude to Parsifal (14’)
- Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3 (34’)
- Bruckner Symphony No. 7 (Cohrs edition) (64’)
- Vladimir Jurowski conductor
- Mitsuko Uchida piano
Fri 2 Apr 2027, 7.30pm
Beethoven & Strauss
London, Royal Festival Hall
- R Strauss Death and Transfiguration (24’)
- Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 0 (28')
- Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 2 (28’)
- R Strauss Der Rosenkavalier Suite (21’)
- Dima Slobodeniouk conductor
- Kirill Gerstein piano
Beethoven’s legacy
Wed 21 Oct 2026, 7.30pm
Julia Fischer plays Brahms
London, Royal Festival Hall
- Brahms Violin Concerto (36’)
- Tchaikovsky Manfred Symphony (56’)
- Edward Gardner conductor*
- Julia Fischer violin
Wed 4 Nov 2026, 7.30pm
Karina Canellakis conducts Beethoven
London, Royal Festival Hall
- Elgar Violin Concerto (45’)
- Dai Fujikura Radiance (UK premiere) (10’)*
- Beethoven Symphony No. 5 (36’)
- Karina Canellakis conductor**
- Christian Tetzlaff violin
Sat 6 Feb 2027, 7.30pm
Lukas Sternath plays Beethoven
London, Royal Festival Hall
- Unsuk Chin subito con forza (5’)
- Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 1 (37’)
- Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6 (Pathétique) (45’)
- Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider conductor
- Lukas Sternath piano
Wed 3 Mar 2027, 7.30pm
Javier Perianes plays Schumann
London, Royal Festival Hall
- Webern Im Sommerwind (15’)
- R Schumann Piano Concerto (37’)
- Brahms (orch. Schoenberg) Piano Quartet No. 1 (43’)
- Thomas Guggeis conductor
- Javier Perianes piano
Wed 24 Mar 2027, 7.30pm
Mitsuko Uchida plays Beethoven
London, Royal Festival Hall
- Wagner Prelude to Parsifal (14’)
- Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3 (34’)
- Bruckner Symphony No. 7 (Cohrs edition) (64’)
- Vladimir Jurowski conductor
- Mitsuko Uchida piano
Finding purpose in the search for peace
Sat 26 Sep 2026, 7.00pm
Edward Gardner conducts Britten’s War Requiem
London, Royal Festival Hall
- Britten War Requiem (77’)
- Edward Gardner conductor*
- Natalya Romaniw soprano
- Allan Clayton tenor
- Benjamin Appl baritone
- London Philharmonic Choir
- London Symphony Chorus
- Tiffin Boys' Choir and Girls' Choir
Wed 17 Feb 2027, 7.30pm
Shostakovich’s Tenth
London, Royal Festival Hall
- Tormis Overture No. 2 (10’)
- Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 5 (Emperor) (38’)
- Shostakovich Symphony No. 10 (53’)
- Paavo Järvi conductor
- Benjamin Grosvenor piano
Sat 27 Feb 2027, 7.30pm
Fauré’s Requiem
London, Royal Festival Hall
- Judith Weir Respire, Inspire (world premiere) (10’)*
- Fauré Requiem (38’)
- Vaughan Williams Dona Nobis Pacem (40’)
- Edward Gardner conductor**
- Louise Alder soprano
- Gerald Finley bass-baritone
- London Philharmonic Choir
Finding purpose in love
Wed 4 Nov 2026, 7.30pm
Karina Canellakis conducts Beethoven
London, Royal Festival Hall
- Elgar Violin Concerto (45’)
- Dai Fujikura Radiance (UK premiere) (10’)*
- Beethoven Symphony No. 5 (36’)
- Karina Canellakis conductor**
- Christian Tetzlaff violin
Wed 3 Mar 2027, 7.30pm
Javier Perianes plays Schumann
London, Royal Festival Hall
- Webern Im Sommerwind (15’)
- R Schumann Piano Concerto (37’)
- Brahms (orch. Schoenberg) Piano Quartet No. 1 (43’)
- Thomas Guggeis conductor
- Javier Perianes piano
Wed 10 Mar 2027, 7.30pm
Renée Fleming
London, Royal Festival Hall
- Kevin Puts The Brightness of Light (45’) (European premiere)
- Dvořák Symphony No. 9 (From the New World) (40’)
- Tianyi Lu conductor
- Renée Fleming soprano
- Lucas Meachem baritone
Wed 21 Apr 2027, 6.30pm
The Sleeping Beauty
London, Royal Festival Hall
- Tchaikovsky The Sleeping Beauty (complete score) (3 hrs, including interval)
- Vladimir Jurowski conductor
Finding purpose in the face of loss and grief
Wed 21 Oct 2026, 7.30pm
Julia Fischer plays Brahms
London, Royal Festival Hall
- Brahms Violin Concerto (36’)
- Tchaikovsky Manfred Symphony (56’)
- Edward Gardner conductor*
- Julia Fischer violin
Wed 10 Feb 2027, 7.30pm
Strauss & Saint-Saëns
London, Royal Festival Hall
- Ives The Unanswered Question (6’)
- R Strauss Also sprach Zarathustra (32’)
- Saint-Saëns Symphony No. 3 (Organ) (32’)
- Kahchun Wong conductor
- Iveta Apkalna organ
Wed 24 Feb 2027, 7.30pm
Pekka Kuusisto plays Sibelius
London, Royal Festival Hall
- George Benjamin Concerto for Orchestra (17’)
- Sibelius Violin Concerto (31’)
- Sibelius The Swan of Tuonela (10’)
- Tippett Symphony No. 4 (32’)
- Edward Gardner conductor*
- Pekka Kuusisto violin
Sat 20 Mar 2027, 7.30pm
Roots and Revolutions
London, Royal Festival Hall
- Ligeti Concert Românesc (12’)
- Shostakovich Cello Concerto No. 1 (28’)
- Bartók Concerto for Orchestra (35’)
- Cristian Măcelaru conductor
- Zlatomir Fung cello
Fri 2 Apr 2027, 7.30pm
Beethoven & Strauss
London, Royal Festival Hall
- R Strauss Death and Transfiguration (24’)
- Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 0 (28')
- Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 2 (28’)
- R Strauss Der Rosenkavalier Suite (21’)
- Dima Slobodeniouk conductor
- Kirill Gerstein piano
Sat 24 Apr 2027, 7.30pm
The Dream of Gerontius
London, Royal Festival Hall
- Elgar The Dream of Gerontius (95’)
- Edward Gardner conductor*
- Natalie Lewis mezzo-soprano
- Michael Spyres tenor
- Yngve Søberg baritone
- London Philharmonic Choir
Finding purpose in the search for meaning
Wed 21 Oct 2026, 7.30pm
Julia Fischer plays Brahms
London, Royal Festival Hall
- Brahms Violin Concerto (36’)
- Tchaikovsky Manfred Symphony (56’)
- Edward Gardner conductor*
- Julia Fischer violin
Wed 10 Feb 2027, 7.30pm
Strauss & Saint-Saëns
London, Royal Festival Hall
- Ives The Unanswered Question (6’)
- R Strauss Also sprach Zarathustra (32’)
- Saint-Saëns Symphony No. 3 (Organ) (32’)
- Kahchun Wong conductor
- Iveta Apkalna organ
Wed 24 Feb 2027, 7.30pm
Pekka Kuusisto plays Sibelius
London, Royal Festival Hall
- George Benjamin Concerto for Orchestra (17’)
- Sibelius Violin Concerto (31’)
- Sibelius The Swan of Tuonela (10’)
- Tippett Symphony No. 4 (32’)
- Edward Gardner conductor*
- Pekka Kuusisto violin
Sat 20 Mar 2027, 7.30pm
Roots and Revolutions
London, Royal Festival Hall
- Ligeti Concert Românesc (12’)
- Shostakovich Cello Concerto No. 1 (28’)
- Bartók Concerto for Orchestra (35’)
- Cristian Măcelaru conductor
- Zlatomir Fung cello
Fri 2 Apr 2027, 7.30pm
Beethoven & Strauss
London, Royal Festival Hall
- R Strauss Death and Transfiguration (24’)
- Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 0 (28')
- Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 2 (28’)
- R Strauss Der Rosenkavalier Suite (21’)
- Dima Slobodeniouk conductor
- Kirill Gerstein piano
Sat 24 Apr 2027, 7.30pm
The Dream of Gerontius
London, Royal Festival Hall
- Elgar The Dream of Gerontius (95’)
- Edward Gardner conductor*
- Natalie Lewis mezzo-soprano
- Michael Spyres tenor
- Yngve Søberg baritone
- London Philharmonic Choir
Finding purpose in identity
Wed 21 Oct 2026, 7.30pm
Julia Fischer plays Brahms
London, Royal Festival Hall
- Brahms Violin Concerto (36’)
- Tchaikovsky Manfred Symphony (56’)
- Edward Gardner conductor*
- Julia Fischer violin
Wed 18 Nov 2026, 7.30pm
Strauss’s Ein Heldenleben
London, Royal Festival Hall
- Sibelius King Christian II Suite (23’)
- Hindemith Kammermusik No. 4 (21’)
- R Strauss Ein Heldenleben (46’)
- Robin Ticciati conductor
- Vilde Frang violin
Sat 28 Nov 2026, 6.30pm
Patricia Kopatchinskaja plays Shostakovich
London, Royal Festival Hall
- Rachmaninov Youth Symphony (13’)
- Shostakovich Violin Concerto No. 2 (33’)
- Rachmaninov Symphony No. 1 (41’)
- Edward Gardner conductor*
- Patricia Kopatchinskaja violin
Sat 6 Feb 2027, 7.30pm
Lukas Sternath plays Beethoven
London, Royal Festival Hall
- Unsuk Chin subito con forza (5’)
- Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 1 (37’)
- Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6 (Pathétique) (45’)
- Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider conductor
- Lukas Sternath piano

















