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Making his 75th appearance at the Proms, Sir Simon Rattle conducts the London Symphony Orchestra in a programme that explores the ideas of dialogue and space, including a new work by Thomas Adès, Dawn, for piano and ensemble. Elgar’s Introduction and Allegro – written for an all-Elgar concert given by the LSO in 1905 – singles out a string quartet alongside the string orchestra, while the brass have a chance to shine in canzons by Giovanni Gabrieli, with the 12 players arranged around the hall in separate ‘choirs’, calling and answering each other.

Alone at the piano, Dame Mitsuko Uchida performs the famous first movement of Beethoven’s ‘Moonlight’ Sonata, which merges into Kurtág’s …quasi una fantasia… Creating an extraordinary sound palette, Kurtág explores ‘instrumental groups dispersed in space’ around the piano.

In his Fifth Symphony Vaughan Williams deepened the dialogue in his music between the folk and the symphonic. After hearing the work’s first performance – conducted by the composer at the Proms in 1943 – Adrian Boult was prompted to write to Vaughan Williams: ‘Its serene loveliness is completely satisfying in these times and shows, as only music can, what we must work for when this madness is over’ – an observation as relevant today as it was then.

Presented by Ian Skelly, live from the Royal Albert Hall.

Giovanni Gabrieli (arr. Eric Crees): Sacrae symphoniae (1597) – Canzon septimi et octavi toni a 12
Edward Elgar: Introduction and Allegro
Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Sonata in C sharp minor, Op 27 No 2 ‘quasi una fantasia’ (‘Moonlight’) – 1st mvt
György Kurtág: … quasi una fantasia …
Giovanni Gabrieli (arr. Eric Crees): Sacrae symphoniae (1597) – Canzon noni toni a 12
Thomas Adès: Dawn (Â鶹Éç commission: world premiere)
Vaughan Williams: Symphony No 5 in D major

Dame Mitsuko Uchida (piano)
London Symphony Orchestra
Sir Simon Rattle (conductor)