Romeo & Juliet

This programme is dedicated to one of the most representative Russian composers in the history of music. As an orchestrator of genius, Tchaikovsky skilfully reconciled western inspiration and Russian national art in his musical language of great virtuosity. His passion for 18th century music and, in particular, for the galant style, was another characteristic of his musical writing. Created in 1888, Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 is at the heart of the programme for this concert. With the work based on ‘fatum’ as a ‘total submission to destiny’, the central theme subtly traverses the four movements with exceptional force and sensitivity. Carlo Rizzi continues the Tchaikovsky cycle begun in 2009 with La Monnaie Symphony Orchestra.