Esa-Pekka Salonen conducts the music of his homeland in this all-Finnish programme. Sibelius was initially obsessed with the idea of becoming a world-class violinist and even got as far as an audition with the Vienna Philharmonic. Had he succeeded, some of greatest orchestral music of the 20th century may never have been written. The most immediate outcome was the glorious Violin Concerto, composed for the virtuoso which Sibelius never became.
Tickets for this concert go on sale September 2013
Forthcoming concerts at Royal Festival Hall:
Salonen conducts in London
May 30 2013, 19:30 - Royal Festival Hall
Esa-Pekka conducts The Rite of Spring in its centenary performance alongside Debussy's Prelude à l'après-midi d'un faune and Varèse's Amériques
Barry Norman hosts A Night at the Oscars
Jun 01 2013, 19:30 - Royal Festival Hall
Barry Norman hosts 'A Night at the OSCARS', celebrating some of cinema's most iconic soundtracks









