Igor Levit (Photograph: Felix Broede)

The Southbank Centre’s 2024/25 season [see my preview] begins with a bang that includes a five-day Opening Weekend (25 to 29 September 2024) when Resident Orchestras and Resident Artists be part of with different friends for a dozen occasions throughout the positioning. Highlights embrace Joyce DiDonato in Berlioz, a recital from Igor Levit, Rachmaninoff’s The Bells and Lawrence Energy and Thomas Adès exploring fairy tales.

Issues kick off with Edward Gardner conducting the London Philharmonic Orchestra in Berlioz’ La mort de Cléopâtre, plus music by Barber and Beethoven, then the next day Santtu-Matias Rouvali launches the Philharmonia Orchestra’s Nordic Soundscapes [see my preview] with Sibelius, Grieg and María Huld Markan Sigfúsdóttir. Each orchestras and conductors return additional into the weekend, with Gardner and the LPO in Rachmaninoff together with The Bells, and Santtu and the Philharmonia in Sibelius and Nielsen.

Igor Levit’s recital places collectively Bach’s Chromatic fantasia and fugue in D minor, BWV.903, Brahms’ Ballades, Op. 10 and Liszt’s transcription of Beethoven’s Symphony No.7. There may be chamber music with a distinction in ;Fairytale Dances when violist Lawrence Energy joins composer/pianist Thomas Adès, a percussionist and a dancer for fairytale music that strikes from Purcell and Dowland to Britten, Tippett, Berio and Stravinsky, plus in fact Adès himself. Cellist Matthew Barley’s Gentle Tales is altogether extra private as he makes use of music and picture to inform the story of his teenage journey from trauma and restoration into the sunshine.

The Multi-Storey Orchestra’s Verified is about seek for authenticity and acceptance among the many rising pressures of social media and residing in a digital age, while Charles Hazlewood conducts the ParaOrchestra in Górecki’s Symphony of Sorrowful Songs, his an astonishing meditation on loss and transcendence.

Scottish Ensemble (Photograph: Hugh Carswell)

Issues finish with the Scottish Ensemble in a programme culminating in Philip Glass’ Symphony No. 3. Besides, in fact, that isn’t the top and there may be an motion packed season forward.

Full particulars from the Southbank Centre’s web site.