Last Updated on October 9, 2026
An Engrossing Beethoven/Bruckner Concert from Salonen and the Philharmonia
4.0 out of 5.0 stars
This was my first time at the Philharmonia’s occasional Sunday at 3 pm concerts, in this case at the Royal Festival Hall for a Beethoven/Bruckner programme conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen. It won’t be my last. The timing is ideal for those who don’t want to be back late before work the next day. It also gave a pleasant informality to the event, with orchestra members chatting to schoolchildren and the soloist from the first half sitting in the audience for the second half.
Having recently reviewed a couple of Proms in the Royal Albert Hall, it was also a pleasure to renew my acquaintance with the Royal Festival Hall’s more intimate acoustic, used to very good effect by the Philharmonia and their Conductor Laureate, Esa Pekka Salonen.
The first part of the concert was Beethoven’s 3rd piano concerto. Soloist Leif Ove Andsnes looked unassuming as he entered but came alive at the piano with beautiful and apparently effortless playing. This is a transitional piece in Beethoven’s oeuvre, post his first diagnosis of hearing loss, which led to his moving away from performing and to writing virtuosic cadenzas for his successors. The work shortly predates his 3rd Symphony, which denotes the start of his ‘middle period’. And is still accessible, therefore, to the non-cognoscenti.
Even if the programme notes hadn’t suggested the relationship to Mozart’s C minor concerto, with which this piece shares a key, the legacy is fairly clear, albeit with some development. The programme notes suggest this development involves a ‘heroic level of conflict’ and ‘stand-off between piano and orchestra’, although I can’t claim to have noticed either myself; the orchestra and piano complemented each other very sensitively.
The performance was fine, both from Andsnes and the orchestra. My non-musician companion loved the second and third movements, but found the first movement harder to appreciate. I also felt that the piece took a little time to find its feet, but I think that owes more to the writing than the performance.
And then a real treat. We were given as an encore Sibelius’ Intermezzo Number 5. Perhaps a tribute from the Norwegian pianist to his Finnish conductor! Played beautifully and brilliantly.
The second half was Bruckner’s 4th symphony, at 70 minutes, one of the longer works in the symphonic repertoire. Both the performance and the symphony itself were eye-opening, and the length wasn’t an issue in the slightest. Salonen brought from the orchestra a huge range of tonal and dynamic variety, with some truly heart-stopping sudden silent pauses. My notes taken during the performance suggested echoes of Beethoven’s 6th symphony in the early movements, and the Beethoven/Bruckner programme worked really well, with a clear move from the classical to the romantic.
Bruckner inspired a number of transcriptions for trombone ensembles; some of his sacred motets are uniquely scored for choir and trombones, and the trombone writing in this piece is very striking. The Philharmonia trombone sections really rose to the challenge.
But the stars for me were the first horn, whom the conductor turned to first during the applause, and the strings. There was also a lot of fine woodwind playing, though there were some balancing issues, and a shout-out to the often unappreciated viola section who had a gorgeous bit of playing in their sectional solo.
The Philharmonia is a first-rate orchestra. The discipline, sheer concentration and musicality shone through. It also passed my two acid tests for a top orchestra: that they can go from fortissimo and fast to soft or silent and slow without apparent effort, and that the back desks of the strings play with as much conviction as the front desk.
However, the mega-star was conductor Salonen. I thought his interpretation and control of the performance were spot on. It takes real skill to hold an audience rapt for over an hour solid, but rapt we unquestionably were.
Bruckner 4 with Esa-Pekka Salonen. 4th October 2026
Royal Festival Hall
Southbank Centre, Belvedere Rd, London SE1 8XX
Tickets from £25
Check out more concerts by the Philharmonia at the Royal Festival Hall.
If you have enjoyed this piece have a look at our preview of the upcoming opera season in London.
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