Death and Transfiguration by Strauss, Ravel, León, T., De (2023/2023), Director musical Karina Canellakis, South Bank Centre, London, United Kingdom

‘Truly magnificent’: critics have been grasping for words to describe the chemistry between the LPO and their Principal Guest Conductor Karina Canellakis. From the breathless opening flourish of Strauss’ Don Juan to the majestic climax of Death and Transfiguration, you can be certain that she won’t hold back tonight. At the heart of the concert is the artistry of Cédric Tiberghien, playing Ravel’s extraordinary concerto written for a pianist who’d lost an arm in the First World War. Plus a modern classic by the LPO’s new Composer-in-Residence Tania León – a composer who ‘changed the sound of being American’, according to the Washington Post.