Composing a brighter future

PHILHARMONIA ORCHESTRATES MUSIC FOR A PRECIOUS PLANET

Based in London at Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall, but also a regular in other cities and festivals across England and around the globe, the Philharmonia world-class symphony orchestra has launched Human/Nature (Music for a precious planet). Running from 3rd October - 16th December 2021, this Autumn's series of live online concerts, talks and screenings, in Santtu-Matias Rouvali's first season as Principal Conductor, will explore how composers across the centuries have been inspired by the wonders of the natural world as well as humanity's impact on the environment. The series will also look at the ways today's composers are addressing the climate crisis.

Santtu-Matias Rouvali said: "The environment is a very important topic for me and when I am not conducting, I spend a lot of my time in nature at home in Finland - and I know first-hand how it is both powerful, and delicate. This inspiring series, Human / Nature with the Philharmonia, allows us to show how composers have used music to reflect nature and that brings us together to understand what the natural environment means to us, and its importance."

Some composers have sought to express and inspire a spiritual reverence for the natural world, "We can hear and share their sense of awe in the dramatic grandeur of Strauss's Alpine Symphony, or the minutely observed detail of Messiaen's Reveil des oiseaux (Awakening of the Birds)" said a spokesperson for the RSPB whose supporters can claim a discount."Masterpieces as different as Beethoven's 'Pastoral' Symphony and Stravinsky's 'The Rite of Spring' are testament to the ways the rhythms of our planet affect our minds, bodies and emotions" said the Philharmonia Orchestra, who with COP26 in November in mind, have also turned the spotlight onto a new rising generation of activist artistic voices and composers. Some of these include Isobel Waller-Bridge, Gabriella Smith, and John Luther Adams, and performers such as violinist Pekka Kuusisto, who they say are "Confronting the climate emergency with ingenuity and imagination whilst discovering what role music can play in tackling the nature and climate emergency."

Kuusisto will play Gabriella Smith's Anthozoa, inspired by the vibrant life of the coral reefs of French Polynesia, and John Luther Adams's evocative work inspired by the desert of the US Southwest, 'there is no one, not even the wind'. In Glass, Metal, Wood, Water he directs and performs on both violin and live electronics in a programme inspired by the forces of nature that features composers from Iceland, Estonia, Finland and Sweden, including Anna Thorvaldsdottir and Andrea Tarrodi.

For more information and to book tickets visit the Philharmonic website Here.

As an RSPB supporter use code RAVEN20 for 20% off when you book the below:-

3rd October Rites: Santtu conducts Stravinsky

28th October Birdsong: Aimard plays Messiaen and Ravel

7th November Hilary Hahn: The Lark Ascending

28th November Pekka Kuusisto: Four Seasons, and Four Seascapes

And promo code PHILOFFER for 50% off streamed concerts which gives 30 days' access to watch the following concerts as often as you'd like:-

Sunrise: Santtu conducts Strauss - stream available from 14th October 2021

Sunlight on Water: Sibelius and Beethoven - stream available from 16th December 2021

Human/Nature is Supported by Kathryn and Andrew Davis and The Shelby Cullom Davis Charitable Fund and project partners include 'The Climate Coalition' and 'Reboot the Future'.