Sibelius/Finlandia
Ravel/Piano Concerto in G major
Shostakovich/Symphony No. 5
London’s Philharmonia Orchestra returns to Berkeley with Finnish conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali, making his Cal Performances debut. In two programs featuring 2025–26 season Artist in Residence Víkingur Ólafsson, orchestra, conductor, and soloist take audiences on a journey through a collection of works spanning from Romantic masterpieces to a new commission.
The first concert features Ólafsson as soloist in Beethoven’s iconic Emperor concerto, as well as the orchestra performing Sibelius’ Fifth Symphony. The program also includes the Bay Area premiere of a new commission by Mexican composer Gabriela Ortiz who won three 2025 Grammy Awards for a recording of her most recent orchestral works.
The second concert matches Ravel’s jazz-inflected Piano Concerto in G major with Shostakovich’s turbulent Fifth Symphony.