The countdown is on to the BBC Philharmonic’s stunning 2025/26 season opener at The Bridgewater Hall, as the orchestra invites audiences on a sweeping odyssey of renewal and release via the electrifying innovation of Composer-in-Residence Julia Wolfe and the timeless grandeur of Tchaikovsky.
Before a note of the main programme is played, Wolfe sets the stage in thrilling fashion with LAD, sending nine bagpipes through the gathered audiences in a striking procession of immersive wonder and ‘thrilling agony’.
Her following piece, Fountain of Youth, opens the show in earnest, bringing an exhilarating sonic storm where colossal orchestral waves clash and churn, drawing solace from mayhem and offering the audience a profoundly cathartic release.
Then, superstar GRAMMY-winning soloist Augustin Hadelich imbues Prokofiev’s luscious Violin Concerto No. 2 with his signature clarity and warmth, adding rich new textures to the pursuit of rebirth with the singular flair that has earned him a reputation as one of the greatest violinists of his generation.
In a fittingly triumphant finale, Tchaikovsky’s mighty Fifth Symphony brings the house down with a soaring narrative of fate and redemption, as the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra performs the bombastic masterpiece with dazzling style and precision, rounding off an unforgettable evening of musical magic.
Book tickets to the BBC Philharmonic’s season opener at The Bridgewater Hall on Sat 20 Sep below.
- Words:
- Wolf McFarlane
- Published on:
- Thu 11 Sep 2025