Philharmonia Orchestra reveals first half of 2024-25 season

The Philharmonia Orchestra has launched the first half of its upcoming 2024-25 season in London, with programmes focusing on nature. The season’s central series, Nordic Soundscapes will feature seven UK premieres from contemporary Nordic composers and reflects principal conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali’s love of the forests of his native Finland.

Rouvali will open the London season on 26 September with as programme in collaboration with pianist Stephen Hough and the Finnish Ylioppilaskunnan Laulajat Male Voice Choir including the work of Sibelius and Grieg and the UK premiere of María Sigfúsdóttir’s Oceans. The work of Sibelius will also feature in the Philharmonia’s free Virtual Orchestra experience, placing audiences in the middle of the orchestra as it performs.

Further new commissions receive UK premieres alongside films by Swedish environmentalist Joakim Odelberg depicting the impact of humans on fragile marine ecosystems. Featured artist violinist Nemanja Radulović joins the Philharmonia to perform Khachaturian’s Violin Concerto and will continue his collaboration with the orchestra in the second half of the season, yet to be announced.

Guest performers for the upcoming season will include saxophonist Jess Gillam, pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii, violinists Bomsori Kim and María Dueñas and soprano Ella Taylor who performs a programme including Semafor, one of the last pieces completed by Kaija Saariaho before her death last year.

Principal guest conductor Marin Alsop returns in the upcoming season with Mahler’s Symphony No.5 and songs by Alma Mahler while further guest conductors include Sir András Schiff, Herbert Blomstedt, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Emilia Hoving and Chloe Rooke who makes her Philharmonia debut.

Each Nordic Soundscapes series will be accompanied by talks and discussion. Salonen’s performance of Sibelius and Lindberg with violist Lawrence Power closes the series and will be preceded by a chat with Nordic music specialist (and Classical Music columnist) Andrew Mellor and musician and campaigner Love Ssega on the role of individual artists and arts organisations in addressing the climate crisis.

Mellor also curates a deep dive into Nordic music on Apple Music Classical as part of the Philharmonia's brand-new role as curator for the app, which will see the orchestra create exclusive playlists and editorial content for users.