The Royal Scottish National Orchestra and its French-born Music Director, Stéphane Denève, join Paul Lewis as he rounds off his cycle of the five Beethoven piano concertos with the last and most proudly majestic of them all. Taking up this afternoon's Italian theme, they play spectacular orchestral showpieces by Berlioz and Respighi, inspired respectively by Rome's lively street life and its imperial past; while, cementing Celtic connections, they introduce a recent symphonic suite drawn from the Scottish composer James MacMillan's opera The Sacrifice, inspired by the medieval folk tales of The Mabinogion and premiered to great acclaim by Welsh National Opera in 2007. * Berlioz Overture 'Roman Carnival' (9 mins) * Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat major, Op. 73 'Emperor' (38 mins) * interval * James Macmillan The Sacrifice – Three Interludes (London premiere) (15 mins) * Respighi Pines of Rome (23 mins) * Paul Lewis piano * Royal Scottish National Orchestra * Stéphane Denève conductor
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