ROME - After more than ten years, Esa-Pekka Salonen returns to the Costanzi Opera Theater in Rome with a program dedicated to Béla Bartók and Jean Sibelius – two composers considered pioneers of the folk music revival. On November 7, at 8 pm, the Finnish musician will lead the London Philharmonia Orchestra - of which he was chief conductor from 2008 to 2021 and of which he is currently honorary conductor - in a special concert at the Rome’s Opera House. The last time the Philarmonic performed at the Constanzi was 2013.

 On this new occasion – the first concert of three in the Philharmonic’s Italian tour, followed by Lucca (Teatro del Giglio) on November 8 and Milan (Teatro alla Scala ) on November 9 - Salonen firstly presents Bartók's Concerto for Orchestra. This piece is one amongst those that exposed the Hungarian composer to American and European audiences; a piece rich in rhythmic asymmetries and motifs inspired by the Hungarian folk tradition. Salonen will also present Sibelius’s Symphony no. 1, with its alternating solos between the strings and woodwinds, exemplary of the refined capacity of thematic elaboration that makes Sibelius one of the best symphonists of his time.

 The concert of Esa-Pekka Salonen and the Philharmonic Orchestra is the first of six symphonic concerts in Rome Opera’s 2024/25 Season, and precedes the official inauguration of the Constanzi, which opens on 27 November with Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra, by Richard Jones and directed by Michele Mariotti. A special lecture by Giovanni Bietti on the concert of Salonen is scheduled for Tuesday, October 29 at 17.00 in the Gray Hall at Constance. The appointment is free admission with booking required through Ticketone and the Theatre’s website.

 Finnish composer and conductor, Esa-Pekka Salonen is currently musical director of the San Francisco Symphony and honorary director of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra. Previously, he was also chief conductor of the Swedish Radio Orchestra and conductor of the Helsinki Festival, the city in which he was born.  Appreciated for his interpretations of contemporary music, his repertoire includes music by Berlioz, Ligeti, Schönberg, Shostakovich and Stravinsky. He has also expanded his recording career: among his most recent recordings are the three piano concertos of Béla Bartók with the San Francisco Symphony and, with the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Miraculous Mandarin and the Suite of Dances (both by Bartók). He has received several awards: among them, in 1993, that of the Chigiana Academy - he was the first director to receive it - and that of the Royal Philharmonic Society Opera, in 1995. Among the most recent, in 2020, the appointment of Knight of Honor Commander Order of the British Empire (KBE) received by Queen Elizabeth II.

 The Philharmonic Orchestra is one of the great orchestras on the world scene, combining excellence and innovation to pursue the goal of creating the orchestral experience of the future. Santtu-Matias Rouvali took over as Principal Conductor in 2021 and Marin Alsop joined him as Guest Chief Conductor in 2023. Founded in 1945 by EMI record label producer Walter Legge, it is renowned for a history of collaborations with important artistic personalities such as Otto Klemperer, Herbert von Karajan, Riccardo Muti, Esa-Pekka Salonen and Christoph von Dohnányi, and has presented in world premieres compositions by Richard Strauss, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, Kaija Saariaho and many others. Residing since 1995 at the Royal Festival Hall in the heart of London, the Orchestra collaborates with some of the most important international musicians - the names for the 2024/25 Season include pianist Nikolai Lugansky and conductors Herbert Blomstedt and Riccar Muti, who makes his much-awaited return to the Philharmonic. It also plays in some of the most important concert halls in the world, from Vienna to Tokyo, from New York to San Paolo.  Since its inception it has invested in the most advanced emerging technologies in order to provide the public with the highest quality musical experiences.

 In addition to this event, in the 2024/25 season of the Opera of Rome are scheduled five more symphony concerts, from Mahler and Brahams to Beethoven and Schubert. Many of these feature exciting and world-renowned guest performances, ensuring a night of fantastic, world-leading music. The symphonic program closes on September 26, 2025, with the debut of Diego Ceretta at the Opera di Roma, performing Brahms's Concerto in D major for violin and orchestra, followed by Dvořák's Symphony no. 7 in D minor. 

 Info on www.operaroma.it

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