Philharmonia: Manfred Honeck and Emanuel Ax

Manfred Honeck conductor
Emanuel Ax piano

J STRAUSS II Overture, Die Fledermaus
MOZART Piano Concerto No. 25, K. 503
R STRAUSS Elektra Suite (arr. Honeck and Ille)

Emanuel Ax plays one of Mozart's greatest concertos, framed by music from two operas that couldn't be more different.

You can almost hear the fizz of champagne in the overture to Die Fledermaus (The Bat). Johann Strauss's sparkling music sets the scene for a tale of friendship and frivolity, drinking, dancing and disguise, extra-marital flirtation and forgiveness.

Next comes Mozart's Piano Concerto K. 503, acclaimed by a contemporary critic not just as one of his finest concertos, but "maybe the most magnificent of all the concertos which have ever been written." Multiple Grammy-winner Emanuel Ax, a leading light among pianists for over half a century, follows in Mozart’s footsteps as soloist.

The world of Greek mythology is full of dysfunctional families, but Elektra's is one of the most dysfunctional of them all. At the opposite end of the emotional spectrum to Die Fledermaus, Richard Strauss's Elektra is a dark and gripping story of murder and revenge. Manfred Honeck's suite distils the opera into half an hour of orchestral drama, retaining all the visceral intensity and impact of the original.

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