Observer Editor
The London Philharmonic Orchestra: University Musical Society
This world-renowned symphony orchestra, which last played in Ann Arbor 13 years ago, returns with new principal conductor Edward Gardner. The program tonight features Benjamin Britten’s deeply moving Sinfonia da Requiem (1940). Commissioned to celebrate Japan’s 2600th imperial anniversary, it offended the Japanese government with its melancholic tone. Also, Finnish composer Jean Sibelius’s structurally experimental Symphony no. 5, and the ensemble’s Cuban-born composer-in-residence Tania León’s Raices (Origins), a work inspired by her mixed-race heritage. Violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja, praised as “electric” by the Guardian UK, solos in Shostakovich’s monumental, emotional Violin Concerto No. 1, written when the Russian composer was riding a roller coaster of triumph and condemnation from the Soviet authorities. 7:30 p.m., Hill Auditorium. Tickets $23–$148 (students $15–20) in advance at ums.org/season, by phone, and (if available) at the door. (734) 764–2538.
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