Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Rachmaninov’s The Bells: inside the score with Vasily Petrenko Vasily Petrenko talks to Mark Pullinger about the composer’s personal favourite of his own works

Vasily Petrenko spoke to the magazine about The Bells for the latest issue: www.gramophone.co.uk/features/art...

The cover art for the RPO and harmonia mundi album, with a purple and coral background and a yellow paintbrush stroke, an orthodox church and a bell, and the text Rachmaninoff the Bells, Elgar Falstaff, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Vasily Petrenko

Vasily Petrenko conducting the Orchestra and Philharmonia Chorus in the Royal Festival Hall, with the Gramophone logo and text 'Editor's Choice' overlaid

'Rachmaninov had his whole life in front of him, so he wanted to give this message of hope, a sense of rebirth.'

Our recording of Rachmaninoff's The Bells and Elgar's Falstaff, released via harmonia mundi, is an Editor's Choice for the December 2025 issue of Gramophone!

You can still take part in our Big Give Christmas Challenge, where your donation will be matched for double the impact, in support of the community and education work carried out by RPO Resound. Find out more at rpo.co.uk/biggive

John Rutter smiling and holding an award with a man beside him laughing and clapping

John was also presented with the Distinguished Musician Award by @ism-music.bsky.social, in recognition of his lifelong service to music-making.

John Rutter conducting the audience from the podium with the Orchestra and Bach Choir behind him

The King's Singers performing in front of the organ and Christmas tree

The Orchestra, John, Kings Singers, Bach Choir and organist performing on a Christmassy Royal Albert Hall stage

The Bach Choir singing and wearing Christmas accessories

The festive spirit has well and truly descended after @johnrutter.bsky.social's Christmas Celebration at the Royal Albert Hall with The Bach Choir, @kingssingers.bsky.social and BSL interpreter Angie Newman for carols old and new, seasonal fanfares and John's famous Christmas quiz!

📷 Gurnoor Singh

This #GivingTuesday we’re launching our Big Give Christmas Challenge, running until 9 December, to raise money for RPO Resound, our ground-breaking community and education programme.

Any donation you make is matched for double the impact: donate.biggive.org/campaign/a05WS000005BSKfYAO

Discover more of our concerts at the Royal Albert Hall coming up at rpo.co.uk/royalalberthall

Presenter Charlie Higson talking from the side of the stage

Vocalist Alison Jiear in a green dress singing in front of the Orchestra on stage at the Royal Albert Hall

Matt Ford and Alison Jiear singing together

The Royal Albert Hall stage viewed from above with purple lighting

From the Royal Albert Hall with love 🍸🤵🏻‍♂️💌

Last night we gave the music of cinema's great spy a spectacular symphonic treatment in The Music of Bond, featuring conductor Stephen Bell, vocalists Alison Jiear and Matt Ford, presenter Charlie Higson and BSL interpreter Kate Green.

📷 Danny Kaan

Discover more fantastic music at the Hall in 2026 at rpo.co.uk/cadoganhall - including Alexandra Tirsu's Prokofiev Violin Concerto No.1, @johnrutter.bsky.social conducting his piano concerto 'Reflections', and Conductor-in-Residence @kevinjohnedusei.bsky.social's Bartók Concerto for Orchestra.

Antony Hermus speaking into a microphone

Contralto Jess Dandy in a blue dress standing for applause and holding her sheet music

the RPO and Antony Hermus standing for applause on stage

Conductor Antony Hermus hold his hands out as he receives applause

'The deeps have music soft and low
When winds awake the airy spry...'

Thank you to everyone who joined us yesterday at a sea-swept Cadogan Hall with conductor Antony Hermus for Wagner's The Flying Dutchman, Elgar's Sea Pictures with @jessdandy.bsky.social, and Mendelssohn's 'Scottish' Symphony.

The Orchestra rehearsing in Cadogan Hall

Contralto Jess Dandy singing on stage in front of the Orchestra

Double bass players smiling at each other in rehearsal

Antony Hermus conducting on stage, looking up to his left

Today we're off on a spectacular voyage at Cadogan Hall with conductor Antony Hermus as we embark on Wagner's The Flying Dutchman, ride the impassioned waves of Elgar's Sea Pictures with contralto @jessdandy.bsky.social, and traverse the wild Highlands in Mendelssohn's Symphony No.3, 'Scottish' 🌊⛵⛰️

Record Review - Beethoven's Quartet Op.132 in Building a Library with Katy Hamilton & Andrew McGregor - BBC Sounds A personal recommendation for Beethoven's epic, penultimate string quartet.

It is also BBC Radio 3's Record of the Week - you can listen back to Saturday's Record Review on BBC Sounds. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

💿 Our latest release has hit No.5 in the Classical Charts!

Recorded live at Southbankcentre's Royal Festival Hall, our Music Director Vasily Petrenko conducts two seldom-heard masterpieces from 1913 - Elgar's Falstaff and Rachmaninoff's The Bells.

YouTube video by Royal Philharmonic Orchestra New release: Rachmaninoff's The Bells and Elgar's Falstaff

Our Music Director Vasily Petrenko explains what Rachmaninoff and Elgar's symphonic portraits had in common, as well as his own relationship with the composers' music.

Vasily Petrenko, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonia Chorus - Rachmaninoff: The Bells - Elgar: Falstaff Listen to Rachmaninoff: The Bells - Elgar: Falstaff by Vasily Petrenko, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonia Chorus.

These striking works – one, satirical and ambivalent, the other lyrical and funereal – extended the life of a dying romanticism by pushing it beyond its boundaries.

Stream or purchase: lnk.to/Rachmaninoff...

The cover art the RPO and harmonia mundi album, with a purple and coral background and a yellow paintbrush stroke, an orthodox church and a bell, adn the text Rachmaninoff the Bells, Elgar Falstaff, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Vasily Petrenko

Out now! 💿

Today we launched our collaboration with harmonia mundi with the release of Rachmaninoff’s The Bells and Elgar’s Falstaff conducted by Vasily Petrenko, recorded live at performances at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall.

Can't wait for more stunning orchestral music at the Hall? We'll be back on Tuesday 25 November with Antony Hermus and contralto Jess Dandy for Mendelssohn's 'Scottish' Symphony, Elgar's Sea Pictures and Wagner's Overture from the Flying Dutchman. See you then!

www.rpo.co.uk/whats-on/eve...

Daniel Hyde talking from the podium with a microphone

The RPO, conductor Daniel Hyde, soprano Ailish Tynan and the City of London Choir standing for applause on stage. Some of the choir up in the gallery on either side of the Orchestra.

Some singers from the Choir up in the Gallery and standing for applause

Soprano Ailish Tynan in a blue dress standing for appluase and smiling

👏👏👏 to the City of London Choir and soprano Ailish Tynan for a magnificently soulful performance of Poulenc's Gloria last night at Cadogan Hall, under the baton of Daniel Hyde.

We also performed Lili Boulanger's Psalm 24, Barber's Adagio for Strings and Knoxville 1915, and Debussy's Clair de Lune.

Find out more about Kaitlin: www.rpo.co.uk/orchestra-pl...

Kaitlin Wild smiling and holding her trumpet

"When I first worked with the RPO back in 2019, I was instantly made to feel at home by the warm and welcoming atmosphere. I’m so proud to now be joining as a member of this fantastic trumpet section."

Today we're excited to welcome Kaitlin Wild as our new Sub-Principal Trumpet! 🎺

In this celebration of the music, culture and community along Kilburn High Road we'll be joined by vocalists Anna-Jane Casey and Iain Mackenzie and conductor Ben Pope for an evening of pop, rock and film classics. See you soon! 🎤🎶🎻

The interior of the Art Deco Kilburn State Cinema with the Orchestra rehearsing on stage

Did you know that this Art Deco landmark in Kilburn once hosted Frank Sinatra, The Beatles, Shirley Bassey, The Rolling Stones and Tom Jones?

Today we're performing the first concert at the Gaumont State Cinema for nearly 50 years as part of the Kilburn Music Mile Festival.

A wide shot from up above of the Orchestra and Bach Choir on stage under the dome in St Paul's Cathedral

The Orchestra and Bach choir on stage. The St Paul's quire, lined with lamps, is behind them

John Rutter conducting the Orchestra

John Rutter and the Orchestra standing for applause on stage. John is stretching out his left arm.

Yesterday at St Paul's Cathedral @johnrutter.bsky.social conducted the premiere of his I'll Make Me a World with mezzo-soprano Melanie Marshall, baritone Jonathan Brown and The Bach Choir.

We also performed John's The Gift of Life, as well as Vaughan Williams' Symphony No.5.

📷 Duncan Wood

Soprano Francesca Chiejina, a black woman in a purple dress, and Tenor Sam Furnes, a white man in a black suit

This Saturday, join @royalphilorchestra.bsky.social, plus Soprano Francesca Chiejina and Tenor Sam Furness, for An Evening at the Opera (at the Hexagon) - and immerse yourself in a majestic array of operatic classics, including music by Puccini, Verdi and Gershwin.
buff.ly/Hn3DIkd

the RPO rehearsing with John Rutter in St Paul's Cathedral

Want to hear a world premiere by our Artist Laureate @johnrutter.bsky.social in the stunning surroundings of @stpaulscathedral.bsky.social?

Sound-only seats for Wednesday 5 November are available to book for just £15: rpo.co.uk/soundonlystpauls

the Orchestra and Simon Trpčeski standing on stage for applause

And that's a wrap on our tour to Spain! We had a fantastic final concert in Madrid's Auditorio Nacional de Música with Vasily Petrenko and Simon Trpčeski, who played Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No.3, and we also performed Guinovart's La Vida Secreta and Stravinsky's ballet Petrushka 🩰

#RPOonTour

Various people manoeuvring an upright piano down a ramp placed on a flight of stairs, stretching out their arms to keep it in place on each end. One of them has a strap tied around their waist that is attached to the ramp. It is reminiscent of a Renaissance painting.

Stage Team Move A Piano Down Stairs, c.2025, digital, smartphone

📷 The backstage crew of Valencia's Palau de la Música

Mao Fujita by the piano on stage standing for applause and holding his hand to his heart

Vasily Petrenko conducting the Orchestra, taken from behind the violins

Vasily Petrenko standing on the podium for applause, smiling and looking to his left

The Orchestra and Mao Fujita performing on stage

Thank you to everyone who came to our sold-out concert in Madrid's Auditorio Nacional de Música last night with our Music Director Vasily Petrenko and pianist Mao Fujita!

We're back here tonight with Simon Trpčeski for the final concert of our Spain tour. #RPOonTour

📷 Rafa Martin/Ibermusica

We are also excited to present the London premiere of our Composer-in-Association Joe Hisaishi's The Border, a Concerto for Three Horns and Orchestra.

www.rpo.co.uk/whats-on/eve...

Vasily Petrenko conducting the Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall

Our season at Southbank Centre with Vasily Petrenko in spring/summer 2026 is now on sale!

From the raw power of Shostakovich's Tenth, the cosmic visions of Wagner's Parsifal, and Scriabin's ecstatic Third Symphony, we'll make music that speaks directly to you.

rpo.co.uk/rpoxvp

📷 Frances Marshall