The Full Works Concert – Friday 17 May: Marvellous Maestros

Jane rounds off her week-long series of concerts with four very different conductors – all of them still at the top of their game.

The American conductor, pianist and composer, Michael Tilson Thomas - pictured above - is currently music director of the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. Tonight he conducts An American in Paris by that quintessentially American composer, George Gershwin.

Dutchman Bernard Haitink was music director of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden from 1987 to 2002, where he was praised for his musicianship. He's at the helm of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra for this evening's performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No.1. 

In 1980 Lorin Maazel began a six year tenure as conductor of the Vienna New Year's Concert. He has also returned to it on four later occasions, in 1994, 1996, 1999 and 2005. Tonight he conducts the Vienna Philharmonic in Johann Strauss II's Emperor Waltz.

And we’ll round off our Marvellous Maestros week with the brilliant Antonio Pappano - currently Music Director of the Royal Opera House -conducting the Orchestra of the Academy of St. Cecilia in Tchaikovsky’s Pathetique Symphony. 

George Gershwin: An American in Paris
Michael Tilson Thomas conducts the New York Philharmonic Orchestra  

Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No.1 in C major
Bernard Haitink conducts the Concertgebouw Orchestra, Amsterdam

Johann Strauss II: Emperor Waltz
Lorin Maazel conducts the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra 

Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky: Symphony No.6 in B minor (‘Pathetique’)
Antonio Pappano conducts the Orchestra of the Academy of St. Cecilia