The Full Works Concert – Monday 13 May: Marvellous Maestros

All this week, the Full Works Concert focuses on the world’s finest conductors, with five programmes profiling marvellous maestros.

Tonight Jane Jones introduces a trio of conductors who have each made a distinctive mark on the world of classical music. 

The Italian maestro Riccardo Chailly, who turned 60 this year, started out primarily as a conductor of operas, making his debut at La Scala in 1978. Moving into the wider classical repertoire, Chailly began a relationship with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra in 1986. He was later named the 19th Kapellmeister of the orchestra and, in August 2005, he officially became the chief conductor of the orchestra. Tonight he conducts them in a thrilling performance of Beethoven's Symphony No.7.

Vladimir Jurowski is the youngest conductor in tonight's concert. Born in 1972, he hails from a musical Russian family. In August 2000, Jurowski was named the Music Director of the Glyndebourne Festival Opera. His conducting debut with the London Philharmonic Orchestra was in December 2001 and in 2003, he was appointed the LPO's Principal Guest Conductor. He conducts them tonight in Holst's suite, The Planets. 

Pierre Boulez - pictured above - is one of the giants of 20th century music as both avant-garde composer and conductor of modern and contemporary music. Tonight the conducts the Cleveland Orchestra in an orchestral version of Ravel's piano suite, Le Tombeau de Couperin. Composed between 1914 and 1917, each movement is dedicated to friends of the composer who died fighting in World War I. 

Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No.7 in A major
Riccardo Chailly conducts the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra 

Gustav Holst: The Planets
Vladimir Jurowski conducts the London Philharmonic Orchestra and women of the London Philharmonic Choir

Maurice Ravel: Le Tombeau de Couperin
Pierre Boulez conducts the Cleveland Orchestra