The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra has announced its 2010-11 season. The RLPO’s chief conductor Vasily Petrenko – a former, double Classic FM Gramophone Award winner (Young Artist of the Year 2007 and Orchestral Award 2009) – will conduct the orchestra in 18 concerts. Two of the strands of his repertoire this season are his continuing Mahler series (spread over the two Mahler Years, 2010 and 2011) – the new season sees performances of Symphonies Nos 4, 5, 6 and 7 – and Shostakovich (linked to a recorded symphony cycle for Naxos).

Major soloists joining Petrenko include pianists Simon Trpčeski in Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No 4 (also to be recorded for Avie), Kirill Gerstein (Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No 1) and Hélène Grimaud (Mozart’s Piano Concerto No 23, K488), violinists Ilya Gringolts (Beethoven’s Violin Concerto) and James Ehnes (Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto). Elder statesmen of the conducting podium returning to Liverpool are Sir Charles Mackerras, Vladimir Ashkenazy and the RLPO’s conductor emeritus Libor Pesek. 

Three composer-conductors will appear: James MacMillan will direct his St John Passion with Christopher Maltman and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Choir; Ryan Wigglesworth will take charge of the world premiere of his own Piece for Chamber Orchestra alongside works by Mendelssohn, Beethoven, Stravinsky and Mozart, and Liverpool favourite Carl Davis makes his customary return to the RLPO.

Petrenko will conduct the orchestra and members of the Liverpool-based European Opera Centre in a semi-staged performance of Mendelssohn’s rarely heard The Wedding of Comacho. 

Full details of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic’s website