Simon Rattle conducts Stravinsky's Rite of Spring, Barbican

Ahead of his weeklong London residency with the Berlin Philharmonic, Sir Simon Rattle joins the London Symphony Orchestra to perform a quartet of 20th century classics. Rattle is one of the world’s most celebrated conductors, and his concerts with the LSO are inevitably highlights of London’s symphonic calendar.

Anton Webern’s Six Pieces (1909) were the composer’s first atonal composition for large-scale forces. When premiered, they caused a riot. Each piece is an exquisite miniature, shot through equally nightmarish jolts and unearthly beauty. Nothing is repeated or developed; every note must speak for itself.

Coloratura soprano Barbara Hannigan’s voice is a force of nature, delivered with a wild abandon that has made her the ultimate interpreter of many modern and contemporary pieces. György Ligeti’s Mysteries of the Macabre (1991), a suite of three arias from his opera Le Grand Macabre , is one of them. Raucously sputtering and violently grotesque, they promise to be mesmerizing.

A trio of Fragments from Wozzeck (1922) the first modernist opera and one of Alban Berg’s masterpieces, will further exhibit the interplay between Hannigan, Rattle and the LSO. Unstintingly avant-garde but tempered with Romantic ardor, these arias are possessed of a rare psychological insight.

The concert climaxes with Igor Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring (1913), perhaps the most famous work in the entire 20th century canon. Explosively propulsive, with moments of astonishing beauty and brutality, the Rite creates a rhythmic world unprecedented in classical music. Rattle’s previous performances of the piece have met with enormous acclaim, and there’s every sign that this night will be no different.

What	Simon Rattle conducts Stravinsky's Rite of Spring, Barbican
Where	Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8DS \| MAP
Nearest tube	Barbican (underground)
When	On 15 Jan 15, 7:30 PM – 10:00 PM
Price	£10 - 38
Website	Click here to book via the Barbican

Did you know?

SIR SIMON RATTLE

Simon Rattle is Britain’s greatest living conductor. Born in Liverpool and educated at the Royal Academy, he became assistant conductor of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra in 1974. After a spell assisting in Liverpool, he joined the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra as Principal Conductor in 1980, where he stayed for almost two decades. During this time, his reputation soared, especially as an interpreter of late 19th century symphonies and modern music. He helped to raise the orchestra’s profile dramatically. When he moved to the Berlin Philharmonic in 2002 – often considered as one of the world’s very finest ensembles – he quickly swept aside controversy over his appointment by reorganizing the orchestra into a musician-controlled foundation and dramatically increasing its members wages. Signed on in Berlin until 2018, rumours brew that he might lead the LSO after his contract ends. 2015 sees him celebrate his 60th birthday with a glut of London concerts, both helming the BPO and collaborating with the LSO.

Simon Rattle conducts Stravinsky's Rite of Spring, Barbican

Legendary conductor Simon Rattle helms the LSO for Stravinsky's Rite of Spring, along with seminal works from Berg, Webern and Ligeti. Incendiary soprano Barbara Hannigan joins.