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Other Worlds

London Contemporary Orchestra

,Barbican Hall
London Contemporary Orchestra performing Become Ocean with visuals

Experience the self-destruction of an ancient civilisation and our planet engulfed by the vastness of the ocean in two massive audio-visual portrayals of a dark past and still-avoidable future.

These two modern masterpieces share a single unignorable message. John Luther Adams's Become Ocean imagines our planet succumbing to the rising sea in music of startling, bottomless beauty in what Alex Ross declared ‘may be the loveliest apocalypse in musical history’. And Giacinto Scelsi’s Uaxuctum is equally ravishing in its own way; a vast orchestra creating a fierce, haunting atmosphere through sounds as strange as they are prophetic, building to a point of no return as the ancient Mayan city implodes.

This is big music; urgent music, that asks serious questions. And there is no doubt that Robert Ames and the London Contemporary Orchestra and Choir will approach it with absolute commitment.

Tagged with: Classical music International orchestras multibuy 2018–19 Classical Premieres and Commissions 2018-19 More...

The performance is expected to finish around 9.20pm, including a 30 minute interval.

Supported by funding from Arts Council England and the Cockayne Foundation

Programme

  • Giacinto Scelsi   Uaxuctum: The Legend of the Maya City, destroyed by themselves for religious reasons (UK premiere)
  • John Luther Adams   Become Ocean

Performers

  • London Contemporary Orchestra and Choir  
  • Robert Ames   conductor
  • Universal Assembly Unit   art direction
  • Artrendex   Artificial intelligence

Download the programme

Click here to download a free copy of the programme.

Discover

the ocean

Listen: Other Worlds

Become Ocean is an American orchestral composition by John Luther Adams.

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Barbican Hall

Location
The Barbican Hall is located within the main Barbican building. Head to Level G and follow the signs to find your seating level. 

Address
Barbican Centre
Silk Street, London
EC2Y 8DS

Public transport
​​​​​​​The Barbican is widely accessible by bus, tube, train and by foot or bicycle. Plan your journey and find more route information in ‘Your Visit’ or book your car parking space in advance.