A great many composers are skilled in summoning up pictures in their listeners’ imaginations, but one work in particular surpasses them all.
Mussorgsky wrote Pictures at an Exhibition as a memorial to an artist friend, each of the movements evoking a work on display. Ravel's orchestration underlines the mood of each painting, from the woodwind chirpy chicks through to the reverberant brass in the catacombs, the percussive terror of the witch and the blazing brass and pealing carillons of the finale.
Ravel's set of four Spanish sketches easily brings to mind the hot sunshine of Spain. Although he had not yet visited the country when he wrote them, his mother was Basque and she regaled her son with memories of her homeland while he grew up near the border.
Beethoven's Third Piano Concerto is a stunning example of a composer at his most forward-looking, yet beautiful and elegant.
Programme
Performers
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Booking fees
£4 booking fee per online/phone transaction.
No fee when tickets are booked in person.
Booking fees are per transaction and not per ticket. If your booking contains several events the highest booking fee will apply. The booking fee may be reduced on certain events. Members do not pay booking fees.
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.
We’ve plenty of places for you to relax and replenish, from coffee and cake to wood-fired pizzas and full pre-theatre menus
Mobility
Spaces for wheelchair users in row U at the rear of the stalls (up to sixteen, depth of row 180cm) and the back row of the circle (four), both with fold-down companion seats. Some seats in row S of the stalls for people with very limited mobility.
Assistance dogs
Assistance dogs may be taken into the concert hall where there are a limited number of suitable seats in row G of the stalls. If you prefer, you may leave your dog with a member of the cloakroom staff during the performance.
Hearing facility
There is an induction loop in the concert hall. You can use this by adjusting your hearing aid to the ‘T’ setting.
Free large-print programmes
These are available for most of our concerts. Please contact [email protected] at least a week beforehand, to prebook a large-print programmme.
For more access information, please visit our Accessibility section.