Classical Premieres and Commissions 2018–19
From the urban pulse of Steve Reich to the elemental force of Harrison Birtwistle, the world of contemporary classical music is more diverse, original and explosive than at any time in recent history.
Events
Roderick Williams in recital
A woman’s life and love? For Milton Court Artist-in-Residence Roderick Williams, Schumann’s great song cycle opens up some remarkably modern perspectives on identity and the human heart.
ECHO Rising Stars: Josep-Ramon Olivé (baritone)
Spanish baritone Josep Ramon Olivé is swiftly emerging as one of the finest lieder singers of his generation; his programme today includes a new collaboration with composer Raquel García-Tomás.
London Symphony Orchestra/François-Xavier Roth
When the whole concert hall becomes the stage: David Lang's the public domain is performed by 500 people, followed by Philippe Manoury’s Ring with François-Xavier Roth, and Scriabin’s Poem of Ecstasy.
ECHO Rising Stars: Kian Soltani (cello)
A specially commissioned new work by jazz pianist David Helbock forms a delightfully unexpected centrepiece to this recital by the young Austrian-Persian cellist Kian Soltani.
BBC SO/Davis: Tippett, Szymanowski and Debussy
A triptych of 20th century works by Debussy, Tippett and Symanowski each floods their musical canvass with colour and sensation. Together they offer a vibrant, unusually sensual portrait of their age.
BBC SO/Carneiro: Golijov and John Adams
Standing on the shoulders of giants: a concert of 21st century choral and orchestral music by John Adams, Augusta Read Thomas, Osvaldo Golijov looks to the past for inspiration.
BBC SO/Oramo: Larcher and Mahler
An all-Viennese programme closes the season with the powerful musical statement that is Mahler’s Seventh Symphony – an orchestral ‘Night-Song’ of luminous intensity and beauty.
London Symphony Orchestra/Elim Chan: Scheherazade
Two inspirational women making waves in classical music join forces to present a spectacle of sumptuous Romantic masterpieces and a world premiere.
ECHO Rising Stars: Anaïs Gaudemard (harp)
Anaïs Gaudemard is a harpist of singular artistry and charisma. Today she gives the UK premiere of a new commission by Camille Pépin: a composer with a magical flair for instrumental colour.
LSO 2018/19 Season Opening Concert: Sir Simon Rattle
New music. British music. Two central pillars of musical life for the LSO and Sir Simon Rattle, to launch a new season.
ECHO Rising Stars: Amatis Piano Trio
The Amatis Trio launch the 2018–19 ECHO Rising Star series with a programme that includes a new commission by the Swedish composer Andrea Tarrodi – who draws her inspiration from art and landscape.
London Contemporary Orchestra: Other Worlds
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.
BBC SO/Nesterowicz
The BBC Symphony Orchestra marks the centenary of Polish independence with a concert celebrating the nation’s rich musical legacy.
Britten Sinfonia: The Last Letter
To commemorate the end of the Great War, Britten Sinfonia premiere a new arrangement of Nico Muhly’s poignant The Last Letter as part of a compelling and dramatic evening of music and words.
BBC Singers/Sofi Jeannin
On this centenary Remembrance Sunday, British composers Roderick Williams and Bob Chilcott express very personal responses to the tragedy of the First World War.
Die Stadt ohne Juden (PG)
This startlingly prescient silent film from inter-war Vienna, now with score from Olga Neuwirth, chillingly imagines – and astonishingly predicts – the consequences as a city succumbs to intolerance.
London Symphony Orchestra/Kristjan Järvi: Divine Geometry
An interweaving of the Baroque with sounds of the 21st century, featuring UK premieres of works by Steve Reich and Philip Glass.
BBC SO/Brabbins
Martyn Brabbins conducts an all-British concert including a classic 20th century symphony and a newly commissioned song-cycle, both inspired by the Great War.
