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
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.
HPSCHD: Music for Electronics and Harpsichord
Put aside any casual assumptions about what a harpsichord can do – or can be – in the 21st century: Mahan Esfahani plans to light up Milton Court with an ear-opening contemporary recital.
ECHO Rising Stars: Peter Moore (trombone)
A solo showcase for the London Symphony Orchestra’s brilliant young co-principal trombone Peter Moore – including a new piece written specially for him by Roxanna Panufnik.
BBC SO/Oramo: Richard Causton, Schumann and Brahms
Two great Romantic works – Schumann’s heart-on-sleeve Cello Concerto and Brahms’ Third Symphony – celebrate the friendship and musical kinship between the two composers.
BBC SO/Canellakis: Larcher & Beethoven
Award-winning American conductor Karina Canellakis pairs one of Beethoven’s best-loved symphonies with a major UK premiere by Austrian musical maverick Thomas Larcher.
BBC SO/Vedernikov Shostakovich: Symphony No 4
Shostakovich’s emotionally-charged epic Fourth Symphony is the centrepiece of a concert that also includes a new concerto for BBCSO Principal Trombonist Helen Vollam.
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.
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.
