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Christ on the Mount of Olives

London Symphony Orchestra/Sir Simon Rattle

Lisa Batiashvili

Marrying emotive force with theatricality, Sir Simon Rattle sheds light on a rarely performed Beethoven masterpiece and Berg’s lyrical Violin Concerto with Lisa Batiashvili.

Lisa Batiashvili brings sensitivity and supple technique to Berg’s Violin Concerto, an ode to lost youth composed after the death of Alma Gropius’ daughter, aged just 18. Berg did not survive to hear the premiere of the concerto, which combines experimentation with lyrical melodies, ending with variations based on a hymn tune by Bach.

Christ on the Mount of Olives is a rarely heard masterpiece, which combines the emotive force of the composer’s later Missa Solemnis with the theatre of a Bach Passion. With orchestra, chorus and soloists, it tells the story of Jesus’ prayer and arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Reviews from the LSO performance with Sir Simon Rattle on 19 January 2020

'It is hard to imagine this performance being bettered.' (Financial Times, ★★★★)

'Christ on the Mount of Olives sparkled very brightly indeed.' (Bachtrack, ★★★★)

Duration to be confirmed closer to the event. It includes a 20 minute interval.

Barbican Hall