Barbican Presents
Barbican Presents brings some of the greatest international classical artists, orchestras and ensembles to London, in a stimulating and eclectic mix of classical, contemporary, and Baroque music.
Events
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra/Gražinytė-Tyla
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra Music Director Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla has announced she is expecting her second child in August 2020 and will therefore no longer be able to conduct this concert.
Australian Chamber Orchestra: Bach & Pärt
Time becomes space, as the Australian Chamber Orchestra and Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir bring J S Bach and Arvo Pärt into spiritual and emotional communion.
Joyce DiDonato: My Favourite Things
Joyce DiDonato’s ‘Favourite Things’ – operatic arias from the 17th and 18th centuries – are brought spectacularly to life by a true vocal superstar.
ECHO Rising Stars: Diana Tishchenko
Praised in the German press for her musicality, technical mastery and charisma, Ukranian-born violinist Diana Tishchenko possesses a musical imagination to match this thrilling programme.
The Cleveland Orchestra/Welser-Möst
Igor Levit joins one of the truly great US orchestras and Franz Welser-Möst in Mozart at his most playful, Scriabin at his most romantic, and Thomas Adès at his most thrillingly original.
Australian Chamber Orchestra: Kreutzer Sonata
Virtuosity, intensity and emotion in the raw: masterpieces by Beethoven, Janáček and a new work by Thomas Adès show off the Australian Chamber Orchestra at their super-charged best.
Isata Kanneh-Mason in recital
One of Britain’s most talked-about young pianists gives an imaginative and characteristic solo recital, encompassing works from Beethoven and Clara Schumann to Barber and Gershwin.
Mark Padmore & Jonathan Biss: Schumann
The songs of Robert Schumann trace a poetic journey through the intricacies of the human heart: hear tenor Mark Padmore and pianist Jonathan Biss explore their riches.
An Anatomy of Melancholy
Iestyn Davies’s crystalline voice, Netia Jones’s haunting visuals, and John Dowland’s ravishingly bittersweet music come together in an intimate theatrical meditation on the consolations of sorrow.
Australian Chamber Orchestra: Goldberg Variations
There are as many ways to unlock the miracles of Bach’s Goldberg Variations as there are performers – and when those performers are Tognetti and the ACO, the possibilities grow exponentially.
Australian Chamber Orchestra: Luminous
Photographer Bill Henson’s dramatic night-time landscapes and moody explorations of sensuality form the backdrop to a meditative soundscape of music in this arresting multi-sensory journey.
Australian Chamber Orchestra: The Lark Ascending
Richard Tognetti sweeps the Australian Chamber Orchestra from inter-war England to the dark heart of the Viennese psyche.
The Sixteen: Le grand Inconnu
Few living composers communicate with the emotional directness of James MacMillan, and the opportunity to hear two substantial new works in one concert is genuinely rare.
Alison Balsom in Gabriel: An Entertainment with Trumpet
All human life is here: Samuel Adamson’s theatrical celebration of Baroque music brings to life the sights, sounds and stories of 17th-century London through the eyes of a court trumpeter.
Oslo Philharmonic/Petrenko
Scandinavia’s super-orchestra bring their silken strings and luminous woodwind to bear on Strauss and Shostakovich, before joining forces with another giant of Norwegian music, Leif Ove Andsnes.
Steve Reich/Gerhard Richter
Steve Reich and Gerhard Richter – two giants of contemporary culture – come together in a major new collaboration: a cinematic exploration of Richter’s intense, abstract painting 946-3.
The Philip Glass Ensemble
A rare opportunity to see the Philip Glass Ensemble, as they perform one of the composer’s early masterpieces for the first time in over 48 years in the UK.
Discover
Barbican Sessions: Satu Vänskä
In an empty Theatre, Satu Vänskä, Principal Violinist of the Australian Chamber Orchestra, performs JS Bach's ‘Allemande’ from Partita II in D minor.
Listen: Classical Music on Spotify
Follow our regularly updated Classical Music playlist for a sample of the music you'll hear across our programme.
Barbican Sessions: Christoph Sietzen
For our latest Barbican Session, percussionist Christoph Sietzen performs in an empty Cinema 1.
Listen: Contemporary Classical on Spotify
Discover music from across the Contemporary Classical spectrum – from Judith Weir and George Benjamin to Nils Frahm and Max Richter.
Barbican Sessions: Roderick Williams and Andrew West
Filmed in an empty Milton Court Concert Hall, baritone Roderick Williams and pianist Andrew West perform a beautiful rendition of 'An die Nachtigall' by Johanness Brahms.
