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
Le Concert Spirituel: Handel’s Coronation Anthems
Hervé Niquet and Le Concert Spirituel put an unmistakably French polish on the baroque grandeur of Handel’s coronation anthems, including the spine-tingling ceremonial Zadok the Priest.
Anne-Sophie Mutter plays Beethoven
Three of Beethoven’s most celebrated violin sonatas from one of the world’s pre-eminent violinists.
Adès: The Tempest
Thomas Adès’s 2004 opera recreates Shakespeare’s enchanted isle on his own, utterly magical terms in what the New York Times called ‘one of the most inspired, audacious and personal operas in years.’
Insula Orchestra: Mozart's Requiem
Mozart’s awe-inspiring Requiem makes even more of an impact in an imaginative musical context – a real speciality of Laurence Equilbey and her energising, uncompromising Insula Orchestra.
Australian Chamber Orchestra: Indies & Idols
Discover how the kaleidoscopic dissonances and tripped-out textures of 20th-century Polish classical music ended up inspiring some of the boldest sounds in 21st-century culture.
Khatia Buniatishvili in recital
Come for the fireworks, stay for the poetry: Khatia Buniatishvili brings her barnstorming technique and thoughtful musicality to piano music by great Romantic and 20th-century masters.
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.
Behzod Abduraimov in recital
Behzod Abduraimov plays Rachmaninov’s Corelli Variations and Schumann’s Kreisleriana – a marvellously poetic showcase for this fast-rising pianist.
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.
