Shostakovich’s Eleventh Symphony and Britten’s Violin Concerto: conductor Gianandrea Noseda and violinist Janine Jansen are a powerhouse partnership in a pair of towering 20th-century masterpieces.
In a sense, the whole 20th century was spent dancing on a volcano. Shostakovich’s massive 11th symphony tells a tale of revolution and human suffering, in music that has the immediacy and impact of a great film score. And Britten wrote his Violin Concerto in 1939, as the clouds of war gathered. Every note reflects his anxiety – and his pain.
But nothing’s ever quite so simple, and amid Shostakovich’s furious trumpets and alarm bells the question refuses to die: whose side was he really on? And Britten, too, steps far outside his comfort zone, in a concerto that’s shot through with ambiguity and suppressed anger. In Gianandrea Noseda and Janine Jansen – described by the New York Times as ‘riveting in silence as in sound’ – we have a pair of artists who aren’t afraid to dig deep.
The performance is approximately 2 hours and includes a 20 minute interval
Programme
Performers
Booking fees
£4 booking fee per online/phone transaction.
No fee when tickets are booked in person.
Booking fees are per transaction and not per ticket. If your booking contains several events the highest booking fee will apply. The booking fee may be reduced on certain events. Members do not pay booking fees.
Barbican Hall
Location
The Barbican Hall is located within the main Barbican building. Head to Level G and follow the signs to find your seating level.
Address
Barbican Centre
Silk Street, London
EC2Y 8DS
Public transport
The Barbican is widely accessible by bus, tube, train and by foot or bicycle. Plan your journey and find more route information in ‘Your Visit’ or book your car parking space in advance.
We’ve plenty of places for you to relax and replenish, from coffee and cake to wood-fired pizzas and full pre-theatre menus
Mobility
Spaces for wheelchair users in row U at the rear of the stalls (up to sixteen, depth of row 180cm) and the back row of the circle (four), both with fold-down companion seats. Some seats in row S of the stalls for people with very limited mobility.
Assistance dogs
Assistance dogs may be taken into the concert hall where there are a limited number of suitable seats in row G of the stalls. If you prefer, you may leave your dog with a member of the cloakroom staff during the performance.
Hearing facility
There is an induction loop in the concert hall. You can use this by adjusting your hearing aid to the ‘T’ setting.
Free large-print programmes
These are available for most of our concerts. Please contact [email protected] at least a week beforehand, to prebook a large-print programmme.
For more access information, please visit our Accessibility section.
