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Headliner
London Symphony Orchestra Last time in London: 4 months ago

Venue

Barbican Centre

Silk Street, EC2Y 8DS, London, UK

www.barbican.org.uk/

Capacity: 1,949

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Additional details

Tour name: London Symphony Orchestra/Susanna Mälkki: Steve Reich at 90

Doors open: 19:00

The master of minimalism at 90: Susanna Mälkki leads the celebration of Steve Reich with five of his most iconic, influential works.

There are few composers who deserve the moniker ‘living legend’ – Steve Reich is one of them. The great US minimalist turns 90 in October this year, celebrated here by the LSO with five of his most impactful works. The pulsating Music for a Large Ensemble and layered complexities of the Variations for Winds, Strings and Keyboards contrast with the rhythmic immediacy of Music for Pieces of Wood. And in Three Movements and Music for Ensemble & Orchestra, Reich projects his trademark hypnotic style onto a grand, cinematic canvas.

Reich’s music requires performers of innate rhythmic instincts – conductor Susanna Mälkki and the LSO are equally renowned for their bracingly dynamic interpretations. A fitting salute to a contemporary giant.

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London Symphony Orchestra biography

The London Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1904 by Adolf Borsdorf, Thomas Busby, John Solomon and Henri van der Meerschen. The orchestra has been based in London, England’s world famous Barbican Centre since 1982 and have been described as “The Perfect Film Orchestra”.

If you have heard a theme in a film that has stuck with you ever since you saw it, chances are that The London Symphony Orchestra played it. They are most famous for their iconic John Williams themes for Star Wars and Raiders Of The Lost Ark but their history goes back far further than that, and their acclaim extends far beyond the silver screen. The London Symphony Orchestra have a reputation for having the most personality of any other orchestra in London and perhaps the world, and a lot of this comes from how they are a truly democratic institution. The orchestra itself chooses who conducts it and that has been the way of the orchestra since its very inception.

From the very beginning, The LSO has been shaking things up, as they were formed after 50 members of the Queen’s Hall Orchestra rebelled against an edict that none of the players in the orchestra could send a deputy to a performance or rehearsal if needed. Thomas Busby, a horn player who had left the Queen’s Hall, conceptualised a new form of orchestra, a “musical republic” in his words where each of the players got an equal cut of each season’s profits. The new orchestra played its first concert on the 4th of June 1904, and was conducted by none other than Hans Richter. They then toured for most of the following year, conducted by another legend in the form of Sir Edward Elgar.

Ever since then, The LSO has been one of the United Kingdom’s premier orchestras, one that has performed all over the world on several acclaimed tours. They are an acclaimed studio orchestra, with Elgar recording his major works for His Master’s Voice in the 20’s and 30’s. Of course, they also have recorded the soundtrack to a shocking number of films from Blithe Spirit to Superman to Street Fighter to The Avengers to The Imitation Game. To this day they are one of the most acclaimed acts in classical music, and for that reason, they come highly recommended.

Live reviews

With composition and discipline at its finest, the London Symphony Orchestra is without doubt one of the most renowned classical ensembles currently around today. One can guess that it takes great patience to participate in such a large group, sitting for hours on end playing sheet after sheet of arpeggios, scales and other notes, yet the LSO does it so magnificently, delivering the most majestic music that the ear is ever likely to witness. Something that you can expect from the LSO is a wealth of diversity in shows. Recent tours have provided the audience with famous guest conductors from all over the globe such as Jaap van Zweden and Daniele Gatti, each one having their own sense of flair as they guide the respective musicians to create a masterpiece. In other concerts, the orchestra has provided backing music for a singer whose melody will intertwine with that of the orchestral group to create something truly memorising.
Of course, you don't have to be a fan of classical or chamber music to listen to the works of the 110-year-old ensemble, as the LSO are well known for their covers of timeless hits of former years, such as Take My Breath Away, The Power Of Love and Thriller to name a few. The orchestra offer their unique twist on the aforementioned, often making their versions sound either more soothing, thrilling or exquisite than the original songs ever could without their assistance. This group are simply fantastic to listen to and will more than likely give you goosebumps if you were to ever see them live.

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