Sir Simon Rattle and the LSO dive headlong into the dream-world of Gustav Mahler’s Seventh Symphony, and welcome the BBC Singers for a special performance of an intricate work by Poulenc.
Gustav Mahler once said that the symphony should be like the world – ‘it should embrace everything’. In his huge Seventh Symphony, he sweeps from an overcast Alpine lake through love songs, nightmares and moonlit marches to a roof-raising finish hung with jangling cowbells and laced with pitch-black humour. In short, Mahler doesn’t get more Mahler-ish than this.
Not that Sir Simon Rattle needs telling., He’s been conducting Mahler since he was a teenager, and this wild, fantastic fairy-tale of a symphony is particularly close to his heart. ‘There’s only one Mahler – he takes in everything’, he says, and tonight he dives headfirst into a world of soaring emotion and untrammelled sonic imagination.
‘When I am making music, all the answers I seek for in life seem to be there’ – Gustav Mahler
Programme Update
This concert will now feature an added second half, with a performance of Francis Poulenc’s Figure humaine by the BBC Singers. The BBC Singers will be appearing at the invitation of Sir Simon Rattle and the LSO, in a mark of solidarity with the choir and the broader music community, in response to uncertainty over future funding to the orchestral and choral sector in the UK.
The first half of the concert, featuring Mahler's Seventh Symphony, remains unchanged. The concert will end at approximately 9.25pm.
Posted 12 April 2023
You can also catch Sir Simon Rattle on Wednesday 14 June and Thursday 15 June for his final two concerts as the LSO's Musical Director.
Recorded for future broadcast on BBC Radio 3
Programme
Performers
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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.
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