London Symphony Orchestra
Resident Orchestra
The London Symphony Orchestra is built on the belief that extraordinary music should be available to everyone, everywhere. It was established in 1904 and today is among the world’s top orchestras
As Resident Orchestra at the Barbican since the Centre opened, it performs some 50 concerts here every year, under the batons of a family of conductors that includes Chief Conductor Designate Sir Antonio Pappano, Conductor Emeritus Sir Simon Rattle, Principal Guest Conductors Gianandrea Noseda and François-Xavier Roth, Conductor Laureate Michael Tilson Thomas and Associate Artists Barbara Hannigan and André J Thomas.
Events
London Symphony Orchestra: Half Six Fix – Brahms
Kick-start your evening with a 60-minute Half Six Fix concert. Introduced by the performers, with screens in the hall to bring you closer to the action.
London Symphony Orchestra/Sir Simon Rattle
A bewitching programme of contrasts: Pierre Boulez’s glittering sound world, late Johannes Brahms, and a lyrical world premiere from George Benjamin – to celebrate Sir Simon Rattle’s 70th birthday.
London Symphony Orchestra/Sir Simon Rattle
An all-British programme of Tippett, Turnage and Vaughan Williams inspired by opera and jazz – including an unmissable world premiere, to celebrate Sir Simon Rattle’s 70th birthday.
London Symphony Orchestra
Celebrating Pierre Boulez and his influences, in the composer’s centenary year: his beloved Debussy, alongside three intriguing world premieres.
LSO Chamber Ensemble
Fanfares, massed cellos and electronics – a fascinating celebration of the music of Pierre Boulez, in his centenary year.
London Symphony Orchestra: Half Six Fix – Walton
Kick-start your evening with a Half Six Fix concert. One piece in a 60-minute concert, introduced by the performers, with screens in the hall to bring you closer to the action.
London Symphony Orchestra/Sir Antonio Pappano
Bringing together Walton’s turbulent first Symphony with passionate statements of love and outrage from two American greats.
London Symphony Orchestra/Sir Antonio Pappano
Evocative portraits of night and the sea in an all-British programme: enigmatic Maconchy, meditative Walton, and awe-inspiring Vaughan Williams.
London Symphony Orchestra: Half Six Fix – Vaughan Williams
Kick-start your evening with a Half Six Fix concert. One piece in a 60-minute concert, introduced by the performers, with screens in the hall to bring you closer to the action.
London Symphony Orchestra/Barbara Hannigan
Albert Roussel and Maurice Ravel paint vivid portraits of the animal kingdom, Benjamin Britten conjures up a savage parade, and Joseph Haydn takes a trip to London for his final symphony.
Jazz at Lincoln Centre Orchestra, LSO & Sir Antonio Pappano
Wynton Marsalis and Sir Antonio Pappano blend jazz, blues and classical music in the crossover collaboration with the Jazz at Lincoln Centre Orchestra
London Symphony Orchestra/Barbara Hannigan
Miracles and myths abound, from Bartók’s surreal ballet to Sibelius’s Finnish landscape – plus, a captivating new piece by Golfam Khayam.
London Symphony Orchestra/Sir Antonio Pappano
Tippet's moving pacifist oratorio meets Beethoven’s immense Choral Symphony.
London Symphony Orchestra/Gianandrea Noseda
Shostakovich in both revolutionary and festive mood alongside a MacMillan Concerto, written for Nicola Benedetti.
London Symphony Orchestra: Half Six Fix – Prokofiev 2
Kick-start your evening with a Half Six Fix concert. One piece in a 60-minute concert, introduced by the performers, with screens in the hall to bring you closer to the action.
London Symphony Orchestra/Gianandrea Noseda
Prokofiev’s mind-blowing second Symphony, plus early Beethoven and a charming opener from Schubert.
London Symphony Orchestra/Sir Simon Rattle
A new work by John Adams is flanked by Gershwin’s most seductive tunes.
London Symphony Orchestra/Sir Simon Rattle
Shocking, dissonant, savagely ironic: Shostakovich’s Fourth was a statement of rebellion against Joseph Stalin’s dictatorship.
London Symphony Orchestra/Nathalie Stutzmann
In this mighty symphony, the culmination of his life’s work, Bruckner strove for total perfection.
London Symphony Orchestra/Nathalie Stutzmann
Quicksilver inspiration and spectacular melodies flow in music written at the height of success.
London Symphony Orchestra/Dima Slobodeniouk
Bold and unconventional choices are there to be relished in music by Beethoven and Sibelius.
London Symphony Orchestra/Sir Antonio Pappano: Elijah
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Fiery chariots, towering voices; Sir Antonio Pappano, the London Symphony Orchestra and the London Symphony Chorus join forces for Mendelssohn’s monumental oratorio.
London Symphony Orchestra/Sir Simon Rattle: Jenůfa
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Janáček’s searing, magnificent opera explores a woman’s limited options in a suffocating small town.
London Symphony Orchestra/Gianandrea Noseda
Deeply private, deeply felt: Tchaikovsky and Brahms pour out their emotions in an ardent torrent of music.
London Symphony Orchestra: Half Six Fix – Tchaikovsky 6
Gianandrea Noseda conducts and introduces Tchaikovsky’s Sixth Symphony, deeply private and deeply felt.
London Symphony Orchestra/Susanna Mälkki: Poem of Ecstasy
Drift amid music of seductive illusion and brilliant colour from Debussy, Ravel and Scriabin.
London Symphony Orchestra/Susanna Mälkki: Rachmaninov
Pianist Kirill Gerstein continues his spotlight series with one of the pinnacles of the repertoire.
London Symphony Orchestra/Duncan Ward: La mer
Duncan Ward and the LSO set out to sweep you off your feet with symphonic poems from Janáček and Debussy, while Isabelle Faust offers sensitive insights into the music of Bartók.
London Symphony Orchestra/Duncan Ward with Abel Selaocoe
South African and European traditions meet in the transformative music of Abel Selaocoe alongside folk and jazz-flecked music from Gary Carpenter and Bartók.
London Symphony Orchestra/André J Thomas: Gospel Explosion
Experience the power of American gospel music, combined with the symphonic sound of the LSO and a chorus of over 250 voices from across the London community, curated and conducted by André J Thomas.
London Symphony Orchestra/Sir Antonio Pappano: Beethoven 7
Beethoven’s triumphantly brilliant symphony and an instantly popular 21st-century concerto with soloist Kirill Gerstein in the spotlight.
London Symphony Orchestra/Sir Antonio Pappano: Rachmaninov
Spellbinding storytellers, dancing ghosts and melodies that will stay with you forever in music from Ravel, Fazil Say and Rachmaninov.
Discover
Profile: London Symphony Orchestra
Listen to our selection of LSO recordings from across the years in our Spotify playlist.
Barbican Sessions: Peter Moore
London Symphony Orchestra’s young trombonist, Peter Moore, performs 'Doolallynastics – a brief torture for solo trombone’ by Brian Lynn in our latest Barbican Session, filmed in one of our Frobisher Auditoriums.