BEETHOVEN Missa solemnis

Jiri Belohlavek conductor
Christine Brewer soprano
Ekaterina Semenchuk mezzo-soprano
Paul Groves tenor
Stephen Milling bass
BBC Symphony Chorus

“From the heart – may it go to the heart.” Beethoven’s inscription on the score of his ‘Solemn Mass’ stands as a profound wish for one of the greatest works of western sacred art. The composer’s visionary interpretation of divine glory and sinful mankind’s insignificance, forged against a background of personal turmoil and creative uncertainty, reveals the sublime. Prepare for an unforgettable spiritual and emotional journey under the inspired care of Jiøí Bìlohlávek and a great solo team, led by the incomparable Christine Brewer.

Pre-concert talk, 6.00pm
Barbican Hall
An introduction to tonight's concert

MUSORGSKY Night on a Bare Mountain (original version)
MATTHIAS PINTSCHER pourquoi l'azur muet... (BBC co-commission: world premiere)
TCHAIKOVSKY ‘Manfred’ Symphony, Op. 58

Kazushi Ono conductor
Claudia Barainsky soprano
Claudia Mahnke mezzo-soprano

In 1884 Tchaikovsky visited a dying friend in Switzerland, carrying with him a copy of Lord Byron’s ‘Gothic’ verse-drama Manfred and reading it while deep in Alpine country. The combination of poetry and natural imagery fired Tchaikovsky’s imagination and fuelled tireless work on his ‘Manfred’ Symphony. “It seems to me, that it is the best of my compositions,” he wrote. Tonight’s concert includes the first performance of acclaimed young German composer Matthias Pintscher’s latest score, based on his evocative music theatre piece L’Espace dernier.

Pre-concert talk, 6.00pm
Barbican Hall
An introduction to tonight's concert

BBC Music Intro concert
This concert is a Music Intro concert, with tickets at only £5 each for families. Please see website for further details.

STEPHEN MONTAGUE Intrada 1631
STEPHEN MONTAGUE Piano Concerto
TOMASZ SIKORSKI Holzwege
STEPHEN MONTAGUE Dark Sun - August, 1945

Grant Llewellyn conductor
Rolf Hind piano
Trinity Chamber Choir

TURINA Danzas fantasticas
BENET CASABLANCAS Siete escenas de Hamlet (UK premiere)
RAVEL Rapsodie espagnole
FALLA El amor brujo

Josep Pons conductor
Ginesa Ortegaflamenco singer
Ray Fearon actor

Spain’s musical past includes compelling meetings between high and popular culture, vividly captured in Manuel de Falla’s so-called ‘gypsy revel’, El amor brujo, and intensified tonight with the seductive artistry of Flamenco singer Ginesa Ortega. Delicate contrasts of sound and richly woven textures lie at the musical heart of Benet Casablancas’ Set escenes de Hamlet, written in the late 1980s. Thanks to his Basque maternal family, Ravel’s connections with Iberian culture ran deep. His Rapsodie espagnole evokes the effervescent, seductive spirit of Spain.

Pre-concert talk, 6.00pm
Barbican Hall
An introduction to tonight’s concert

BBC Music Intro concert
This concert is a Music Intro concert, with tickets at only £5 for families. Please see website for further details.