Barbican, London An all British programme featured music by Thea Musgrave, Vaughan Williams and William Walton, with Antoine Tamestit an expressive and sensitive soloist in the latter’s Viola concertoAntonio Pappano’s evangelical embrace of British music continued apace in a concert featuring a welcome rarity by Thea Musgrave, William Walton’s strangely neglected Viola Concerto, and the latest in his ongoing Vaughan Williams cycle, the evocative A London Symphony.Musgrave, still composing at 97, wrote Phoenix Rising in 1997 for the late <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/apr/22/sir-andrew-davis-obituary">Andrew Davis</a>, to whom Pappano dedicated this concert. A 23-minute rollercoaster, it pits a blackguardly timpanist and his stick-wielding allies against a devil-may-care hornist and his brassy backup band. The horn player enters from off stage, the timpanist stalks off in a huff, and somewhere in the middle, for no immediately discernible reason, a phoenix soars aloft in an iridescent haze of tuned percussion. Pappano and the London Symphony Orchestra gave it a thorough workout with marimba, vibraphone, glockenspiel, xylophone and tubular bells creating a magical aura. The musicians certainly revelled in its prickly harmonies, though the theatrical elements might have been pushed further. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/dec/13/lso-pappano-review-barbican-musgrave-walton-tamesit-vaughan-williams">Continue reading...</a>

قدمت أوركسترا لندن السيمفونية، تحت قيادة أنطونيو بابانو، برنامجًا بريطانيًا بالكامل يتضمن أعمالًا لـ ثيا ميسغريف، فاغن ويليامز، وويليام والتون، مع أداء أنطوان تامستيت لكونشيرتو الوالتون للفيولا. أبرز الحفل عمل ميسغريف 'فيونيكس رايزينغ'، وهي قطعة مكرسة للمدير الراحل أندرو ديفيس، واستمر في استكشاف بابانو لمؤلفات فاغن ويليامز مع 'سمفونية لندن'.

La Orquesta Sinfónica de Londres, bajo la dirección de Antonio Pappano, presentó un programa completamente británico que incluyó obras de Thea Musgrave, Vaughan Williams y William Walton, con Antoine Tamestit interpretando el Concierto para viola de Walton. El concierto destacó Phoenix Rising de Musgrave, una pieza dedicada al fallecido director Andrew Davis, y continuó la exploración de Pappano de las composiciones de Vaughan Williams con A London Symphony.

L'Orchestre symphonique de Londres, sous la direction d'Antonio Pappano, a présenté un programme entièrement britannique mettant en avant des œuvres de Thea Musgrave, Vaughan Williams et William Walton, avec Antoine Tamestit interprétant le Concerto pour alto de Walton. Le concert a mis en lumière Phoenix Rising de Musgrave, une pièce dédiée au défunt chef d'orchestre Andrew Davis, et a poursuivi l'exploration par Pappano des compositions de Vaughan Williams avec A London Symphony.

The London Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Antonio Pappano, showcased an all-British program featuring works by Thea Musgrave, Vaughan Williams, and William Walton, with Antoine Tamestit performing Walton's Viola Concerto. The concert highlighted Musgrave's Phoenix Rising, a piece dedicated to the late conductor Andrew Davis, and continued Pappano's exploration of Vaughan Williams' compositions with A London Symphony.

LSO/Pappano review – Musgrave’s Phoenix rises and Vaughan Williams’ London stirs the soul

Barbican Hall, London The tension barely let up for two hours as Rattle led the London Symphony Orchestra and a commanding cast through this vital account of Janáček’s opera. It is only two months since Jakub Hrůša’s <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/nov/05/the-makropulos-case-review-royal-opera-house-janacek-katie-mitchell-ausrine-stundyte">rightly acclaimed</a> and idiomatic conducting of Leoš Janáček’s penultimate opera at Covent Garden. Now, like the proverbial London buses, here comes the same piece again (though this time calling itself The Makropulos Affair rather than the Royal Opera’s The Makropulos Case), with Simon Rattle leading two concert performances at the Barbican Hall.Rattle’s first-night account was simply sensational. He plunged at almost manic speed into Makropulos’s compellingly exciting prelude, and barely let up for the best part of two hours, as the opera played without an interval. The fierce tension may occasionally have come at the expense of some of the lighter touches that beguiled in Hrůša’s approach. Yet Janáček’s extraordinarily deft ear for orchestral detail and harmony – like the bassoon solo announcing the central character’s first appearance – was never sacrificed. The LSO played thrillingly. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/jan/14/the-makropulos-affair-review-janacek-simon-rattle-lso-marlis-petersen">Continue reading...</a>

قاد سايمون راتل عرضًا مثيرًا ونصف مسرحي لأوبرا ياناشيك، The Makropulos Affair، في قاعة باربيكان بلندن، حيث أسرت الجماهير بأداء حافظ على توتر عالٍ طوال مدته التي بلغت ساعتين. رافقت الأوركسترا السيمفونية اللندنية طاقمًا متميزًا، مما أظهر السرد الجذاب للأوبرا دون انقطاع.

Simon Rattle dirigió una emocionante semi-escenificación de la ópera de Janáček, The Makropulos Affair, en el Barbican Hall de Londres, cautivando al público con una actuación que mantuvo una alta tensión durante sus dos horas. La Orquesta Sinfónica de Londres acompañó a un elenco destacado, mostrando la narrativa cautivadora de la ópera sin un intermedio.

Simon Rattle a dirigé une mise en scène semi-scénarisée captivante de l'opéra de Janáček, The Makropulos Affair, au Barbican Hall de Londres, captivant le public avec une performance qui a maintenu une tension élevée tout au long de ses deux heures. L'Orchestre symphonique de Londres a accompagné une distribution impressionnante, mettant en valeur le récit captivant de l'opéra sans interruption.

Simon Rattle conducted a thrilling semi-staging of Janáček’s opera, The Makropulos Affair, at Barbican Hall, London, captivating audiences with a performance that maintained high tension throughout its two-hour duration. The London Symphony Orchestra accompanied a commanding cast, showcasing the opera's compelling narrative without an interval.

LSO/Pappano review – Musgrave’s Phoenix rises and Vaughan Williams’ London stirs the soul

Was this article worth reading? Share it

Halmblog Music

Iammarayana

TheThundara

ToneMatch

solfeggio frequency music

Aview — Discover what people think of this product.

Ready to build your own newsroom?