
Epic. Profound. Otherworldly
Bowler, Ligeti and Richard Strauss
Barbara Hannigan and Bar Avni
Barbican
Public booking opens Wednesday 16 April 10am
Priority booking for LSO Supporters:
Wed 9 Apr 10am LSO Ambassador Friends and Pioneers
Fri 11 Apr 10am All LSO Friends
Laura Bowler
The White Book* (25 mins)
Interval
György Ligeti
Lontano (11 mins)
Richard Strauss
Also sprach Zarathustra (34 mins)
Barbara Hannigan conductor & soprano
Bar Avni conductor*
London Symphony Orchestra
The concert will finish at approximately 8.40pm, including a 20-minute interval (timings subject to change).
Tickets
£72 £56 £39 £26 £18
+ £4 booking fee per online/phone transaction
Wildcard Tickets
£12/£16 + booking fee as above
Check availability and book
Limited releases throughout the season. Guaranteed entry, but your seat is only allocated on the day. Full details
Other Discounts
Save when booking multiple concerts. Discounts also available for young people, students, groups, and Barbican Access Members. Full details
The Concert
New music by Laura Bowler preludes Ligeti’s ethereal, dreamlike soundworld and Richard Strauss’ colossal, awe-inspiring homage to Nietzsche.
The Music
Laura Bowler is a composer of rare imagination and theatrical flair. Her new work for voice and orchestra is inspired by Booker– and Nobel Prize–winning author Han Kang’s The White Book – a poetic meditation on colour, grief and the human spirit.
Lontano was used to mesmerising, claustrophobic effect in Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, and achieves its ethereal, eerie atmosphere by the continual layering and merging of textures and melodies.
The final work is Strauss’ powerful Nietzschian tone-poem that begins with classical music’s most famous and blazing portrayals of sunrise.
The Performers
A much-admired champion of contemporary music, Barbara Hannigan is vocal soloist for Laura Bowler’s new work, alongside rising conducting star Bar Avni, and then leads the LSO herself in Ligeti’s ground-breaking masterpiece and Strauss’ orchestral epic.
A window to dream worlds of childhood long ago forgotten, seen through curious, soft crystal formations.
Composer György Ligeti on Lontano
Booking and Discounts
Booking Your Tickets
Online at lso.co.uk or barbican.org.uk
By phone on +44 20 7870 2500 (Monday to Friday 12–5.30pm)
In person at the Barbican Centre (no booking fee)
Refunds and Exchanges
Contact the Box Office at least 24 hours before the performance (two weeks for group bookings) to exchange your tickets for another LSO concert or Barbican credit voucher, valid for twelve months. A per-ticket administration fee applies.
The LSO reserves the right to change artists or programmes if necessary. In the unlikely event of a cancellation, all bookers will receive a refund.
Questions About Your Booking?
Contact the Barbican Box Office at tickets@barbican.org.uk.
Visit the Barbican website for conditions of sale.
All discounts are subject to availability and may not be combined.
Multibuy Discounts
Book 2 or 3 concerts, save 10%
Book 4 to 7 concerts, save 20%
Book 8 to 11 concerts, save 30%
Book 12 or more concerts, save 40%
Retain your discount for any later bookings within the season. Find out more about Multibuy Discounts.
Wildcards
£12 or £16 (£12 or £15 for Half Six Fix concerts), plus booking fee. Check availability using the Wildcard link in the Tickets section above. On the concert night, show your Wildcard order email at the Stalls box office to receive a valid ticket worth at least £18 (£15 for Half Six Fix). Find out more about Wildcards.
Young People and Students
18 and under: £6 tickets. Book online, by phone or in person.
14–25s: Join Young Barbican for discounted tickets to selected concerts.
Full-time students: Join Student Pulse for £10 tickets to selected LSO concerts.
Groups of 10+
Save 20% to 30% and enjoy additional benefits. Find out more about group booking.
Access Members
Members of the Barbican’s Access Scheme can book wheelchair places priced at the lowest price for that event and book a free companion seat. Join the Barbican Access Scheme.
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Your Visit and Access

Getting to the Barbican
We are based at the Barbican Centre in the City of London. The main entrance to the Barbican is on Silk Street.

What to Expect
From the concert experience to venue facilities, find out what to expect from an LSO concert at the Barbican.

Accessibility
Find maps and guides, and join the Barbican Access Membership Scheme to let us know of your requirements and book access tickets.
Header Image © Mark-Allan