Season Opening with Barbara Hannigan
Stormy. Daring. Transformative.
Thursday 14 September 2023 • 7pm
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The Concert
György Ligeti Ramifications (for string orchestra)
Claude Vivier Wo bist du Licht!
(for mezzo-soprano, percussion, strings and tape)
Joseph Haydn Symphony No 26
Interval – 20 minutes
Luigi Nono Djamila Boupacha (for solo soprano)
Richard Strauss Death and Transfiguration
Barbara Hannigan conductor & soprano
Fleur Barron mezzo-soprano
London Symphony Orchestra
The concert will finish at approximately 9.05pm (timings subject to change)
Programme also being performed on Sunday 17 September
Tickets
£70 £55 £39 £25 £18
+ £4 booking fee per online/phone transaction
Wildcard Tickets
£12/£16 + booking fee as above
Guaranteed entry – your seat will be allocated on the day.
Limited releases throughout the season. Full details
Save on Your Booking
Multibuy Discounts – save up to 40%
Under-18s – £6 tickets
14–25s – discounts for Young Barbican Members
Groups of 10+ – save at least 20%
Access – free companion tickets for Barbican Access Members`
Full details below
An allocation of tickets is available for NHS staff for selected LSO concerts through Tickets for Good. Visit ticketsforgood.org to register.
To open our 2023/24 Barbican season, Barbara Hannigan sings and conducts music that searches for light in dark times.
The Programme
Richard Strauss’ tone poems always express profound emotions. In Death and Transfiguration he explores the mysteries of life and death, illuminating a programme that takes listeners from darkness to light. Ligeti’s intense harmonies swarm into your ears in his Ramifications for strings – while Haydn’s ‘Lamentatione’ Symphony brings a thrilling contrast in musical style.
Vivier’s poetic Wo bist du Licht! (Where are you, light!) is a musical meditation on human suffering that incorporates audio tape reels of Martin Luther King Jr’s final speech and news of the Vietnam War. And Hannigan sings a tribute to an Algerian freedom fighter in Luigi Nono’s soaring aria Djamila Boupacha which longs for a fairer world.
The Performers
LSO Associate Artist Barbara Hannigan transfixes audiences with her definitive, boundary-pushing performances. For the opening concert of the season, she brings some of her favourite composers together in a signature eclectic mix, that covers over 200 years of music from Joseph Haydn to the unorthodox genius of Claude Vivier.
Critics praise Fleur Barron’s rich, honeyed voice. Her collaborations with Hannigan bring intensity and excitement to a spectrum of contemporary music.
Barbara Hannigan comes closer to having magic musical and theatrical powers than most singers on stage today.’ – The Guardian
Header Image © Mark Allan
Read: 'There is a journey: we move from dark to light.'
Barbara Hannigan, LSO Associate Artist, introduces her four electrifying concerts to open the 2023/24 season.
£10 Tickets for Students
Full-time students can book £10 tickets for this concert through Student Pulse London.
£12 and £16 Wildcard Tickets
Book a Wildcard ticket for £12 or £16. You’re guaranteed entry to the concert, but you won’t know your seat until the evening of the performance. Will you bag one of the best seats in the house? That’s the chance you take to save.
Look for the ‘Check for Wildcards’ button under Tickets, above, to book.
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
£4 booking fee per transaction when booking online or by phone
Refunds and Exchanges
If you can no longer user your tickets, you can exchange them for another LSO concert or Barbican credit voucher (valid for six months). Please inform the Box Office at least 24 hours before the performance (two weeks for group bookings). A per-ticket administration fee applies for all exchange services.
Questions About Your Booking?
Contact the Barbican Box Office at tickets@barbican.org.uk.
Visit the Barbican website for conditions of sale.
The LSO reserves the right to change artists or programmes if necessary. If the event is cancelled, all bookers will receive a refund. All discounts are subject to availability and may not be combined. Box office calls may be monitored or recorded for quality assurance or training purposes.
Multibuy Discounts
Book 2 to 3 concerts and save 10%
Book 4 to 7 concerts and save 20%
Book 8 to 11 concerts and save 30%
Book 12 or more concerts and save 40%
Plus retain your discount for any later bookings within the season.
Multibuy Discounts: Full Details
Wildcards
£12 or £16 (£10 or £15 for Half Six Fix concerts), plus booking fee. You are guaranteed entry to the concert but you won’t know your exact seat until the evening of the performance. Will you be lucky and bag a top-price seat in the stalls? Find out more about Wildcards.
Young People
£6 tickets for under-18s. Discounted tickets are available for selected LSO concerts for 14–25s through Young Barbican, and for full-time students through Student Pulse London.
Groups of 10+
Save 20%, or 30% when booking two or more concerts in the same season, plus 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.
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.
