No Friend but the Mountains
Luke Styles & Jonathan Lemalu
Barbican
The Concert
Luke Styles
Friend but the Mountains
Jonathan Lemalu baritone
London Symphony Orchestra
The end time for this concert will be added here closer to the performance date
Tickets
£15 to £45
+ £4 booking fee per online/phone transaction
Visit barbican.org for more details
Inspired by Behrouz Boochani’s book of his refugee journey and six-year-long incarceration in Manus Island, the LSO and Jonathan Lemalu give the UK premiere of this heart-stopping song-cycle by Luke Styles.
Conceived for chorus, soloist and large orchestra, his richly-imagined score unfolds across twelve impassioned songs and interludes, faithfully shadowing the trajectory of Boochani’s ordeal. Addressing aspects of Australian history and identity, ‘a work such as this changes a composer,’ Styles confesses. ‘This will always stand out as a milestone work for me.’
Boochani eventually secured asylum in New Zealand – Lemalu’s country of birth. A Kathleen Ferrier Award-winner, and former Royal Philharmonic Society Young Artist of the Year, bass-baritone Jonathan Lemalu ‘is a joy… with an earthy voice to savour’ says The Times.
