Kirill Gerstein: Spotlight Artist
The Poem of Ecstasy – Debussy, Ravel, Scriabin
Serene. Wondrous. Magnetic.
Sunday 3 December 2023 • 7pm
This event has passed.
The Concert
Claude Debussy Three Nocturnes
Maurice Ravel Piano Concerto for the Left Hand
Interval – 20 minutes
Alexander Scriabin Symphony No 4, ‘The Poem of Ecstasy’
Susanna Mälkki conductor
Kirill Gerstein piano
Sopranos & Altos of the London Symphony Chorus
London Symphony Orchestra
The concert will finish at approximately 9pm (timings subject to change)
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%
Barbican Access Members – free companion tickets
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.
Drift amid music of seductive illusion, by three turn-of-the-century composers.
The Programme
‘It is pure music, conceived beyond the limits of reality, in the world of dreams,’ wrote a contemporary reviewer about Debussy’s Nocturnes. The first Nocturne conjures grey thunderclouds above the Seine, as a passing boat sounds its horn. The second is illuminated by a dazzling procession, and the third echoes with the voices of sirens, heard amid the moonlit waves of the sea.
In Ravel’s dark, swaggering magic trick of a Piano Concerto, one hand playing comes to sound like two. And in Scriabin’s swirling, yearning symphonic poem, we move through fantasy to ecstasy.
The Performers
Kirill Gerstein, Spotlight Artist with the LSO in 2023/24, performs a remarkable feat of sleight-of-hand, while Susanna Mälkki and the LSO reveal the shining threads that tie these three works together. The London Symphony Chorus supplies enchanting song.
‘All fire and air. The first time I heard it I played it over and over … For weeks I went about in a trance. Something had happened to me.’ Writer Henry Miller on Scriabin’s ‘Poem of Ecstasy’
This concert is generously sponsored by the Léni Fé Bland Estate
Support for the Music Academy partnership with the London Symphony Orchestra has been provided in part by Linda and Michael Keston, with additional support in remembrance of Léni Fé Bland
Header Image © Mark Allan
£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.
