“A dazzling tour de force” was how The Scotsman described a solo recital by Yeol Eum Son – going on to praise her “vital emotional connection with the music”. You can’t have missed the buzz around this remarkable Korean pianist; now hear her for yourself, as she joins conductor Jonathon Heyward and the full BBC Symphony Orchestra in Prokofiev’s ferocious Second Piano Concerto. Few living pianists play it better.

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Yeol Eum Son plays Prokofiev’s Second Piano Concerto

Barbican Centre

Join Flames Collective for A Gospel Christmas. A choir like no other in the UK, they have received huge praise for their sensational performances with RAYE at the 2024 Brit Awards and at the O2. 

A Gospel Christmas

Featuring your favourite Christmas songs and a selection of sing-along carols, it’s the perfect way to get your festive season off to a joyful start.

The Orchestra is very pleased to be joined by conductor Stephen Bell, alongside special guest vocalists, Katie Birtill and Oliver Tompsett, for this magical Yuletide celebration that is guaranteed to fill you with festive cheer.

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Christmas Cracker 2024

Cadogan Hall 

The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra’s much-loved Christmas Cracker concert returns to Cadogan Hall.

Christmas Cracker

Handel’s Messiah has become one of the most celebrated and performed works in the classical canon. Messiah is famed for its sublime arias and uplifting choruses such us Ev’ry valley shall be exalted, Rejoice greatly O daughter of Zion, The trumpet shall sound, For unto us a child is born, Worthy is the Lamb & Amen and, of course, the ever-popular Hallelujah Chorus.

Handel’s Messiah at Cadogan Hall

My Christmas Orchestral Adventure

Royal Albert Hall

If you picture a stolen kiss between two well-dressed Edwardians in an Italian poppy field, you will probably find yourself humming 'Chi il Bel Sogno di Doretta'  from Puccini’s opera La rondine. The famous scene from the film A Room with a View brilliantly captures the opera’s central theme: longing for love against a background of family disapproval. 

London Symphony Orchestra/Sir Antonio Pappano

The BBC Symphony Orchestra & Chorus rediscover the tenderness and wonder of Berlioz’s magical Christmas cantata, L’enfance du Christ.

Berlioz’s L’enfance du Christ

Reminicent, ruminating and spiralling: Elgar’s Cello Concerto is unlike his early works and yet remains one of his most popular. The cello’s humble voice pushes its way through the orchestra in a soliloquy to a lost way of life. 

Kapustin’s Fourth Piano Concerto conjures up a great night at a jazz club, with a wild piano solo and a drum-kit. Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn’s arrangements give bring the same vibe to Tchaikovsky the same vibe, soft-shoe shuffling through The Nutcracker. Leroy Anderson’s Sleigh Ride is a perfect, old-school Christmas finale to take us into the festive season.

**Event: Christmas with the Academy - Academy of St Martin in the Fields**

**Date and Time:** 20 December 2024, 19:30

**Location:** Church of St Martin-in-the-Fields, London

Join the Academy of St Martin in the Fields and St Martin’s Voices for a spectacular evening of festive favorites. The performance will commence with Saint-Saëns’ lyrical and timeless Christmas Oratorio, followed by choral and orchestral arrangements of beloved pieces such as the Sussex Carol and Noël Nouvelet. Audience members will also have the opportunity to participate in carols including "O come, all ye faithful" and "Hark The herald-angels sing."

**Performers:**
- Academy of St Martin in the Fields
- St Martin’s Voices
- Andrew Earis, Conductor

Don't miss this enchanting evening of holiday music at the historic Church of St Martin-in-the-Fields. 

**Tickets:** Available for purchase now.

Christmas with the Academy

St Martin-in-the-Fields

Christmas with King’s College Choir

An unforgettable all-Beethoven programme featuring the monumental Choral symphony with its climactic ‘Ode to Joy’ performed by the renowned Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. 

Beethoven's Ninth

The verve and virtuosity of the 18th century is brought to life in this enchanting concert staged in a candle-lit style setting with an evocative programme crowned by Vivaldi’s sublime masterpiece.

Four Seasons by Candlelight

The Holiday, from Universal Pictures, stars Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, and Jack Black. It tells the story of two women who have never met and live 6,000 miles apart, but who both find themselves heartbroken and in need of a change.

The Holiday with live orchestra

The beloved Christmas film will be presented live in concert this winter, featuring its musical score performed live alongside the film by a full concert orchestra.

It's time to settle the scores, as the London Concert Orchestra performs the best scores from two of the greatest film composers of all time in one fabulous programme.

The Music of Zimmer vs Williams

Starting the year off with extraordinary skill and an exuberant sound, The National Youth Orchestra make their annual appearance in our Hall. 

The National Youth Orchestra

Brahms’ Symphony No 4 was subtitled ‘Tragic’, yet it is vigorous and full of warm orchestral colours. At the premiere, the Duke of Meiningen asked Brahms to encore the first and third movements – a guest remarked that Brahms conducted them with ‘even greater fire.’ 

London Symphony Orchestra: Half Six Fix – Brahms

Experience the transformative power of Johannes Brahms' Symphony No. 4 with the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle. This special "Half Six Fix" concert, taking place on Wednesday, 8th January 2025 at 6:30 pm at the Barbican, offers a unique, hour-long format designed to enrich your evening. Sir Simon Rattle, both conductor and presenter, will guide you through the intricacies and emotional depths of Brahms' final symphony, making this event not just a concert but an immersive journey into the heart of classical music.

The "Half Six Fix" series is celebrated for its early evening concerts that provide live introductions from the musicians and conductors, bringing the audience closer to the music and the creators behind it. With screens in the hall to enhance your experience, this concert promises an intimate exploration of Brahms' masterpiece, known for its tragic undertones yet vigorous and warm orchestral colors. From the yearning sighs of the opening movement to the solemn, fiery conclusion, Rattle and the LSO promise to draw out the composer’s unique blend of solemnity and vigor.

Tickets are available at various price points, with a booking fee applicable for online or phone transactions. For those looking to save, the Half Six Fix Season Pass offers a guaranteed Wildcard for all eight concerts in the season, alongside other discount options for groups, young people, students, and Barbican Access Members.

Booking your tickets is easy and can be done online at lso.co.uk or barbican.org.uk, by phone, or in person at the Barbican Centre. For any inquiries or further information on refunds, exchanges, and booking discounts, please contact the Barbican Box Office.

Don't miss this opportunity to kick-start your evening with the London Symphony Orchestra and Sir Simon Rattle, exploring the tragic beauty and profound depth of Brahms' Symphony No. 4.

Orchestral events in London

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My Christmas Orchestral A...

Royal Albert Hall

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Barbican Centre

Berlioz’s L’enfance du Ch...

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Christmas with King’s Col...

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Beethoven's Ninth

Barbican Centre

Four Seasons by Candlelig...

Barbican Centre

The Holiday with live orc...

Barbican Centre

The Holiday with live orc...

Barbican Centre

The Music of Zimmer vs Wi...

Barbican Centre

The National Youth Orches...

Barbican Centre

London Symphony Orchestra...

Barbican Centre

Half Six Fix: Brahms

London Symphony Orchestra