
This January, as part
of the Barbican’s 2016 season, Ott returns to the London Symphony Orchestra.
She will be joined by conductor Sir Antonio Pappano, the Royal Opera House’s
music director. A formidable force at the podium, Pappano has a sterling reputation
when it comes to music of his native Italy.
The evening begins in Florence by way of
Switzerland, with Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody
on a Theme of Paganini (1934). Composed over a month, it is a set of twenty
four variations on Paganini’s twenty-fourth caprice. It’s the perfect showpiece
for a virtuoso pianist, twisting and reforming the original violin work into a
dizzying sequence. Played with an orchestra, it becomes lush yet propulsive.
Then, Pappano and the LSO will then launch
into one of the conductor’s trademark specialities – Ottorino Respighi’s Roman Trilogy (1917-28). A set of tone poems in four movements,
each one takes a different aspect or scene from the city’s life and turns it
into a glowing orchestral celebration. The composer’s masterpieces, all three
are suffused with a late romantic glow. Rarely performed in London, they
deserve to be better known. This night should serve as their triumphant reintroduction.
What | Alice Sara Ott and the LSO, Barbican Centre |
Where | Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8DS | MAP |
Nearest tube | Barbican (underground) |
When |
On 31 Jan 16, 7:30 PM – 10:00 PM |
Price | £10-40 |
Website | Click here to book via the Barbican website |