Southbank Centre's new season: Schoenberg's 150th, the OAE in Bruckner, Joyce Didonato in Berlioz, The West-Eastern Divan Orchestra with Daniel Barenboim

Igor Levit (Photo: Felix Broede )

The Southbank Centre has announced its Autumn/Winter programme for 2024/25 which includes a five-day Opening Weekend, residencies from violist Lawrence Power, organist James McVinnie and Manchester Collective, and visitors include Yuja Wang and Víkingur Ólafsson, the Borodin Quartet celebrating its 80th anniversary, Concerto Italiano, The West-Eastern Divan Orchestra with Daniel Barenboim, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra performing Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring and the BBC Concert Orchestra with Unclassified Live.

The Opening Weekend, from 25 to 29 September 2024, features Joyce DiDonato in Berlioz with Edward Gardner and the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Philharmonia launching its Nordic Soundscapes series with Sibelius, Grieg and María Sigfúsdóttir conducted by Santtu-Matias Rouvali, violist Lawrence Power and composer Thomas Ades, the Multi-Storey Orchestra, cellist Matthew Barley, the Paraorchestra, and the Scottish Ensemble. Pianist Igor Levit performs works by Bach, Brahms and Beethoven in his Royal Festival Hall solo recital debut.

Lawrence Power will continue his residency by joining forces with composer/soprano Heloise Werner and lutenist Sergio Bucheli, and Power is the soloist in the UK premiere of Magnus Lindberg's Viola Concerto with the Philharmonia Orchestra. Manchester Collective continues its residency with collaborations with pianist extraordinaire Zubin Kanga and cellist phenomenon Abel Selacoe. Organist James McVinnie [see my recent interview with him] continues his residency with Stanford, Byrd, and Liszt on the RFH organ, and Bach on organ and piano.

Daniel Barenboim will be conducting the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra in Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 4, Chineke! perform music by Florence Price (the UK premiere of her Symphony No. 4!), Eleanor Alberga, Valerie Coleman and Brian Raphael Nabor, the London Symphony Orchestra pairs Shostakovich's Symphony No. 13 with Schoenberg's A survivor in Warsaw, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment will be burning the candle at both ends, presenting all of Bach's Brandenburg Concertos and performing Bruckner's Symphony No. 5 (not in the same programme!).

The London Sinfonietta is celebrating Schoenberg's 150th anniversary, with Jonathan Berman conducting the Ode to Napoleon (no, I've never heard that live either) and Chamber Symphony. They will be joined by the Royal Academy of Music's Manson Ensemble for a performance of Morton Feldman's For Samuel Beckett. The Philharmonia Orchestra's Music of Today will feature conductor Chloe Rooke and soprano Ella Taylor in Saariaho’s Semafor and Hans Abrahmsen’s Two Inger Christensen Songs. The London Philharmonic Orchestra's season will include Evan Williams’ Dead White Man Music (Concerto for Harpsichord and Chamber Ensemble), and Sarod player Amjad Ali Khan performs his own concerto Samaagam alongside a new overture by Reena Esmail and selections from film soundtracks by AR Rahman.

The full season is available via the Southbank Centre website.