Australian Chamber Orchestra – Residency at the Barbican

The Australian Chamber Orchestra (ACO) makes its anticipated return to the UK for a three-concert residency at the Barbican Centre in London.

Over three nights the ACO will perform three exhilarating concerts showcasing not only its world class musicianship and thrilling performance style, but also Richard Tognetti’s distinctive programming and artistry.

Barbican Residency Programme

Beethoven & Bridgetower Concert
Thursday 27 October, 7.30pm
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Revolutionary music at its most super-charged: the exhilarating Australian Chamber Orchestra celebrate the radical music of Beethoven, and the inspiration he’s sparked ever since.

Beethoven meets violinist George Bridgetower, ripping the classical sonata wide open in the iconic 9th Sonata, dedicated to Rodolphe Kreutzer. Then, inspired by Tolstoy’s novella of obsessive jealousy (inspired by Beethoven), Janáček pushes the string quartet to its limits in his own fraught Kreutzer. The ACO and their maverick music director Richard Tognetti expand both masterpieces for full orchestra before putting them under the microscope.

But first, regular ACO collaborator William Barton combines his spellbinding blend of vocals and virtuosic didgeridoo playing. The orchestra meet a kindred spirit in the form of Thomas Adès, whose evocative Shanty embraces the progressive spirit of the composers who inspire him. And in the midst are two more pioneers of their times: Ruth Crawford Seeger and George Walker.

River Concert
Friday 28 October, 7.30pm
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The Australian Chamber Orchestra provide live accompaniment to breath-taking footage of the world’s mighty rivers, in a profound meditation on how water has shaped our landscapes and human existence.

Indies & Idols Concert
Saturday 29 October, 7.30pm
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Discover how the kaleidoscopic dissonances and pioneering textures of 20th-century Polish classical music inspired some of the boldest sounds in 21st-century culture, as the two worlds collide.

Richard Tognetti and his Australian Chamber Orchestra are joined by musicians from Guildhall School to bring music by pop-cultural icons Jonny Greenwood and Bryce Dessner face-to-face with the sounds of post-World War Two Poland – Szymanowski, Penderecki and Lutosławski – in an evening that’s been described as ‘a mind-bending, ear twisting, richly rewarding musical experience like few others’ (The Australian).

No music exists in a vacuum – so prepare for the worlds of neo-classicism, Polish folk and the avant-garde to collide with contemporary cult classics in a dizzying, mesmerising and energising concert experience typical of our International Associate Ensemble.