Either I'm slow off the mark or the new concert seasons have been announced much earlier than usual, but I spent some time (and money) on tickets for the new season yesterday evening. (I had actually already got my RFH tickets, but hadn't realised the Barbican/LSO were also in play yet.)

Anyway, I think there are some good concerts coming, more than I can feasibly afford (in time as well as price) but I thought it would be interesting to see which concerts you find most attractive. It's interesting to note that top price Barbican tickets are £32 for LSO concerts, whereas the RFH are £55!

Here are links to the various sites/ seasons:

LSO at the Barbican

Philharmonia (pdf that seems to take a while to open)

LPO at the RFH (pdf, but quicker)

I can't find a link to the RPO's new season, which perhaps hasn't been announced yet. That also seems to be the case with the OAE.  

Interesting to see Gergiev return to 'home territory' after his Mahler this season, with his Émigré season exploring Rachmaninov and Prokofiev in particular - the Rach symphonies and Prokofiev Romeo and Juliet are highlights; I would imagine the 2nd Rachmaninov Symphony and R&J will be recorded for LSO live as there are repeat dates scheduled.  I would be interested to hear him conduct some English repertoire while he's here though, at some point.

There is a Last Words series with the LSO with various conductors - Donald Runnicles is conducting a Mahler/ Strauss evening with Christine Brewer singing the Four Last Sings which looks pretty unmissable. I also spotted Colin Davis leading the LSO forces in Berlioz's Requiem (again, two concerts, so presumably for LSO Live).

Some pretty nice Russian repertoire from the LPO, especially concerts with Neeme Järvi, Vladimir Jurowski and Gennady Rozhdestvensky.

Highlights of the first half of the Philharmonia's season, for me, are the final concerts in Hickox's RVW symphony series following two concerts plus The Pilgrim's Progress this summer.

Do post what takes your fancy from these or post links to other orchestras/ ensembles as they appear.

I have a little list, Eruanto. Anything in particular you would like to know? Quite happy to type out a few details.

There are recitals by: Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, Boris Giltburg, Imogen Cooper (x 2), Artur Pizarro, Stephen Hough, Stephen Kovacevich, Alexandre Tharaud, Martin Helmchen, Maurizio Pollini, Boris Berezovsky, Kirill Gerstein, Grigory Sokolov (subject to fingerprinting ), Yuja Wang, Mitsuko Uchida, Robert Levin (x 2).

I've also got details of the International Chamber Music Season 2008-09 if that is of interest to anyone.

I don't think either will be on the SBC website until next week sometime but happy to provide details.

Seems strange they haven't released the information, when the other series are there: Philharmonia, Shell International etc. Good to know there are plans.


Many thanks George!! That seems a very good list, as usual there are a couple I've never heard of .

Berlioz Te Deum, I've got, IGI, unles you know something I don't ... which does often happen.

Gergiev is also bringing the Mariinsky Opera over for (concert) performances of three Russian operas in January which I could almost hear your credit card getting itchy over: Tchaikovsky Queen of Spades, Rubinstein The Demon and Alexander Smelkov The Brothers Karamazov.

Well spotted, George. Even though I've booked a ticket for it, and advised mahlerei it's on, I still read it as Requiem!!


Yes, Ruth told me about that one the other week - it had been shrouded in mystery when it first appeared on the website - and I've opted for The Demon!

The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment one should be out 'any moment' I'm told. It was meant to be last week I think but something held it up. There are apparently going to be a couple of Simon Rattle/Schumann concerts, two Tchaikovsky programmes with Vladimir Jurowski and lots'n'lots of Haydn (NOM NOM NOM) marking the 200th anniversary of his death.


[Edit: The new season of OAE concerts, at least up to and including March 2009, is now up on their website: http://www.oae.co.uk/  Among other things Mackerras conducting Mozart and Beethoven. ]

Goodness, it's all go on the announcements front. The BBCSO's new season up to May 2009 has been announced and is up on their website here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/orchestras/symphonyorchestra/concert_diary/index.shtml

Sam Hayden's Substratum, performed in truncated form at last year's Proms, finally gets a complete performance on 8 December.

There are three 'Composer Days' (replacing the annual 'Composer Weekend'): Stockhausen on 17 January, Tristan Murail on 7 February and Xenakis on 7 March.

And for rarely performed opera collectors, there's a concert performance of Martinu's Julietta on 27 March. 



And now the London Sinfonietta at the South Bank Centre: http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/festivals-series/london-sinfonietta-08-09

Someone who unfortunately isn't George Garnett writes:

Yes, twice! It's too bad that Mackerras didn't do more Martinu (although it's hard to imagine when he might have fitted any in). I've been listening today to a new CD of one of my favourite Martinu pieces, the Concerto for violin and piano, though C Hogwood, who is conducting, seems to want to present it in a far too matter-of-fact kind of way (rather than the enigmatic stream of consciousness I think it is). I don't think Mackerras would have taken that route.