Totentanz

Thomas Adès: 50th Birthday Concert

Programme

Kurtág  Ligatura – Message to Frances-Marie (The Answered Unanswered Question)

Sibelius The Swan of Tuonela from Lemminkäinen Suite

Sibelius Suite No 2 from The Tempest

Thomas Adès Totentanz

“‘Good folk, come, rich or poor, this way / Come young and old, to see the play …’ Thomas Adès has been called the natural successor to Britten, and his dark, daring Totentanz tells a tale as old as time. But with Adès, nothing is ever predictable, and this 50th birthday concert contains more than one masterpiece.

Adès himself conducts, and has chosen the other pieces for this celebration. Sibelius’ brooding, elemental tone-pictures and Kurtág’s concentrated intimacy each shine a light on the roots of Adès’ inspiration. And then, two handpicked soloists – Simon Keenlyside and Christianne Stotijn – join Adès and the LSO for what will surely be a near-definitive performance of a true 21st-century classic; a work that’s been described as Adès’ ‘most astounding orchestral composition yet’.”

This concert has been cancelled due to the current coronavirus restrictions.

Two revised concerts celebrating Thomas Adès’s 50th birthday have been rescheduled for Saturday 06 March. The programme for these revised concerts does not include Totentanz and Simon will not be appearing in them.