The world-famous London Symphony Orchestra will play a one-night only concert at QPAC
IN A coup for QPAC, Brisbane will be first stop for the London Symphony Orchestra in Australia.
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THE London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is one of the world’s most exciting, and the big news is that it’s coming to Brisbane.
In a coup for QPAC, Brisbane will be first stop for a one-night-only concert on Saturday, November 22.
Speaking from London, LSO managing director Kathryn McDowell says the well-travelled orchestra hasn’t been here for three decades.
“The musicians are thrilled to be coming,” McDowell says.
“There are such strong ties between the UK and Australia and some of the orchestra members have relatives there.
“There’s huge excitement about our visit.”
Arts Minister Ian Walker says QPAC is entertaining an increasing number of international performers.
“The concert by the LSO follows a line-up of some of the world’s greatest orchestras performing at QPAC, including the Vienna Philharmonic in 2011, the Hamburg Philharmonic with Simone Young in 2012 and in 2013 the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra,” he says. “It adds to a stellar line-up for this year, including the 2014 International Series and an Australian exclusive of the American Ballet Theatre.
“Then there’s The Lion King and the two Super Star Fund events, the Queensland Ballet’s Romeo & Juliet and Queensland Symphony Orchestra’s Journey Through the Cosmos with astrophysicist Professor Brian Cox.”
Among music lovers there will huge excitement about the fact that the LSO’s Brisbane concert will feature a repertoire consisting of Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 2 (featuring solo artist Denis Matsuev, one of the world’s great pianists) and Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 10 conducted by the LSO’s principal conductor, Valery Gergiev.
“This repertoire is what Valery Gergiev is all about,” Kathryn McDowell says.
“When we were discussing repertoire we really thought — it has to be Russian.”
With a Russian conductor and a Russian pianist, that seems only fair.
Gergiev is one of the most prominent figures in the world’s major concert halls and has been principal conductor of the LSO since 2007.
He is also artistic and general director of the Mariinksy Theatre in St Petersburg, honorary president of the Edinburgh International Festival, and dean of the faculty of arts at St Petersburg State University in Russia.
Formed in 1904, the LSO has become one of the most extensive touring and recording orchestras in the world.
The LSO is resident orchestra at the Barbican in London where it plays more than 70 concerts annually and it also has residencies at the Lincoln Centre in New York and La Salle Pleyel in Paris.
It was the official orchestra of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games ceremonies and has recorded music for hundreds of films including all six Star Wars movies and The King’s Speech.
Tickets for the Brisbane concert go on sale tomorrow. Visit qpac.com.au
Originally published as The world-famous London Symphony Orchestra will play a one-night only concert at QPAC
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