lso australia tour

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londonsymphonyorchestra23 Sir Simon Rattle conducts the London Symphony Orchestra QPAC Classical Music Sir Simon Rattle conducts the London Symphony Orchestra

The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) make a triumphant return to Australia in 2023, with internationally revered conductor Sir Simon Rattle leading his final tour as Music Director of the LSO.

Among the world’s finest orchestras, the LSO commences its highly anticipated Australian tour at QPAC. Hear them at their ‘magnificent, virtuosic best’ performing two extraordinary programs with music by Adams , Debussy , Ravel and Mahler . Featuring 114 musicians, this will be the largest orchestra the LSO have ever brought to Australia and only their fourth Australian tour in their 120-year history.

PROGRAM 1: ADAMS | DEBUSSY | RAVEL (FRIDAY, 28 APRIL 7:30PM)

Sir Simon Rattle is known as a conductor of orchestrally colourful repertoire, and this program brings together three signature favourites that show this to perfection. John Adams’ Harmonielehre is the kind of work that is normally too big for orchestras to tour. But the LSO’s huge orchestral forces will shine in this American marriage of harmonic richness and rhythmic momentum. Debussy ’s enthralling sketches of the sea, La Mer, and the voluptuous and sensual suite from Ravel’s ballet Daphnis et Chloé will highlight the LSO’s ‘special sense of colour and ability to play quietly and delicately’.

John Adams Harmonielehre Claude Debussy La Mer Maurice Ravel Daphnis et Chloé Suite No.2

Sir Simon Rattle , conductor London Symphony Orchestra

Duration:  approx. 2 hours including interval

PROGRAM 2:  MAHLER 7 (SATURDAY, 29 APRIL 7:30PM)

Mahler ’s Seventh is the dark horse of his symphonies. This fascinating and rarely performed masterpiece will intrigue and delight. No wonder it has become a signature work for Sir Simon Rattle . The heart of this symphony is ‘music of the night’, with Mahler taking inspiration from Mozart serenades and lovers singing beneath windows, creating a nocturnal kaleidoscopic dreamworld. Mahler Seven, says Sir Simon, follows a ‘journey from night to an almost blinding dawn’. Spend the night with Mahler and the LSO and you too can take that sonic and emotional journey.

Gustav Mahler Symphony No.7        

Duration:  approx. 1 hour and 30 min no interval

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London symphony orchestra announce australian tour.

The London Symphony Orchestra have announced an Australian tour for April and May in 2023.

The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) will make a triumphant return to Australia in April-May 2023 with internationally-revered conductor, Sir Simon Rattle leading his final season as LSO music director.

Among the world’s finest orchestras, the LSO will perform two concerts in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, with a third program exclusive to the Sydney Opera House in celebration of its 50th anniversary year. This will be the first Australian tour by the LSO since 2014 and only their fourth trip Down Under in their 120-year history. The LSO made its Australian debut in 1966 and also toured in 1983.

London Symphony Orchestra’s Australian tour

Friday 5 May 7.30pm John Adams  Harmonielehre Claude Debussy  La Mer Maurice Ravel  Daphnis and Chloé Suite No.2

Saturday 6 May 7.30pm Gustav Mahler  Symphony No.7

Iwaki Auditorium, ABC Southbank Centre

Thursday 4 May 6.30pm In Conversation with Sir Simon Rattle

Check out Melbourne’s most comprehensive gig guide here .

It’s Rattle’s third visit to Australia: “It is always wonderful to be in Australia, and even more so after recent years – the feeling of sharing and experiencing live music together is something truly special.  The program we’ve chosen to bring to Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne includes some of my personal favourites, and shows the great range, skill and musicianship of this world-class Orchestra at its best.”

The first program features John Adams’ Harmonielehre , Claude Debussy’s La Mer and Maurice Ravel’s Daphnis and Chloé Suite No.2.

“Debussy’s La Mer and Ravel’s Daphnis and Chloe are a delightful nod to the orchestra’s special sense of colour and ability to play so quietly and delicately. It gives something very special to these works,” says Rattle. “John Adams Harmonielehre – a piece by a very dear friend of mine, which I’ve loved all my musical life, has become a signature piece for the LSO.”

The second program features a single work – Gustav Mahler’s epic Symphony No.7, which Rattle describes as “one of Mahler’s most astonishing and surprising and certainly his most forward-looking symphonies.” Adding that it is “exactly the kind of piece that will show the LSO in all its glory.”

An additional program at Sydney Opera House will feature Anton Bruckner’s Symphony No.7 performed in the edition by Benjamin-Gunnar Cohrs. “Benjamin is a leading specialist on Bruckner,” says Rattle. “Conducting the premiere of his edition of the Seventh Symphony was a real privilege, as it is each time that I return to conducting his arrangements of Bruckner – it is always like hearing Bruckner’s music afresh.”

The third concert will also showcase a new work Sun Poem by brilliant young British composer Daniel Kidane. “The LSO has been a pioneer in championing young composers, and we are delighted to bring this completely fascinating and deeply beautiful, commissioned piece to the iconic Sydney Opera House,” says Rattle.

Established in 1904, the LSO is Resident Orchestra at the Barbican in the City of London. The Orchestra has recorded some of film music’s most memorable soundtracks including Star Wars, Indiana Jones and The Shape of Water. Along with a successful recording label, learning and community program, and streaming service, the LSO reaches around the globe to share extraordinary music with as many people as possible.

Newly appointed LSO chief conductor Antonio Pappano will take the baton at the end of the 2023-24 season, while Rattle will become the LSO’s conductor emeritus and take up the position of chief conductor with the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks in Munich.

Tickets for the London Symphony Orchestra at Melbourne Arts Centre’s Hamer Hall go on sale 22 August at mso.com.au/lso.

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Hear me out: Rattle’s LSO heads down under

norman lebrecht

August 15, 2022

Sir Simon Rattle will make a farewell tour of Australia with the London Symphony Orchestra next year.

Is this journey really necessary?

Special announcement from the Melbourne Symphony:

The London Symphony Orchestra makes its triumphant return to Melbourne in May 2023 with internationally revered conductor, Sir Simon Rattle leading in his final season as LSO Music Director.

Among the world’s finest orchestras, this is the first LSO Australian tour since 2014, and only their fourth trip Down Under in their 120-year history. Melbourne will provide a fitting finale for this special, three-city tour and we invite you to hear them at their ‘magnificent, virtuosic best’ over two extraordinary programs in Hamer Hall. Featuring 114 musicians, this will be the largest orchestra the LSO has ever brought to Australia.

On Friday 5 May, the LSO perform signature favourites: John Adams’ Harmonielehre, La Mer by Debussy, and Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé Suite No.2

On Saturday 6 May, the program described by Sir Simon Rattle is one of the ‘most astonishing, surprising, and most forward-looking’ of Mahler’s symphonies, the Seventh!

The MSO is proud to present our dear friends from London, and to share our home with them over two special evenings.

According to the MSO’s website, the London Symphony Orchestra performances are supported by the Gandel Foundation, through the MSO’s Now & Forever Future Fund. I would be very interested to hear from MSO management as to whether any financial resources have been diverted from those specifically allocated to support the MSO.

Is this journey necessary? Well orchestras still rely on touring to establish and maintain their international reputation, and this, in tun, assists ticket sales. Probabl, it’s easier to travel to Melbourne that tour around Europe under Brexit bureaucracy these days!

I think that you’ve answered your own question. And Brexshit is a complete disaster for all British musicians wanting to perform in the EU, even if your conductor now has a German passport.

Six years on and you are still throwing your toys out of your pram.

Surely Australia is as entitled to hear top quality orchestras as any other country?

I agree. Looking at Birmingham’s THSH offerings of international orchestras for next season, we still have some way to go to get to pre-Brexshit levels.

The local council before Brexit decided to radically cut funding for the international series.

Still nobody knows why he left the Berlin Philharmonic.

If he’d anticipated Brexshit, he might not have. We’ll never know.

Because sixteen years is a long enough tenure, for both sides. What more do you need?

Because of Karajan we assume a conductor Will stay for life. Things have changed.

Very likely he and the Berlin Philharmonic know, so that’s almost everybody. (who should know why)

Now touring is forbidden? On whose authority? I’m reading Julian Barnes’ book on Shostakovich. I’m recognizing far too many details.

Why do you ask if it is necessary? Orchestral touring is part of the concert life of any major outfit. Is there a reason why they should not go to Australia? Unless of course the issue is to do with air travel and green issues, in which case I guess there is something to debate.

I agree with both your comments. So far as the green is concerned, going there by boat would probably be even less green, musicians need to travel around the world & we want to hear them.

What is “necessary”? The LSO clearly thinks there will be the audiences for the tour. Isn’t that enough?

Is any journey really necessary?

The journey toward death is compulsory..

I know there’s a lot of talk about whether orchestras should keep touring, carbon footprints and all, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t do it at all. So one plane will fly to Sydney, Melbourne, and I would guess Perth or Brisbane? Out of thousands of planes that fly every day. They do have terrific orchestras Down Under, but still good for them to hear the likes of the LSO on occasion.

I attended two concerts in Sydney recently. Despite both programmes being repeated, both concerts were almost sold out.

Clearly there are those in Australia who love classical music.

Perhaps the BBC should invite the Sydney Symphony to play at the Proms.

Indeed they should.

yes….a fabulous orchestra.Like the Melbourne Symphony,who gave a fantastic prom under Sir Andrew some years ago.

Totally superfluos question…It is necessary because Australians can hear a top orchestra under a top conductor live…Same as i enjoy them coming to Germany,where i live….period

Recommendation requested. Of the three programs Le Mer, Mahler 7 and Bruckner 7 which do you suggest will see Rattle and LSO at their best?

If Rattle’s conducting the Mahler 7.

I wouldn’t go with Bruckner 7, Rattle’s Bruckner is a bit questionable, at least for me. I’d go for either the Debussy/Ravel/Adams or Mahler 7.

More power to Melbourne for achieving this coup. Grand visit for LSO awaits a classical-music-hungry city.

They’re playing Brisbane and Sydney as well

This is great news, but I must confess to some disappointment with the programmes as listed. We are not exactly starved of very fine Mahler performances down here, and apart from the Adams, this is all pretty standard. Where is the Elgar, Vaughan Williams, Tippett, etc., etc., played by an orchestra which has them all as part of its DNA?

Given that the mandolin is completely inaudible in Rattle’s Birmingham recording of Mahler 7 on EMI (not a huge issue, I know), it wouldn’t hurt my feelings if LSO Live were to issue a Rattle conducted recording of it. Then again, the L.S.O. has already made two really good recordings of M7 with their fine brass section: Michal Tilson Thomas (RCA) and V. Gergiev (LSO Live). They’re among the better Mahler recordings from both of those conductors. . . . If you buy the Berlin Phil’s own box of live Mahler performances, that does have both a very good Mahler 7 and 8 from Sir Simon (Says). The 8th from Berlin was the last recording of the tenor part being sung by the late Johan Botha.

For those still fighting the battle of Brexit, or the Battle of Hastings, it is worth pointing out that any touring visa issues in EU countries for UK orchestras are entirely down to EU intransigence, as with other sectors.

Australia are an ally of the UK not a hostile entity. A member of the Five Eyes security alliance no less.Therefore the LSO can head down under with no problems.

In the past week both the Vienna Symphony Orchestra and the Oslo Philharmonic have played in the UK at the Proms. Do you seriously think the UK government roadblocks up to hinder that process?

Cue Remainer abuse….

Non-Australian musicians need to have a visa to perform in Australia. It costs a few hundred dollars to get the visa and they need supporting documents.

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Arts & entertainment, design & style, travel & leisure, search concrete playground, the london symphony orchestra is touring australia for the first time since 2014.

It's only the fourth time in the LSO's 120-year history that it's making the trip Down Under.

Huge music tours are back on Australia's agenda — and they aren't just confined to chart-topping stars , iconic names and huge festivals . In the classical world, the London Symphony Orchestra is also coming our way to play a series of shows in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. And, the 2023 tour will mark only its fourth-ever trip Down Under.

Famous for everything from being the official orchestra of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games ceremonies through to recording the Star Wars , Superman , Indiana Jones , Thor and The Shape of Water film soundtracks, the LSO held its first-ever gig in 1904. That means it's been picking up its instruments for almost 120 years — and in that time, it has only visited Australia on three occasions before now.

The April and May shows at QPAC in the Sunshine State, the Sydney Opera House in the Harbour City and Arts Centre Melbourne in Victoria will also see the orchestra make the journey Down Under for the first time since 2014.

If it's drama you're after, get ready to watch music director Sir Simon Rattle's baton fly as he conducts the orchestra during his final season with the organisation.

The LSO is bringing 114 musicians our way for the tour, including two Australians: Naoko Keatley and Belinda McFarlane, both on violin. And, it's the largest orchestra it has ever toured to our shores.

The orchestra will play three different programs — two each in Brisbane and Melbourne, and a third in Sydney as well. All cities will be treated to a night featuring John Adams' 'Harmonielehre', Claude Debussy's 'La Mer' and Maurice Ravel' 'Daphnis and Chloé Suite No.2', plus an entire evening dedicated to Gustav Mahler's 'Symphony No.7'. As for that extra Sydney gig, it'll feature Daniel Kidane's 'Sun Poem' and Anton Bruckner's 'Symphony No.7'.

Before its 2014 tour, the LSO first came to Australia in 1966 and then again in 1983.

LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA 2023 AUSTRALIAN TOUR

Friday, April 28–Saturday, April 29 —Queensland Performing Arts Centre, Brisbane Monday, May 1–Wednesday, May 3 — Sydney Opera House Friday, May 5–Saturday, May 6 — Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne

The London Symphony Orchestra will tour Australia in April and May 2023. For further information and to buy tickets — with on-sale dates varying per city — head to the Sydney Opera House , Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and  websites.

Images: Mark Allen.

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Back with a bang: Rattle and the LSO begin their Australian tour

With the visit of the London Symphony Orchestra to the Sydney Opera House this week, there is a sense of finally shutting the door on the disruptions of the last few years. For the first time since the pandemic, an overseas orchestra has graced the building, and the atmosphere for the opening concert was appropriately festal, with party streamers distributed to those sitting near the stage among the capacity crowd. So confident were the organisers in the star power of the LSO and their Music Director Sir Simon Rattle that all three programmes are being simultaneously broadcast to the forecourt outside the Opera House, so that many others can experience the music for a fraction of the cost.

This is not the first visit to Sydney for either conductor or orchestra, but in the interim the interior of the Concert Hall has been renovated and acoustically much improved, as Rattle acknowledged in his brief post-concert remarks. The increased audibility of individual parts was crucial to the effectiveness of the first programme, focussed on French impressionism and John Adams’ sonically dense Harmonielehre . These were preceded by Deborah Cheetham Fraillon’s Tarimi Nulay , a sung acknowledgement of country which required the cooperation of Sydney Philharmonia Symphony Chorus, all 170 or so members singing from memory.

The choir were thereafter spectators until the final piece, as the orchestra unleashed the battery of sound that begins Harmonielehre . Throughout the first movement, one was left marvelling at Adams’ mesmeric play of motions, so much more audible live than on even the best of recordings. From my seat near the front, it was fascinating seeing up close the phase-shifting among the first violins, with each desk offset a fraction from the others. Also admirable was the strong sense of an overall plan Rattle conveyed in a work which in lesser hands can descend into shapelessness; one was led through the kaleidoscopic textures with sureness and purpose.

In the second movement, The Anfortas Wound , the music reached an almost unbearable level of intensity at the climax through the combination of volume, register and dissonance, but the orchestra distinguished itself just as much in the beautifully soft ending. Rattle marshalled his enormous forces without a wasted gesture, but could still be very vigorous when it was needed, such as when cueing the multiple tricky entries in the final movement, Meister Eckhardt and Quackie .

Debussy’s La Mer was paired with the second suite from Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé for a second half rich in colour. Whether it was the pellucid opening textures, the passionate cello ensemble in the first sketch, the delicatissimo ending of the second, or the rounded tone of the woodwind melody in the third, the orchestra impressed throughout La Mer . As one would expect of a leading orchestra, there was a strong sense of layered textures rather than homogeneous dynamics across the forces, giving welcome light and shade, and allowing individual instruments to come to the fore. The diaphanous textures of the Ravel took on a transparency, allowing us to marvel at the virtuosity of the flutes and strings as one was able to hear the sheer number of notes they rippled through, seemingly without effort. With the choir singing their descending moans with gusto, the final Danse générale culminated in an outburst of corybantic rapture.

Rattle then deliberately lowered the temperature with Delius’ Intermezzo from Fennimore and Gerda , memorable for delightful woodwind solos over pastoral sonorities. The second encore was an extremely brisk final Fugue from The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra , allowing each orchestral section its well-deserved moment in the sun.

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Wednesday 03 May 2023

London Symphony Orchestra and Sir Simon Rattle

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Doors open: 19:00

Tour name: London Symphony Orchestra’s Australian Tour 2023

Nearly 60 years ago, the London Symphony Orchestra was the first visiting orchestra to rehearse in the Sydney Opera House. It was 1966, the building was unfinished, the acoustic was – no surprise – ‘terrible’. Now, in 2023, the London Symphony Orchestra will make its third visit to this iconic building as the first international orchestra to perform in the newly renovated Concert Hall. The LSO’s return to the Sydney Opera House on its final tour with outgoing music director Sir Simon Rattle will be a highlight in our 50th anniversary celebrations. Back in 1966, the LSO was the ‘best orchestra yet to be heard in Australia’ – ‘a true ensemble … amazingly accurate and brilliant’. And nothing’s changed. If anything, the LSO has gone from strength to strength.

Sir Simon’s LSO legacy ranges from the ravishing colour and transparency that he brings to French music, to the energy, insight and sheer love that emerges in his interpretations of Bruckner and Mahler. And it will all be on show in three programs: Mahler’s Seventh Symphony; American John Adams and two 20th-century French masterpieces in a scintillating combination; and in a Sydney exclusive: Bruckner’s Seventh Symphony and a fascinating and beautiful new work by Daniel Kidane.

Sir Simon says it feels ‘almost like science fiction, the idea of even getting on a plane, let alone coming to the other side of the world’. In the shadow of a global pandemic, the thought of travelling to hear an orchestra or of an orchestra travelling to perform for us has seemed impossible. But it’s happening! Join us for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hear the LSO and Sir Simon Rattle perform in Sydney.

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Sir Simon Rattle conducts the London Symphony Orchestra

The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) make a triumphant return to Australia in 2023, with internationally revered conductor Sir Simon Rattle leading his final tour as Music Director of the LSO.

Among the world’s finest orchestras, the LSO commences its highly anticipated Australian tour at QPAC. Hear them at their ‘magnificent, virtuosic best’ performing two extraordinary programs with music by Adams, Debussy, Ravel and Mahler. Featuring 114 musicians, this will be the largest orchestra the LSO have ever brought to Australia and only their fourth Australian tour in their 120-year history.

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London Symphony Orchestra: Adams, Debussy and Ravel

Proudly presented by MSO Premier Partner Ryman Healthcare

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Performance details.

Friday 5 May 2023 at 7.30pm Arts Centre Melbourne, Hamer Hall

London Symphony Orchestra Sir Simon Rattle conductor Deborah Cheetham Fraillon AO soprano

Deborah Cheetham Fraillon AO Long Time Living Here (Musical Acknowledgement of Country) John Adams Harmonielehre Debussy La mer Ravel Daphnis et Chloé Suite No.2

About this performance

Ever since Pierre Monteux was principal conductor in the 60s, French music has been part of the London Symphony Orchestra’s DNA. ‘It’s hilarious,’ says Sir Simon Rattle, that a London group should be ‘one of the great French orchestras.’ Sir Simon himself is known as a conductor of orchestrally colourful repertoire, and this program brings together three signature favourites that show this to perfection.

John Adams’ Harmonielehre calls for more than a hundred musicians – the kind of piece that’s normally too big for orchestras to tour. But the LSO is bringing 114 musicians to Melbourne, making it possible to hear them in this American marriage of harmonic richness and rhythmic momentum. Inspired by a surreal dream of a tanker ship taking off like a rocket, the mesmerising Harmonielehre at first launches a visceral, rhythmic assault before inviting us into a mysterious musical world of glittering intrigue and exquisite beauty entirely unlike any other.

Debussy and Ravel will highlight the LSO’s ‘special sense of colour and ability to play quietly and delicately’. From Debussy’s enthralling sketches of the sea to the voluptuous and sensual take on Greek mythology in Ravel’s ballet suite, the second half will fill Hamer Hall – and your soul – with the vibrant and glittering sounds of the 20th century.

Duration: approx. 1 hour and 50 minutes, including interval

‘To Daphnis and Chloe, Rattle and his players brought glittering sonorities, a lyrical sweep and a thrilling surge to the finish.’ -The Evening Standard

This performance is proudly presented by Ryman Healthcare, Premier Partner of the MSO.

London Symphony Orchestra performances are supported by the Gandel Foundation, through the MSO’s Now & Forever Future Fund.

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London Symphony Orchestra eyes Australia

The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) will make a triumphant return to Australia in April-May 2023 with internationally revered conductor, Sir Simon Rattle leading his final season as LSO Music Director.

Among the world’s finest orchestras, the LSO will perform two concerts in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, with a third program exclusive to the Sydney Opera House in celebration of its 50th anniversary year.

This will be the first Australian tour by the LSO since 2014 and only the fourth trip Down Under in its 120-year history. The LSO made its Australian debut in 1966 and also toured in 1983. It is Sir Simon Rattle’s third visit to Australia.

LSO Music Director Sir Simon Rattle says, “It is always wonderful to be in Australia, and even more so after recent years – the feeling of sharing and experiencing live music together is something truly special. The program we’ve chosen to bring to Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne includes some of my personal favourites, and shows the great range, skill and musicianship of this world-class Orchestra at its best.”

LSO Managing Director, Kathryn McDowell says, “It’s incredible to be able to bring 114 musicians including two Australians – Naoko Keatley (violin) and Belinda McFarlane (violin) – to explore and share our music with Australian audiences. This is the largest orchestra we’ve ever brought to Australia and Sir Simon Rattle has prepared an extraordinary program for the tour. Each visit to Australia has been a momentous occasion, just as this 2023 tour promises to be.”

The first program features John Adams’ Harmonielehre, Claude Debussy’s La Mer and Maurice Ravel’s Daphnis and Chloé Suite No.2.

“Debussy’s La Mer and Ravel’s Daphnis and Chloe are a delightful nod to the orchestra’s special sense of colour and ability to play so quietly and delicately. It gives something very special to these works,” says Rattle.

“John Adams’ Harmonielehre – a piece by a very dear friend of mine, which I’ve loved all my musical life, has become a signature piece for the LSO.”

The second program features a single work – Gustav Mahler’s epic Symphony No.7, which Rattle describes as “one of Mahler’s most astonishing and surprising and certainly his most forward-looking symphonies.” Adding that it is “exactly the kind of piece that will show the LSO in all its glory.”

An additional program at Sydney Opera House will feature Anton Bruckner’s Symphony No.7 performed in the edition by Benjamin-Gunnar Cohrs.

“Benjamin is a leading specialist on Bruckner,” says Sir Simon. “Conducting the premiere of his edition of the Seventh Symphony was a real privilege, as it is each time that I return to conducting his arrangements of Bruckner – it is always like hearing Bruckner’s music afresh.”

The third concert will also showcase a new work Sun Poem by brilliant young British composer Daniel Kidane. “The LSO has been a pioneer in championing young composers, and we are delighted to bring this completely fascinating and deeply beautiful, commissioned piece to the iconic Sydney Opera House,” says Rattle.

Established in 1904, the LSO is Resident Orchestra at the Barbican in the City of London and recognised among the world’s top orchestras. The Orchestra has recorded some of film music’s most memorable soundtracks including Star Wars, Indiana Jones and The Shape of Water. Along with a successful recording label, learning and community program, and streaming service, the LSO reaches around the globe to share extraordinary music with as many people as possible.

The tour marks the end of Sir Simon Rattle’s tenure as Music Director for the LSO. Newly appointed Chief Conductor Sir Antonio Pappano will take the baton at the end of the 2023-24 season, while Sir Simon will become the LSO’s Conductor Emeritus and take up the position of Chief Conductor with the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks in Munich.

QPAC Chief Executive John Kotzas said it would be wonderful to again host one of the world’s most acclaimed orchestras for its first Australian season in almost ten years. “Touring an orchestra of this size and scale internationally is no mean feat and so this Australian season, opening at QPAC in Brisbane, is a rare opportunity for local audiences,” Mr Kotzas said.

“With the lauded Sir Simon Rattle conducting the Orchestra in his last season with LSO, and his first appearance at QPAC, this is certainly the classical music event of the year and one not to be missed. The last time the LSO played at QPAC, their concert sold out in under 48 hours, and we expect to see the same demand for this return season.”

Tickets can be purchased from the QPAC website.

Media release supplied.

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London Symphony Orchestra and Sir Simon Rattle to tour Australia

A staggering 114 musicians will play masterworks by John Adams, Debussy, Ravel, Mahler and Bruckner when the LSO tours Australia next year.

The London Symphony Orchestra has announced that it will return to Australia in April and May 2023 under the leadership of Sir Simon Rattle in what will be his final season as LSO Music Director.

The orchestra will perform two concerts – including works by John Adams, Ravel, Debussy and Mahler – in each of Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, with a third program, featuring Bruckner’s Seventh Symphony, exclusive to Sydney as part of the celebrations surrounding the Sydney Opera House’s 50th anniversary year.

The LSO made its Australian debut in 1966 and last visited Australia in 2014 for a series of concerts under then Chief Conductor Valery Gergiev. Limelight critics on that occasion commented “What an evening! What an orchestra!” and “The LSO’s performance could not have been bettered anywhere on the planet.”

The London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Simon Rattle, Barbican Hall, June 2022. Photo © Mark Allan

The 2023 tour will be only the orchestra’s fourth trip Down Under in its 120-year history. Rattle will be making only his third...

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• Entertainment

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

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Sir Simon Rattle conducts London Symphony Orchestra Programme 2 - Mahler 7 Inside/Out at the House

Sir Simon describes Mahler’s Seventh as astonishing, surprising and one of his most forward-looking symphonies – music to showcase the LSO in all its glory.

Take your seat, Inside or Out

In the  Concert Hall

Live broadcast to the  Forecourt  

All tickets $10 including transport & no booking fee!

Travel on public transport is included in your $10 Outside ticket to Sydney Opera House 50th Anniversary ‘Inside/Out at the House’ events on the Forecourt. Monday 1 to Sunday 7 May 2023 inclusive. Simply show your event ticket to transport staff when boarding the following services:

Sydney Trains and NSW TrainLink Intercity services (non-booked services bounded by Bomaderry, Goulburn, Bathurst, Scone and Dungog stations)

Sydney Metro North West services

Sydney metropolitan and outer metropolitan route buses

Sydney and Newcastle Light Rail services

Sydney Ferries

Remember to keep your event ticket safe for your return journey or you’ll need to use your Opal card or contactless payment method, as you must have a valid ticket when travelling on public transport. Your travel entitlement is valid on the modes of public transport listed above until 4am the following day.

Note : an additional  train station access fee  applies for travel to or from Domestic and International Airport stations. The access fee is not covered by your event ticket travel entitlements.

Visit  transportnsw.info/events  for details

Performance in the Concert Hall

$8.95 booking fee applies per transaction

Prices correct at the time of publication and subject to change without notice. Exact prices will be displayed with seat selection. Children aged 15 years and under must be accompanied at all times

The authorised ticket agency for this event is  Sydney Opera House  . For more information about Authorised Agencies, see the FAQ below.

Live broadcast to the Forecourt 

All tickets $10 including transport & no booking fee.

This concert will go for approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes, without interval. Subject to change.

Suitable for ages 12+

Young people under the age of 15 must be accompanied at all times. Children aged 0 - 23 months at the time of a performance may be seated on a parent’s lap free of charge. All children occupying a seat or aged two years and older must hold a valid ticket.

Wheelchair accessible

No language barrier

Find out more about  accessibility at Sydney Opera House.

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Venue information 

Covid-safe information

• Frequently asked questions

Mahler 7 – Music of the Night

Mahler’s Seventh is the dark horse of his symphonies. It doesn’t turn up in orchestra programs quite as often as it should, but when it does, this fascinating work intrigues and delights every time. No wonder it has become a signature work for Sir Simon Rattle.

The heart of this symphony is ‘music of the night’, with Mahler taking inspiration from Mozart serenades and lovers singing below windows (there’s even a guitar and a mandolin). He sets up a curious, nocturnal atmosphere with music that scurries through the shadows of a kaleidoscopic dreamworld. Is he being ironic or should we take him seriously? It’s Mahler, so it’s complicated. And it’s that ambivalence that makes this symphony seem so modern.

Mahler Seven, says Sir Simon, follows a ‘journey from night to an almost blinding dawn’. Spend the night with Mahler and the LSO and you too can take that sonic and emotional journey.

Programme MAHLER Symphony No.7 Artists Sir Simon Rattle conductor  London Symphony Orchestra

Presented by Sydney Opera House

This program is proudly supported by the NSW Government through Create NSW’s Blockbusters Funding initiative

Concert Hall

Experience the London Symphony Orchestra in the superb new acoustics of the renewed Sydney Opera House Concert Hall. See these incredible musicians up close and make this a night to remember.

Watch the London Symphony Orchestra on the big screen on the Forecourt where all tickets are just $10 and include transport. Enjoy the stunning open-air setting with food and beverage available.

All tickets $10 and include transport

Inside/Out at the House

Celebrating 50 years of the Sydney Opera House, Inside/Out at the House invites you to join us under the sails or the stars for an extraordinary experience. Inside or out, choose your own adventure and join the celebrations. Will you see Barnesy, Bruckner or ballet?

Other information

Venue information.

Our foyers will be open 90 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and two hours pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. Refreshments will be available for purchase from our theatre bars. All Sydney Opera House foyers are pram accessible, with lifts to the main and western foyers. The public lift to all foyers is accessible from the corridor near the escalators on the Lower Concourse and also in the Western Foyer via the corridor on the Ground Level (at the top of the escalators). Pram parking will be available outside the theatres in the Western Foyer.

The Sydney Opera House Car Park, operated by Wilson Parking, is open and available to use. Wilson Parking offer discounted parking if you book ahead. Please see  the Wilson Parking website  for details.

Please check the  Transport NSW website  for the latest advice and information on travel. You can catch public transport (bus, train, ferry) to Circular Quay and enjoy a six min walk to the Opera House. 

The health and wellbeing of everyone attending the Opera House is our top priority. We’re committed to making your experience safe, comfortable and enjoyable, with a number of measures in place including regular cleaning of high-touch areas, air conditioning systems that maximise ventilation, and hand sanitiser stations positioned in all paths of travel. We remind our audiences and visitors to please stay home if you feel unwell. If you need to discuss your ticketing or booking options, contact our Box Office team on 02 9250 7777.

The health and wellbeing of everyone attending the Opera House is our top priority. We have a number of safety measures in place including regular cleaning of high-touch areas, air conditioning systems that maximise ventilation, and hand sanitiser stations positioned in all paths of travel. While face masks are no longer required, we ask all our patrons and visitors to practise good hygiene. Please stay home if you feel unwell and read more about our flexible ticket options .

The Sydney Opera House no longer requires patrons to show that they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Gates open 90 minutes before each performance.

Monday 1 May 5:30pm Gates open 7pm London Symphony Orchestra live broadcast Tuesday 2 May  5:30pm Gates open 7pm London Symphony Orchestra live broadcast Wednesday 3 May  5:30pm Gates open 7pm London Symphony Orchestra live broadcast Thursday 4 May  6pm Gates open 7.30pm The Australian Ballet live broadcast

Friday 5 May  5:30pm Gates open 7pm Sydney Symphony Orchestra live broadcast Saturday 6 May - SPC 5:30pm Gates open 7pm Sydney Philharmonia Choirs live broadcast Sunday 7 May - ACO 5pm Gates open 6.30pm Australian Chamber Orchestra live broadcast

Yes, for those attending on the Forecourt these are general admission seated events.

The Opera House Wilson car park will be open, however it is expected to reach capacity early. Patrons are strongly encouraged to use public transport and allow plenty of extra travel time.

The Sydney Opera House Wilson car park is offering discounted rates on weeknights and weekends if you book ahead but please note this does not guarantee you a parking spot. Details are available on their website.

If the Opera House Wilson car park is full, alternative parking is available at:

One Farrer (43 Phillip St)  – entry via Young & Phillip Streets. 800m walk to the Opera House (approximately 12 minutes).

Sofitel Wentworth (61-101 Phillip St)  – entry via 2 Blight Street. 1.1km walk to the Opera House (approximately 13 minutes).

If you use a wheelchair or have special access requirements, call our Accessibility Hotline on +61 2 9250 7752 or email us at [email protected] as early as possible to book a wheelchair space or suitably located seats for your requirements. 

Find out more information about  accessibility at Sydney Opera House

This is an all-weather event. Visitors are encouraged to check the weather and come prepared.

This event is taking place outdoors so we recommend you dress appropriately for the weather. Umbrellas are not permitted for any ticketholders attending performances on the Forecourt. We encourage ticketholders to bring their own ponchos and raincoats.

Except in circumstances beyond our control, this event will proceed rain or shine.

Please contact Box Office on 9250 7777 as soon as possible to advise if you can no longer attend. If you can no longer attend because you are unwell, or have been in contact with someone displaying COVID-19 symptoms, the Opera House has introduced flexible ticketing options to help you, find out more information  here .

In line with our venue security procedures, Opera House security will be scanning and checking bags under the Monumental Stairs or within the Western Foyers, prior to entering the building. Bags will be scanned by an x-ray machine, and staff will wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) when handling your belongings, such as gloves. Please travel lightly and do not bring items that require cloaking e.g. handbags bigger than A4-size, backpacks and umbrellas, which are not permitted inside our venues.

There will be no cloaking on the Forecourt. No umbrellas, strollers, chairs, laser pointers, sparklers, professional cameras or recording devices or selfie sticks, sharp knives or objects.

Food and beverages will be available on the eastern side of the Forecourt when gates open. 

There will be a selection of food trucks serving food and beverages each night.

Please bring a credit or debit card for any on site purchases to enable contactless payment. You’re welcome to bring your own water bottle but no other food and drinks are permitted inside our venues. Opera Bar, Opera Kitchen and Portside are also available for you to enjoy.

Please note that BYO alcohol or glass is not permitted onsite. Further information about items that are prohibited onsite can be found on our  Conditions of Entry.

The health, safety and wellbeing of everyone at the Sydney Opera House is our top priority. In line with this commitment, the Opera House became a smoke-free site in January 2022. Read our Smoke-free Environment Policy . 

Sorry, there will be no pram parking available.

Ticket purchases and collection at our Box Office is discouraged and eTicket or postal delivery methods should be used, wherever possible. However, if you are collecting your tickets from the Box Office, we recommend doing this at least 60 minutes before the event starts. If you have already received your tickets, the venue doors will be open 45 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and 30 minutes pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. Please take your seats as soon as you arrive. 

If you are late, we will seat you as soon as we can and, where possible, in your allocated seat. However, to reduce movement in the venue as well as minimise disruption to the performance and other patrons, ticketholders may be seated in an allocated latecomer’s seat. Please be aware that some events have lock-out periods. In these cases, latecomers will be admitted at a suitable break in the performance. On occasions, this may not be until the interval, or at all where there is no interval. 

Details of our right to refuse admission can be found in our  General Terms and Conditions for Tickets and Events.

In accordance with our venue security procedures, Opera House security will be scanning and checking bags under the Monumental Stairs, prior to entering the building. Bags will be scanned by an x-ray machine, and staff will wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) when handling your belongings, such as gloves. Cloaking facilities will be open 60 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and 60 minutes pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. However it is strongly encouraged that you travel lightly to minimise contact and queuing. Any bags larger than an A4 piece of paper will need to be checked into the Cloak Room.

Foyers will be open 90 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and two hours pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances. Refreshments will be available for purchase from our theatre bars.

The venue doors will be open 45 minutes pre-show for Concert Hall and Joan Sutherland Theatre performances, and 30 minutes pre-show for Western Foyer venue performances.

Children aged 15 years and under must be accompanied at all times. Babies aged 0 - 2 years old at the time of a performance may be seated on an adult’s lap. Children two years and older will need to hold a standard ticket.

Inside/Out at the House: London Symphony Orchestra - Adams, Debussy & Ravel

Sir Simon Rattle and the LSO perform signature favourites: John Adams’ Harmonielehre, La Mer by Debussy, and a suite from Ravel’s ballet Daphnis et Chloé.

Inside/Out at the House: Jewels

George Balanchine’s  Jewels  is a three-part ballet celebrating his vision of three jewels. Visually and thematically structured around the motifs of Emeralds, Rubies and Diamonds. 

Inside/Out at the House: Symphony Spectacular

For 50 years the Sydney Symphony has been resident at Sydney Opera House. In this concert they celebrate some of their most memorable moments in the Concert Hall.

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Just Announced: Our 2024/25 Season

Classical pride with oliver zeffman & nick grimshaw.

with ViiV Healthcare & GAY TIMES

Sunday 7 July 2024 • 7pm

The culmination of 2024’s Classical Pride, the LSO and conductor Oliver Zeffman celebrate LGBTQ+ classical music in this diverse programme presented by Nick Grimshaw.

Kirill Gerstein

BBC Radio 3 Concert

Friday 12 July 2024 • 1pm

Wonder, passion and pure delight, as pianist Kirill Gerstein brings both heart and mind to bear on the music of Chopin, Schumann, Poulenc and Liszt.

Limited Tickets

BMW Classics 2024

Saturday 13 July 2024 • 5pm

The LSO gives a free open-air concert in the heart of London.

Tangram x LSO: Bound/Unbound

By Alex Ho and Sun Keting

Friday 9 & Saturday 10 August 2024

New music, new movement, her stories. Join trailblazing Associate Artists, Tangram, for the premiere of a new music theatre piece by Alex Ho and Sun Keting interweaving the stories of two of China’s 19th century heroines: Afong Moy and Qiu Jin.

New Generation Artists: Andrei Ioniță and Alim Beisembayev

Friday 6 September 2024 • 1pm

Pianist Alim Beisembayev and cellist Andrei Ioniță join forces for a lunchtime recital at LSO St Luke's.

New Generation Artists: Andrei Ioniță

Friday 6 September 2024 • 6pm

Andrei Ioniță, BBC New Generation Alumnus, showcases a range of solo cello music in this early-evening recital.

Browse the full listings for our new season. Prices start at £18 and save up to 40% when you book two or more concerts.

Browse Concerts

Classical Pride – 7 July

The culmination of 2024’s Classical Pride, the London Symphony Orchestra and conductor Oliver Zeffman celebrate LGBTQ+ classical music in this diverse programme presented by Nick Grimshaw.

LSO BMW Classics in Trafalgar Sqaure

BMW Classics, the London Symphony Orchestra’s free outdoor summer concert in Trafalgar Square, will next take place on Saturday 13 July 2024.

On LSO Live

LSO Live presents our new release of Meyerbeer’s spectacular grand opera, Le Prophète.

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