Ilan Volkov conducts Beethoven, Boulez and Grisey

Barbican Hall, London
Barbican, Silk Street, London EC2
United Kingdom
020 7638 8891
http://www.barbican.org.uk/eticketing

Ilan Volkov conductor
Nicolas Hodges piano
BBC Singers

Beethoven’s powerful Seventh Symphony is prefaced by a trio of beguiling modern French works in the first of two concerts pairing Beethoven with recent French music. The BBC Singers have had great success with Boulez’s now-classic work cummings ist der Dichter, which sets the poetry of ee cummings for vocal ensemble and chamber orchestra. Conductor Ilan Volkov, known for his high-voltage performances and radical programmes, presents the UK premiere of Hugues Dufourt’s piano concerto with Nicolas Hodges as soloist. Dufourt’s own world of sonorities reflects that of one of France’s greatest 20th century composers, Gérard Grisey. In his monumental early work Mégalithes, 15 brass players scattered around the hall hurl sonic clusters of shimmering dissonance into the auditorium – a not-to-be-missed experience.

Gérard Grisey : Mégalithes
Hugues Dufourt : Piano Concerto
Pierre Boulez : cummings ist der Dichter
Ludwig Van Beethoven : Symphony No. 7 In A major