Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra
Kensington Symphony Orchestra, under music director Russell Keable, performs Bartók’s spectacular orchestral showpiece.
After fleeing Hungary for the US during the Second World War, Bartók was in hospital – suffering from what would later be diagnosed as leukaemia – when Serge Koussevitzky visited him to offer a new commission.
The resulting orchestral showpiece, his Concerto for Orchestra (1943), premièred by the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1944. It soon became his most popular work.
Kensington Symphony Orchestra (KSO) are joined by soloist Samson Tsoy to perform Ravel’s Piano Concerto for the Left Hand in D major (1929 – 30). Written for the pianist Paul Wittgenstein, who had lost his right arm in the First World War. This darkly atmospheric, jazz-infused work features demanding cadenzas that give every impression of a piece played with two hands.
The concert opens with ‘Trace’ (2013) by the Grammy Award-nominated Chinese-American composer Zhou Tian, who uses a lush, neo-impressionistic palette to recall pre-industrial China in a ‘kaleidoscopic series of carnival outbursts and dance patterns’(City Pulse).
Described as ‘one of the very best amateur groups in the country’ by Classical Music magazine, KSO have been praised by Classical Source for their ‘bold, adventurous programmes’.
Performers
Kensington Symphony Orchestra
Russell Keable conductor
Samson Tsoy piano
Repertoire
Zhou Tian: Trace
Ravel: Piano Concerto for the left hand
Interval
Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra
Need to know
Times & tickets
Dates, times and prices
Dates & times
15 Nov 2026, 3pm
Run time
1 hour and 50 minutes (approx)
All timings are approximate and subject to change
Standard entry
from £18 + £4 booking fee
Ticket prices may be adjusted without notice to reflect demand.
Concessions
Learn more about concession discounts
Refunds and exchanges
Find out more about our refund and exchange policy
Become a Member
Members get free entry to the Hayward Gallery and the first chance to book our entire programme of events, including go-down-in-history gigs, concerts with world-class orchestras, and talks from cultural icons and political giants.
Join today from £60
For your visit
This event is held at the Queen Elizabeth Hall Southbank Centre
The Queen Elizabeth Hall is open from 90 minutes before events start until they finish. It’s closed at all other times.
Plan your visit
The Queen Elizabeth Hall is home to both our second-largest auditorium and the Purcell Room.
Getting here
Our address is Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX.
The nearest tube stations to us are Waterloo and Embankment; Waterloo is also the nearest train station. And more than 20 different London bus routes pass within 500 metres of our venues. More information on getting here by rail, road or river is available on our Getting here page.
We’re cash-free
Please note that we’re unable to accept cash payments across our venues.
Access
We’re working hard to remove barriers, so that our facilities and events can be accessible to as many people as possible.
All help points, toilets, performance and exhibition spaces at the Southbank Centre are accessible to all, as are the cafes, bars and restaurants. We also have excellent public transport links with step-free access.
All information about booking wheelchair spaces, step-free access, blue badge parking, access maps and guides and other help available whilst you’re here, including details about our Access Scheme, can be found on our Access page.
Food & drink
From coffee to cocktails, filling favourites to fine dining, plus some of London’s best street food – it’s all here at the Southbank Centre.