Brian Elias & Ben Goldscheider: TOUCHING THE QUICK
Experience a live performance of distinctive compositions for French horn that have been tailored to specific sculptures in Anish Kapoor’s exhibition.
Acclaimed composer Brian Elias has created a new series of four works for solo French horn, each responding to a piece of artwork in Anish Kapoor and to the spirit of the exhibition as a whole. Celebrated horn player Ben Goldscheider performs these newly commissioned pieces live, as he moves between the sculptures in a spontaneous sequence.
Direct engagement with the artworks – through visits to Kapoor’s studio and conversations with the artist – informed the composer’s deep awareness of ‘how alive, how quick the sculptures are, and of the many different kinds of movement present within them’. The music translates Elias’ personal impressions of Kapoor’s artworks, rendering them in musical shape and form.
Brian Elias was born in Bombay and studied with Elisabeth Lutyens, Humphrey Searle and Bernard Stevens. His works have been performed and recorded extensively by leading orchestras and soloists including the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Britten Sinfonia, Psappha Ensemble, Jane Manning, Roderick Williams, Nicholas Daniel, Natalie Clein, Ben Goldscheider and the Jerusalem Quartet. He has been a featured composer at Music@Malling and the Purbeck International Chamber Music Festival, and in 2021 featured in a Wigmore Hall retrospective.
Born in London in 1997, Ben Goldscheider has premiered over 50 new works for horn, spanning concerti, solo, chamber and cross-genre projects, including those incorporating live electronics and lighting. He is Principal Horn of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, a Principal Player of Camerata Pacifica and a member of the Boulez Ensemble. He holds a professorship at the Royal Conservatory in Antwerp and serves as Artist in Association at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama.
Times & tickets
Dates, times and prices
Dates & times
Sat 4 Jul, 6pm & 7pm
Sat 8 Aug, 6pm & 7pm
Sat 12 Sep, 6pm & 7pm
Sat 3 Oct, 6pm & 7pm
Standard entry
£22 / Members free, includes entry to exhibition*
*no 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 Hayward Gallery Southbank Centre
The Hayward Gallery is currently closed.
It reopens for Anish Kapoor on Tuesday 16 June 2026.
Plan your visit
The Hayward Gallery is also where you’ll find the HENI Project Space.
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.
Cloakroom
We have a cloakroom for coats, umbrellas and small bags; it costs £2 per item.
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.
Exhibition tours
Guided tours of our Hayward Gallery exhibitions are available to ticket holders; the dates and times of these can be found when you click through to book your exhibition tickets.
If you’d like to arrange a private/group tour of an exhibition, please contact us. The Hayward Gallery does not accept external tour guides or tour groups – all exhibition tours must be arranged through the Southbank Centre.
Food & drink
Offering sandwiches, salads, cakes and coffee, Hayward Gallery Cafe is the perfect spot for a pre-exhibition energy boost or a post-visit 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.