Icons Rediscovered: Rachmaninov’s The Bells
Cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason joins the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in a concert also featuring brilliant but lesser-known works by Rachmaninov and Elgar.
In the old Russia of Rachmaninov’s youth, bells rang and chimed throughout the whole of life: the bronze-voiced heralds of joy, terror, love – and oblivion.
They peal, too, through Rachmaninov’s great choral symphony The Bells, in music that’s exactly as heartfelt, as gorgeous and as unforgettably tuneful as you’d expect from the composer of Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. Rachmaninov thought it was one of his greatest works and Vasily Petrenko agrees, making this London performance a real high point of the series.
It’s the climax of a concert filled with great music that goes beyond your expectations: from Elgar relaxing in the Italian sunshine to a powerful, forgotten cello concerto by Shostakovich’s great friend Mieczyslaw Weinberg – championed today by the irrepressible Sheku Kanneh-Mason.
Performers
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Vasily Petrenko conductor
Sheku Kanneh-Mason cello
Mirjam Mesak soprano *
Pavel Petrov tenor
Andrii Kymach baritone
Philharmonia Chorus
Repertoire
Elgar: Overture, In the South (Alassio)
Weinberg: Cello Concerto in C minor, Op.43
Rachmaninov: The Bells (Choral Symphony)
Need to know
* Please note change of artist from originally advertised.
Access
Rachmaninov’s The Bells is British Sign Language interpreted (BSL).
To book tickets for BSL interpretation, email [email protected] or call us on 020 3879 9555.
You can join our free Access Scheme through your online Southbank Centre account or via email.
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For your visit
This event is held at the Royal Festival Hall Southbank Centre
The Royal Festival Hall is open six days a week.
Tuesday – Sunday, 10am – 11pm
Monday, closed.
Plan your visit
The Royal Festival Hall is home to our largest auditorium as well as The Clore Ballroom, National Poetry Library, Members’ Lounge, Festival Bar & Kitchen, Ballroom Cafe and Skylon restaurant.
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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
On Level 2 of our Royal Festival Hall you can grab a slice of life by the Thames with drinks and freshly made pizza at our Festival Bar & Kitchen which opens out onto our Riverside Terrace. You can grab a coffee and a slice of freshly made cake from our Ballroom Cafe. Or alternatively enjoy destination dining in the restaurant at Skylon.
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.