Beethoven Symphony Cycle

Hear Thomas Adès and Britten Sinfonia interpret and illuminate these iconic works

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Britten Sinfonia At Lunch

Showcasing Britten Sinfonia principal players, tickets are now available for the 2016-17 season of our award-winning At Lunch series.

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Beethoven Symphony Cycle

Musically Gifted

Britten Sinfonia At Lunch

Concerts & Events

Concerts & Events

Next Events

Adès, Barry, Beethoven

London

30 May 2017

Ludwig van Beethoven was music’s ultimate revolutionary whilst Gerald Barry smashes every rule of new music.

Beethoven Symphony Cycle (No’s 1 & 2)

London

02 Jun 2017

“Adès makes you hear things with which you thought you were familiar as if they were completely new” wrote the Guardian’s Tom Service and in this Beethoven Symphony cycle, the enthralling composer and conductor Thomas Adès is sure to shed new light on these monuments of orchestral repertoire.

Beethoven Symphony Cycle (No 3)

London

06 Jun 2017

“Adès makes you hear things with which you thought you were familiar as if they were completely new” wrote the Guardian’s Tom Service and in this Beethoven Symphony Cycle, the enthralling composer and conductor Thomas Adès is sure to shed new light on these monuments of orchestral repertoire.

Jeff Mills: Light from the Outside World

London

10 Jun 2017

The legendary Techno producer presents his project that blurs the lines between the club and concert hall – re-working music from his back catalogue for symphony orchestra.

Jeff Mills: Planets

London

12 Jun 2017

Inspired by Gustav Holst’s The Planets, DJ and composer Jeff Mills takes you through our solar system in the UK premiere of his score for orchestra and electronics featuring Britten Sinfonia Like Holst, Mills paints the solar system musically, depicting each planet as well as the distances between them.

Choir of King’s College, London with Britten Sinfonia: Love and Summer

London

18 Jun 2017

The Lovers by Samuel Barber is one of the hidden gems of American choral-orchestral music. Based on the love poetry of Pablo Neruda, this work is possibly Barber’s masterpiece, yet is seldom heard in Europe.

Peasmarsh Festival

Rye

23 Jun 2017

Britten Sinfonia performs at the Peasmarsh Festival for the first time, in an all-Beethoven orchestral concert.

Britten Sinfonia Academy Course 6

25 Jun - 09 Jul 2017

In six intensive courses across the season, the talented young musicians in Britten Sinfonia Academy (BSA) explore different aspects of repertoire, performance and musical leadership for which our parent orchestra is renowned.

At Lunch Four 2016-17

Norwich Cambridge

13 Jul - 14 Jul 2017

A programme performed by the young musicians of Britten Sinfonia Academy, featuring the world premiere of a new work by Elena Langer.

Britten Sinfonia Academy at Walthamstow Garden Party

Walthamstow

15 Jul 2017

After their main stage performance at our John Adams concert, the Barbican team have invited BSA back to perform at their annual community festival in Waltham Forest.

Ben Frost & Daníel Bjarnason: Music for Sólaris

London

29 Jul 2017

Britten Sinfonia join forces with composers and producers Ben Frost and Daníel Bjarnason in a performance of their music for Andrei Tarkovsky’s sci-fi classic Sólaris, accompanied by video manipulations by Brian Eno and Nick Roberton.

BBC Prom 41: Philip Glass & Ravi Shankar

London

15 Aug 2017

Blending Glass’s American Minimalism with traditional Hindustani classical music, sitar virtuoso Anoushka Shankar joins Britten Sinfonia for the first complete live performance of Philip Glass and Ravi Shankar’s 1964 concept album Passages in this Late Night Prom.

This is Rattle: Helen Grime

London

20 Sep 2017

The British composer Helen Grime celebrates Sir Simon Rattle’s arrival with a personally-curated programme of her own music and its inspirations.

Elder conducts Brahms

London Saffron Walden

09 Nov - 10 Nov 2017

Brahms’s First Symphony, one of the greatest of all Romantic symphonies, was first performed with considerably smaller musical forces than we are used to hearing today.

King’s College Choir: Chichester Psalms

London Saffron Walden

02 Dec - 16 Feb 2018

Written in 1965, Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, with its brass, harps and exquisite solo for boy treble, provides an exhilarating invocation of the composer’s hopes for brotherhood and peace, sentiments mirrored by Vaughan Williams impassioned Dona nobis pacem.

Jeremy Denk

London

27 Feb 2018

From its opening clarinet glissando Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue has become synonymous with 1920’s America and its popularity continues to this day.

Easter Voices

London

28 Mar 2018

The talents of the acclaimed Britten Sinfonia Voices, conducted by Eamonn Dougan, are showcased in a special Easter concert featuring two masses written 170 years apart.

Beethoven Symphony Cycle (No’s 4 & 5)

Saffron Walden London

19 May - 22 May 2018

Thomas Adès and Britten Sinfonia’s journey through Beethoven’s Symphonies reaches the half-way point with the perennially popular, vivacious Symphony No 5 and the subdued, poignant Symphony No 4.

Beethoven Symphony Cycle (No 6)

Saffron Walden London

20 May - 24 May 2018

Beethoven takes inspiration from nature, allowing his imagination to range vividly across the Austrian countryside in his thrilling, intricate “Pastoral” symphony.

Adès, Barry, Beethoven – chamber music

London

23 May 2018

Volatile substances: Thomas Adès and the Britten Sinfonia mix the music of Beethoven and Gerald Barry.

Next Productions

2017

May

30

Adès, Barry, Beethoven

7:30PM

London

Milton Court, London

Buy Now

2017

Jun

02

Beethoven Symphony Cycle (No’s 1 & 2)

7:30PM

London

Barbican, London

Buy Now

2017

Jun

06

Beethoven Symphony Cycle (No 3)

7:30PM

London

Barbican, London

Buy Now

2017

Jun

10

Jeff Mills: Light from the Outside World

7:30PM

London

Barbican, London

Buy Now

2017

Jun

12

Jeff Mills: Planets

7:30PM

London

Barbican, London

Buy Now

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Britten Sinfonia is one of the world's most celebrated and pioneering ensembles.

The orchestra is acclaimed for its virtuoso musicianship, an inspired approach to concert programming which makes bold, intelligent connections across 400 years of repertoire, and a versatility that is second to none. Britten Sinfonia breaks the mould by not having a principal conductor or director, instead choosing to collaborate with a range of the finest international guest artists from across the musical spectrum, resulting in performances of rare insight and energy.

“

There are few more thrilling things in British music than Britten Sinfonia on top form.

Ivan Hewett, The Daily Telegraph

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Latest News

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May 29thAnd this afternoon we're rehearsing #beethoven's Septet https://t.co/kbJ5hUWppF
May 29thAhead of tomorrow's concert @ThomasGouldVLN @Thomas_ades and principal cellist, Caroline rehearsing #beethoven's Pi… https://t.co/xgCi5OGpJw
May 29thToday we are rehearsing for our #beethoven chamber concert tomorrow at Milton Court https://t.co/XGRbXGNevr

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Latest News

Elena Langer on working with Britten Sinfonia

blog 25 May 2017

Elena Langer is one of the UK’s finest contemporary composers. Growing up in Moscow and now based in London, her compositions move seamlessly between multiple genres; opera, orchestral, choral, multimedia, and chamber.

Programme notes now online

news 24 May 2017

Programme notes for all of the performances in year one of our Beethoven Symphony Cycle, conducted by Thomas Adès, are now available to download.

Alexandra Caldon – Beethoven and me

news 23 May 2017

As the orchestra embark on rehearsals for our Beethoven Symphony Cycle we release the final film in our ‘Beethoven and me’ series.

2017-18 Saffron Hall season announced

news 22 May 2017

Saffron Hall has today announced its 2017-18 season featuring Britten Sinfonia in its second series as Resident Orchestra.

David Butcher – Beethoven and me

news 16 May 2017

With just over a week to go until the start of our Beethoven Symphony Cycle we release the third in our series of ‘Beethoven and me’ films.

Emma-Ruth Richards on composition

blog 15 May 2017

In December 2017, Britten Sinfonia gives the world premiere of a new work by Emma-Ruth Richards commissioned by the William Alwyn Foundation and Britten Sinfonia with support from donors to the Musically Gifted scheme.

Jacqueline Shave – Beethoven and me

news 09 May 2017

In the second of our series of ‘Beethoven and me’ short films, leader Jacqueline Shave talks about what Beethoven means to her and why she feels such a close affinity to the composer.

Nicholas Daniel – Beethoven and me

news 02 May 2017

Ahead of the start of our Beethoven Symphony Cycle, conducted by Thomas Adès, later in May we’ll be releasing a series of short films featuring some of our key players talking about what Beethoven means to them.

Podcast with Brian Elias

news 21 Apr 2017

Brian Elias talks about his new Oboe Quintet in our latest podcast. Kate Kennedy led a pre-concert talk with Brian Elias prior to the world premiere of his new Oboe Quintet, written for Nicholas Daniel and Britten Sinfonia and commissioned by Wigmore Hall which has been released as a podcast.

Annual Audience Survey 2017

news 19 Apr 2017

At Britten Sinfonia we are always keen to hear the views of our audiences. Our annual survey helps us to collate responses to a variety of questions helping us to gain a better understanding of our audience and their needs.

Meet Mark Stone

blog 17 Apr 2017

Ahead of baritone Mark Stone’s performances with Britten Sinfonia conducted by Thomas Adès in Gerald Barry’s Beethoven (part of our our Beethoven Symphony Cycle series) we asked him a few questions; What has been the highlight of your career so far?

Beethoven Symphony Cycle – film

news 11 Apr 2017

Ahead of the start of our Beethoven Symphony Cycle with Thomas Adès we talked to some of our musicians and others about their first experience of hearing and performing Beethoven.

Brian Elias’s Electra Mourns – Released 21 April

news 10 Apr 2017

Britten Sinfonia features on a new NMC release, Electra Mourns to be released on Friday 21 April 2017.

Vacancy – Creative Learning Co-ordinator

news 06 Apr 2017

Britten Sinfonia is currently seeking a Creative Learning Co-ordinator. The Creative Learning Co-ordinator will support our busy education team delivering a programme of inspiring work across the east of England and beyond.

Meet Mark Padmore

blog 22 Mar 2017

Tenor, Mark Padmore joins Britten Sinfonia in April for Easter performances of Bach’s St John Passion.

Britten Sinfonia Academy – Course 5

blog 21 Mar 2017

Britten Sinfonia’s Marketing Assistant, Milly March was on hand at BSA’s Course 5 on Sunday and gives her impressions of Elena Langer’s new piece, Swimming in the Limmat.

Brain Elias talks about his new work

blog 14 Mar 2017

When Nicholas Daniel asked me to write an oboe quintet for him, I replied immediately that I would rather write an oboe quartet; the clarity and lightness of the Mozart oboe quartet was very much in my mind and I was concerned about the added density a second violin might bring to the piece.

Simon Russell Beale to feature in Easter performances

news 07 Mar 2017

Britten Sinfonia is pleased to announce that Simon Russell Beale will read a selection of T S Eliot poetry and sacred texts during the orchestra’s Easter performances of Bach’s St John Passion with Mark Padmore.

Two new recordings released today

news 03 Mar 2017

The premiere recording of James MacMillan’s Stabat Mater with The Sixteen and ConNotations with Mei Yi Foo are both released today (Friday 3 March 2017).

New Podcast: Beethoven Symphony Cycle

news 28 Feb 2017

In our latest podcast, Ben Eshmade talks to the key collaborators involved in our Beethoven Symphony Cycle project which begins in May 2017.

Norfolk & Norwich Festival 2017

news 23 Feb 2017

Today the Norfolk and Norwich Festival announced it’s programme of events for 2017. Britten Sinfonia’s artistic team are pleased to have helped curate the classical music strand of this year’s Festival which sees a host of the finest UK and international artists and ensembles performing in Norwich during May.

James MacMillan’s Stabat Mater released 3 March 2017

news 20 Feb 2017

On 3 March 2017 Harry Christophers, The Sixteen and Britten Sinfonia release the premiere recording of Sir James MacMillan’s Stabat Mater, on The Sixteen’s record label CORO.

Podcast with Mark-Anthony Turnage

news 10 Feb 2017

Mark-Anthony Turnage talks about his new work, Col, in our latest podcast. Kate Kennedy led a pre-concert talk with Mark-Anthony Turnage prior to the world premiere of his new work, Col, written to commemorate the 70th birthday of fellow composer, Colin Matthews.

Booking now open for 2017-18 Barbican Season

news 03 Feb 2017

General booking for the 2017-18 Barbican season opens today at 10am In 2017-18 Britten Sinfonia, Associate Ensemble at the Barbican, celebrates its 25th birthday with a season that features symphonic masterpieces, choral gems, contemporary classics and jazz-inspired rhapsodies.

New Player Profile film – Joy Farrall

news 24 Jan 2017

In the latest addition to our Player Profile series we talk to Prinicpal Clarinetist, Joy Farrall, who has been a member of Britten Sinfonia since Britten Sinfonia’s formation.

Meet Max the Brave

blog 20 Jan 2017

Ahead of our family picture book concerts, we caught up with the star of the show: Max the kitten, to find out a bit more about the cat behind the superhero cape.

Academy Members reflect on the Lions and Unicorns Family Concert

blog 18 Jan 2017

On Sunday 15 January 2017 Britten Sinfonia Academy gave a family concert at Cambridge’s Fitzwilliam Museum alongside several pop-up concerts around the gallery.

2017-18 Barbican season announced

news 17 Jan 2017

The Barbican today announces its 2017-18 classical music season featuring Britten Sinfonia as Associate Ensemble. Britten Sinfonia celebrates its 25th anniversary with a Barbican season that features symphonic masterpieces, choral gems, contemporary classics and jazz-inspired rhapsodies.

Applications for Britten Sinfonia Academy 2017-18 now open

news 10 Jan 2017

Applications are now open for Britten Sinfonia Academy 2017-18 The deadline for applications has now been extended to Friday 3 March 2017, 5.30pm.

Staff Highlights from 2016

blog 21 Dec 2016

As 2016 draws to a close the Britten Sinfonia management team look back on some of their highlights of the year; Hazel Terry (Concerts co-ordinator) My genuine highlight was probably the moment of relief when I finally had all the players’ visas for tour to China after going to the visa centre about 5 times!

Trainee Orchestra Assistant vacancy

news 20 Dec 2016

We have an exciting opportunity for a recent graduate to join our friendly, but busy Concerts Department as Trainee Orchestra Assistant.

Podcast with Sohrab Uduman

news 19 Dec 2016

Sohrab Uduman talks about his new work in our latest podcast. Kate Kennedy led a pre-concert talk with Sohrab Uduman prior to the London premiere of his new work, “Dann klingt es auf…”, commissioned by Britten Sinfonia and Wigmore Hall which has been released as a podcast.