Sinfonia of London

Saturday 19 October 7:00pm Classical Music
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Tickets £16.00 to £30.00
Limited Availability Book Now

Venue: Royal Concert Hall

Running time: Doors: 5.30pm. Running time: 1 hour 50mins, estimated end time: 8.50pm

Important Information

Age Guidance: 7+

Under 14s must be accompanied by an adult aged 18+

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Have A Listen

John Wilson                            conductor
Sheku Kanneh-Mason          
cello

Kenneth Hesketh                    Pattersongs
Shostakovich                         
Cello Concerto No. 2
Rachmaninov                        
Symphony No. 1

It’s been a while since Nottingham’s musical hero, cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, last performed in the Royal Concert Hall Nottingham. During that time he’s been wowing audiences in venues across the world, winning numerous awards, performing at the Last Night of the Proms and earning an MBE for his services to British music. For this eagerly-anticipated return to his home city, he joins John Wilson’s all-star Sinfonia of London. Comprising section leaders of many of the UK’s and Europe’s greatest orchestras, it’s rapidly become the hottest ticket in town. Renowned for its expressive flair and knife-edge attack, it’s amassed so many coveted awards with its peerless recordings (including an unprecedented hattrick at the 2024 BBC Music Magazine awards) that its trophy cabinet must be straining under the weight.

Kenneth Hesketh’s witty homage to the tongue-twisting pattersongs of comic opera provides a dynamic opening before Shostakovich’s late period Second Cello Concerto marks a shift in mood into an intense and haunting soundworld with echoes of Mahler. Sheku’s commitment and close connection with the music of Shostakovich promises an unforgettable performance. Rachmaninov’s First Symphony almost sank without trace after a disastrous premiere at the hands of the allegedly drunk conductor, Glazunov. Nowadays it’s widely praised as Rachmaninov’s most dramatic Symphony. Echoing the fateful atmosphere of Tchaikovsky’s late symphonies, it’s a potent mix of smouldering energy, taut rhythms and, of course, the composer’s gift for great tunes.

Free pre-concert talk, 6pm in the auditorium: Sheku Kanneh-Mason in conversation.

Season Ticket Holders
Please note: this concert is not part of the Nottingham Classics Orchestral Series but season ticket holders can claim their 30% discount if they add it to their booking.

Groups 10+
Save 20% off full price tickets, excluding £12 and £16 seats. Please contact our Group Sales team on 0115 989 5555 to book.

Groups 20+
Save 30% off full price tickets, excluding £12 and £16 seats. Please contact our Group Sales team on 0115 989 5555 to book.

Under 26s and full-time students
Tickets £8 each. To purchase these tickets, you must be 26 or under or a full-time student at the time of booking. You may be asked to show your age ID / student ID on doors to confirm your age.

Bargain Seats
These are available in the choir stalls at £12 and can be purchased from 12pm on the day of the concert online, by phone, or at the box office counter. Please note that these seats are subject to availability.

"Unforgettable excellence."

The Times

"It would be hard to imagine a better performance. This peerless conductor and his musicians work as if with one mind and breath. Still, that’s what we’ve come to expect of this super-orchestra ... Simply as good as it gets."

iNews

“This handpicked supergroup has a reputation that outshines most established orchestras and brings audiences out in droves.”

The Guardian

"The sheen, poise and gravitas of the stringsdelivered everything we expect from this outfit, and more."

ArtsDesk

"Blazing performances … a level of intensity that I have rarely experienced in a concert hall."

Bachtrack

“Nigh on faultless … an outstanding evening of music making that will live long in the memory."

Music OMH

“Give Sinfonia of London a showpiece and they will dazzle … the exemplary solo work and Wilson’s sharply etched rhythmic drive flaunted their excellence ... A Proms knockout.”

Financial Times

"A wide-angle American panorama, brilliantly performed: An extraordinary demonstration of orchestral discipline and rhythmic precision … Quite a night.”

Seen & Heard International

"An astounding thrill-ride: it wasn’t just the gleaming, thrillingly intense, all-conquering sound that made the audience go bananas. It was witnessing musicians using their entire bodies: 112 experts working as one, fit to burst, in front of your eyes.”

The Stage

Sinfonia of London have also been nominated as Gramophone’s ORCHESTRA OF THE YEAR 2024 alongside the Czech Philharmonic, Bavarian Radio Symphony, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Pittsburgh Symphony and Les Talents Lyriques. Gramophone’s judges said, “This gathering of some of the finest orchestral players under the visionary leadership of conductor John Wilson, with brilliant support from Chandos Records…shines brightly album after album.” You can vote here!

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