The Australian Chamber Orchestra will return to London in October 2022 to perform a three-concert residency as International Associate Ensemble at Milton Court at the Barbican Centre.
In what will mark the ACO’s first performances at the Barbican since October 2019, Artistic Director Richard Tognetti will direct the ACO through three virtuosic performances that showcase the Orchestra at its supercharged best.
The residency opens with Beethoven and Bridgetower, a concert premiered by the ACO in Australia in 2021 that is centred around Beethoven’s most loved and performed violin sonata. Known as the Kreutzer for its dedication to the violinist Rodolphe Kreutzer (who likely never played this titanic work), what has been lost in history is its original dedication to George Bridgetower, a far more accomplished violinist of mixed European and West Indian descent, who performed with the composer at the Sonata’s premiere.
Also featured in this opening concert is regular ACO collaborator William Barton, who will bring a spellbinding blend of vocals and didgeridoo playing.
The ACO will perform the UK premiere of River, the Orchestra’s acclaimed cinematic collaboration with filmmaker Jennifer Peedom that is currently showing in cinemas internationally to critical acclaim. Narrated by Willem Dafoe, River is a profound exploration of how rivers have shaped our planet's landscapes and human existence. With an epic orchestral soundtrack curated by Tognetti and performed live by the ACO, River includes music by Jonny Greenwood and Radiohead alongside works by Vivaldi, Bach and Tognetti himself.
In the final event of the residency, the ACO will perform Indies & Idols, a concert that presents music by indie icons Jonny Greenwood and Bryce Dessner alongside works by composers Szymanowski, Penderecki and Lutosławski, exploring how the kaleidoscopic dissonances and tripped-out textures of 20th-century Polish classical music ended up inspiring some of the boldest sounds in the 21st-century.
The ACO’s Barbican performances are supported by the Australian Government as part of the UK/Australia Season 2021-22.
