Sir Simon Rattle
Features, videos, recordings and concerts with our Conductor Emeritus
Sir Simon Rattle is our Conductor Emeritus (having been Music Director from 2017–23). He first appeared with the LSO in 1977, at the age of 22. Highlights with the Orchestra over the years have included the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games, conducting the Orchestra in London’s Trafalgar Square in the annual BMW Classics concert, and countless concerts throughout the UK and the world.
Videos
News & Stories
Sir Simon Rattle: LSO Music Director 2017–23
Our musicians share some of their favourite moments of Sir Simon Rattle’s tenure as LSO Music Director (2017–23), from conga lines in the Barbican Hall to performing at Tate Modern.
Sir Simon Rattle: Turangalîla & Betsy Jolas
From first being wowed by Messiaen’s Turangalîla-Symphonie aged eleven, to commissioning now 96-year-old Betsy Jolas, Sir Simon Rattle discusses the that will feature in his final concerts at the Barbican as LSO Music Director.
Sir Simon Rattle: The 2023/24 Season
‘This is music that suits the LSO so perfectly, with their virtuosity, passion, and their sense of humour and refinement.’
Concerts
Janáček's Jenůfa
Gritty. Human. Transcendental.
Thursday 11 January 2024 • 7pm
Janáček’s searing, magnificent opera explores a woman’s limited options in a suffocating small town. Hear it on the Barbican stage in this concert performance conducted by Sir Simon Rattle, featuring a remarkable cast.
Janáček's Jenůfa
Gritty. Human. Transcendental.
Sunday 14 January 2024 • 7pm
Janáček’s searing, magnificent opera explores a woman’s limited options in a suffocating small town. Hear it on the Barbican stage in this concert performance conducted by Sir Simon Rattle, featuring a remarkable cast.
Half Six Fix: Shostakovich 4
Defiant. Mercurial. Sarcastic.
Wednesday 28 February 2024 • 6.30pm
Kick-start your evening with a 60-minute concert. Sir Simon Rattle conducts and introduces Shostakovich’s defiant Fourth Symphony.
Shostakovich and Brahms – Sir Simon Rattle & Isabelle Faust
Defiant. Mercurial. Fiery.
Thursday 29 February 2024 • 7pm
Shocking, dissonant, savagely ironic: Shostakovich’s Fourth was a statement of rebellion against Stalin’s dictatorship. It's conducted by Sir Simon Rattle, alongside Brahms' Violin Concerto with soloist Isabelle Faust.
Sir Simon Rattle – Listening to America
Exuberant. Memorable. Irresistible.
Sunday 3 March 2024 • 7pm
A new work by John Adams is flanked by Gershwin’s most seductive tunes, in a concert starring Spotlight Artist Kirill Gerstein.
Recordings
Reviews
‘Six thousand people, from arena to gallery, were stock still, honouring the performance, overwhelmed by it. Then came the cheers’ The Observer, Sep 2023
‘Wistful and life-enhancing, a terrific farewell for the departing chief … it would be hard to devise a more joyous programme – as well as one closer to Rattle’s musical heart and ethos.’ ★★★★★ The Guardian, Jun 2023
‘Rattle does this kind of modernist mega-entertainment supremely well, and he never stinted on cheek, swagger and pizzazz.’ ★★★★★ The ArtsDesk, Jun 2023
