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What’s On
Violinist Janine Jansen

Lyrical. Turbulent. Reflective.

Britten and Shostakovich

Sir Antonio Pappano and Janine Jansen

Barbican

Sunday 21 September 2025 • 7pm

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Benjamin Britten
Violin Concerto (31 mins)
Interval
Dmitri Shostakovich
Symphony No 10 (50 mins)

Sir Antonio Pappano conductor
Janine Jansen violin
London Symphony Orchestra

The concert will finish at approximately 8.50pm, including a 20-minute interval (timings subject to change).

Tickets

£72 £56 £39 £26 £18
+ £4 booking fee per online/phone transaction

Wildcard Tickets

£12/£16 + booking fee as above
Check availability and book

Limited releases throughout the season. Guaranteed entry, but your seat is only allocated on the day.  Full details

Other Discounts

Save when booking multiple concerts. Discounts also available for young people, students, groups, and Barbican Access Members. Full details

The Concert

Violinist Janine Jansen showcases Britten’s soulful concerto before the LSO launches into Shostakovich’s scathing criticism of Stalin.

The Music

There’s a sparky energy and bittersweet lyricism to Britten’s 1939 Violin Concerto that nods to Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev. But this is also a deeply personal work that helped boost Britten’s international reputation.

Russian soprano Galina Vishnevskaya called Shostakovich’s blistering Symphony No 10 ‘a composer’s testament of misery, forever damning a tyrant.’ Premiered soon after Stalin’s death, the work blends solemnity and mocking sneers that are as powerful as anything the composer wrote.

The Performers

One of today’s most expressive and technically impressive violinists, Janine Jansen has made Britten’s Concerto her own in recent years, while the LSO has a long and illustrious history with Shostakovich.

There’s such emotion in the piece, such struggle and pain.
Janine Jansen

More to Explore

Booking and Discounts

Booking Your Tickets

Online at lso.co.uk or barbican.org.uk
By phone on +44 20 7870 2500 (Monday to Friday 12–5.30pm)
In person at the Barbican Centre (no booking fee)

Refunds and Exchanges

Contact the Box Office at least 24 hours before the performance (two weeks for group bookings) to exchange your tickets for another LSO concert or Barbican credit voucher, valid for twelve months. A per-ticket administration fee applies.

The LSO reserves the right to change artists or programmes if necessary. In the unlikely event of a cancellation, all bookers will receive a refund.

Questions About Your Booking?

Contact the Barbican Box Office at tickets@barbican.org.uk.

Visit the Barbican website for conditions of sale.

All discounts are subject to availability and may not be combined.

Multibuy Discounts

Book 2 or 3 concerts, save 10%
Book 4 to 7 concerts, save 20%
Book 8 to 11 concerts, save 30%
Book 12 or more concerts, save 40%

Retain your discount for any later bookings within the season. Find out more about Multibuy Discounts.

Wildcards

£12 or £16 (£12 or £15 for Half Six Fix concerts), plus booking fee. Check availability using the Wildcard link in the Tickets section above. On the concert night, show your Wildcard order email at the Stalls box office to receive a valid ticket worth at least £18 (£15 for Half Six Fix). Find out more about Wildcards.

Young People and Students

18 and under: £6 tickets. Book online, by phone or in person.
14–25s: Join Young Barbican for discounted tickets to selected concerts.
Full-time students: Join Student Pulse for £10 tickets to selected LSO concerts.

Groups of 10+

Save 20% to 30% and enjoy additional benefits. Find out more about group booking.

Access Members

Members of the Barbican’s Access Scheme can book wheelchair places priced at the lowest price for that event and book a free companion seat. Join the Barbican Access Scheme.

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