Visceral. Bombastic. Compelling.
Half Six Fix: Shostakovich 5
Sir Antonio Pappano
Barbican
Wednesday 15 April 2026 • 6.30pm
Sold Out
Dmitri Shostakovich
Symphony No 5
Sir Antonio Pappano conductor & presenter
London Symphony Orchestra
The concert will finish at approximately 7.30pm (timings subject to change).
Tickets
£35 £26 £18 £15
+ £4 booking fee per online/phone transaction
Multibuy Discounts
Book 2 or 3 concerts, save 10%
Book 4 to 7 concerts, save 20%
Full details
Wildcard Tickets
£12/£15 + 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. Half Six Fix concerts are recommended for ages 12+. Full details
The Concert
Kick-start your evening with a 60-minute Half Six Fix concert. Introduced by the performers, with screens in the hall to bring you closer to the action.
The Music
Shostakovich’s Symphony No 5 was begun in 1937, a year after Stalin condemned the composer’s opera Lady Macbeth as ‘muddle instead of music’. On the surface, the Fifth falls back into Soviet line with its clear sense of structure and abundance of tunes. But there’s an underlying menace to the opening movement, a brooding darkness to the Largo, while the surging finale is surely nothing short of Shostakovich at his most bitingly ironic.
The Performers
Chief Conductor Sir Antonio Pappano leads the LSO in this landmark work of the 20th-century, and introduces the symphony from the stage.
Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony is one of his most important pieces, written to appease Stalin – but there’s so much more going on in that music. The emotion, the grit of it, tell a different story.
Sir Antonio Pappano
More to Explore
More Half Six Fix Concerts
Half Six Fix: From the New World
Anja Bihlmaier
Wednesday 25 March 2026 • 6.30pm
Kick-start your evening with a 60-minute Half Six Fix concert. Anja Bihlmaier conducts and introduces Dvořák's Symphony No 9, with screens in the hall to bring you closer to the action.
Half Six Fix: Mahler 4
Sir Simon Rattle and Lucy Crowe
Wednesday 20 May 2026 • 6.30pm
Mahler's transcendent Fourth Symphony is brought to life by Sir Simon Rattle and the LSO, alongside soprano Lucy Crowe.
Half Six Fix: Enigma Variations
Sir Antonio Pappano
Wednesday 10 June 2026 • 6.30pm
Sir Antonio Pappano guides the audience through Elgar's 'Enigma' Variations, exploring its tender portraits of family members and the unsolved mystery at its core.
Booking and Discounts
Box Office Information
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)
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.
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.
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.
Offers and Savings
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.
£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). Not available for LSO Discovery Family Concerts or concerts at LSO St Luke’s. Find out more about Wildcards.
18 and under*: £6 tickets, plus booking fee. 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.
* Evening and Half Six Fix concerts are recommended for ages 12+
Save 20% to 30% and enjoy additional benefits. Find out more about group booking.
Your Visit and Access
Getting to the Barbican
We are based at the Barbican Centre in the City of London. The main entrance to the Barbican is on Silk Street.
What to Expect
From the concert experience to venue facilities, find out what to expect from an LSO concert at the Barbican.
Accessibility
Find maps and guides, and join the Barbican Access Membership Scheme to let us know of your requirements and book access tickets.
Header Image © Kevin Leighton
