Classical music? That’s just the boring bits of music lessons at school, isn’t it? Well, possibly it is – but what do you do if you want to check out whether your prejudices are true? Where do you put your toe back in the water?
The Barbican, a well known venue for hefty classical music performances, is meeting us half way. At the end of October, they are staging a whole weekend festival of short concerts. They’re using over 600 performers to provide tasters of all sorts of music, from medieval to modern – in a series of short concerts. There’s everything on view from established classics to world premieres, symphony orchestras, chamber orchestras, intimate solo recitals, historic instruments, film and the many facets of the human voice – with the artists introducing many of the performances themselves. As they put it: “The weekend festival offers audiences who are curious about the power and relevance of classical music a chance to connect with it in a new way, with an unparalleled variety of music in an informal setting.”
It’s not just music. Alongside the festival are talks and debates as well as a touch of cinema – including a screening of Disney’s Fantasia.
•For complete programme details go to: www.barbican.org.uk/soundunbound
•For tickets, contact the Barbican Box Office on 0845-120 7550 or ww.barbican.org.uk
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