Sir Simon Rattle returns to the London Symphony Orchestra for Mahler’s Third Symphony, with mezzo-soprano Beth Taylor, the London Symphony Chorus and the Tiffin Boys’ Choir.
Sir Simon Rattle, Conductor Emeritus of the London Symphony Orchestra, conducts it in Mahler’s Third Symphony at the Barbican Centre on Sunday 18 and Tuesday 20 April 2027. The mezzo-soprano Beth Taylor sings the alto solo.
Born in Liverpool in 1955, Rattle made his name with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, which he led from 1980 to 1998. He was knighted in 1994 and was chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic from 2002 to 2018.
He became the LSO’s music director in 2017 and held the post until 2023, when he moved to the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. He has conducted Mahler’s symphonies throughout his career.
Mahler completed the six-movement symphony in 1896. It moves from an elemental opening through the flowers of the meadow, the animals and humanity to a final hymn of divine love lasting 25 minutes.
The London Symphony Chorus and the Tiffin Boys’ Choir join an orchestra with 17 woodwind players and 16 brass, eight of them horns.