News

On Sunday 24th October 2010, the LSC will be giving the world premiere of a new work by Eric Whitacre, with the composer himself conducting the LSO at the Barbican. The new work has been commissioned by the American Friends of the LSC.

Please click here to download the concert flyer, and here to book tickets.

In an interview with James McCarthy for Gramophone magazine, Mr Whitacre talked about the October concert with the LSO, saying: “It’s like somebody is letting me drive a Ferrari. They shouldn’t be, but they’re letting me. And so I’m just going to go out there and have a blast and pretend like I’m a Formula One racing driver and try not to crash. I think that what I’m writing is a little crunchier than what I might normally do and I’m hoping that the texts themselves give me an opportunity to push a little. Even as it’s coming out it sounds to me very…not conservative…it sounds like Prokofiev or Britten. Neo‑romantic.”

An accomplished composer, conductor and lecturer, Eric Whitacre has quickly become one of the most popular and performed composers of his generation. The Los Angeles Times has praised his compositions as "works of unearthly beauty and imagination, (with) electric, chilling harmonies"; while the BBC raves that "what hits you straight between the eyes is the honesty, optimism and sheer belief that passes any pretension. This is music that can actually make you smile.”

Eric Whitacre has recently signed to Decca; commenting on the signing, Whitacre said: “I appreciate the respect that the team at Decca holds for me as one of their 'core classical' artists. Importantly, we have a shared vision, drive and passion to develop the extraordinarily wonderful opportunities that technology offers to our world.”

Dickon Stainer, managing director of Decca, said “Eric Whitacre writes music of luminous beauty. Decca shares his vision to reinvent classical music for a new digital generation.”