Published: 15 September 2011
by SEBASTIAN TAYLOR

A FEAST of high class performances from the world’s top artists is being served up at the Barbican in its autumn series of classical and contemporary music getting under way next week.

Classical music kicks off on Wednesday with an all-Tchaikovsky gala featuring winners of the XIV International Tchaikovsky Competition held in Moscow and St Petersburg during the summer.

Winners will be playing with the London Symphony Orchestra under principal conductor Valery Gergiev, chairman of the competition.

Subsequent LSO/ Gergiev concerts will feature Tchaikovsky’s last three symphonies.

“Tchaikovsky was always ready for immortality and, with his final three symphonies, he secured his place in the pantheon of great composers,” says Gergiev.

Beethoven features among other highlights of the Barbican’s autumn season. All of his symphonies are being played by the famed Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra conducted by Riccado Chailly; the piano concertos by Mitsuko Uchida playing with the LSO under Sir Colin Davis; and the piano sonatas at LSO St Luke’s lunchtime concerts.

Contemporary music highlights include the Transcender festival of devotional, sacred and transcendental music.

Concerts range from the Sufi traditions of Indonesia, India, Morocco and Pakistan to Grammy-Award winning Bulgarian folk songs and electronic music played by American underground phenomenon Emeralds.

The Transcender festival opens on Saturday with concert given by Namjoo, the highly talented Iranian singer-songwriter-poet.

• Barbican Centre, Silk Street, EC2; LSO St Luke’s, 161 Old Street, EC1. Box office 0845 120 7500, www.barbican.org.uk