My first reaction to the London Symphony Orchestra's 2010/11 Barbican schedule is disappointment that it includes not one opera (unless you count Candide with Kristjan Järvi in June 2011). The LSO's operas in concert have been a real highlight of recent seasons, and I have to suspect that cost is a barrier.
But there are at least a few choral concerts, with Janáček's Glagolitic Mass from Sir Colin in October, Elgar's The Kingdom from Mark Elder in January 2011, and most intriguingly, a screening of Eisenstein's masterpiece Ivan the Terrible accompanied with Prokofiev's score conducted by Xian Zhang in April 2011.
Sir Colin returns with Mitsuko Uchida for a series combining Beethoven's piano concertos with Nielsen's symphonies; this runs from May to December 2011. There's not much else piano-wise, though Lang Lang's attempt on Liszt's first piano concerto in November with Daniel Harding is likely to be a popular draw.
Violinists are the soloists of choice this season, with Viktoria Mullova, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Nikolaj Znaider, Midori, Janine Jansen, Leonidas Kavakos and Julia Fischer between them covering all the big violin concertos.
Valery Gergiev focuses on Tchaikovsky, Mahler, Shostakovich and Shchedrin. Carmen Suite (with which Gergiev opens the season) aside, Shchedrin is underexposed in London, so this is a particularly interesting choice, though the Mahler 9 in March 2011 may prove the popular favourite.
Simon Rattle conducts Bruckner's 9th in March 2011, and Bernard Haitink's two visits in June 2011 include Bruckner's 4th. Other visiting conductors include Intermezzo favourite Andris Nelsons, Antonio Pappano, John Eliot Gardiner and Andre Previn.
Kristjan Järvi's name meanwhile crops up a massive five times - that's more than official guest conductor Daniel Harding or emeritus conductor Sir Colin. Is some sort of official announcement imminent? Do they just really, really like him? Or does he, like the LSO themselves, offer a bulk-booking discount?
Full details expected on LSO and Barbican websites in January, with booking open soon afterwards.
