JUST ANNOUNCED UK premiere Screening Beth Gibbons: Henryk Górecki – Symphony No. 3 (Symphony of Sorrowful Songs) with the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Krzysztof Penderecki Thu 28 Mar 2019, Barbican Cinema 1, 7.15pm Tickets £12 plus booking fee Barbican audiences get the chance to attend the UK premiere screening of Beth Gibbons’ and the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra under conductor Krzysztof Penderecki’s performance of Henryk Górecki’s Symphony No. 3 (Symphony of Sorrowful Songs), which took place at The National Opera Grand Theatre in Warsaw on 29 November 2014. This Barbican screening will be introduced by the project’s Musical Director Jason Hazely and Beth Gibbons will also be in attendance. Both an audio and film recording of the Warsaw performance will be out on 29 March 2019 (Domino). Following an invitation to collaborate at this concert, Beth Gibbons had to tackle the challenge of learning the original text (and the emotional weight it carries) without speaking the Polish language, but her performance alongside maestro Penderecki was received with great critical acclaim. Beth Gibbons is the vocalist, songwriter, producer and co-founder (together with Geoff Barrow and Adrian Utley) of the band Portishead and a solo artist in her own right. This album marks the first music from Beth Gibbons since 2008. Henryk Górecki (1933 – 2010) was a Polish composer of contemporary classical music, believed to be the most commercially successful classical composer in recent times, with previous versions of his Third Symphony, Symphony of Sorrowful Songs, having sold over a million copies. Krzysztof Penderecki has been hailed as Poland’s greatest living composer, and conductor. His music was introduced to a wider audience through its use soundtracking movies such as The Shining and The Exorcist. The film was produced by the National Audiovisual Institute, Poland and directed by Michał Merczyński. Produced by the Barbican On sale to Barbican members on Thursday 14 February 2019 On general sale on Friday 15 February 2019 Find out more Manana//Cuba x Jazz re:freshed Electronic explorations in Afro-Cuban and UK jazz Sun 12 May 2019, Milton Court Concert Hall, 7.30pm Tickets £20 plus booking fee Manana//Cuba returns to the Barbican’s contemporary music programme for another night of special one-off collaborations, co-curated with Jazz re:freshed and Cuban partner The Cuban Joint, featuring UK jazz and electronic artists alongside musicians from Cuba. One of the two featured collaborations of the evening sees UK artists Yussef Dayes (kit), Kevin Haynes (sax), Sarah Tandy (keys) and Paul Dolby aka Seiji (electronics) team up with Cuban artists Adel Gomez (congas) and Feliciano Arango (bass). Rehearsals for this element of the show will start in Havana in the week leading up to their Barbican date. The second collaboration will feature Manchester duo Space Afrika (electronics) and Ariwo’s Hammadi Valdes (percussion) from Cuba, with the artists coming together in London in the run-up of the concert. The first Manana//Cuba collaborative evening was hosted by the Barbican in May 2017, and this followed on from the ground-breaking MANANA Festival in Santiago de Cuba in 2016. Manana//Cuba is a pioneering project that connects the electronic music community to masters of Afro-Cuban folkloric tradition. The project is built around the belief that Cuba’s powerful blend of rhythm and culture will enrich the electronic music community, while giving local musicians a platform to connect with international audiences, incorporate technology and take their musical development in new directions. Manana also hosts regular nights in London and throughout the UK, all of which focus on connecting world- class musicians with progressive electronic producers. At its core, Jazz re:freshed’s mission is to globally elevate, amplify and spotlight the breadth of expression in UK Jazz, while breaking down the boundaries to access the music as a listener. Synonymous with supporting the launch of Ashley Henry and Nubya Garcia’s recording careers, tastemakers, Jazz re:freshed have achieved this by supporting, developing and promoting emerging artists and bands across multiple platforms including a weekly live residency, annual one day festival, record label, band development programs, international showcasing and multiple partnerships. The Cuban Joint is a production company working with strategic partners and vendors across Cuba, helping to connect international music and media industries with Cuba’s creative industry and artists. Manana//Cuba x Jazz re:freshed is supported by Arts Council England and British Council. Produced by the Barbican On sale to Barbican members on Thursday 14 February 2019 On general sale on Friday 15 February 2019 Find out more The Trace of the Butterfly: A Tribute to Rim Banna Featuring Tania Saleh, Faraj Suleiman, Bu Kolthoum and more Tue 9 Jul, Barbican Hall, 8pm Tickets £17.50 – 25 plus booking fee Shubbak Festival returns to the Barbican this summer with a special tribute concert to the late Palestinian singer, songwriter and composer Rim Banna featuring musicians who knew her best as well as close peers in the Palestinian music scene, including: Lebanese visual artist and singer-songwriter Tania Saleh, Palestinian composer and pianist Faraj Suleiman and Syrian producer/MC Bu Kolthoum who will be performing newly re-orchestrated versions of Rim Banna’s material, accompanied by a specially assembled band. The event title, The Trace of the Butterfly, is the name of one of Banna’s songs as well as a poem by Mahmoud Darwish. A pivotal and influential figure in the contemporary Palestinian music scene, Rim Banna’s life was tragically cut short in March 2018 after a ten-year struggle with breast cancer. The artist left an eclectic repertoire of twelve albums, including her last project and recording Voice of Resistance – a conceptual album where she transformed her medical files and scans into a sonic and musical backdrop to recite her poetry over. Shubbak (meaning ‘window’ in Arabic) is London’s biennial festival of contemporary Arab culture, presenting outstanding international Arab artists to audiences in London and across England. Taking place from 28 June – 14 July 2019 in venues across London, Shubbak provides an opportunity to engage with arts and culture from across the Arab world. Shubbak’s principal partners are the A. M. Qattan Foundation, Arts Council England, Bagri Foundation and British Council. For more information visit shubbak.co.uk Produced by the Barbican in association with Marsm and Shubbak Festival with support from A. M. Qattan Foundation, Arts Council England, Bagri Foundation and British Council Part of Shubbak - A Window on Contemporary Arab Culture On sale to Barbican members on Thursday 14 February 2019 On general sale on Friday 15 February 2019 Find out more SUPPORT ANNOUNCED The Milk Carton Kids + Rosie Carney Wed 29 May 2019, Barbican Hall, 8pm Tickets £20 –25 plus booking fee This spring, American Indie acoustic folk duo, The Milk Carton Kids, return to the UK and Europe following the 2018 release of their latest Grammy-nominated album All the Things That I Did and All the Things That I Didn't Do (ANTI). For their Barbican date in May Joey Ryan and Kenneth Pattengale will present new songs as well as material from their back catalogue. Support comes from indie-folk singer-songwriter Rosie Carney who performs material from her debut album Bare. Produced by the Barbican Find out more COMING UP SOON Joshua Redman – Still Dreaming With Ron Miles, Scott Colley, Brian Blade + Duncan Eagles Mon 18 Feb 2019, Barbican Hall, 7.30pm Tickets £15 – 35 plus booking fee Find out more Tony Allen & Jeff Mills Thu 21 Feb 2019, Barbican Hall, 8pm Tickets £20 – 30 plus booking fee Find out more Nitin Sawhney BREXIT – A rational anthem for a national tantrum Part of Barbican OpenFest: Art 50 Presented with Sky Arts Sat 23 Feb 2019, admission free Find out more The Piano – Live in Concert with the London Contemporary Orchestra Tue 26 February 2019, Barbican Hall, 8pm Tickets £20 – 30 plus booking fee Find out more BBC Radio 3’s Late Junction Festival in partnership with the Barbican Late Junction Festival Day One Gazelle Twin + Hen Ogledd + CHAINES + Pulled By Magnets Thu 28 Feb EartH Hackney, 7.30pm Tickets £22.50 plus booking fee Find out more BBC Radio 3’s Late Junction Festival in partnership with the Barbican Late Junction Festival Day Two This Is Not This Heat + CURL + O Yama O + Carla Dal Forno (DJ set) Fri 1 Mar 2019, EartH Hackney, 7.30pm Tickets £22.50 plus booking fee Find out more Marcus du Sautoy, Mahan Esfahani, Rob Thomas, Ben Kreukniet, Victoria Gould – Strange Loops Mar 2019, Various Barbican Venues Find out more Part of Life Rewired The Branford Marsalis Quartet with Joey Calderazzo, Eric Revis, Justin Faulkner + Nikki Yeoh Fri 1 Mar 2019, Barbican Hall, 8pm Tickets £15 – 35 plus booking fee Find out more Anouar Brahem – Blue Maqams with Dave Holland, Django Bates, Nasheet Waits + Kit Downes & Tom Challenger Fri 15 Mar 2019, Barbican Hall, 8pm Tickets £20 – 35 plus booking fee Find out more Brad Mehldau with Britten Sinfonia Sat 16 Mar 2019, Barbican Hall, 8pm Tickets £25 – 35 plus booking fee Find out more Rizwan-Muazzam Qawwali Sat 30 Mar 2019, Barbican Hall, 8pm Tickets £20 – 27.50 plus booking fee Find out more Gabriel Kahane Sun 7 Apr, Milton Court Concert Hall, 7.30pm Tickets £20 – 25 plus booking fee Find out more Midori Takada and Lafawndah present Ceremonial Blue Sun