Barbara Hannigan and IPS partner with Southbank Centre for The Rest is Noise Festival

1 February 2012

Soprano Barbara Hannigan and the International Piano Series have been announced as official partners of Southbank Centre’s The Rest is Noise festival – a series of concerts inspired by the book of the same name by The New Yorker journalist Alex Ross.

The groundbreaking initiative will also involve the venue’s resident orchestras, particularly the London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) whose season will form the backbone of the festival. The LPO will be joined by various HarrisonParrott artists in their twentieth century programming: violinist Leila Josefowicz joins the orchestra in February 2013 to perform Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No. 1, and later in the season, Patricia Kopatchinskaja plays the second of the composer's concertos for the instrument.

The International Chamber Music Season sees Jörg Widmann join Renaud and Gautier Capuçon for a performance of Messiaen's Quatuor pour la fin du temps and Shostakovich's Piano Trio No. 2; whilst Barbara Hannigan returns to Southbank Centre following tremendous critical acclaim for her part in 2011's Exquisite Labyrinth festival. Joining her are Reinbert de Leeuw and Quatuor Diotima, to perform works by Schoenberg, Alma Mahler and Berg. Described by The Guardian as "a cross between Berg's Lulu and Madonna", the soprano also aptly joins the London Philharmonic Orchestra in May to perform the suite from Berg's Lulu.

The International Piano Series, devised and developed by HarrisonParrott, also plays a key role in the festival. No fewer than six recitals with artists including Karim Said, Katia and Marielle Labèque, Denis Kozhukhin and Steven Osborne feature in the festival's extensive programme.

The Rest is Noise Festival also features the ensemble Spira mirabilis - who return to London in 2013 following their tremendously successful previous performances. The revolutionary group perform Strauss' Metamorphosen at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in June, with their usual mix of performance, education and conversation.

Click here for more information on the festival