25 years at the Barbican

Eyewear was glad to have raised a glass of cheap fizz last night, toasting the 25th birthday of the Barbican Centre in London, whose 25th birthday party concert it was.

Sir Colin Davis had the baton before the London Symphony Orchestra. The highlight of the evening was Mitsuko Uchida on piano, playing Mozart's K467, which dates from March 1785 - that is, precisely 222 years ago. Uchida was sublime, as was the music.

The LSO seemed more comfortable with the kettle drums and pizzicato of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Symphony No 4 in F Minor, Op 37, which was first begun in 1877 (130 years ago). Its passionate struggle with desire and Fate is as moving as then, no doubt.

Also played was the curious incident of the premiere of James MacMillan's Stomp (with Fate and Elvira) which interweaves (rather obviously it seemed to my untrained ears) elements from the two pieces mentioned above.

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