Víkingur Ólafsson Plays Brahms
In the hands of the star pianist, performing with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Brahms’ tempestuous First Piano Concerto is all poetry and emotion.
‘Magical’. ‘Flawless’. ‘A hypnotic presence at the keyboard’. The critics ran out of adjectives when Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson played at the Royal Festival Hall last year, and if you’ve heard him in action, you’ll understand why.
We’re thrilled to welcome him back for Brahms’ tempestuous First Piano Concerto: a volcano of poetry and emotion from the wounded heart of a young genius.
It could have been written for Ólafsson – but there’s no letting up after the interval, as Edward Gardner conducts Bartók’s kaleidoscopic ballet, and celebrates the special magic of one of the 21st century’s true sonic alchemists: Freya Waley-Cohen.
Performers
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Edward Gardner conductor
Víkingur Ólafsson piano
Repertoire
Brahms: Piano Concerto No.1
Interval
Freya Waley-Cohen: Mother Tongue
Bartók: The Miraculous Mandarin Suite
Need to know
Royal Festival Hall at 6.15pm: pre-concert talk. Edward Gardner and Freya Waley-Cohen discuss the world premiere of Mother Tongue. Admission free.
Times & tickets
Dates, times and prices
Dates & times
06 Nov 2024, 7.30pm
Run time
2 hours and 10 minutes (approx)
All timings are approximate and subject to change
Standard entry
from £14.00*
* Excludes £3.50 booking fee.
Book as early as you can to ensure the best choice of tickets. Ticket prices may be adjusted without notice to reflect demand.
Multi-buy discount
Classical Music: Autumn/Winter 2024/25
As part of our classical music multi-buy offer, book multiple Autumn/Winter 2024/25 concerts in the same transaction to receive a discount:
3 – 4 events: 10% discount
5 – 7 events: 15% discount
8 – 10 events: 20% discount
11 – 14 events: 25% discount
15+ events: 30% discount
Discounts apply to selected events, September 2024 – January 2025 inclusive. Offer can’t be combined with the Spring/Summer 2024 multi-buy.
View all events in this multi-buy offerJoin our membership
Members get free entry to the Hayward Gallery and the first chance to book our entire programme of events, including go-down-in-history gigs, concerts with world-class orchestras, and talks from cultural icons and political giants.
Join today from £69
For your visit
This event is held at the Royal Festival Hall Southbank Centre
The Royal Festival Hall is open daily.
Monday & Tuesday, 10am – 6pm*
Wednesday – Sunday, 10am – 11pm
*If we’re hosting a performance, the building will stay open until the event ends.
Plan your visit
The Royal Festival Hall is home to our largest auditorium as well as The Clore Ballroom, National Poetry Library, Members’ Lounge, Festival Bar & Kitchen, Ballroom Cafe and Skylon restaurant.
Getting here
Our address is Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX.
The nearest tube stations to us are Waterloo and Embankment; Waterloo is also the nearest train station. And more than 20 different London bus routes pass within 500 metres of our venues. More information on getting here by rail, road or river is available on our Getting here page.
We’re cash-free
Please note that we’re unable to accept cash payments across our venues.
Access
We’re working hard to remove barriers, so that our facilities and events can be accessible to as many people as possible.
All help points, toilets, performance and exhibition spaces at the Southbank Centre are accessible to all, as are the cafes, bars and restaurants. We also have excellent public transport links with step-free access.
All information about booking wheelchair spaces, step-free access, blue badge parking, access maps and guides and other help available whilst you’re here, including details about our Access Scheme, can be found on our Access page.
Food & drink
On Level 2 of our Royal Festival Hall you can grab a slice of life by the Thames with drinks and freshly made pizza at our Festival Bar & Kitchen which opens out onto our Riverside Terrace. You can grab a coffee and a slice of freshly made cake from our Ballroom Cafe. Or alternatively enjoy destination dining in the restaurant at Skylon.
From coffee to cocktails, filling favourites to fine dining, plus some of London’s best street food – it’s all here at the Southbank Centre.