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Barbican – Dec 21 Contents Now Highlights What’s coming up this month 2–11 5 unmissable Noguchi gardens 11–13 What’s on 14–30 Soon Book now for these forthcoming events 30–32 Always Enjoy the Barbican at any time of day 32–33 Christmas closing times The Centre will be closed on: Fri 24, Sat 25 & Sun 26 Dec Reopens Mon 27 Dec at noon.

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Hello! The pandemic was a period of reflection for many, as restrictions threw into sharp focus some things that might have been taken for granted. Composer Jake Heggie and mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton contacted their friends to find out what they were missing during the lockdowns, and the results have become a wonderful song cycle which premieres here this month (see page 6). Freedom of speech is certainly something that many of us don’t always appreciate, so our screening of Alone (page 9) is an important reminder that not everyone enjoys such liberties. Also this month, find out about artist Isamu Noguchi’s incredible sculptured spaces around the world (page 11). Our exhibition highlights the breadth of this influential artist’s work. Get ready for some thought-provoking and stimulating films, as we welcome T A P E Collective back to our Cinemas for a series of screenings that will prompt a conversation (page 3), while on page 28, musician and producer Alfa Mist tells us what inspired his new album. As we come out of the most stringent Covid-19 restrictions, it’s a real pleasure to have so many people coming here again. We look forward to seeing you this month.

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Exploring identity and heritage on film T A P E Collective’s screenings are cross-arts extravaganzas. It’s all about sparking conversation, explains co-founder Isra Al Kassi. Angie Moneke, Isra Al Kassi and Nellie Alston met on the Barbican Young Programmers scheme and – putting into practice what they learned – founded T A P E Collective to improve representation on screen. So their return here is like coming full circle. Since 2017 the trio has curated a number of screenings that bring together film, art, music, and talks into one space for events with a focus on representation, identity and heritage. The collective’s online cinema platform Good Wickedry shows a film a week, with a particular focus on people of colour and female filmmakers. Following their first screening in October, they’ll be bringing their typically crossarts approach to two further events here. Trippin’ Over My Tongue, which takes place this month, is about ‘exploring language beyond the mother tongue, it’s about learning and losing language, the significance of language and what it does to our confidence when we don’t feel like we comprehend or can express ourselves’. January’s event, Call Me By My Name, explores the significance of names, changing names and how often

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people might get your name wrong. ‘We also wanted to include the idea of having to actually define a label, having to find the right label and the right identity label, and the right definition by also exploring ideas of home and belonging,’ says Al Kassi. One of the events will feature a spoken word performance, the other a creative workshop. ‘We are so naive as an industry in terms of what it is that keeps an audience engaged,’ says Al Kassi. ‘It’s not just about keeping an audience engaged in terms of “buy the ticket and pay attention”; it’s actually about how to keep an audience feeling safe. And that’s something that you can get from a cross-arts event. Because some people need three hours before they want to say hi to you. And that’s OK.’ When it comes to films that provoke discussion, these more rounded experiences enable audiences to share their thoughts and feelings afterwards, making the events more inclusive, and creating a more rounded experience. ‘It’s about promoting a conversation,’ explains Al Kassi. There’s one thing we’re curious about: how did the group settle on the name for the collective? ‘People think it’s an acronym, but it’s not,’ smiles Al Kassi. ‘It’s more about the physical feeling of film that goes beyond the usual sort of cinema screenings. Both Angie and I are real film nerds. We’re massive Marvel fans and love cult classics from the 80s. So the name was about reclaiming this idea of retro cinema that I don’t think people really wanted to associate with young women of colour.’

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But Where Are You Really From? Trippin’ Over My Tongue 8 Dec See page 20 for details

But Where Are You Really From? Call Me By My Name 26 Jan How you can help young artists The end of the year is often a time for reflection. Despite the massive challenges of the past 18 months, we’re proud to have been able to continue to offer accessible development opportunities for young people. And that’s thanks to people like you who have given donations, become a Member, or joined our Patrons scheme. Their generosity has enabled us to continue to work with young artists, mentoring them and commissioning new work, even during the lockdown. Stephanie Francis-Shanahan, 26, joined the Young Visual Artist and Young Curator programmes. ‘For me, it was completely transformative,’ she says. ‘I don’t think my progression of how I made my work would have existed without these programmes. It’s completely made me able to exist, artistically.’ Continuing this important work relies on contributions from you. To find out more about how you can support young artists through our programmes, see barbican.org.uk/appeal.

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What did you miss the most? Composer Jake Heggie and close friend, mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton, wanted to know what people missed during the first lockdown. What they discovered inspired a new song cycle that will premiere here this month. It was shortly before March 2020 that Tucson Desert Song Festival invited Heggie and Barton to write a song cycle about whatever they wanted. So when that fateful first lockdown hit, Heggie admits to some naivety. ‘We kept thinking, “Oh, we’ll be back open in June”,’ recalls the renowned composer over Zoom from San Francisco. ‘We had no idea what was lying ahead of us. I just thought, “this is an opportunity to capture a very special moment.”’ So the pair reached out to around 30 people they knew to ask them to write something about what they missed the most. While all were touching, Heggie says he narrowed down the submissions to the five that really spoke to him creatively. The result is a very personal new song cycle, What I Miss The Most, featuring moving texts by some well-known friends. It will have its UK premiere here this month as part of a concert that celebrates the human connection of live performance. ‘[Mezzo-soprano] Joyce DiDonato wrote something that was very strong and a little frightening about the orders that were coming from above, and a lack of order,’ says Heggie. ‘[Actress and singer] Patti LuPone – I was expecting something very brassy and fun and from her,

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and she was so blissed out being at home with her family that she said, “I really don’t miss much” because she felt her life was so rich. [Nun and death penalty abolition campaigner] Sister Helen Prejean also wrote about her joy of being at home, but also this thing inside of her that relentlessly felt the call to civil justice.’ Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg – who died not long after sharing her thoughts – wrote a short piece about missing music in person, which Heggie describes as ‘one of the most beautiful, meaningful songs in the whole cycle’. And the final movement is from pianist, poet and conductor Kathy Kelly, who writes movingly about wanting to reach through the computer screen to the person on the other side. ‘It just made me weep from the beginning,’ smiles Heggie. ‘The five poems covered a gamut of feelings from anger and outrage, to yearning to peace to sorrow. It all sort of fell together very naturally.’ The rest of the programme at this concert celebrates the human connection of live music. Chosen by self-described ‘die-hard feminist’ Barton, it champions the voices of women. She says: ‘When Jake and I were coming up with this programme, we knew that What I Miss the Most would be the centrepiece. We started thinking about what we miss the most, and both of us really missed the sort of connection one can only really experience through live music. Ultimately, that idea became the backbone of this recital. The first half is a celebration of music itself – some are the literal embodiment of that concept and others are

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just a celebration of the chance to tell some of our favourite stories together with an audience in the house (Gretchen am Spinnrade and Von ewiger Liebe come to mind). ‘With the second half, I just had to ask Jake to let us showcase him, because his music has been such an integral part of my life since I started falling in love with art song. In addition to the new song cycle, we do Of Gods and Cats (which was the first set of Jake’s songs that I ever sang), and his magnificent Iconic Legacies. There’s nothing quite like ending a recital singing as Barbara Bush on Sesame Street!’ Heggie and Barton have long had a friendship. The composer is effusive in his praise for her talent. ‘Her personality and her voice are inextricable. She embodies joy and a breadth of emotion and human experience. And you hear it in every part of her voice. Her voice itself, first of all, has remarkable colour. It’s huge. And it is incredibly flexible, from a very soft, almost pop style to a very Wagnerian sound. And she’s comfortable in all of it. ‘I think I’ve always responded to her sound from the first time I met her in 2007 when she was the third lady in The Magic Flute in Houston. I met her backstage, and we just started laughing, became fast friends and decided it was time to work together right away. ‘There’s just an emotional core to her that I respond to. It’s very authentic. And there is great beauty to her sound.

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But she’s not afraid to make an ugly sound if the text demands it or the emotion demands it. She’s just about being truthful. She’s incredibly brave and vulnerable. Those are qualities in her colleagues such as Joyce DiDonato that have to be there for me, or I’m not interested, because that’s how I try to be.’ Jamie Barton & Jake Heggie 5 Dec See page 23 for details You’re not alone Showing on International Human Rights Day, Belarus Free Theatre’s new film is a powerful reminder of the impact people can make if they come together. There’s a moment in the film Alone, where multi-platinum-selling Ukrainian musician Andrei Khluvniuk invokes a huge festival crowd to chant the name of Oleg Sentsov, a Crimean filmmaker imprisoned by the Russian government after it annexed the region. Afterwards, he’s asked how he feels. ‘I don’t feel comfortable,’ he replies. ‘I wish I didn’t have to say what I said. I wish I could remain a simple hip hop rock musician who plays his music. But I can’t stay silent because it’s connected to me.’

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This extraordinary film charts Khluvniuk’s journey from stadium-filling hip-hop rock star to activist. It’s made by Belarus Free Theatre, the foremost refugee-led theatre company in the UK and the only theatre in Europe banned by its government on political grounds. We follow as Khluvniuk talks to dissidents and campaigners around the world. He wants to raise awareness and motivate his fans to join him in taking a stand against the war in the east of Ukraine and the hundreds of political prisoners held in Russian jails. He is the most famous Eastern European artist to be involved with such an overtly political campaign. ‘At the beginning, he felt very uncomfortable about it, but now he feels much better about it,’ says Belarus Free Theatre co-founder Nicolai Khalezin. ‘It’s an interesting transition where a creator sees the outcome of their activism, and they see that it produces results.’ With the war in Ukraine becoming a footnote in the media, the musician plans an ambitious personal statement on a huge logistical scale: a stadium-size rigged concert to nobody but the land where the illegal military border established by Russia now lies with the annexation of Crimea. He hopes the move will put Ukraine’s plight back on the media agenda, and help secure the release of Sentsov. ‘The concert at the Crimea separation line was very important for all of us,’ recalls Khalezin. ‘When the concert finished, everyone was crying. It was very emotional.

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‘It was a very strange feeling knowing that the first thing past the stage was a minefield, and then after that were Russian snipers, watching. But the President of Ukraine came onto Facebook to congratulate everyone for the work, and all the newspapers wrote about it. So it was very emotional.’ Alone is a powerful and moving documentary that is lent a sensitivity by being the directorial debut of Belarus Free Theatre’s co-founders, Khalezin and Natalia Kaliada, who bring their personal experience of being forced into exile by Belarus’s dictator Alexander Lukashenko to the process. ‘Documentary film is a different way of presenting what we do in the theatre,’ Kaliada tells us. ‘When you put a play on stage, even if it’s based on personal stories, it gets shaped by actors and playwrights. With film, you’re capturing specific moments in time. It’s beautiful because when you see a person crying, it’s happening right there. It’s very real. That was an interesting discovery for me.’ Alone 10 Dec See page 20 for details 5 unmissable Noguchi gardens As our major exhibition shows, Isamu Noguchi believed sculpture could be a ‘vital force in everyday life’ and he created extraordinary designs for outdoor spaces. Curatorial assistant Andrew de Brún shares some standout places.

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1 UNESCO Gardens, Paris, 1956–58 In 1956, Noguchi created the gardens for the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, transporting large stones from Shikoku and Okayama in Japan. Inspired by the communal experience of the Japanese gardens, Noguchi planned a tranquil space where people could congregate among the plantings, rock formations and ponds, all linked by a sloping path. 2 The Billy Rose Art Garden, Israel Museum, Jerusalem, 1960–65 In 1961 Noguchi was commissioned to create a sculpture garden for the archaeology and art museum planned to open in Jerusalem in 1965. He created what was his most ambitious sculpting of the landscape in the hillside of the Neve Shaanan (‘place of tranquillity’), adding triangular stone wall sections as backdrops for the museum’s sculpture collection, as well as a large water fountain. 3 Sunken Garden for Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, 1960–64, Yale University, New Haven, CT Noguchi’s Sunken Garden at the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library was initially inspired by sand mounts in Japanese temple gardens, but he later adapted his design to exist as a unified, immersive sculpture environment. Individual elements of the sculpture include a sun, a cube, and a pyramid rest installed on a geometric pattern, all composed of white marble.

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4 Sunken Garden for Chase Manhattan Bank Plaza, New York, 1961–64 Noguchi’s Sunken Garden for Chase Manhattan Bank Plaza was commissioned to sit alongside a 60-storey skyscraper in Manhattan. He decided to create a water garden in a circular well using black rocks from the Uji River near Kyoto which he personally selected for the garden. Unlike his other sculpture environments, this garden was designed to only be seen from a distance, inspired by the renowned Ryoanji temple garden in Kyoto. 5 Playscapes, Piedmont Park, Atlanta, Georgia, 1975–76 The Playscapes in Piedmont Park, Atlanta, are the first commission Noguchi realised in the US for a sculpture environment dedicated entirely to play. Since his early career as an artist, Noguchi saw play as one of the best ways in which to engage with sculpture. He made play equipment based on models he created the previous decade that allowed children to play while also learning about physics using swings with varying swinging points and long seesaws. Noguchi Until 9 Jan See page 14 for details This exhibition is generously supported by the Terra Foundation for American Art, with additional support from The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation and US Embassy London.

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now Art & Design Free for Members Visit all our exhibitions for free with Membership. Plus, get priority booking and offers around the Centre. Join now at barbican.org.uk/membership Until 9 Jan 2022 Noguchi Enter the world of creative polymath Isamu Noguchi. Explore his work in sculpture, architecture, furniture design and dance in this multi-disciplinary exhibition. (£18) Tue 28 Dec, 10am Relaxed Viewing of Noguchi A relaxed viewing of Noguchi. These are intended for anyone who may benefit from a very relaxed environment, where you can enter and exit more freely. (£13, carers can visit for free) Until 6 Feb 2022 Shilpa Gupta Shilpa Gupta explores freedom of expression in her first major London exhibition. Here she presents her acclaimed project For, In Your Tongue, I Cannot Fit alongside a series of new sculptures and drawings. (Free)

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Until 23 Dec, Level G How We Live Now: Reimagining Spaces with Matrix Feminist Design Co-operative A multi-layered installation with films, drawings, photos and architectural models, exploring a series of questions about our public spaces and designed environments. (Free) For full programme information, including opening times, please visit barbican.org.uk Theatre & Dance Until 31 Dec, Theatre

The Comedy of Errors Royal Shakespeare Company Shakespeare’s ever popular fairy-tale farce of everyday miracles, mistaken identity and double vision. This five-star ‘Glorious’ (Guardian) production is unmissable. (From £10*) Until 4 Dec, The Pit Awavena Lynette Wallworth This stunning 360° VR experience uses cutting edge technology to connect you with an Amazonian people who are ascending from the edge of extinction. (£12*)

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8–19 Dec, The Pit First Light Daniel Naddafy/Marty Langthorne Bathe in sound and light with your baby as you explore the wonders of how their senses develop. Sit, lie down or stand while sharing this immersive, intimate experience. (£5*) Fri 10 Dec, 6:30pm, Cinema 1 Alone documentary screening + Q&A Belarus Free Theatre Documentary film Alone charts the astonishing political awakening of a multi-platinum-selling rock star from Ukraine as he asks how his fame can make a difference. (£15*) Thu 9 Dec, Online Holiday Sauce... Booster! Taylor Mac Streaming from New York, the inimitable Taylor Mac riotously turns holiday traditions on their head. Join Taylor, Machine Dazzle, and special guests for a queer Christmas you won’t forget. For full programme information, including artist line ups, please visit barbican.org.uk Details of prices are available online. Barbican Members and Business Members enjoy discounts on selected events. Join Young Barbican and get tickets for selected events for just £5, £10 or £15 *Booking Fees: £3 per online transaction. Some events have reduced booking fees

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Cinema New releases Please note the new release schedule is subject to change From Fri 3 Dec There Is No Evil # Directed by Mohammad Rasoulof (Manuscripts Don’t Burn), this film takes four extraordinary stories about the role of state executions in Iran. This powerful film was the 2020 Golden Bear Winner at the Berlinale. (£12*) From Fri 3 Dec

The Hand of God# Paolo Sorrentino (The Great Beauty) returns with this personal story of a Naples upbringing, at the time of political change and the arrival of Diego Maradona, starring Sorrentino regular Toni Servillo. (£12*) From Fri 10 Dec West Side Story # Steven Spielberg’s fresh take on the epic 1961 musical stars Rachel Ziegler and Ansel Elgort as Maria and Tony, caught between their love for each other and loyalties to the Jets and the Sharks. (£12*) From Fri 10 Dec Lamb # In Iceland, a couple discover a baby mysteriously left on their farm. Starring Noomi Rapace and Hilmir Snær Guðnason star in this atmospheric drama. (£12*)

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From Fri 10 Dec Hope # Starring Andrea Bræin Hovig and Stellan Skarsgård, this superb study of a woman’s reaction to a cancer diagnosis draws on the director Maria Sødahl’s own experiences, to create an emotionally devastating portrait. (£12*) From Fri 17 Dec Spider-Man: No Way Home # Peter Parker (Tom Holland) must deal with losing his anonymity as the masked homo-arachnid, with the help from MJ (Zendaya) and Dr Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch). (£12*) From Wed 22 Dec The Matrix Resurrections # Lana Wachowski brings us back to the extraordinary world of the Matrix. Starring Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Christina Ricci and Jada Pinkett Smith. (£12*) From Fri 31 Dec Titane # This provocative Palme d’Or winner from Julia Ducournau (Raw) is a bold and darkly funny exploration of sexuality, damage and murder, following a young woman’s involvement with a missing person’s case. (£12*)

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Special events and seasons Until 3 Dec, Cinema 1, 2 & 3 Palestine Film Festival The London Palestine Film Festival continues with the UK Premiere of fierce and feminist documentary, As I Want, and the newly restored 1987 science fiction, Friendship's Death starring Tilda Swinton. (£12*) Sat 4 Dec 5.55pm, Cinema 1 Eurydice 12A Met Opera Live Performed from the perspective of its eponymous heroine, soprano Erin Morley shines as the tragic Eurydice, who is sent to the Underworld after a viper’s bite, in this new production streamed live from NYC. (£37*) Sun 5 Dec 5.30pm, Cinema 1 London International Animation Festival: Closing Gala – The Best of the Fest 15* LIAF closes with a showcase of the Festival’s absolute must-see films, as selected by several panels of industry experts and audience voters. (£13.50*) Tue 7 Dec 6.30pm, Cinema 3 Oska Bright Film Festival We present a selection of fantastic, award-winning shorts from around the world from the leading learning disability film festival. (£8*)

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Wed 8 Dec 6.15pm, Cinema 2 But Where Are You Really From? Trippin’ Over My Tongue 15* Call Me By My Name # T A P E Collective Presents Whether it’s learning or losing a language, this programme looks at the barriers raised when the mother tongue isn't as fluent as we want, or the words simply slip away. (£12*) Tue 14 Dec 8.45pm, Cinema 2 Wake Up on Mars 15* + ScreenTalk New East Cinema Documentary and magic realism blend in Dea Gjinovci’s fascinating feature, about a family from Kosovo living in Sweden, including an imaginative ten-year-old boy and his two sisters, who suffer from a mysterious malady called ‘resignation syndrome’. (£12*) Fri 10 Dec 6.30pm, Cinema 1

Alone # + ScreenTalk Belarus Free Theatre Documentary film Alone charts the astonishing political awakening of a multi-platinum-selling rock star from Ukraine as he asks how his fame can make a difference. Join us for the UK premiere and Q&A. (£15*)

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Sun 12 Dec 2pm, Cinema 3 The Nutcracker 12A Royal Opera House Live The Royal Ballet perform this wondrous Christmas tale, about a young girl’s magical adventure with an enchanted doll, set to Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s beautiful score. (£21*) Wed 15 Dec 7.15pm, Cinema 3 Tosca Royal Opera House Live Set in 19th century Rome, this intense story of romance and betrayal follows Tosca, her painter lover Cavaradossi and the villain Baron Scarpia, chief of police, all set to the thrilling score by Giacomo Puccini. (£21*) Families Every Saturday 11am, Cinema 2 Family Film Club In December, FFC is celebrating all things wintry and festive with some brilliant family films and events. Look out for our regular show and tell introduction and our free monthly workshop. (£2.50/£3.50*) Parent and Baby Screenings Enjoy the best new films every Saturday and Monday morning with your little ones of twelve months and under, at our specially tailored screenings. Sign up to the mailing list at barbican.org.uk/parentandbaby

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Relaxed Screenings One Friday afternoon and one Tuesday evening in every month, we screen a film in a specially tailored environment for adults who may be on the autistic spectrum, have Tourette Syndrome, anxiety, sensory or other learning difficulties. A companion or carer may attend for free. (£8*)

Barbican Members enjoy discounts on selected events, including 20% off cinema tickets. Join Young Barbican and get tickets for selected events for just £5, £10 or £15. *Booking Fees: £3 per online transaction. Most new releases have captioned and audio-described screenings. There are also two relaxed screenings every month. See online for details Classical Music All concerts take place in the Hall unless otherwise stated Fri 3 Dec 7.30pm BBC Symphony Orchestra & Chorus: A Choral Celebration Antonín Dvořák Te Deum and Serenade Michael Tippett Fantasia Concertante on a Theme of Corelli Gerald Finzi In Terra Pax Celebration and contemplation as the massed voices of the BBC Symphony Chorus return to the Barbican for a feast of English and Czech music, with just a hint of Christmas. (£12.50–42*)

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Sun 5 Dec 7.30pm Jamie Barton & Jake Heggie Includes: Franz Schubert An die Musik Jake Heggie What I Miss the Most Florence Price We Have Tomorrow American mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton is a star on the world opera stage. Her yearning programme with composer/pianist Jake Heggie focuses on music, words and the human connection of live performance. (£15–40*) Wed 8 Dec 6.30pm London Symphony Orchestra Half Six Fix: Mahler 4 A different way to experience the LSO, with introductions from LSO Music Director Sir Simon Rattle to Gustav Mahler’s Fourth Symphony, a universe of drama, emotion and heart-piercing beauty. (£18–35*) Thu 9 Dec 7pm

LSO/Rattle & Simovic Miklós Rózsa Violin Concerto Béla Bartók Concerto for Orchestra Best-known for his Hollywood film scores, Miklós Rózsa holds an audience spellbound without the pictures. Alongside music from fellow Hungarian Béla Bartók, expect dark secrets, untamed melodies and raw folk rhythms. (£18–60*)

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Fri 10 Dec 7.30pm, Milton Court A Roaring 20s Christmas with the BBC Singers It’s the roaring 20s as the BBC Singers enter the spirit of the jazz age with a swinging Christmas celebration packed full of standards and classics. (£12–25*) Fri 10 Dec 7.30pm Lang Lang One of Classical Music’s biggest personalities takes on one of the most legendary keyboard work ever written: Johann Sebastian Bach’s Goldberg Variations. (£25–85*) Tue 14 Dec 7.30pm, Hall/Online L’Arpeggiata/Christina Pluhar: Monteverdi’s Vespers Christina Pluhar and her daring Baroque ensemble L’Arpeggiata push music to its limits. They sing out the brilliance and beauty of Monteverdi’s Vespers, which broke new musical boundaries in 1610. (£15–55* Hall/£12.50 Online) Wed 15 Dec 6.30pm LSO Half Six Fix: Concerto for Orchestra Béla Bartók Concerto for Orchestra Sir Simon Rattle introduces what is perhaps Béla Bartók’s most popular work, a defiant shout of hope and joy, in a quick shot of music from the LSO. (£18–35*)

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Thu 16 Dec 7pm LSO/Rattle & Crowe Claude Debussy Music for King Lear Hector Berlioz Overture to King Lear Gustav Mahler Symphony No 4 A child’s view of heaven, and Shakespeare’s vision of hell – two responses to the drama King Lear paired with Mahler’s great song of innocence and experience with soloist Lucy Crowe. (£18–60*) Fri 17 Dec 7.30pm Britten Sinfonia: Handel’s Messiah Britten Sinfonia will give an intimate but impassioned performance featuring a star-studded line-up of soloists as they kick off our festive period with the triumphant ‘Hallelujah’ Chorus. (£15–65*) Raymond Gubbay Christmas Festival Sat 18 Dec 2pm & 5.30pm Christmas Carol Singalong Sing your heart out as irrepressible showman Jonathan Cohen leads you through another fun-filled extravaganza of his most-loved carols and all time Christmas hits. (£18.50–48.50*) Sun 19 Dec 2.30pm & 7.30pm Carols by Candlelight A sublime concert of carols and seasonal classics, staged in full 18th Century costume in an evocative candle-lit style setting. (£16.50–44.50*)

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Tue 21 Dec 7.30pm Christmas with King’s College Choir The world-renowned Choir of King’s College, Cambridge herald the Christmas season with sublime carols as they’re joined on stage by Crouch End Festival Chorus. (£22.50–52.50*) Wed 22 Dec 7.30pm Grand Christmas Classics with Alan Titchmarsh The legendary Alan Titchmarsh presents an evening concert of seasonal classics, festive readings and joyful songs, crowned by carols for all. (£18.50–48.50*) Thu 23 Dec 2pm & 5.30pm Jingle Bell Christmas Join the London Concert Orchestra, Capital Voices, special guest singers Tim Howar and all-star dancers The Jingle Belles® for a fun-filled show full of all your favourite Christmas hits. (£18.50–48.50*) Mon 27 Dec 7.30pm

The Music of Zimmer vs Williams What’s your favourite Hans Zimmer or John Williams tune? The London Concert Orchestra perform iconic tunes from Star Wars, Pirates of the Caribbean, Harry Potter, Superman and more. (£18.50–48.50*) Tue 28 Dec 7.30pm Beethoven’s Ninth Celebrate all things Beethoven with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, as the play the composer’s climactic final Choral

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Symphony, and his heroic Piano Concerto No 5, Emperor. (£22.50–54*) Wed 29 Dec 7.30pm The Greatest Show Tunes Tap your feet to the sound of musicals. West End performers Ben Forster, Danielle Hope, Karen Mav and John Owen-Jones perform favourites from Grease, West Side Story and much more. (£16.50–46.50*) Thu 30 Dec 7.30pm

The Best of John Williams Be inspired by the iconic scores of John Williams, as London Concert Orchestra play snapshots from Jaws, Star Wars, Indiana Jones and much more. (£18.50–48.50*) Fri 31 Dec 7.30pm New Year’s Eve Gala Includes: Richard Strauss Overture to Die Fledermaus Maurice Ravel Boléro Jacques Offenbach ‘Can Can’ from Orpheus in the Underworld Round up all the family as we ring in the New Year with an uplifting concert of some of the most well-known classical tunes. (£18.50–46.50*) Visit our website for full programme information, including concerts from the Barbican Presents series, London Symphony Orchestra and our other associate orchestras, or contact the Box Office to be posted our current Classical Music brochure.

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Contemporary Music Playing by his own rules

Growing up without access to formal music education, Alfa Mist taught himself to make beats and play the piano. He says not having a prescribed way of doing things gave him a creative freedom. The title of Alfa Mist’s album Bring Backs is named after a rule in a card game he played as a child. If you won, you’d have to survive a further round without someone playing a card that would bring you back into the game. ‘I apply that to life,’ explains the producer and pianist who’s a key player in the UK jazz scene. ‘It’s a thing I developed growing up in a poor background. My mum came here from Uganda and did what she could to work and raise us. We lived in a perpetual state of positive things happening, but wondering for how long? That’s seeped into me, so I feel it’s tough to celebrate wins because I can’t see what’s around the corner. I used to live in a perpetual state where it’s hard to celebrate today, because tomorrow, everything could be gone.’ Growing up in Newham, Mist programmed grime and hip hop beats as a teenager – a path that led him to discover jazz through producers such as Hi-Tek, Madlib and J Dilla. Falling in love with the genre, he taught himself piano so he could dissect the records’ secrets. After releasing his own music on Soundcloud in the early 2010s he developed

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a network of collaborators such as Tom Misch, Barney Artist, Kaya Thomas-Dyke, Emmavie and Dornik Leigh. Then in 2017 came breakthrough album Antiphon, which has had over 7million plays on YouTube alone. Did he find that coming from a non-traditional “jazz background” gave him a sense of freedom? ‘I guess it did, but it’s not like I don’t respect that way of learning. I didn’t know what a Conservatoire was. When I left university I was like, “Wait, you mean there’s a place I could go to do music?” ‘It’s made me different. It’s meant I operate within a world with fewer rules, because I’m not really breaking down any previous historic knowledge. It’s a blessing, but also, I do respect and rate the, quote-unquote “proper way of doing things”.’ Sat 4 Dec 7.30pm Alfa Mist A sonic journey of beat-making and jazz composition: introspective jazz meets alternative hip-hop. Producer Alfa Mist performs from his new record Bring Backs. (£17.50–22.50*) Sun 12 Dec 8pm Barbican x Boiler Room We’ve teamed up with the streaming heavy weights to showcase some of the emerging talent they’re most excited about. Featuring Lea Sen, Demae, Ojerime and more. (£17.50–22.50*)

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All events take place in the Hall unless otherwise stated For full programme information, including artist line ups, please visit barbican.org.uk Barbican Members receive 20% off, Business Members receive 25% off selected events. Join Young Barbican and get tickets for just £5, £10 or £15

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25 Jan–5 Feb London International Mime Festival Now in its 46th year, Mime Festival returns to the Barbican with four captivating theatre shows and an event in the cinema, spanning the spectrum of contemporary visual performance. Visionary director Aurélien Bory’s aSH performed by Shantala Shivalingappa is breathtaking, while you can indulge your nosiness at Interiors. A graphic novel literally emerges before your eyes in Stereoptik’s Stellaire, while there’s a modern take on the variety show with SHORT & SWEET. 2–23 Feb, Cinemas 1 & 2 Homeland: Films by Australian First Nations directors Despite an extraordinary range of exciting films by Indigenous Australian directors being made every year, very few are released in the UK. This season will celebrate great films by First Nations filmmakers from the last three decades whose works embrace a variety of genres.

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Themes of displacement and marginalisation as well as resilience and humour surface in many of the films, which showcase Indigenous Australians’ rich cultural heritage. Part of the UK/Australia Season 2021–22 2 Feb, Milton Court

Aoife O’Donovan One of modern Americana’s brightest talents, Irish-American vocalist and songwriter Aoife O’Donovan, is joined by a string quartet for this intimate performance. The ethereal yet powerful singer presents delicate new arrangements of songs from her three critically acclaimed solo albums, as well as the song cycle Bull Frogs’ Croon, which uses stunning text by the former Poet Laureate of Oregon, Peter Sears. 12 Feb, Hall

Sir Antonio Pappano and the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia The future Chief Conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra will conjure a touch of magic when he brings his Italian orchestra to London for a concert that opens with well-loved family favourite, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia will also perform Camille Saint-Saëns’s Cello Concerto No 1, considered by many composers – including Rachmaninov and Shostakovich – to be the greatest cello concerto ever written. Finally, Sibelius’s melodic and emotionally deep Symphony No 1 transports us to ancient times, with its reflection of Finnish Kalevala singing.

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4–5 Mar, The Pit The PappyShow: Pit Party Playful physical theatre company The PappyShow will be bringing the party to The Pit through a fun evening of collaborative performance and storytelling. always Festive gift guide Looking for gift ideas this season? We’ve got plenty of inspiration for the arts lover in your life Dinosaur Christmas tree decorations Give your tree some dino delight with this selection of hanging decorations, including Santasaurus and a beautiful Christmas hat stegosaurus. DOIY Sushi Socks These fun and comfy socks are shaped like a tuna maki. Plus, just like at a sushi restaurant, you can buy them individually or take three shaped as a sushi tray. Tree Sticker Card Share festive wishes with these 100% recycled paper cards. There’s a wide range to choose from, made by Liverpool-based design company Jot Paper Co.

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Sophia paper lamp Elegant and portable, this Japanese-inspired paper lamp easily unfolds to become a tabletop or hanging lighting solution. The LED light creates a warm ambient light perfect for your bedside or living area. Takazawa candles There are five different candles in the NANAO collection by Takazawa Candle, all with a motif of a different plant that grows in the Noto Peninsula. The candles are plant based - the wick is made from materials such as dried rush and washi-paper, and the wax is made from the fruit of the Sumac tree. Takazawa Candle has been creating candlelight in harmony with Japanese nature since 1892. HAY Yatze Bring everyone together with a game of Yatze. The fresh colours and appealing graphics by Clara von Zweigbergk add a modern twist to this classic game for all the family. Barbican Membership Get your loved one back to experiences they’ll treasure with Barbican Membership. With free entry to the Gallery all year round, priority booking, discounts, exclusive events and more, this is the present that they’ll be grateful for every time they come to the Centre. Plus, with twelve months to activate the Membership, they’ll have the flexibility to start enjoying the benefits whenever they’re ready. It also makes a superb last-minute gift because the gift membership voucher is sent on the date you choose. See barbican.org.uk/membership for details.

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Booking Online booking with seat selection and reduced booking fee at barbican.org.uk Stay in touch For the latest on sale dates, special events and news straight to your inbox, sign up to our email list at barbican.org.uk #MyBarbican We’re not just an arts centre, we’re also a community. #MyBarbican began as a way of us coming together during the pandemic. We wanted to share with you, our community, your favourite memories of the Barbican. Taken from our Instagram, each month's cover highlights a photo from this project. Share a photo which captures your moment best with #MyBarbican @barbicancentre