Intérprete: Londinium

The London Sinfonietta and Martyn Brabbins pay tribute to Sir Harrison Birtwistle with a programme of very fine music-making at London's Southbank Centre.

A ruthless Russian leader quelling revolt and uniting his country through waging war on its neighbours: the theme of Sergei Eisenstein’s film Ivan the Terrible, intended as a Soviet propagandist parable, raises a knowing eyebrow even today. Excerpts from Prokofiev’s score formed the bulk of this raucously enjoyable concert by the Philharmonia under Vladimir Ashkenazy, beneath a screening of key scenes from the film itself.

Walking down the steps to the Old Vic Tunnels, which were covered in graffiti and grime, it felt like a grungy, punk rock club lay at the end of this lackluster pathway. But once inside the Tunnels, it was clear that these dark, stone caves were the perfect space for a performance of Jessica Curry’s new choral work, Perpetual Light: Requiem for an Unscorched Earth.