Page 19 - Final_CBSO's 100th Birthday Celebration

All these autumn concerts will be in the orchestra’s rehearsal and educational space, LSO St
Luke’s. By December, however, the orchestra plans to be back in its main venue, the Barbican

concert hall. How is that possible? Kathryn McDowell, the LSO’s managing director for the past

15 years, points out that the Barbican already has its art gallery, library and cinemas open. So its

staff, rather than being laid off, are constantly building up experience in how to guide punters

safely through the building. Even so, one can’t help thinking that Rattle and the LSO have
simply got a much closer and more purposeful relationship with the Barbican than any rival

London orchestras have with the Southbank Centre.

“At the Barbican we will probably do two performances in a day of shorter programmes without

intervals,” Rattle says. “And rehearsals are limited to two hours too. Oddly, people using the

toilets is a real issue.”

Even Rattle’s iron resolve can’t solve every problem. The LSO’s magnificent chorus, for

example, is still held back from letting rip. “Big choirs generally are a bit of a problem at the

moment, with their aerosol transmissions, but choirs trained by Simon Halsey — famed for

demanding explosive consonants — are a particular challenge,” Rattle says. “Yet slowly but
surely we will find a way of using the London Symphony Chorus. In fact Julian Anderson is

composing a piece for us where he suggests having the chorus spread out at the back of the top

balcony. There’s always an answer.”