A blacked out sun appears above a desolate valley

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Symphony of Shadows

The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra performs Shostakovich’s defiant Symphony No.7 to a captivating video installation conceived by Kirill Serebrennikov.

Part of Classical Season - Spring/Summer 2025

More details for Royal Festival Hall

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Dmitri Shostakovich’s Symphony No.7, written as Hitler’s armies surrounded the city of Leningrad and bombs rained down on a starving population, serves as both a profound historical document and a timeless meditation on the resilience of the human spirit.

To visually interpret this powerful symphony, a three-channel video installation by filmmaker Ilya Shagalov and art director Kirill Serebrennikov accompanies the orchestral performance, bringing Shostakovich’s music into the modern era through cutting-edge technology.

Through abstract imagery, light and shadow, the installation captures the symphony’s essence: the struggle and ultimate resilience of the human spirit.

This immersive experience underscores the symphony’s timeless relevance, challenging viewers to reflect on the enduring impact of dark forces on humanity and the strength required to overcome them.

Conducted by Vasily Petrenko, whose recording of the piece was described as ‘devastating’, it’s a stupendous climax to a concert that’s all about struggle and resistance, from Sibelius defying Russian imperialism with a mighty hymn to his native Finland, to the poet Walt Whitman’s pleas for tolerance, set to music by the exiled Kurt Weill.

Singing them today is the fabulous British baritone Roderick Williams: a born communicator at the heart of a truly epic programme.

Ilya Shagalov is an acclaimed video designer and multimedia artist known for his innovative approach to visual storytelling. With a career spanning over a decade, Ilya has collaborated with leading directors, musicians, and performance companies across the globe. His work seamlessly blends technology and human emotion, often exploring themes of memory, identity, and resilience.

Commissioned by the Southbank Centre and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

This performance is funded in part by the Kurt Weill Foundation for Music, Inc., New York, NY

Performers

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Vasily Petrenko conductor

Roderick Williams baritone

Repertoire

Sibelius: Finlandia

Weill: 4 Songs of Walt Whitman

Interval

Shostakovich: Symphony No.7 in C (Leningrad)

Need to know

Age guidance

For ages 12+. Under-14s must be accompanied by an adult

For your visit

This event is held at the Royal Festival Hall Southbank Centre

The Royal Festival Hall is open six days a week.

Tuesday – Sunday, 10am – 11pm
Monday, closed.

A concrete building with flags on the roof, with the London Eye and Big Ben in the background

A lively crowd cheers with raised hands, while a performer in a white hat and suit plays guitar, against red lighting.

A guitarist performing on a dark stage at the Royal Festival Hall, lit up by multiple spotlights.

Pianis Víkingur Ólafsson is seated at a grand piano while playing Bach’s Goldberg Variations on the stage of Royal Festival Hall

Organist Carol Williams plays the Royal Festival Hall organ whiich is illumiated with bold colours

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.

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.

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.

Other places to eat and drink whilst you’re here