Southbank Centre: Your culture fixInbox
Step in the same river twice with much-loved classical works and endlessly entertaining op art.
Some things stay the same
Touch of déjà vu? 2020 may seem to be repeating itself this week, but we hope to soothe your nerves with our latest cultural selection.
There’s music from Beethoven, Handel and Mendelssohn, so good that hundreds of years after it was first performed, we still want to hear it one more time. Our playlist takes you back to Meltdown 2018 with a selection of powerful alternative rock, and we’re inviting you to revisit our Bridget Riley exhibitions from both 2019 and 1971. Some of the paintings might have stayed the same, but have we?
Finally, the Koestler Awards is back with art created by prisoners, secure hospital patients and detainees. There’s never been a better time to consider what it means to be free, so we’ve shared their creativity on a grand scale across our 11-acre site.
find out more →G Major Achievement
Celebrations and Revolutions
WED 11 – WED 18 NOV
Can you believe that Beethoven struggled to find anyone to perform his Piano Concerto No.4 when he completed it in 1806? Luckily for us, pianist Nicolas Namoradze jumped at the chance for this online broadcast with the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
find out more →Free your mind
No Lockdown in the Imagination
THU 12 NOV – SUN 13 DEC
If you’re in the neighbourhood, our new outdoor exhibition represents the power of creativity in tough times. Emblazoned across our windows and popping up across our site, its audio, visual and written artworks are entries to the 2020 Koestler Awards for arts in criminal justice.
find out more →Also this week
2014: Memory and Renewal
UNTIL WED 11 NOV
Centuries of music evoke changing times in a concert from the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Stream the event online for free until Wednesday 11 November.
Apollo e Dafne
MON 9 – 16 NOV
In this broadcast performance, Handel’s tragic tale of unrequited love is given voice by baritone Roderick Williams and soprano Rowan Pierce.
Elim Chan Conducts Mendelssohn
THU 12 NOV
There’s only one way to escape to the Italian countryside this month. Hitch a metaphorical ride with the Philharmonia Orchestra, in a broadcast performance featuring violinist Sergey Khachatryan.
find out more →discover what’s onRaise a toast
We’re proud to announce our partnership with Rakuten
Have you heard the good news? We’re joining forces with Rakuten to bring you great cultural experiences from our Inside Out series and beyond.
To celebrate, we’re offering all Club Rakuten Members a free ticket to our 2020 Booker Prize Winner in Conversation event. Chin, chin!
Signing up to Club Rakuten is free – and very easy. Follow the link below to find out more about our collaboration, and how to claim your free ticket.
find out more →A piece of the action
Playlist: Robert Smith’s Meltdown
When The Cure’s Robert Smith stepped in to curate our 25th Meltdown festival, he described the result as a ‘psychedelic puzzle’. We’ve put the jigsaw back together for you in this playlist, featuring Manic Street Preachers, Mogwai and Placebo.
listen now →Made you look
Bridget Riley at Hayward Gallery: then and now
No, you’re not seeing double. Bridget Riley has wowed audiences at the Hayward Gallery with her mesmerising op art not just once but twice. Flick between these interactive ‘then and now’ photos to see how the exhibitions compare, almost 50 years apart.
read now →Rolling with it
Cinnamon buns by Lontoon Suomalainen Merimieskirkko
We may not be able to invite you to our food market right now, but here’s a recipe you can try at home. This Nordic cinnamon bun recipe from the Finnish Church in London is best served straight out of the oven.
read now →see all storiesAnd now for something completely different
Win a copy of John Cleese’s new book
If you’d like to be as creative as the Monty Python co-founder and Fawlty Towers star, then tune in to our online event. It’s available to stream until Monday 9 November.
Or, if you’re feeling lucky, enter our competition to win a copy of Cleese’s new book, Creativity: A Short and Cheerful Guide.
To enter, send an email with ‘SHORT AND CHEERFUL’ in the subject line to competitions@southbankcentre.co.uk by 5pm on Thursday 12 November. *T&Cs below.
find out more →Box of delights
Southbank print by Will Clarke
We’re sorry to announce that because of lockdown, we’ve had to close the doors to our Southbank Centre Shop on Mandela Walk. However, you can find plenty of striking jewelry, enticing homeware and enchanting decorations online, including this limited edition print of our 11-acre site.
Shop our full range on our website to help support the Southbank Centre, and the arts.
shop now →Support the Southbank Centre
We continue to face challenges and uncertainty as we look to our future. If you feel that you can make a donation, no matter how small, you will be making a huge difference.
Text 70085 with the code SOUTHBANK 20 to donate £20, SOUTHBANK 10 to donate £10 or SOUTHBANK 5 to donate £5. Texts cost your donation amount plus one standard rate message. Thank you.
donate online →Name that tune
Plug in for toe-tapping music
Need a musical break? Try one of our playlists to discover new artists and shake it out with a dance around the room. We’ve got mixtapes hand-picked by Joan As Police Woman, Marius Neset and Susheela Raman, to name a few.
listen now →Lend us an ear
Learn something new with our podcasts
Our podcast series features conversations with great writers, comedians, thinkers and musicians. Consider women on the page with Roxane Gay, spend an evening with Roger Daltrey or mull mental health and creativity with Matt Haig and Jordan Stephens.