Simon Rattle takes up baton at London Symphony Orchestra

One of classical music's biggest names, British conductor Simon Rattle, led his first concert as head of the London Symphony Orchestra on Thursday with a range of British composers given pride of place.

The shaggy-haired 62-year-old, who was previously head of the Berlin Philharmonic, succeeds Russia's Valery Gergiev and is spearheading efforts for the construction of a new concert hall for London.

The LSO is currently resident at London's Barbican Centre, which Rattle has described as merely "serviceable", while the capital also has a string of older venues such as the Royal Albert Hall.

Rattle said his opening season would draw on the "gold mine" of British music and his opening concert on Thursday featured the work of Edward Elgar alongside a range of contemporary British composers.

Rattle first performed with the LSO when he was 22 and conducted the orchestra at the opening ceremony for the 2012 London Olympics, accompanied by comedian Rowan Atkinson as Mr Bean on keyboards.

The LSO boasts figures such as Elgar and Andre Previn as previous principal conductors.

But music lovers are hopeful that Rattle's arrival could breathe new life into the often conservative world of orchestras and concert halls in Britain.

The conductor has said he hopes to make the genre more accessible during his time at the LSO.

source: AFP