Resident Orchestra of Fairfield Halls, Croydon
Thursday 22 December 2011 3.00pm
anderson Christmas Festival trad. The Virgin Mary had a baby boy
Fairfield Halls, Croydon Christopher Bell conductor
tchaikovsky Excerpts from The Nutcracker lane Sleighbell Serenade Trad. Good King Wenceslas trad. The 12 Days of Christmas interval blake The Snowman by Raymond Briggs
The LMP is funded by the London Borough of Croydon
Members of the audience are reminded that it is prohibited to smoke in the auditorium or take sound recordings or photographs in any part of the performance. Any noises such as whispering, coughing, rustling of sweet papers and the beeping of digital watches are very distracting to the performers and fellow audience members. Please make sure mobile phones or pagers are switched off during the performance. In accordance with the London Borough of Croydon, members of the audience will not be permitted to stand or sit in any of the gangways. If standing is permitted in the gangways or the sides and the rear of the seating, it will be limited to the numbers exhibited in those positions. LMP and Fairfield Croydon are registered charities.
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london mozart players Founded by Harry Blech in 1949 as the UK’s first chamber orchestra, the London Mozart Players (LMP) is regarded as one of the UK’s finest ensembles. Under the leadership of Music Director Gérard Korsten the orchestra is internationally renowned for its outstanding live performances and CD recordings and particularly known for its definitive performances of the core Classical repertoire. The LMP also plays an active part in contemporary music, giving many world premières and commissioning new works, especially of British composers. In recent years, the LMP has premièred new works by composers including Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, Tarik O’Regan, Sally Beamish, Cecilia McDowall, Lynne Plowman, and Fraser Trainer. In March 2011, the LMP appointed Roxanna Panufnik as their Associate Composer. Since 1989, the LMP’s home has been Fairfield Halls, Croydon, thanks to generous funding from the London Borough of Croydon. This residency includes a series of subscription concerts at the hall and numerous education and community activities throughout the borough. Touring is a major part of the orchestra’s schedule, with regular appearances at festivals and concert series throughout the UK and abroad. It is Orchestra in Association of The Anvil, Basingstoke, and has strong relationships with other major UK venues, including Turner Sims Concert Hall, Southampton. Overseas, the LMP has visited Spain, Belgium and France and, most recently, Germany. The 2011/12 season marks the second year of conductor Gérard Korsten’s three-year term as the LMP’s fifth Music Director, continuing the strong Classical tradition developed by Andrew Parrott, Matthias Bamert and Jane Glover. The season sees the orchestra continuing to work with established artists including Howard Shelley and Tasmin Little, whilst building new relationships with bright new stars including Maximilian Hornung, Cordelia Williams and Nicholas Collon. The LMP’s new association with Korsten also sees the introduction of some of the best European soloists to our Fairfield season.
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The LMP has developed an extensive and highly regarded education, community and audience development programme, LMP Interactive, and is particularly committed to developing new audiences in outer London boroughs as well as rural areas across the nation. It has an association with the South Holland district in Lincolnshire that brings the orchestra into the heart of the Fenland communities. Working with educational institutions also brings inspiring and valued relationships, providing a professional grounding for young musicians, and the LMP is associated with Royal Holloway University of London, Wellington College, Wimbledon College, Portsmouth Grammar School and the Whitgift Foundation Schools in Croydon. Recent projects include ‘Fly Away Mozart’, involving secondary schoolchildren and composer Michael Omer that was performed in the arrivals hall of Southampton Airport; and ‘Side-by-side in Shepshed’ that saw composer and animateur Fraser Trainer and seven schools in Leicestershire build a new youth orchestra for the area and perform alongside the LMP in a family concert. In Croydon, a START project included children from primary and special needs schools working together to perform at the LMP’s annual Schools’ Concert in Fairfield Halls. Other ongoing ventures include visiting care homes and concert demonstrations in primary and secondary schools. The LMP receives project funding from Arts Council England, Orchestras Live and South Holland District Council. In addition, the LMP receives grants from trusts, foundations and many individuals, particularly the Friends of the LMP in Croydon. Recording has played a major part in the orchestra’s life for many years. Its acclaimed Contemporaries of Mozart series with Matthias Bamert for Chandos numbers over 20 CDs to date, with the latest release of Boccherini proving a success with the critics. A recording with Canadian pianist Alain Lefèvre of works by Mendelssohn, Shostakovich and Mathieu for Analekta was awarded a Canadian Juno Award. Full details of forthcoming concerts and more information on the orchestra’s activities are available on the LMP website: www.lmp.org
ORCHESTRA 1st Violins Susanna Candlin Nicoline Kraamwinkel Ann Criscuolo Martin Smith (Chair supported by David & Beatrix Hodgson)
Robert Yeomans (Chair supported by Debby Guthrie)
Violas Julia Knight Jessica Beesten Michael Posner
(Chair supported by Anonymous)
Francis Kefford
(Chair supported by Caroline Molloy & Andrew Lay)
Catherine Van der Geest Cellos Sebastian Comberti 2nd Violins Julia Desbruslais Jenny Godson Sarah Butcher (Chair supported by David Angel (Chair supported by NoĂŤl & Caroline Annesley)
Elinor Browne)
Helena Smart Jeremy Metcalfe Jayne Spencer
Basses Stacey Watton
Harp Camilla Pay
Tim Amherst
(Chair supported by Louise Honeyman)
Piano/Celeste Sophie Rahman
Flutes Juliette Bausor
Bassoons Adam MacKenzie
(Chair supported by Brian & Doreen Hitching)
(Chair supported by Alec Botton)
Robert Manasse
Robert Porter
(Chair supported by Barbara Tower)
Nicholas Bricht Oboes Christopher O'Neal (Chair supported by Pat Sandry)
Lauren Weavers Cor Anglais Adrian Rowland Clarinets Christopher Bucknall (Chair supported by Stuart & Joyce Aston)
Juliette Bucknall
Horns Christopher Newport Tony Catterick Richard Lewis Martin Grainger Trumpets Paul Archibald Peter Wright Simon Gabriel Trombones Ian White Susan White Ian Fasham
(Chair supported by Christopher Fildes)
Tuba James Anderson
Bass Clarinet Margaret Archibald
Timpani Ben Hoffnung Percussion Scott Bywater Glyn Matthews
New for 2011/12! The LMP now has an online shop! Visit shop.lmp.org to see all of our recordings
LMP CDs are also available on the LMP table www.lmp.org
christopher bell Conductor
Christopher Bell annually conducts choral and orchestral performances at the Chicago Grant Park Music Festival, where he celebrated his 10th Anniversary in 2011. During his tenure he and the chorus have been recipients of the coveted Margaret Hillis Award for Choral Excellence given by Chorus America as well as garnering much critical acclaim; “If Bell isn’t the city’s most inspiring choral director, I don’t know who is.” He is also the Chorus Master of the Edinburgh Festival Chorus and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra Junior Chorus. Largely responsible for the formation of the National Youth Choir of Scotland in 1996, he has been its Artistic Director ever since, conducting them in a highly successful BBC Proms debut in July 2006. Born in Belfast, Christopher was educated at Edinburgh University and held his first post as Associate Conductor of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. Since then, he has worked with many of the major orchestras in the UK and Ireland. He was Chorus Master of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra between 1989 and 2002 and was the first Artistic Director of the Edinburgh Royal Choral Union. Further afield, he has conducted the Netherlands
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Radio Choir and the Opera Australia Melbourne Chorus. Last season he made his debut with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Christopher Bell is well-known for working with young musicians. He was the founding conductor of the Ulster Youth Choir and director of the TOTAL Aberdeen Youth Choir for six years. Between 2001 and 2008 he was Artistic Director of the highly successful Children’s Classic Concert series. In 2001, Bell received a Scotsman of the Year Award for Creative Talent in appreciation for his work with singers. In 2003, he was awarded the Charles Grove Prize for his contribution to cultural life throughout the UK. In May 2009, he received an honorary Master’s degree from the Open University for Services to the Arts. He was joined on this occasion by Sir Mark Elder and Carol Ann Duffy, amongst others.
this afternoon's programme leroy anderson (1908 – 1975)
philip lane (Born 1950)
Christmas Festival
Sleighbell Serenade
trad. arranged by stephen doughty
trad. arranged by david willcocks
The Virgin Mary had a baby boy
Good King Wenceslas
pyotr ilyich tchaikovsky (1840 – 1893)
trad. arranged by stephen doughty
Chinese Dance and Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy from The Nutcracker
The Twelve Days of Christmas INTERVAL of 20 mins
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howard blake (Born 1938) The Snowman by Raymond Briggs The Snowman began as a wordless children’s picture book, written and illustrated by Raymond Briggs, published in 1978. Four years later, it was made into a short animated film by the newly-launched Channel 4, and aired on Christmas Eve 1982. The film version of the story was also wordless, except for the song Walking in The Air, sung by St. Paul’s Cathedral chorister Peter Auty (and not Aled Jones, as commonly believed!), who has since gone on to have a successful career as an operatic tenor. Since then this iconic song has been recorded by artists ranging from Cliff Richard to Tangerine Dream, Plácido Domingo to Barry Manilow, and promises never to lose its appeal. The Snowman begins with a young boy named James waking to find his garden covered with a dazzling layer of snow. He rushes outside and proceeds to build a fantastic snowman, traditionally dressing it with a hat, scarf, coal for its eyes and an orange for its nose. That night, as the clock strikes twelve, the snowman comes to life in a flash of Christmas magic. He graciously introduces himself and is invited inside to explore James’ home. The snowman is fascinated with everything he finds, and the pair become friends as he tries on human clothes, watches television and bathes in the freezer. After laying eyes on a motorcycle in the garden, the www.lmp.org
snowman jumps on and takes James on a thunderous ride, tearing through the forest and startling the woodland animals. On their return, the snowman takes James by the hand as they begin their flight to the familiar sounds of Walking in The Air. The pair fly over the Royal Pavilion and pier in Brighton, before heading over the ocean towards the North Pole. They encounter whales, penguins and a ferry full of drunken guests. When nearing their destination flashing coloured lights are seen in the distance, before they land on the edge of a dense forest. The pair begin to creep through the trees and soon encounter a clearing, many more snowmen and none other than Father Christmas! Now it’s the snowman’s turn to show James around, and a party is soon in full swing with cakes, dancing and violinplaying snowmen. They throw a Christmas bash to remember, and later Father Christmas takes James to see his reindeer. He is given a scarf decorated with snowmen before the pair once again take flight and return to James’ home. Once they land he gives the snowman a big hug and they share an emotional goodbye. The next morning, James wakes up and rushes downstairs, straight past his parents and out into the
back garden. He is suddenly shocked by piercing sunlight, and as he slowly walks towards the place where his snowman stood, he finds nothing but a mound of melted snow, a hat, a scarf and a few pieces of coal. As sadness engulfs him he wonders whether the previous night’s events were all just a dream, but as he reaches into his pocket he finds a blue scarf, ornately decorated with miniature white snowmen. Howard Blake wrote the iconic score for the animated film, including the lyrics to Walking in The Air. Born in Sussex in 1938, Blake won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music at the age of 18 as both a composer and pianist. On leaving the Academy he became interested in film, but returned to composing after being signed to EMI to produce a solo album. Blake’s most popular works include scores for The Bear, A Month In The Country, and the orchestral score for the 1980 film Flash Gordon. © Phil Chandler
www.thesnowman.co.uk www.lmp.org
LMP management Patron HRH The Earl of Wessex KG GCVO Music Director Gérard Korsten Associate Conductor Hilary Davan Wetton Associate Composer Roxanna Panufnik
Administration Managing Director Simon Funnell Deputy Managing Director Jo Towler
London Mozart Players Fairfield Halls Park Lane Croydon CR9 1DG
General Manager David Wilson
T: 020 8686 1996 F: 020 8667 0938 E: info@lmp.org W: www.lmp.org
Development Manager Elinor Browne
Registered in England No. 18720034
Concerts & Projects Manager Deborah Guest
Registered Charity No. 290833
Council of Management Chairman Rowan Freeland Chair of the Audit Committee Rosamund Sykes Daniel Benton Simon Funnell Gillian Perkins Peter Van de Geest David Wechsler Malcolm Wicks MP
Marketing & Events Co-Ordinator Caroline Molloy Orchestral Librarian Martin Sargeson
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Intern Phil Chandler
give the orchestra a leg up... support an lmp chair From as little as £20 a month, you can sponsor an LMP chair and enjoy a special connection with the orchestra. • • •
Get to know your player as you see them perform. Take a look at what goes on behind the scenes with access to rehearsals. See your name in the programme alongside your chosen chair.
By supporting an LMP chair your donation will be directly helping the orchestra, enabling us to perform fantastic concerts and carry out inspirational work in schools and in the community. For more information please contact Elinor Browne, Development Manager at the LMP Office, 020 8686 1996 or email elinor@lmp.org www.lmp.org
CROYDON MUSIC FESTIVAL 2012 Come and enjoy the best in amateur arts performance
Everyone is welcome to take part in: Music - classical, rock/pop/jazz, South Asian music, show songs, choirs, instrumental Dance - ballet, tap, lyrical, song & dance, - South Asian dance Speech - verse, prose Drama - solos, duos, groups The Festival Syllabus is available free from any library or music shop. If you are interested in helping as a volunteer with the general running of the Festival performances, please contact us. For further information or a free Syllabus please contact the Hon. secretary on 020 8654 6713. www.croydonmusicfestival.co.uk Registered Charity No. 1039606
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play your part There are lots of ways for you to get involved with the LMP and ensure the oldest chamber orchestra in the UK has a bright future. Play your part today.
Supporters Our Supporters are the building blocks of our success. Make a donation today and help the orchestra you love thrive into the future. You’ll receive our newsletter to keep you up to date with all the LMP’s activities and be credited for your support in our concert programmes. Every donation, large or small, is important to us and will make a difference. Bronze Supporters make donations of up to £50, Silver Supporters make donations of £50 and above, and Gold Supporters make donations of £100 and above.
Benefactors From world-class concerts to inspiring education projects, none of the LMP’s work would be possible without the financial support we receive from our Benefactors. Our Benefactors are musical patrons, following in the footsteps of those generous, passionate and committed philanthropists who, throughout the centuries, have enabled great musicians to perform and compose. Benefactors make an annual donation of £1000 and above and enjoy a unique programme of events, including access to rehearsals, exclusive recitals, gala concerts and special receptions throughout the year. Start your own creative partnership and become a Benefactor.
Conductors’ Circle Our most generous Benefactors belong to this exclusive group. Members of the Conductors’ Circle are closely involved with the musicians and management team and play a significant role in the life of the LMP. In addition to the opportunities enjoyed by all Benefactors, members of the Conductors’ Circle are invited to a sumptuous dinner hosted by the orchestra’s Patron, HRH The Earl of Wessex KG GCVO. If you would like more information about supporting the LMP, please contact Elinor Browne, Development Manager, on 020 8686 1996 or email elinor@lmp.org www.lmp.org
supporting the lmp The LMP would like to thank its supporters Patron HRH The Earl of Wessex KG GCVO Principal Funders London Borough of Croydon Public Funders Orchestras Live Royal Borough of Kingston Upon Thames South Holland District Council Trusts & foundations John Coates Charitable Trust The Concertina Charitable Trust Croydon Relief in Need Charities The Foyle Foundation The Matthew Hodder Charitable Trust The Austin & Hope Pilkington Trust The Prince’s Foundation for Children & the Arts The Sackler Trust N. Smith Charitable Settlement The Steel Charitable Trust corporate friends Cantate Elite Hotels Simmons & Simmons conductors’ circle Anonymous x 5 Daniel & Alison Benton Kate Bingham Malcolm & Ann Booth Dan & Jo Davies The Ross Goobey Charitable Trust Anthony & Carole Record Jeffrey & Rosamund West
benefactors Anonymous x 6 Graham Harman André & Rosalie Hoffmann Gillian Perkins John & Ros Rawling Mr & the late Mrs K Smith Peter & Sheelagh Smith Mr D & Mrs M Wechsler life friends Michael & Barbara Hill golden supporters Anonymous x 42 Morag Beier Mr & Mrs C Clementi Mr & Mrs P A Elliott Mr Quintin Gardner Geoff & Mary Hearn Brian & Doreen Hitching Antony Jacubs Margaret Jones MVO Mr & Mrs A J Lambell Derek & Deirdre Lea Jeanne & Gordon Lees Derek & Bunty Millard Miss Gillian Noble Hazel & Geoffrey Otton Robert Keith Robertson David Robinson Christine Robson Mr & Mrs J Tillotson Sir John Wickerson Michael Woodhouse CVO
silver supporters Anonymous x 31 Jean & Gordon Adams Joyce & Stuart Aston Mr M P Black Peter Brent Michael & Janet Considine Nick Cull Mrs E A Dudley The Revd Canon Martin & Mrs Mary Goodlad Mr I A Hamlyn David & Beatrix Hodgson Nick & Jane Mallett Mr Harold Martin Paul Ribbins Mrs Marion Sunley Mr & Mrs M Rivers John Williams Mr B E & Mrs P B Woolnough bronze supporters Anonymous x 42 Alec Botten Mrs Sandra & Mr David Cotton Chantal Keast Mr Denis Protheroe
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forthcoming LMP concerts
Saturday 28 January
7.30pm
fairfield halls, croydon 020 8688 9291
Thursday 26 April
7.30pm
STRAVINSKY McDOWALL BEETHOVEN
Danses Concertantes Theatre of Tango Symphony No.6 Pastoral
BEETHOVEN GRIEG BRAHMS
Coriolan Overture Piano Concerto Symphony No.1
Conductor Baritone
Nicholas Collon Jeremy Huw Williams
Conductor/ Piano
Howard Shelley
Saturday 3 March
7.30pm
Saturday 19 May
7.30pm
MOZART PANUFNIK R. STRAUSS
Symphony No.17 K129 Four World Seasons (world première) Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme
EBERL HARTMANN SCHUBERT BEETHOVEN
Symphony in C Concerto Funebre Rondo in A for violin and strings Symphony No.7
Conductor Violin
Gérard Korsten Tasmin Little
Conductor Violin
Gérard Korsten Benjamin Schmid
If you would like to join the LMP mailing list and receive updates via email, please go to www.lmp.org and click on the “subscribe to email list” link. Alternatively, please email info@lmp.org or call 020 8686 1996. www.lmp.org