Concert programme lpo.org.uk
Winner of the RPS Music Award for Ensemble Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor VLADIMIR JUROWSKI* Leader pieter schoeman† Composer in Residence magnus lindberg Patron HRH THE DUKE OF KENT KG Chief Executive and Artistic Director TIMOTHY WALKER AM
JTI Friday Series Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall Friday 24 October 2014 | 7.30pm
Wagner Prelude to Act 1, Lohengrin (9’) Beethoven Triple Concerto in C major (34’) Interval Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5 in E minor (47’)
Contents 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 12 13 14 15 16
Welcome LPO 2014/15 season On stage tonight About the Orchestra Leader: Pieter Schoeman Jukka-Pekka Saraste Maria João Pires Augustin Dumay Antonio Meneses Programme notes Recommended recordings Tchaikovsky on the LPO Label Next concerts Supporters Sound Futures donors LPO administration
The timings shown are not precise and are given only as a guide.
Jukka-Pekka Saraste conductor Maria João Pires piano Augustin Dumay violin Antonio Meneses cello
* supported by the Tsukanov Family Foundation † supported by Neil Westreich CONCERT PRESENTED BY THE LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
Welcome
Welcome to Southbank Centre We hope you enjoy your visit. We have a Duty Manager available at all times. If you have any queries please ask any member of staff for assistance. Eating, drinking and shopping? Southbank Centre shops and restaurants include Foyles, EAT, Giraffe, Strada, YO! Sushi, wagamama, Le Pain Quotidien, Las Iguanas, ping pong, Canteen, Caffè Vergnano 1882, Skylon, Concrete, Feng Sushi and Topolski, as well as cafes, restaurants and shops inside Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall and Hayward Gallery. If you wish to get in touch with us following your visit please contact the Visitor Experience Team at Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London SE1 8XX, phone 020 7960 4250, or email customer@southbankcentre.co.uk
London Philharmonic Orchestra 2014/15 season Welcome to tonight’s London Philharmonic Orchestra concert at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall. Whether you’re a regular concert-goer, new to the Orchestra or just visiting London, we hope you enjoy your evening with us. Browse the full season online at lpo.org.uk/performances or call 020 7840 4242 to request a copy of our 2014/15 brochure. Highlights of the season include: •
A year-long festival, Rachmaninoff: Inside Out, exploring the composer’s major orchestral masterpieces including all the symphonies and piano concertos, alongside some of his lesserknown works.
•
Appearances by today’s most sought-after artists including Maria João Pires, Christoph Eschenbach, Osmo Vänskä, Lars Vogt, Barbara Hannigan, Vasily Petrenko, Marin Alsop, Katia and Marielle Labèque and Robin Ticciati.
•
Yannick Nézet-Séguin presents masterpieces by three great composers from the Austro-German tradition: Brahms, Schubert and Richard Strauss.
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The UK premiere of Harrison Birtwistle’s piano concerto Responses: Sweet disorder and the carefully careless, performed by Pierre-Laurent Aimard.
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Soprano Barbara Hannigan joins Vladimir Jurowski and the Orchestra for a world premiere from our new Composer in Residence Magnus Lindberg.
•
Premieres too of a Violin Concerto by former Composer in Residence Julian Anderson, a children’s work, The Pied Piper of Hamelin, by Colin Matthews, and a new piece for four horns by Titanic composer James Horner.
•
Choral highlights with the London Philharmonic Choir include Stravinsky’s Requiem Canticles, Verdi’s Requiem, Rachmaninoff’s Spring and The Bells, Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé and Janáček’s Glagolitic Mass.
We look forward to seeing you again soon. A few points to note for your comfort and enjoyment: PHOTOGRAPHY is not allowed in the auditorium. LATECOMERS will only be admitted to the auditorium if there is a suitable break in the performance. RECORDING is not permitted in the auditorium without the prior consent of Southbank Centre. Southbank Centre reserves the right to confiscate video or sound equipment and hold it in safekeeping until the performance has ended. MOBILES, PAGERS AND WATCHES should be switched off before the performance begins.
2 | London Philharmonic Orchestra
On stage tonight
First Violins Pieter Schoeman* Leader Chair supported by Neil Westreich
Ilyoung Chae Chair supported by an anonymous donor
Thomas Eisner Martin Höhmann Geoffrey Lynn Chair supported by Caroline, Jamie & Zander Sharp
Yang Zhang Galina Tanney Ishani Bhoola Amanda Smith Peter Nall Catherine Van de Geest Nilufar Alimaksumova Kate Cole Miranda Allen John Dickinson Jamie Hutchinson Second Violins Philippe Honoré Guest Principal Jeongmin Kim Fiona Higham Nynke Hijlkema Joseph Maher Ashley Stevens Floortje Gerritsen Dean Williamson Sioni Williams Mila Mustakova Sheila Law Stephen Stewart Alison Strange Elizabeth Baldey
Violas Jonathan Barritt Guest Principal Gregory Aronovich Katharine Leek Naomi Holt Alistair Scahill Sarah Malcolm Martin Fenn Rebecca Carrington Miriam Eisele Karin Norlen Emma Sheppard Fay Sweet Cellos Kristina Blaumane Principal Francis Bucknall Laura Donoghue Santiago Carvalho† David Lale Gregory Walmsley Elisabeth Wiklander Sue Sutherley Susanna Riddell Helen Rathbone Double Basses Kevin Rundell* Principal Laurence Lovelle George Peniston Richard Lewis Kenneth Knussen Helen Rowlands Laura Murphy Charlotte Kerbegian
Flutes Sue Thomas* Principal
Trumpets Nicholas Betts Principal Anne McAneney*
Chair supported by the Sharp Family
Chair supported by Geoff & Meg Mann
Suzie Watson Marta Santamaria
Tom Rainer
Piccolo Marta Santamaria
Trombones Mark Templeton* Principal Chair supported by William & Alex de Winton
Oboes Ian Hardwick Principal Owen Dennis
David Whitehouse
Cor Anglais Sue Böhling Principal
Bass Trombone Lyndon Meredith Principal
Clarinets Robert Hill* Principal Thomas Watmough
Tuba Lee Tsarmaklis* Principal
Bass Clarinet Paul Richards Principal
Timpani Simon Carrington* Principal
Chair supported by Friends of the Orchestra
Bassoons Gareth Newman Principal Laura Vincent Stuart Russell Horns David Pyatt* Principal Chair supported by Simon Robey
Martin Hobbs Mark Vines Co-Principal Gareth Mollison Duncan Fuller
Percussion Keith Millar Principal * Holds a professorial appointment in London † Chevalier of the Brazilian Order of Rio Branco Meet our members: lpo.org.uk/about/ musician-biographies
Chair Supporters The London Philharmonic Orchestra also acknowledges the following chair supporters whose players are not present at this concert: Andrew Davenport Sonja Drexler David & Victoria Graham Fuller Eric Tomsett
London Philharmonic Orchestra | 3
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Full marks to the London Philharmonic for continuing to offer the most adventurous concerts in London. The Financial Times, 14 April 2014 The London Philharmonic Orchestra is one of the world’s finest orchestras, balancing a long and distinguished history with its present-day position as one of the most dynamic and forward-looking ensembles in the UK. As well as its performances in the concert hall, the Orchestra also records film and video game soundtracks, releases CDs on its own record label, and reaches thousands of people every year through activities for families, schools and community groups. The Orchestra was founded by Sir Thomas Beecham in 1932. It has since been headed by many of the world’s greatest conductors including Sir Adrian Boult, Bernard Haitink, Sir Georg Solti, Klaus Tennstedt and Kurt Masur. Vladimir Jurowski is currently the Orchestra’s Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor, appointed in 2007. From September 2015 Andrés Orozco-Estrada will take up the position of Principal Guest Conductor. Magnus Lindberg is the Orchestra’s current Composer in Residence. The Orchestra is based at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall in London, where it has performed since the Hall’s opening in 1951 and been Resident Orchestra since 1992. It gives around 30 concerts there each season with many of the world’s top conductors and
4 | London Philharmonic Orchestra
soloists. Throughout 2013 the Orchestra collaborated with Southbank Centre on the year-long The Rest Is Noise festival, charting the influential works of the 20th century. 2014/15 highlights include a seasonlong festival, Rachmaninoff: Inside Out, exploring the composer’s major orchestral masterpieces; premieres of works by Harrison Birtwistle, Julian Anderson, Colin Matthews, James Horner and the Orchestra’s new Composer in Residence, Magnus Lindberg; and appearances by many of today’s most soughtafter artists including Maria João Pires, Christoph Eschenbach, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Osmo Vänskä, Lars Vogt, Barbara Hannigan, Vasily Petrenko, Marin Alsop, Katia and Marielle Labèque and Robin Ticciati. Outside London, the Orchestra has flourishing residencies in Brighton and Eastbourne, and performs regularly around the UK. Each summer it takes up its annual residency at Glyndebourne Festival Opera in the Sussex countryside, where it has been Resident Symphony Orchestra for over 50 years. The Orchestra also tours internationally, performing to sell-out audiences worldwide. In 1956 it became the first British orchestra to appear in Soviet Russia and in 1973 made the first ever visit to China by a Western orchestra.
Pieter Schoeman leader
Pieter Schoeman was appointed Leader of the LPO in 2008, having previously been Co-Leader since 2002.
The London Philharmonic Orchestra has recorded the soundtracks to numerous blockbuster films, from The Lord of the Rings trilogy to Lawrence of Arabia, East is East, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and Thor: The Dark World. It also broadcasts regularly on television and radio, and in 2005 established its own record label. There are now over 80 releases available on CD and to download. Recent additions include Strauss’s Don Juan and Ein Heldenleben with Bernard Haitink; Shostakovich’s Symphonies Nos. 6 & 14, Brahms’s Symphonies Nos. 3 & 4 and Zemlinsky’s A Florentine Tragedy with Vladimir Jurowski; and Orff’s Carmina Burana with Hans Graf. In summer 2012 the London Philharmonic Orchestra performed as part of The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Pageant on the River Thames, and was also chosen to record all the world’s national anthems for the London 2012 Olympics. In 2013 it was the winner of the RPS Music Award for Ensemble. The London Philharmonic Orchestra is committed to inspiring the next generation of musicians through an energetic programme of activities for young people. Highlights include the BrightSparks schools’ concerts and FUNharmonics family concerts; the Young Composers Programme; and the Foyle Future Firsts orchestral training programme for outstanding young players. Its work at the forefront of digital engagement and social media has enabled the Orchestra to reach even more people worldwide: all its recordings are available to download from iTunes and, as well as a YouTube channel and regular podcast series, the Orchestra has a lively presence on Facebook and Twitter.
© Patrick Harrison
Touring remains a large part of the Orchestra’s life: highlights of the 2014/15 season include appearances across Europe (including Iceland) and tours to the USA (West and East Coasts), Canada and China.
Born in South Africa, he made his solo debut aged 10 with the Cape Town Symphony Orchestra. He studied with Jack de Wet in South Africa, winning numerous competitions including the 1984 World Youth Concerto Competition in the US. In 1987 he was offered the Heifetz Chair of Music scholarship to study with Eduard Schmieder in Los Angeles and in 1991 his talent was spotted by Pinchas Zukerman, who recommended that he move to New York to study with Sylvia Rosenberg. In 1994 he became her teaching assistant at Indiana University, Bloomington. Pieter has performed worldwide as a soloist and recitalist in such famous halls as the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Moscow’s Rachmaninov Hall, Capella Hall in St Petersburg, Staatsbibliothek in Berlin, Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, and Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall in London. As a chamber musician he regularly performs at London’s prestigious Wigmore Hall. As a soloist with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Pieter has performed Arvo Pärt’s Double Concerto with Boris Garlitsky, Brahms’s Double Concerto with Kristina Blaumane, and Britten’s Double Concerto with Alexander Zemtsov, which was recorded and released on the Orchestra’s own record label to great critical acclaim. He has recorded numerous violin solos with the London Philharmonic Orchestra for Chandos, Opera Rara, Naxos, X5, the BBC and for American film and television, and led the Orchestra in its soundtrack recordings for The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Find out more and get involved! lpo.org.uk facebook.com/londonphilharmonicorchestra twitter.com/LPOrchestra youtube.com/londonphilharmonic7
In 1995 Pieter became Co-Leader of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Nice. Since then he has appeared frequently as Guest Leader with the Barcelona, Bordeaux, Lyon, Baltimore and BBC symphony orchestras, and the Rotterdam and BBC Philharmonic orchestras. He is a Professor of Violin at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London. Pieter’s chair in the London Philharmonic Orchestra is supported by Neil Westreich. London Philharmonic Orchestra | 5
Jukka-Pekka Saraste conductor
Everything he tackles … is a success, regardless of whether it is Beethoven, Brahms, Schoenberg or Stravinsky.
© Bo Mathisen
Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger
Born in Heinola, Finland, Jukka-Pekka Saraste began his career as a violinist before training as a conductor at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki. He maintains a special affinity with the sound and style of late Romantic music. Equally, he feels a strong impetus towards contemporary work and has enjoyed particularly strong alliances with composers such as Henri Dutilleux, Magnus Lindberg and Kaija Saariaho. He recently conducted the world premieres of Friedrich Cerha’s Drei Orchesterstücke and Pascal Dusapin’s Violin Concerto at the Cologne Philharmonie, as well as the world premieres of Philippe Schoeller’s Songs from Esstal I, II, et III and Carmine Emanuele Cella’s Reflets de l’Ombre at the Salle Pleyel, Paris. Saraste has held the position of Chief Conductor of the WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne since 2010. He was Music Director and Chief Conductor of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra from 2006–13, and at the end of his tenure there was made Conductor Laureate. His previous positions include the principal conductorships of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra (1987–91), Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra (1987–2001, after which he was made Conductor Laureate) and Toronto Symphony Orchestra (1994–2001), and he served as Principal Guest Conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra (2002–05). He has recently held the position of Artistic Advisor of the Lahti Symphony Orchestra, and founded the Finnish Chamber Orchestra, of which he is still Artistic Advisor. He also founded the orchestra’s annual Tammisaari Festival, of which he is Artistic Director. His guest engagements have included the Leipzig Gewandhaus, Bavarian Radio Symphony and Royal Concertgebouw orchestras, and the major Scandinavian and North American orchestras, among others.
6 | London Philharmonic Orchestra
In the opera field he has conducted Turandot at the Royal Danish Theatre, and will lead a fully staged production of Kullervo at the Finnish National Opera this season in connection with the Sibelius anniversary year. 2014/15 will also see him take the Vienna Symphony Orchestra on a tour of Austria, and the WDR Symphony Orchestra to Amsterdam, Berlin, Stuttgart, Turin and Spain. Saraste’s extensive discography includes the complete symphonies of Sibelius and Nielsen with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra. With the London Philharmonic Orchestra he has recorded Lutosławski’s Concerto for Orchestra, Sibelius’s Symphony No. 5 and Pohjola’s Daughter on the LPO Label (LPO-0057). He has also made critically acclaimed recordings with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra and the WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne. jukkapekkasaraste.com
Saraste on the LPO Label Sibelius Symphony No. 5 Pohjola’s Daughter Lutosławski Concerto for Orchestra LPO-0057 | £9.99 CD available from www.lpo.org.uk/recordings, the London Philharmonic Orchestra Ticket Office (020 7840 4242), all good CD outlets and the Royal Festival Hall shop.
Augustin Dumay
piano
violin
One of the finest musicians of her generation, Maria João Pires was born in Lisbon in 1944. Since 1970 she has dedicated herself to reflecting on the influence of art on life, community and education, and to developing new ways of implementing pedagogic theories within society. In the last 10 years she has held many workshops with students from all round the world, and has taken her philosophy and teaching to Japan, Brazil, Portugal, France and Switzerland. More recently she joined the teaching faculty of the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Belgium, where she is working with a group of highly gifted young pianists. Together, under the impetus of Maria João Pires, they have initiated the ‘Partitura Project’, the aim of which is to create an altruistic dynamic between artists of different generations and to offer an alternative in a world too often focused on competitiveness. Handin-hand with this project is the ‘Equinox’ project, also headed by Maria João, which is a social programme for disadvantaged children aged 6–14 who are being helped through choral singing. Both projects are integrated under the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel umbrella. In the 2014/15 season Maria João performs with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Deutsche Staatsoper Orchester Berlin, Orquesta National de España, Orchestre de Capitole de Toulouse, Orchestra Filarmonica della Scala, Budapest Festival Orchestra and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, among others. Recitals as part of the Partitura Project include performances in Italy, Spain, Belgium, The Netherlands, the Canary Islands, France, Istanbul and at London’s Wigmore Hall. Maria João has a large and varied discography including solo, chamber and orchestral repertoire. For her 70th birthday in summer 2014, Erato re-released many of her wonderful recordings from the 1970s and 1980s, and Deutsche Grammophon also released a box set of her complete solo recordings for them.
© Elias
© Felix Broede/DG
Maria João Pires
Augustin Dumay, making his debut with the LPO this evening, is one of today’s most striking representatives of the great European classical tradition and, in particular, of the FrancoBelgian branch previously embodied by Ysaÿe and Grumiaux. He has made several outstanding recordings for Deutsche Grammophon: Mozart’s concertos with the Camerata Academica Salzburg (‘without exaggeration one of the finest Mozart violin concerto discs ever made’ (Classic CD)); Brahms’ trios; and Beethoven’s complete sonatas with Maria João Pires, a set that ‘surely ranks with Grumiaux and Haskil, Menuhin and Kempff or Perlman and Ashkenazy’ (Piano International). Chamber music and orchestral conducting are equally important to his musical life, attracting increasing invitations as a conductor: he was appointed Musical Director of the Kansai Philharmonic Orchestra in Osaka (Japan) in 2011, and is regularly invited to conduct the English Chamber Orchestra, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and Sinfonia Varsovia (Poland). Augustin Dumay is also very much involved in the development of a new generation of musicians, as a ‘Master in Residence’ at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Brussels. True to his mission of making classical music accessible to the masses, Augustin has played for prison inmates and has collaborated with the French association ‘Les Concerts de Poche’, whose aim is the democratisation of classical music. His discography – some 40 recordings, many of which have received prestigious awards – is available on the EMI, Deutsche Grammophon and Onyx Classics labels. His next recordings will be devoted to concertos by Bartók, Brahms, Beethoven, Saint-Saëns and Mendelssohn with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Sinfonia Varsovia and Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. November 2014 also sees the release of Brahms’s three Violin Sonatas with Louis Lortie for Onyx.
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Antonio Meneses cello
© Studio fotografico Gielle
Born in Brazil into a family of musicians, Antonio Meneses began his cello studies at the age of ten. He won the first Prize at the 1977 International Competition ARD in Munich and was awarded first Prize and Gold Medal at the 1982 Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. Antonio Meneses has recorded with many leading artists and orchestras, including Strauss and Brahms with the Berlin Philharmonic and Herbert von Karajan; many releases as a long-standing member of the Beaux Arts Trio; and the complete works for cello and piano by Villa-Lobos with Cristina Ortiz. For the AVIE label he has recorded the six Bach Suites for solo cello; the complete works for cello and piano by Schubert and Schumann with Gérard Wyss; a Beethoven disc with Menahem Pressler; Haydn’s cello concertos and the Concertino by Clóvis Pereira with the Royal Northern Sinfonia; and a CD of Elgar/Gál cello concertos with the Royal Northern Sinfonia and Claudio Cruz, which was nominated for a Grammy Award for ‘Best Classical Instrumental Solo’. Recent highlights include performances with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Maxim Vengerov at the Barbican; with the Royal Northern Sinfonia; appearances at the Aldeburgh and Edinburgh International festivals; recitals at Wigmore Hall; touring projects with Maria João Pires; and an exciting new residency with the Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo, with whom Meneses recently premiered a concerto written for him by the Brazilian composer Marco Padilha. His first recording with Maria João Pires, The Wigmore Hall Recital, was released in September 2013 by Deutsche Grammophon. Tonight is Antonio Meneses’s debut with the LPO. This season he also performs with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris and Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo, among others; and he returns to Wigmore Hall and Siena. Antonio Meneses plays a Matteo Goffriller cello made in Venice c.1700. 8 | London Philharmonic Orchestra
A season-long exploration of the composer’s life and music Wednesday 29 October 2014 Piano Concerto No. 3 | Symphony No. 2
Friday 7 November 2014 Piano Concerto No. 4 (final version)
Friday 28 November 2014 Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
Wednesday 3 December 2014 Symphony No. 1
Wednesday 21 January 2015 The Miserly Knight
Saturday 7 February 2015 Three Russian Songs | Spring
Wednesday 11 February 2015 Piano Concerto No. 2 | The Bells
Friday 13 February 2015 Piano Concerto No. 4 (original version)
Wednesday 25 March 2015 Piano Concerto No. 1 (final version)
Wednesday 29 April 2015 Four Pieces | Ten Songs | Symphony No. 3 Rachmaninoff Inside Out is presented in co-operation with the Serge Rachmaninoff Foundation.
lpo.org.uk/rachmaninoff
Programme notes
Speedread Beethoven’s Triple Concerto for piano, violin and cello with orchestra was written in the early years of the 19th century, and harks back to a favourite genre of the Classical period, that of the symphonie concertante or multiple concerto. This is the composer’s earliest work with the familiar proportions of his later solo concertos: an expansive opening Allegro balanced by a linked pair of movements, a slow interlude and a lively finale – in this case in the rhythm of the polonaise. Dating from four decades later, Wagner’s opera Lohengrin was inspired by the mediaeval legends surrounding the Holy Grail. Its Prelude is a quintessential example of Romantic tone-painting,
Richard Wagner
depicting in radiant orchestral colours a host of angels descending from a clear blue sky to bring the Grail to earth. Written a further four decades later, Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony fills the Classical mould of symphonic form with music of Romantic expressivity and intensity. It is held together by a recurring motto theme which for Tchaikovsky seems to have symbolised an acceptance of fate. This theme first appears in the slow introduction to the balletic first movement, and returns to crown the vehement climax of the passionate slow movement, to round off the elegant waltz that takes the place of a scherzo, and to preface and punctuate the dramatic finale.
Prelude to Act 1 of Lohengrin
1813–83
Wagner’s ‘romantic opera’ Lohengrin was written between 1845 and 1848, and first performed under Franz Liszt in Weimar in August 1850. The libretto, by the composer, is based on mediaeval legends. Lohengrin is a knight who comes to the aid of the princess Elsa of Brabant, and marries her, but insists on preserving his anonymity; when he is forced to reveal his identity as one of the guardians of the Holy Grail, he has to return
to their home at the castle of Montsalvat. The Prelude to Act 1 is a representation of the Grail – the sacred vessel that held Christ’s blood at the Crucifixion – being carried by a host of angels as it gradually materialises ‘out of the clear blue ether’. This picture is wonderfully conveyed by Wagner’s scoring, with high, much divided violins at the beginning and end, and a noble climax led by the brass.
London Philharmonic Orchestra | 9
Programme notes continued
Ludwig van Beethoven
Triple Concerto in C major, Op. 56
1770–1827
1 Allegro 2 Largo – 3 Rondo alla Polacca
The Triple Concerto for piano trio and orchestra is Beethoven’s only complete essay in the form of the symphonie concertante, or concerto with more than one soloist. This was a genre that had enjoyed great popularity in the last third or so of the 18th century, as outstanding examples by Mozart and Haydn testify. But the Beethoven is one of few such works with a keyboard instrument in the solo group; and it is almost the last of its kind – matched among 19th-century masterworks only by the Brahms Double Concerto for violin and cello. The request for this unusual work seems to have come from Beethoven’s pupil and patron the Archduke Rudolf, who maintained a private orchestra. The piano part would have been played by the Archduke himself; the string parts would have been intended for his principal violinist and cellist, Seidler and Kraft. Anton Kraft had previously been Haydn’s solo cellist at the Esterházy court: it was no doubt with his outstanding talents in mind that Beethoven gave the cello the lion’s share of the solo writing, including the first solo entry in all three movements.
first movement of the Concerto is of a breadth and harmonic range that Beethoven had only just mastered in the unprecedentedly expansive first movement of that symphony. The breadth here is partly achieved, of course, because there are three soloists all needing a share of the tunes. But in fact there is remarkably little direct exchange of melodies among the solo instruments: Beethoven always finds something new for each to say, especially in the discussion of the protean opening theme.
The Concerto had its first known public performance in Vienna in May 1808. But it seems likely to have been completed, and possibly tried through in private, some three or four years earlier; and the first sketches for it appear at the end of Beethoven’s ‘Eroica’ notebook, in which he sketched the Third Symphony in 1803/4. This link with the ‘Eroica’ is significant – because the
Maria João Pires piano Augustin Dumay violin Antonio Meneses cello
To counterbalance this large-scale opening Allegro, Beethoven wrote not two more equally expansive movements, which would have made the Concerto impractically long, but a linked pair of movements, slow movement leading directly into finale, which between them roughly match the length of the first movement. He was obviously pleased with the resulting proportions, because he adopted the same plan in all his remaining concertos. The slow movement here is a quiet but intense interlude, gently accompanied by clarinets, bassoons, horns and muted strings. It begins in A flat major, but works its way round to a G major chord in order to lead straight into the C major finale. This is a rondo in the triple-time dance rhythm of the polacca or polonaise, with an extended coda beginning in 2/4 metre and including an accompanied cadenza for the three soloists.
Interval – 20 minutes An announcement will be made five minutes before the end of the interval.
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Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky 1840–93
Tchaikovsky wrote the fifth of his six numbered symphonies at his house in the country near Klin, between Moscow and St Petersburg, in the spring and summer of 1888. Like its predecessor, it has a unifying motto theme: this returns in each movement, and it is also more subtly linked to some of the other principal themes. And, as in the Fourth, this motto seems to have been intended to suggest the idea of fate. But the two themes are very different. The ‘fate’ motif of the Fourth is an assertion of an irresistible power which, Tchaikovsky said, ‘hangs forever over our heads, like the sword of Damocles’. That of the Fifth represents, according to a jotting in one of Tchaikovsky’s notebooks, ‘Complete resignation before Fate, or, which is the same, before the inscrutable predestination of Providence’. Together with other notebook entries, this suggests that the Symphony reflects a significant turning-point in Tchaikovsky’s complex emotional life – presumably an acceptance of his homosexuality. The motto theme is introduced at length in the slow introduction; this leads to an Allegro con anima (‘with soul’ or ‘with spirit’), which unusually for a symphonic first movement is in the dance metre of 6/8. There are three principal themes, or groups of themes: the first a lilting tune said to be of Polish origin; the second a transitional idea, beginning with all the strings peeling off from a unison F sharp; the third an expressive D major melody, at a much more relaxed tempo, and with a balletic lightness resulting from the absence of stressed down-beats. These three sections are well marked off from one another, but running through all of them is a thread of continuous organic development, dissecting and reconstituting the material in a series of natural and logical steps. The process culminates in a climax incorporating elements of all three themegroups – and it is only after this that the official
Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64 1 2 3 4
Andante – Allegro con anima Andante cantabile, con alcuna licenza Valse: Allegro moderato Finale: Andante maestoso – Allegro vivace
‘development section’ of symphonic convention actually begins. The whole movement completely gives the lie to the idea that Tchaikovsky was not by nature a ‘symphonic’ composer, or that he was incapable of sustained development simply because his tunes were too good to start with. The slow movement is a D major Andante cantabile (‘song-like’), to be played ‘with some freedom’. Tchaikovsky is said to have written the words of a passionate love song over the opening horn melody. And if a personal crisis does underlie the programme of the whole work, then this movement is at the heart of it, with its vehement expression marks (‘with nobility’, ‘soulfully’, ‘with desire and passion’), its restless changes of tempo, and its dynamic range from ffff to pppp (respectively as loud as possible and as soft as possible). Here, too, the motto theme does seem to take on the character of fate itself rather than of resignation to it, in its two searing appearances, at the climax of the middle section and again towards the end of the movement. The third movement is a graceful A major Valse, based on a street song that Tchaikovsky had heard on a visit to Florence. The most obvious precedent for the symphonic use of a waltz instead of a scherzo is to be found in Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique; and Tchaikovsky also follows Berlioz in introducing a quiet reminiscence of the motto theme just before the end. The main section of the Finale is an E minor Allegro vivace built from a succession of resolute, forwardmoving themes, with the motto theme dramatically signalling the start of the central development section. The motto also forms the basis of the major-key introduction, first as a broad string melody and then as Continued overleaf London Philharmonic Orchestra | 11
Programme notes continued
an increasingly confident march; and, heralded by its opening rhythm and by a dramatic build-up, it returns in triumph in its major-key march version in the coda. But fate is not allowed the last word: after a Presto built out of some of the finale material, Tchaikovsky crowns the whole work with a resplendent major-key transformation of the ‘Polish’ melody from the first Allegro. Programme notes © Anthony Burton
Mini film guides to this season’s works For the 2014/15 season we’ve produced a series of short films introducing the pieces we’re performing. We’ve picked highlights from throughout the season, creating bite-sized introductions to the music and its historical background.
Recommended recordings of tonight’s works Wagner: Prelude to Act 1 of Lohengrin Berlin Philharmonic/Klaus Tennstedt EMI Gemini Beethoven: Triple Concerto Beaux Arts Trio/London Philharmonic Orchestra/ Bernard Haitink Philips Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 London Philharmonic Orchestra/ Vladimir Jurowski LPO Label LPO-0064 (see below)
Watch Patrick Bailey introduce Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5: lpo.org.uk/explore/videos.html
Tchaikovsky Symphonies on the LPO Label
Symphonies Nos. 1 & 6
Symphonies Nos. 4 & 5
Manfred Symphony
Vladimir Jurowski conductor
Vladimir Jurowski conductor
Vladimir Jurowski conductor
£10.99 (2CDs) | LPO-0039
£10.99 (2CDs) | LPO-0064
£9.99 (1CD) | LPO-0009
Available from lpo.org.uk/recordings, the LPO Ticket Office (020 7840 4242), the Royal Festival Hall Ticket Office and all good CD outlets. Available to download or stream online via iTunes, Spotify, Amazon and others.
12 | London Philharmonic Orchestra
Next LPO concerts at Royal Festival Hall
Wednesday 29 October 2014 | 7.30pm
Friday 7 November 2014 | 7.30pm
Rachmaninoff: Inside Out*
JTI Friday Series Rachmaninoff: Inside Out*
Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3 Rachmaninoff Symphony No. 2 Vassily Sinaisky conductor Pavel Kolesnikov piano
Vaughan Williams Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 4 (final version) Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 1 (Winter Daydreams) Osmo Vänskä conductor Nikolai Lugansky piano
Saturday 1 November 2014 | 7.30pm Mahler Symphony No. 2 (Resurrection) Jaap van Zweden conductor Elizabeth Watts soprano Alice Coote mezzo soprano London Philharmonic Choir Please note there will be no interval during this performance.
Wednesday 5 November 2014 | 7.30pm Sibelius The Bard Sibelius Violin Concerto Sibelius Lemminkäinen Suite (Four Legends of the Kalevala) Osmo Vänskä conductor Alexandra Soumm violin Free pre-concert event 6.00–6.45pm | Royal Festival Hall Musicians from the LPO join students from London Music Masters’ innovative music education programme, the Bridge Project, for a musical celebration.
Wednesday 12 November 2014 | 7.30pm Pierné Overture and Suite, Ramuntcho† Poulenc Concerto for two pianos and orchestra Ravel Rapsodie espagnole Debussy La mer Juanjo Mena conductor Katia Labèque piano Marielle Labèque piano † Supported by Palazzetto Bru Zane – Centre de musique romantique française.
Wednesday 19 November 2014 | 7.30pm Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2 Schubert Symphony No. 8 (Unfinished) R Strauss Don Juan Yannick Nézet-Séguin conductor Lars Vogt piano * Rachmaninoff: Inside Out is presented in co-operation with the Serge Rachmaninoff Foundation.
Tickets £9–£39 (premium seats £65) London Philharmonic Orchestra Ticket Office 020 7840 4242 Monday–Friday 10.00am–5.00pm | lpo.org.uk | Transaction fees: £1.75 online, £2.75 telephone Southbank Centre Ticket Office 0844 847 9920 Daily 9.00am–8.00pm | southbankcentre.co.uk Transaction fees: £1.75 online, £2.75 telephone. No transaction fee for bookings made in person
London Philharmonic Orchestra | 13
We would like to acknowledge the generous support of the following Thomas Beecham Group Patrons, Principal Benefactors and Benefactors: Thomas Beecham Group The Tsukanov Family Foundation Neil Westreich William and Alex de Winton Simon Robey The Sharp Family Julian & Gill Simmonds* Anonymous Garf & Gill Collins* Andrew Davenport Mrs Sonja Drexler David & Victoria Graham Fuller Mrs Philip Kan* Mr & Mrs Makharinsky Geoff & Meg Mann Caroline, Jamie & Zander Sharp Eric Tomsett John & Manon Antoniazzi Jane Attias John & Angela Kessler Guy & Utti Whittaker * BrightSparks patrons. Instead of supporting a chair in the Orchestra, these donors have chosen to support our series of schools’ concerts.
Principal Benefactors Mark & Elizabeth Adams Lady Jane Berrill Desmond & Ruth Cecil Mr John H Cook David Ellen Commander Vincent Evans Mr Daniel Goldstein Peter MacDonald Eggers Dr Eva Lotta & Mr Thierry Sciard Mr & Mrs David Malpas Mr Michael Posen Mr & Mrs G Stein Mr & Mrs John C Tucker Mr & Mrs John & Susi Underwood Lady Marina Vaizey Grenville & Krysia Williams Mr Anthony Yolland Benefactors Mrs A Beare David & Patricia Buck Mrs Alan Carrington Mr & Mrs Stewart Cohen Mr Alistair Corbett Georgy Djaparidze Mr David Edgecombe Mr Timothy Fancourt QC Mr Richard Fernyhough Tony & Susan Hayes Michael & Christine Henry Malcolm Herring J. Douglas Home Ivan Hurry Mr Glenn Hurstfield
Per Jonsson Mr Gerald Levin Sheila Ashley Lewis Wg. Cdr. & Mrs M T Liddiard OBE JP RAF Dr Frank Lim Paul & Brigitta Lock Ms Ulrike Mansel Robert Markwick Mr Brian Marsh Andrew T Mills John Montgomery Dr Karen Morton Mr & Mrs Andrew Neill Tom & Phillis Sharpe Martin and Cheryl Southgate Professor John Studd Mr Peter Tausig Mrs Kazue Turner Simon Turner Howard & Sheelagh Watson Mr Laurie Watt Des & Maggie Whitelock Christopher Williams Bill Yoe and others who wish to remain anonymous Hon. Benefactor Elliott Bernerd Hon. Life Members Kenneth Goode Carol Colburn Grigor CBE Pehr G Gyllenhammar Mrs Jackie Rosenfeld OBE
The generosity of our Sponsors, Corporate Members, supporters and donors is gratefully acknowledged: Corporate Members Silver: AREVA UK Berenberg Bank British American Business Carter-Ruck Bronze: Appleyard & Trew LLP Charles Russell Leventis Overseas Preferred Partners Corinthia Hotel London Heineken Lindt & Sprüngli Ltd Sipsmith Steinway Villa Maria In-kind Sponsors Google Inc Sela / Tilley’s Sweets
14 | London Philharmonic Orchestra
Trusts and Foundations Angus Allnatt Charitable Foundation Ambache Charitable Trust Ruth Berkowitz Charitable Trust The Boltini Trust Borletti-Buitoni Trust Britten-Pears Foundation The Candide Trust The Peter Carr Charitable Trust, in memory of Peter Carr The Ernest Cook Trust The Coutts Charitable Trust The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust Dunard Fund The Equitable Charitable Trust Fidelio Charitable Trust The Foyle Foundation Lucille Graham Trust The Jeniffer and Jonathan Harris Charitable Trust Help Musicians UK The Hinrichsen Foundation The Hobson Charity Kirby Laing Foundation The Leche Trust Marsh Christian Trust
The Mayor of London’s Fund for Young Musicians Adam Mickiewicz Institute The Peter Minet Trust The Ann and Frederick O’Brien Charitable Trust Palazzetto Bru Zane – Centre de musique romantique française Polish Cultural Institute in London PRS for Music Foundation Rivers Foundation The R K Charitable Trust Serge Rachmaninoff Foundation Schroder Charity Trust Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation The David Solomons Charitable Trust The Steel Charitable Trust The John Thaw Foundation The Tillett Trust UK Friends of the Felix-MendelssohnBartholdy-Foundation Garfield Weston Foundation The Barbara Whatmore Charitable Trust Youth Music and others who wish to remain anonymous
Sound Futures Donors We are grateful to the following donors for their generous contributions to Sound Futures, which will establish our first ever endowment. Donations from those below, as well as many who have chosen to remain anonymous, have already been matched pound for pound by Arts Council England through a Catalyst Endowment grant. By May 2015 we aim to have raised £1 million which, when matched, will create a £2 million fund supporting our Education and Community Programme, our creative programming and major artistic projects at Southbank Centre. We thank those who are helping us to realise the vision. Masur Circle Arts Council England Dunard Fund Emmanuel & Barrie Roman The Sharp Family The Underwood Trust
David Ross and Line Forestier (Canada) Tom and Phillis Sharpe Mr & Mrs G Stein TFS Loans Limited The Tsukanov Family Foundation Guy & Utti Whittaker
Welser-Möst Circle John Ireland Charitable Trust Neil Westreich
Pritchard Donors Anonymous Linda Blackstone Michael Blackstone Yan Bonduelle Richard and Jo Brass Britten-Pears Foundation Business Events Sydney Desmond & Ruth Cecil Lady June Chichester John Childress & Christiane Wuillamie Lindka Cierach Paul Collins Mr Alistair Corbett Dolly Costopoulos Mark Damazer Olivier Demarthe David Dennis Bill & Lisa Dodd Mr David Edgecombe David Ellen Commander Vincent Evans Mr Timothy Fancourt QC Christopher Fraser OBE Karima & David G Lyuba Galkina David Goldberg Mr Daniel Goldstein Ffion Hague Rebecca Halford Harrison Michael & Christine Henry Honeymead Arts Trust
Tennstedt Circle Simon Robey Simon & Vero Turner The late Mr K Twyman Solti Patrons Ageas Anonymous John & Manon Antoniazzi Georgy Djaparidze Mrs Mina Goodman and Miss Suzanne Goodman Robert Markwick The Rothschild Foundation Haitink Patrons Mark & Elizabeth Adams Lady Jane Berrill David & Yi Yao Buckley Bruno de Kegel Goldman Sachs International Moya Greene Tony and Susie Hayes Lady Roslyn Marion Lyons Diana and Allan Morgenthau Charitable Trust Dr Karen Morton Ruth Rattenbury Sir Bernard Rix Kasia Robinski
John Hunter Ivan Hurry Rehmet Kassim-Lakha Tanya Kornilova Peter Leaver Mr Mark Leishman LVO and Mrs Fiona Leishman Howard & Marilyn Levene Mr Gerald Levin Wg. Cdr. & Mrs M T Liddiard OBE JP RAF Dr Frank Lim Dr Eva Lotta & Mr Thierry Sciard Peter Mace Geoff & Meg Mann Ulrike Mansel Marsh Christian Trust John Montgomery Rosemary Morgan Paris Natar John Owen The late Edmund Pirouet Mr Michael Posen Sarah & John Priestland Victoria Provis William Shawcross Tim Slorick Howard Snell Lady Valerie Solti Stanley Stecker Lady Marina Vaizey Helen Walker Timothy Walker AM Laurence Watt Des & Maggie Whitelock Brian Whittle Christopher Williams Peter Wilson Smith Victoria Yanakova Mr Anthony Yolland
London Philharmonic Orchestra | 15
Administration
Board of Directors Victoria Sharp OBE Chairman Stewart McIlwham* President Gareth Newman* Vice-President Dr Manon Antoniazzi Richard Brass Desmond Cecil CMG Vesselin Gellev* Jonathan Harris CBE FRICS Dr Catherine C. Høgel Martin Höhmann* George Peniston* Kevin Rundell* Julian Simmonds Mark Templeton* Natasha Tsukanova Timothy Walker AM Laurence Watt Neil Westreich * Player-Director Advisory Council Victoria Sharp OBE Chairman Christopher Aldren Richard Brass David Buckley Sir Alan Collins KCVO CMG Andrew Davenport Jonathan Dawson Edward Dolman Christopher Fraser OBE Lord Hall of Birkenhead CBE Jamie Korner Clive Marks OBE FCA Stewart McIlwham Sir Bernard Rix Baroness Shackleton Lord Sharman of Redlynch OBE Thomas Sharpe QC Martin Southgate Sir Philip Thomas Sir John Tooley Chris Viney Timothy Walker AM Elizabeth Winter American Friends of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Inc. Jenny Ireland Co-Chairman William A. Kerr Co-Chairman Kyung-Wha Chung Alexandra Jupin Dr. Felisa B. Kaplan Jill Fine Mainelli Kristina McPhee Dr. Joseph Mulvehill Harvey M. Spear, Esq. Danny Lopez Hon. Chairman Noel Kilkenny Hon. Director Victoria Sharp OBE Hon. Director Richard Gee, Esq Of Counsel Jenifer L. Keiser, CPA, EisnerAmper LLP
Chief Executive
Education and Community
Digital Projects
Timothy Walker AM Chief Executive and Artistic Director
Isabella Kernot Education Director
Alison Atkinson Digital Projects Director
Alexandra Clarke Education and Community Project Manager
Matthew Freeman Recordings Consultant
Amy Sugarman PA to the Chief Executive / Administrative Assistant Finance David Burke General Manager and Finance Director
Lucy Duffy Education and Community Project Manager
Public Relations Albion Media (Tel: 020 3077 4930)
Richard Mallett Education and Community Producer
Archives
David Greenslade Finance and IT Manager
Development
Samanta Berzina Finance Officer
Nick Jackman Development Director
Gillian Pole Recordings Archive
Concert Management
Catherine Faulkner Development Events Manager
Charles Russell Solicitors
Kathryn Hageman Individual Giving Manager
Graham Wood Concerts and Recordings Manager
Crowe Clark Whitehill LLP Auditors
Laura Luckhurst Corporate Relations Manager
Dr Louise Miller Honorary Doctor
Jenny Chadwick Tours Manager
Noelia Moreno Charitable Giving Manager
Tamzin Aitken Glyndebourne and UK Engagements Manager
Helen Etheridge Development Assistant
Roanna Gibson Concerts Director
Alison Jones Concerts and Recordings Co-ordinator Jo Cotter Tours Co-ordinator
Rebecca Fogg Development Assistant Marketing Kath Trout Marketing Director
Orchestra Personnel
Mia Roberts Marketing Manager
Andrew Chenery Orchestra Personnel Manager
Rachel Williams Publications Manager
Sarah Holmes Sarah Thomas Librarians (job-share)
Samantha Cleverley Box Office Manager (Tel: 020 7840 4242)
Christopher Alderton Stage Manager
Libby Northcote-Green Marketing Co-ordinator
Damian Davis Transport Manager
Lorna Salmon Intern
Ellie Swithinbank Assistant Orchestra Personnel Manager
16 | London Philharmonic Orchestra
Philip Stuart Discographer
Professional Services
London Philharmonic Orchestra 89 Albert Embankment London SE1 7TP Tel: 020 7840 4200 Box Office: 020 7840 4242 Email: admin@lpo.org.uk lpo.org.uk The London Philharmonic Orchestra Limited is a registered charity No. 238045. Photographs of Wagner, Beethoven and Tchaikovsky courtesy of the Royal College of Music, London. Front cover photograph: Martin Hobbs, horn © Julian Calverley. Cover design/ art direction: Chaos Design. Printed by Cantate.