London Philharmonic Orchestra 2024/25 season brochure - Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall
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London concerts
September 2024 –May 2025
We’re excited to share our 2024/25 season – here’s a whistle-stop tour of what’s to come ...
Our Principal Conductor Edward Gardner opens the season with mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato in Berlioz’s The Death of Cleopatra , followed by performances with pianist Leif Ove Andsnes and violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja. Ed teams up with more superb soloists throughout the season, including Víkingur Ólafsson, Isabelle Faust and Augustin Hadelich, and presents some of music’s biggest and best-loved works including Strauss’s mighty Alpine Symphony , Ravel’s Daphnis and Chloe , and Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 – an enormous end to the season.
Our Principal Guest Conductor Karina Canellakis joins us for three action-packed concerts, including Bruckner’s Fourth Symphony, Tchaikovsky’s
Elena Dubinets Artistic Director
David Burke Chief Executive
Sixth Symphony, and Mozart with pianist Benjamin Grosvenor. We also welcome back our Conductor Emeritus Vladimir Jurowski for performances including Mussorgsky, Haydn, and Schubert’s ‘Great’ Ninth Symphony.
Throughout the season we’ll explore the relationship between music and memory in our Moments Remembered series. We’ll hear memorials, tributes, powerful public statements and personal intimate reflections, all captured in music. With pieces such as Richard Strauss’s anguished Metamorphosen and John Adams’s On the Transmigration of Souls , we’ll delve into the idea that memory – like music –is part of what makes us human.
Alongside classical favourites – Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake , Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances – there will be many opportunities to hear brand new music, including Freya Waley-Cohen’s Mother Tongue , and David Sawer’s Sphinx . There’s also the chance to hear iconic musicians including violinist Gidon Kremer, sarod player Amjad Ali Khan and soprano Renée Fleming.
Our mission is to share the wonder of orchestral music with as many people as possible. Full-price tickets for all of our Southbank Centre concerts start at just £14 and this year, we’re experimenting with earlier 6.30pm start times for three of our performances, and would love your feedback. As always, we look forward to welcoming our youngest (and loudest!) audiences to the Southbank Centre for our FUNharmonics family concerts, sharing the joy of music-making with our local communities and shining a spotlight on the extraordinary range of musical talent and creativity supported by our Education and Community programme in a series of free performances and events. We can’t wait for the season to get started and hope to welcome you to a concert soon.
Memory may deceive us, but the story around the naming of Beethoven’s Third Symphony really does seem to be true. Early in 1804 the composer’s assistant Ferdinand Ries saw the title page of the new symphony. It read, simply: ‘Bonaparte’. And Ries witnessed the reaction when Beethoven heard some time later that the great republican had crowned himself Emperor:
He flew into a rage … Beethoven went to the table, took hold of the title page, ripped it all the way through, and flung it on the floor.
The symphony acquired a new name: ‘Sinfonia eroica [heroic symphony], composed to celebrate the memory of a great man’. And so it stands: not a portrait of a living hero, but a monument to a lost ideal. That’s the problem with memory. It’s how we make sense of the world. But personal memories can play tricks, and public memory – the stories, beliefs and monuments with which we create and sustain a society – is slippier still. As Beethoven realised, today’s hero might be tomorrow’s villain.
That’s the concept behind the LPO’s Moments Remembered season. ‘Certain events and people that used to be celebrated are now remembered very differently, and vice versa’ says Elena Dubinets, the LPO’s Artistic Director. Yet for most of us, music is inextricably tied up with memory. We’ve all experienced the flood of recollections and emotions that rushes in when a certain melody starts to play.
The 2024/25 season is punctuated with pieces that grapple with these ideas – beginning with the ‘Eroica’ Symphony. Some were conceived
as memorials: John Adams’s On the Transmigration of Souls, in memory of 9/11, and Schoenberg’s tribute to the Holocaust victims of the Second World War, A Survivor from Warsaw, are powerful public statements. Berg’s Violin Concerto, dedicated ‘to the memory of an angel’, is rather more intimate. Britten’s fiercely personal Sinfonia da Requiem was not at all the official commemoration that its commissioners ordered – just as Richard Strauss’s anguished Metamorphosen gave memories of Beethoven a troubling new relevance in the dying days of the Third Reich.
The music of Evan Williams interrogates the whole notion of a shared, immutable musical memory. Shostakovich’s 13th Symphony challenged officially-sanctioned memory in the Soviet Union, and the music of Boris Lyatoshynsky has been reclaimed as a symbol of Ukrainian identity. Schumann, Ravel, Prokofiev, Weinberg and Kurtág all have memories to share: sometimes fantastic, sometimes vivid, but always intensely personal. Music’s unique relationship with memory comes into play outside the concert hall too: we’ll be working with organisations dealing with memory loss and dementia.
‘Each of us consists of multiple types of memories’ says Elena. ‘We epitomize our times, our countries, our families and our personal situations. What interests me is the crossroads of our feelings. And that's the beauty of our art form: emotionally, it might inspire you to have very different reactions in any given moment.’ But one function of art is to help us ask questions. And in all its contradictory forms, memory –like music – is part of what makes us human.
WEDNESDAY 25 SEPTEMBER 2024, 7.30PM ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL
Joyce DiDonato sings Berlioz
Barber Medea’s Dance of Vengeance (14’)
Berlioz The Death of Cleopatra (21’)
Beethoven Symphony No. 3 (Eroica) (47’)
Edward Gardner conductor*
Joyce DiDonato mezzo-soprano
When the world is on fire, heroes fall as fast as they rise – and after Napoleon Bonaparte revealed himself as a tyrant, Beethoven furiously cancelled the dedication of his explosive new symphony. Edward Gardner launches a season devoted to the subject of memory with the mighty ‘Eroica’ (Heroic) Symphony. First, though, he shares gripping musical myths by Barber and Berlioz: tales of women who defied fate to remake the world. And who better to take the role of Cleopatra than superstar mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato – a woman who brings everything she sings to vibrant, dazzling life?
*Edward Gardner’s position in the LPO is generously supported by Aud Jebsen.
SATURDAY 28 SEPTEMBER 2024, 7.00PM ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL
Edward Gardner conducts Rachmaninoff
Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3 (44’)
Rachmaninoff The Bells (Choral Symphony) (35’)
Edward Gardner conductor
Leif Ove Andsnes piano
Kristina Mkhitaryan soprano
Dmytro Popov tenor
Kostas Smoriginas bass-baritone
London Philharmonic Choir
‘Hear the bells ring out, with their singing and ringing … they tell of oblivion’. For Serge Rachmaninoff, the sound of bells embodied the eternal soul of Russia, and he poured all his imagination into this sumptuous choral symphony, an odyssey through the whole of human life told in music of sparkling joy and rich, deep sorrow. It’s a glorious showcase for Edward Gardner and our world-class London Philharmonic Choir, and a wonderful way to follow the epic sweep of Rachmaninoff’s grandest piano concerto, with LPO favourite Leif Ove Andsnes (‘magisterial elegance, power, and insight’ – The New York Times) in the spotlight.
Sibelius sees a flight of swans on a summer evening, and hears a melody that could have been wrought from the elements. Britten opens the emotional floodgates and creates one of 20th-century music’s mightiest outpourings of grief. And Shostakovich whispers secrets in the shadows, in a concerto that refuses to be silent. It’s all about memory, and all about truth. Big music demands big personalities, and they don’t come much bigger than violinist
Patricia Kopatchinskaja: virtuoso, storyteller and all-round phenomenon. With Edward Gardner conducting, she’ll drive straight to the heart of this powerful programme.
Concert generously supported by Victoria Robey CBE.
FRIDAY 25 OCTOBER 2024, 7.30PM ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL
A Hero’s Life
Mark Elder
Ravel Mother Goose (complete ballet) (28’)
Bruch Violin Concerto No. 2 (26’)
R Strauss Ein Heldenleben (46’)
Mark Elder conductor
James Ehnes violin
We’re all the heroes of our own lives. Strauss’s contemporaries couldn’t see the funny side of Ein Heldenleben (‘A Hero’s Life’): a riotously tuneful self-portrait of the artist as superhero, written for a colossal orchestra and featuring some of the most stupendous sounds ever imagined. The great Sir Mark Elder brings all his matchless flair for musical storytelling to a concert that opens in the shimmering wonderland of Ravel’s fairytale ballet, and stars Canadian virtuoso James Ehnes in the underrated sequel to Bruch’s ever-popular First Violin Concerto. It’s almost never heard – and it’s a delight.
Patricia Kopatchinskaja
WEDNESDAY 30 OCTOBER 2024, 6.30PM ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL
Karina Canellakis conducts Schumann & Bruckner
R Schumann Overture, Manfred (12’)
R Schumann Cello Concerto (26’) Bruckner Symphony No. 4 (64’)
Karina Canellakis conductor
Truls Mørk cello
Mists swirl, the air shivers and somewhere, far away, a solitary horn sounds a call to adventure. There might be symphonies that open more beautifully than Bruckner’s Fourth, but we can’t think of any! And that’s just the beginning of a musical journey that sweeps from forest shadows to sunlit peaks; quiet melancholy to heaven-storming joy. In Bruckner’s 200th anniversary year, the LPO’s inspirational Principal Guest Conductor Karina Canellakis makes it the climax of a deeply romantic programme that also stars cellist Truls Mørk in the tender, passionate music of Robert Schumann –a composer with the soul of a poet.
Please note start time.
Karina Canellakis
SATURDAY 2 NOVEMBER 2024, 7.30PM
Tchaikovsky’s Sixth
Saariaho Lumière et Pesanteur (6’)
Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3 (34’)
Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6 (Pathétique) (45’)
Karina Canellakis conductor
Vadym Kholodenko piano
Waves crash, tempests rise, and emotions surge and roar so fiercely that the words to express them simply don’t exist. That’s where music comes in, and when LPO Principal Guest Conductor Karina Canellakis is holding the baton, there’ll be no holding back. Passion is the key tonight, whether Kaija Saariaho’s opening Lumière et Pesanteur, Beethoven’s darkest concerto (with the charismatic Ukrainian pianist Vadym Kholodenko at the keyboard) or Tchaikovsky’s tragic, autobiographical final symphony. ‘Pathétique’ means ‘full of emotion’ and if you’ve already experienced Canellakis’s special chemistry with the players of the LPO, you’ll know to bring the tissues.
‘There is explosive chemistry between this conductor and orchestra’
The Times on Karina Canellakis and the London Philharmonic Orchestra
‘I cannot recall a performance of this symphony with such verve and sheer class’
Bachtrack on the LPO’s performance of Vaughan Williams’s Symphony No. 9
‘Magical’. ‘Flawless’. ‘A hypnotic presence at the keyboard’. The critics ran out of adjectives when Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson played at the Royal Festival Hall last year, and if you’ve heard him in action, you’ll understand why. We’re thrilled to welcome him back for Brahms’s tempestuous First Piano Concerto: a volcano of poetry and emotion from the wounded heart of a young genius. It could have been written for Ólafsson – but there’s no letting up after the interval, as Edward Gardner conducts Bartók’s kaleidoscopic ballet, and celebrates the special magic of one of the 21st century’s true sonic alchemists: Freya Waley-Cohen.
*Commissioned by the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
Free pre-concert event
Edward Gardner and Freya Waley-Cohen discuss the world premiere of Mother Tongue. 6.15–6.45pm in the Royal Festival Hall.
Schoenberg A Survivor from Warsaw (7’)
Weinberg Violin Concerto (26’)
Shostakovich Symphony No. 13 (Babi Yar) (61’)
Andrey Boreyko conductor
Gidon Kremer violin
Alexander Roslavets narrator/bass*
London Philharmonic Choir
Three composers cry out in the void. Confronted by unimaginable horror, Schoenberg rediscovered his Jewish roots, and created a musical drama of savage, defiant courage, in tribute to the Holocaust victims. In Soviet Russia, the authorities expected Shostakovich to write a propaganda symphony: but what they got was a searing denunciation of man’s inhumanity to man – more potent, and more urgent than ever in 2024. As part of our exploration of memory, Andrey Boreyko conducts three testaments from a dark century – with the incomparable Gidon Kremer as soloist in the Violin Concerto by Mieczysław Weinberg: composer, survivor and Shostakovich’s most devoted friend.
*Please note change of artist from originally advertised.
Free pre-concert event
LPO 2024/25 Writer-in-Residence Jeremy Eichler gives a talk on this evening’s programme. 6.15–6.45pm in the Royal Festival Hall.
A handsome prince, a wicked wizard and a swan princess: Swan Lake might be a ballet about black magic and doomed love, but the real sorcery comes from Tchaikovsky’s ravishing score. That’s the climax of this concert – but make no mistake, tonight there’s wonder from first note to last. Weber’s fairytale overture opens the portals of enchantment, and the award-winning young American cellist Zlatomir Fung sprinkles his own brand of stardust on the delightful Rococo Variations. Tchaikovsky meets Mozart, with a twinkle in his eye.
*Following the sad news of Sir Andrew Davis’s death on 20 April 2024, Tianyi Lu will now conduct this concert.
WEDNESDAY 15 JANUARY 2025, 7.30PM ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL
Strauss, Berg & Brahms
R Strauss Metamorphosen (26’)
Berg Violin Concerto (28’)
Brahms Symphony No. 2 (40’)
Edward Gardner conductor
Isabelle Faust violin
When memories turn into music, the personal becomes universal. Alban Berg was haunted by the death of a young girl: his Violin Concerto ‘to the memory of an angel’ distils pain into piercing beauty. Richard Strauss’s Metamorphosen rose from the ashes of wartime Germany, asking difficult questions even as it lays bare its heart. Brahms, meanwhile, wrote his Second Symphony on the sunlit slopes of the Austrian Alps – but happy memories have their own truth, and Edward Gardner and violinist Isabelle Faust will bring the same insight and commitment to every note, whether tragic, troubled or glowing with joy.
Free pre-concert event: LPO Showcase
Foyle Future Firsts and Royal Academy of Music – 6.00pm.
See page 31 for details.
Isabelle Faust
SATURDAY 18 JANUARY 2025, 7.30PM ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL
On the Transmigration of Souls
Haydn Missa in tempore belli (41’)
György Kurtág Petite musique solennelle (6’)
John Adams On the Transmigration of Souls (25’)
Vladimir Jurowski conductor
Anna Devin soprano
Hanna Hipp mezzo-soprano
Rupert Charlesworth tenor
Trevor Eliot Bowes bass
London Philharmonic Choir
Tiffin Youth Choir
For LPO Conductor Emeritus Vladimir Jurowski, every concert is an opportunity to explore, and with our Moments Remembered theme as inspiration, he’s conceived an intensely personal programme. Two towering choral works face each other across the centuries, and at first glance, John Adams’s tribute to the dead of 9/11 could hardly seem more different from Haydn’s joyous Mass setting. But even here, the drums of conflict rumble ominously in the distance. In between comes a moment of solemn reflection from György Kurtág: music that invites us to search our own memories, and find our own meanings.
Free pre-concert event LPO 2024/25 Writer-in-Residence Jeremy Eichler gives a talk on this evening’s programme. 6.15–6.45pm in the Royal Festival Hall.
WEDNESDAY 22 JANUARY 2025, 7.30PM QUEEN ELIZABETH HALL
Vivaldi’s Four Seasons
Alice Ivy-Pemberton
Perry Requiem for Orchestra (7’)
Evan Williams Dead White Man Music (Concerto for Harpsichord and Chamber Ensemble) (31’)
Vivaldi The Four Seasons (45’)
Richard Egarr conductor/harpsichord
Alice Ivy-Pemberton violin
The birdsong of Spring, the downpours of Summer, the frosts of Winter: everyone’s got their favourite bit of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. But there’s still nothing to match the sensation of hearing these four evergreen concertos performed live, and tonight Baroque specialist Richard Egarr and the LPO’s own Alice Ivy-Pemberton bring their shared energy to music that never gets any less fresh. But first, as part of our Moments Remembered season, there’s a sideways look at what makes a classic: the Vivaldiinspired Requiem by African-American composer Julia Perry, and Evan William’s playful, provocative piece that discusses his own place in classical music as a young African-American composer.
Please note venue.
Vladimir Jurowski
An evening with Amjad Ali Khan
Reena Esmail RE|Member (7’)
Amjad Ali Khan Samaagam (Concerto for Sarod) (70’)
AR Rahman Selections from film soundtracks including Slumdog Millionaire, Bombay and others
Lidiya Yankovskaya conductor
Amjad Ali Khan sarod virtuoso
Amaan Ali Bangash sarod
Ayaan Ali Bangash sarod
Sarod Grand Master Amjad Ali Khan was born to a family steeped in Indian classical music and is regarded as one of the undisputed icons of the music world, bringing a new and yet timeless interpretation to the technique of playing the Sarod. His sons Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash are virtuoso performers in their own right, and tonight they come together with conductor (and regular collaborator) Lidiya Yankovskaya and the LPO at the centre of a concert that spans continents and cultures – from a flamboyant new overture by Indian-American composer Reena Esmail to the hugely popular Bollywood film scores of AR Rahman, the composer they call the ‘Mozart of Madras’.
Amjad Ali Khan
WEDNESDAY 29 JANUARY 2025, 6.30PM ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL
Benjamin Grosvenor plays Mozart
WEDNESDAY 19 FEBRUARY 2025, 7.30PM
Symphonic Dances
Sibelius En Saga (17’)
Mozart Piano Concerto No. 21, K467 (29’)
Sibelius Lemminkäinen Suite (44’)
Karina Canellakis conductor
Benjamin Grosvenor piano
‘A mighty hero, in his veins the blood of ages …’ Lemminkäinen was a warrior like no other: loving, hunting, and challenging death itself. As a proud Finn, Sibelius knew all those ancient tales, and his Lemminkäinen Suite retells them in music that’s as vivid as a film score and as powerful as any fantasy epic. LPO Principal Guest Conductor Karina Canellakis does nothing by halves; she opens with Sibelius’s gripping evocation of the Viking age before joining Benjamin Grosvenor in the majesty, beauty and unchained melody of Mozart’s 21st Piano Concerto. Expect both sunlight and shadow from this much-loved British pianist.
Please note start time.
Concert generously supported by Victoria Robey CBE.
Glazunov Concert Waltz No. 1 (11’)
Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 (33’)
Rachmaninoff Symphonic Dances (35’)
Juraj Valčuha conductor
Boris Giltburg piano
The horns throw down a challenge, the piano strides forward, and Tchaikovsky launches his First Piano Concerto with a tune you’ll never forget. This is music that demands total commitment, so it’s perfect for Boris Giltburg, the Moscow-born piano virtuoso whom BBC Music Magazine described as ‘characterful, sensitive and technically dazzling’. But even the most brilliant jewel needs the right setting, and conductor Juraj Valčuha pairs it with showpieces by two of Tchaikovsky’s most devoted fans: Glazunov’s elegant whirl around the ballrooms of St Petersburg, and Rachmaninoff’s final masterpiece, the electrifying Symphonic Dances.
Benjamin Grosvenor
Juraj Valčuha
‘If I have to go to hell, I’ve decided, I want the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Edward Gardner to come with me’
Edward Gardner
The Times on Berlioz’s The Damnation of Faust with
FRIDAY 21 FEBRUARY 2025, 7.30PM ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL
An Alpine Symphony
Tania León Time to Time (UK premiere)* (15’)
Grieg Piano Concerto (30’)
R Strauss An Alpine Symphony (51’)
Edward Gardner conductor
Alexandra Dovgan piano
No composer tells a story quite like Richard Strauss –or paints a picture in more fabulous sounds. So when he set out to depict the majesty of the Bavarian Alps, the results are … well, hear for yourself as Edward Gardner and a specially-enlarged LPO conquer the summit of Strauss’s mighty Alpine Symphony. Waterfalls, glaciers, an ear-splitting storm –spectacular isn’t the word. But first, enjoy the fresh Nordic melodies of Grieg’s famous Piano Concerto, played by a true rising star, and experience musical history in the making with a brand new work by LPO Composer-in-Residence Tania León.
*Commissioned by the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Boston Symphony Orchestra.
Free pre-concert event: LPO Showcase LPO Junior Artists – 6.00pm. See page 31 for details.
Tania León
Edward Gardner
WEDNESDAY 26 FEBRUARY 2025, 7.30PM
Symphonie Fantastique
David Sawer Sphinx (world premiere)* (20’)
Britten Violin Concerto (32’)
Berlioz Symphonie fantastique (49’)
Edward Gardner conductor
Augustin Hadelich violin
ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL
Sex and drugs and symphony orchestras: Hector Berlioz claimed that his Symphonie fantastique depicted an opium dream, but really he was just high on the sound of a supersized orchestra going for broke. Love, witchcraft, severed heads –it’s all here, in psychedelic colours, and you’d better believe that it’s a hard act to follow. That’s why Edward Gardner and the superb violinist Augustin Hadelich are setting the scene with Britten’s powerful Violin Concerto, and with the world premiere of Sphinx by David Sawer –a British composer whose raw imagination can give even Berlioz a run for his money.
*Commissioned by the London Philharmonic Orchestra with support from the Nicholas Berwin Charitable Trust.
‘The evening ultimately belonged to Gardner, his orchestra, and those superb choirs’
The
Guardian on the Orchestra’s performance of the Damnation of Faust
SATURDAY 1 MARCH 2025, 7.30PM ROYAL
Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider plays Tchaikovsky
Mahler/Schnittke Piano Quartet, arranged for piano and strings (18’)
Haydn Symphony No. 49 (La Passione) (24’)
Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto (34’)
Omer Meir Wellber conductor/piano
Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider violin
When Omer Meir Wellber is conducting, there’s no such thing as a routine concert – every performance is a chance to make unexpected connections; to hear familiar pieces in new and fascinating ways. Haydn blows the roof off with one of his most explosive symphonies, and the teenage Mahler gets seriously emotional in a rarely-heard early gem. Add another artist who strikes sparks – violinist Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider – and Tchaikovsky’s hugely popular Violin Concerto will never have sounded more alive. Three very different composers, but in Wellber’s hands, they’re all part of the same unforgettable story.
WEDNESDAY 5 MARCH 2025, 7.30PM ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL
An evening with Renée Fleming
Wagner Prelude and Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde (17’)
R Strauss Four Last Songs (25’)
Wagner Overture and Venusberg Music from Tannhäuser (24’)
Wagner Prelude to Act I of Lohengrin (7’)
Wagner Overture, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (10’)
Thomas Guggeis conductor Renée Fleming soprano
It always feels good to make music with friends –and when that friend is soprano Renée Fleming, you just know that something extra-special is on the cards. No introduction is required for one of the LPO’s best-loved guests, the American soprano whose personality lights up the world’s greatest stages and whose voice has been compared to double cream. ‘Unforgettable’ was how one critic described her 2022 Gala with the LPO, and tonight she returns to sing Richard Strauss’s radiant Four Last Songs. Music that never grows old, sung by one of the supreme voices of our time.
The New World has always been a melting pot. Frank Zappa wove psychedelic new sounds from the underbelly of 1960s pop culture – aiming straight for the sonic G-spot. Bohuslav Martinů – a Czech in exile – looked homeward, and crafted a lush, fantastic dream of a symphony as he travelled from New York to the boulevards of Paris. And the Sri Lankan-born Canadian composer Dinuk Wijeratne tells his own intensely personal tale of displacement and hope, as Kevin John Edusei conducts his new Clarinet Concerto with the artist for whom it was created – the phenomenal Syrian clarinettist Kinan Azmeh.
Please note venue.
WEDNESDAY 19 MARCH 2025, 7.30PM ROYAL FESTIVAL
HALL
Mahler’s Fifth
Robin Ticciati
R Schumann Piano Concerto (31’)
Mahler Symphony No. 5 (72’)
Robin Ticciati conductor Francesco Piemontesi piano
A trumpet sounds a fanfare, the orchestra cries out, and Mahler’s Fifth Symphony judders into life. But a symphony, said Mahler, must be like the world; and 70 minutes later the whole orchestra is storming the heavens in triumph. It’s a blockbuster journey from darkness to light, told in funeral marches, Viennese waltzes and of course, music’s sweetest love-letter –the rapturous Adagietto. But Robert Schumann knew a thing or two about love, too, and Glyndebourne Music Director Robin Ticciati is joined by pianist Francesco Piemontesi in Schumann’s heartfelt Piano Concerto – music in which these two artists share a very special rapport.
John Edusei
‘The London Philharmonic fielded about 150 musicians for Schoenberg’s Gurrelieder on Saturday night, and what a glorious racket they made’
The Guardian
WEDNESDAY 26 MARCH 2025, 6.30PM
Alina Ibragimova plays Prokofiev
SATURDAY 29 MARCH 2025, 7.30PM
Tan Dun’s Water Concerto
Saariaho Orion (22’)
Prokofiev Violin Concerto No. 1 (20’)
Nielsen Symphony No. 5 (35’)
Hannu Lintu conductor
Alina Ibragimova violin
‘Music is life’, declared Carl Nielsen, ‘and like it, inextinguishable!’ Defiant words from a composer who’d seen a world laid waste by war, but they could serve as motto for this concert from the dynamic Finnish conductor Hannu Lintu. In a time of revolution, Prokofiev’s First Violin Concerto wove fairytale magic – and no-one makes it dance like our soloist Alina Ibragimova. There’s a vision of cosmic beauty from the late, great Kaija Saariaho. And finally, Nielsen launches a struggle for the future of existence itself: his shattering Fifth Symphony is one of those pieces that simply has to be experienced live.
Please note start time.
Pärt Symphony No. 1 (Polyphonic) (16’)
Tan Dun Water Concerto (27’)
Lutosławski Symphony No. 3 (28’)
Eva Ollikainen conductor
Colin Currie percussion
Life finds a way, and even under Soviet repression, composers were testing boundaries and telling forbidden truths. Arvo Pärt drew on the music of the past to liberate explosive new creative forces. Lutosławski reached for all the colours of a full symphony orchestra, and launched glittering sonic fireworks into grey Cold War skies. Eva Ollikainen rediscovers two modern classics, and Colin Currie –in the words of one critic, ‘surely the world’s finest and most daring percussionist’ – explores new ways of listening, with the extraordinary, culture-crossing Water Concerto by Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon composer Tan Dun.
Please note venue.
QUEEN ELIZABETH HALL
Eva Ollikainen
Alina Ibragimova
WEDNESDAY 2 APRIL 2025, 7.30PM ROYAL FESTIVAL
War and Peace
SATURDAY 5 APRIL 2025, 7.30PM
Tragedy to Triumph
Prokofiev Selection from Semyon Kotko (20’) Mussorgsky (arr. Denisov) Songs and Dances of Death (19’) Lyatoshynsky Symphony No. 3 (46’)
Vladimir Jurowski conductor Matthew Rose bass
‘Peace Shall Defeat War’ wrote Boris Lyatoshynsky on the score of his Third Symphony, and the message of this great 20th-century Ukrainian composer has never felt more urgent or compelling. LPO Conductor Emeritus Vladimir Jurowski believes passionately that it needs to be heard, and you’ll be gripped by its epic sweep and uncompromising emotional power. Jurowski has paired it with music from Prokofiev’s operatic tale of Ukrainian struggle, and Mussorgsky’s pitch-black, darkly comic songs –perfect for a singer as dramatic, and as characterful, as the British bass Matthew Rose.
Free pre-concert event: LPO Showcase Crisis Creates – 6.00pm. See page 31 for details.
Beethoven Coriolan Overture (8’)*
R Schumann Violin Concerto (30’)
Schubert Symphony No. 9 (The Great) (50’)
Vladimir Jurowski conductor
Vilde Frang violin
For Vilde Frang, ‘music is the noblest form of communication, a constant interaction’ – and that generous philosophy, combined with her luminous, deeply expressive sound, has made this remarkable Norwegian violinist a real favourite with British audiences. Tonight, she explores the special poetry of Schumann’s only violin concerto: the tender heart of a concert that begins with Beethoven’s dramafuelled Coriolan Overture, and ends with the wide-open spaces and pure, sunlit energy of Schubert’s unstoppable Ninth Symphony. It’s known as ‘the Great’ – and with LPO Conductor Emeritus Vladimir Jurowski bringing all his insight and imagination, you’ll hear why.
In association with Arts for Dementia.
*Please note change of work from originally advertised.
Vladimir Jurowski
Vilde Frang
SATURDAY 12 APRIL 2025, 7.30PM
Jan Lisiecki plays Beethoven
WEDNESDAY 23 APRIL 2025, 6.30PM & 8.30PM
Daphnis and Chloe
Sibelius Pohjola’s Daughter (12’)*
Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 5 (Emperor) (38’)*
Sibelius Symphony No. 2 (44’)
Tarmo Peltokoski conductor
Jan Lisiecki piano
Imagine a swelling river of sound; a musical voyage that begins amid the tranquillity of nature and ends in a surge of triumph. That’s Sibelius’s Second Symphony, and there are few experiences in classical music more invigorating, or more stirring. For the young Finnish conductor Tarmo Peltokoski, Sibelius is a national hero. There’s another tale about memory to be told here, as Canadian pianist Jan Lisiecki takes centre stage to showcase the grandeur and glory of Beethoven’s mighty ‘Emperor’ Concerto – a work dedicated to the composer’s patron and friend, Archduke Rudolf.
*Please note change of programme from originally advertised.
Ravel Daphnis and Chloé (50’)
Ravel La valse (13’)
Edward Gardner conductor Circa
BBC Singers
‘I think and feel in sounds’ said Maurice Ravel, and in his ballet Daphnis and Chloé you can almost feel the sun on the back of your neck, hear every flurry of birdsong and see each ray of glistening light. It’s as fantastic as it sounds, and this rare full-length performance under LPO Principal Conductor Edward Gardner is just the centrepiece of a whole evening of orchestral wonder. In La valse, memory plays a part, with its dangerously seductive rhythms portraying a gorgeous, haunted vision of a civilisation dancing into the abyss. This concert has been especially developed with the Southbank Centre and Circa, Australia’s internationally renowned circus company, and will feature cross-artform performance, with further details to be announced.
Please note start times.
Please note there will be no interval.
Jan Lisiecki
Edward Gardner
SATURDAY 26 APRIL 2025, 7.30PM ROYAL FESTIVAL
Mahler’s Eighth
Mahler Symphony No. 8 (semi-staged) (80’)
Edward Gardner conductor
Sarah Wegener soprano
Emma Bell soprano
Jennifer France soprano
Christine Rice mezzo-soprano
Jennifer Johnston mezzo-soprano
Andreas Schager tenor
Tomasz Konieczny bass-baritone
Derek Welton bass-baritone
London Philharmonic Choir
London Symphony Chorus
Tiffin Boys’ Choir
Three choirs, eight starry singers and one of the largest orchestras ever put on stage: there’s a reason why Mahler’s Eighth is often called the ‘Symphony of a Thousand’. ‘Try to imagine the whole universe beginning to ring and resound’ declared Mahler; ‘There are no longer human voices, but planets and suns revolving.’ Exaggeration? Judge for yourself. Mahler’s Eighth is quite simply one of the most overwhelming experiences that music has to offer. Every performance is an occasion, and with Edward Gardner conducting a truly world-class team, this should be a season finale to set the heavens ringing. This concert has been especially developed with the Southbank Centre, with further details to be announced.
Sarah Wegener
‘The LPO’s programming is often attractive, but this concert was brilliantly constructed’
Education and Community events
At the LPO, we love nothing more than sharing the wonder of classical music with people from all walks of life and being inspired by those we meet, bringing their creativity back into the Orchestra.
We offer a wide variety of musical experiences, from a child’s very first concert to our renowned year-long schemes to support talented musicians, and from inspiring orchestral days for teenagers to workshops using accessible technology with disabled participants – and everything in between! You are warmly invited to see some of this work in action through a series of concerts, free performances and events this season.
Our FUNharmonics family concerts are the perfect way to introduce the exciting sounds of the Orchestra to your youngest music-lovers. During these hour-long concerts, a presenter weaves in audience interaction throughout and images are projected on the big screen above the Orchestra, creating an engaging, multi-sensory experience for the whole family. The fun doesn’t stop there – check out our array of free activities in the foyer spaces before the concert, including lively interactive music sessions for all the family, and the chance to Have a Go at orchestral instruments under expert instruction.
Throughout the season our LPO Showcase series highlights some of our programmes that support talented musicians at the start of their careers as players, conductors or composers. Don’t miss the exciting free performances given by our LPO Junior Artists and Foyle Future Firsts, who play alongside the LPO musicians who mentor them.
We also engage deeply with the communities we serve, offering bespoke music experiences that unlock participants’ creativity and enhance self-confidence and wellbeing. You can experience a flavour of this at our ‘Crisis Creates’ performance and at our OrchLab Festival Day, which celebrates accessible music-making with disabled adults.
Overall, our Education and Community programme reaches over 20,000 people each year, and includes our popular BrightSparks concerts for schools in London and Eastbourne, teacher training, and in-school workshops. Beyond the concert hall, we engage with young people with special educational needs and disabilities through our Open Sound Ensemble, and offer inspiring orchestral days for young teenagers at our Overture days in London and on the South Coast. We also offer a variety of exciting projects around our community partnerships in London, Essex, East Sussex and West Sussex.
Find out more at lpo.org.uk/create-take-part
The LPO is grateful to all those who generously support our Education and Community programme.
Stan and Mabel, a city-dwelling dog and cat, love listening to their neighbour practising her musical instruments. When she disappears to judge a competition to find the Greatest Orchestra in the World, there’s only one thing for it – they’re going to have to audition! But who will join their orchestra? Find out as the London Philharmonic Orchestra and presenter Polly Ives tell the lively story of Stan and Mabel, based on the book by Jason Chapman with music by Paul Rissmann. With plenty of audience interaction throughout, as well as a selection of exciting orchestral pieces your family will love, this is sure to be an unforgettable first concert experience for young music-lovers aged 5 and above.
‘“The sea is deep and the world is wide! How I long to sail,” said the tiny snail.’ When the snail meets an enormous humpback whale, the unlikely pair travel together on a life-changing aquatic adventure around the world. They encounter towering icebergs, starlit seas and fiery mountains, but then disaster strikes! Can the minuscule snail save her gigantic friend? Based on the wonderful book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, the LPO performs The Snail and the Whale with the Magic Light Pictures film on the big screen, plus other orchestral treats along the way, presented by Lucy Hollins. Suitable for ages 5 and above.
Roll up, roll up! Explore the heady sights and sounds of the fair where we meet Petrushka, the playful star of the puppet show, and the other characters in his magical world. Follow Petrushka as he falls in love with the talented ballerina, and tries to fend off his rival, the Pirate. The story is told by presenter Rachel Leach, through dazzling music by Igor Stravinsky, and vivid animations on the big screen. A classic story, mindblowing music and audience interaction throughout – what better way to spend a family Saturday? Suitable for ages 6 and above.
LPO Showcase –Free
performances and events
Our LPO Showcase series shines a spotlight on the extraordinary range of musical talent and creativity supported by our Education and Community programme through a series of free performances and events.
WEDNESDAY 27 NOVEMBER 2024, 11.00AM–3.00PM
OrchLab Festival Day
ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL
The culmination of this year’s OrchLab programme celebrates accessible music-making with disabled adults, with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Drake Music.
This event throws open the doors of the LPO’s Royal Festival Hall home to the OrchLab community, for a fun day of live music, accessible instrument demonstrations, interactive workshops and showcasing the creativity of OrchLab participants.
This free but ticketed event is open to disabled adults, their families and those who support them (over 18s only). For more information visit orchlab.org/open-events
WEDNESDAY 15 JANUARY 2025, 6.00PM ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL
Foyle Future Firsts and the Royal Academy of Music
The LPO’s Foyle Future Firsts Development Programme bridges the transition between education and the classical music profession for 16 early-career orchestral musicians each year. Join the current cohort of Future Firsts as they join forces with students from the Royal Academy of Music and members of the LPO for a vibrant performance conducted by the LPO’s Principal Conductor, Edward Gardner. The programme is inspired by memory, and features Ravel’s Le Tombeau de Couperin, each movement of which is dedicated to the memory of a friend of the composer who died in the First World War, along with other related repertoire.
FRIDAY 21 FEBRUARY 2025, 6.00PM ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL
LPO Junior Artists
The LPO Junior Artists Programme supports the progression of talented teenage musicians from backgrounds currently under-represented in professional UK orchestras. Junior Artists spend a season with us and become fully immersed in the workings of the LPO. They are each mentored by a member of the Orchestra, and take part in a variety of performances, behind-the-scenes activities and skills workshops, as well as events to inspire future generations of young musicians. In this free performance, the Junior Artists perform alongside LPO musicians, Foyle Future Firsts and Junior Artist alumni in a celebration of vibrant young talent.
WEDNESDAY 2 APRIL 2025, 6.00PM ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL
Crisis Creates
Members of Crisis UK – all adults who have experienced homelessness – perform original music they have devised with LPO musicians and a workshop leader during a week-long creative project. Crisis Creates aims to improve participants’ wellbeing and confidence through self-expression, collaboration and developing creative skills. The project offers a channel for participants to express themselves and to combat the isolation that comes hand-in-hand with precarious living situations. Using the music of the Orchestra as their starting point, the group creates new and powerful work which they bring to the Royal Festival Hall stage.
LPO on demand:
Streamed concerts and recordings
London Philharmonic Orchestra Label
Evening chamber concerts
Marquee TV
Arts-lovers can find London Philharmonic Orchestra concerts on Marquee TV, alongside the world’s best dance, opera, theatre and music on demand. The LPO collection includes a varied selection of the Orchestra’s live concerts from the last few years, filmed for Marquee TV subscribers. Watch LPO concerts on demand on your tablet, phone or TV via the Marquee app.
New to Marquee?
We’ve teamed up with Marquee to offer you 50% off a year’s subscription. Head to discover.marquee.tv/50lpo and use the code 50LPO. For more information on Marquee TV, visit welcome.marquee.tv
The London Philharmonic Orchestra is one of the word’s most recorded orchestras. In 2005, we established our own record label. Since then, we’ve been sharing live recordings of orchestral and choral masterpieces, new and old, capturing the excitement of live concerts for you to enjoy over and over again.
You can stream or download our music online from Apple Music Classical, Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube Music, IDAGIO, Amazon Prime Music and others. CDs are available from all good retail outlets.
Visit lpo.org.uk/recordings to explore our full catalogue of over 120 releases.
ST JOHN’S CHURCH, WATERLOO
We’re thrilled to continue our partnership with St John’s Church Waterloo, just round the corner from our Southbank home. Our chamber concerts there in previous seasons have showcased our musicians’ versatility and creativity, from Gavin Bryars’s poignant Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet, to an evening of jazz and soul grooves, and most recently an adventure in contemporary music in which the audience became performers! Stay tuned to find out what’s coming up at St John’s this season.
‘This is a performance … which I want to hear again as soon as possible’
The Arts Desk on the LPO’s performance of Mahler Symphony No. 9
Share in the joy of music. Be a part of the LPO .
There are many ways to support the Orchestra and we invite you to play a part that’s right for you.
Donate
Whether you make a checkout donation, give to an appeal or choose to remember the LPO with a gift in your Will, donations of all sizes make a difference. Help us continue to share our music with as many people as possible.
Join
Joining one of our membership schemes will not only support the Orchestra but will give you access to a host of special benefits to enhance your experience; from private rehearsals, to members’ bars, exclusive events and priority booking. Membership starts at just £6 per month.
Partner
We’re virtuosos of collaboration, expertly crafting bespoke partnerships that hit all the right notes.
We tailor each partnership to your strategic goals, weaving together exceptional experiences that inspire clients, elevate your brand, and create buzzworthy content that leaves audiences captivated.
We’re also passionate about using music and our work to increase social value. By partnering together, you can help us to leave a positive impact in the communities we touch.
So, are you ready to take your brand to the next level? Get in touch and let’s chat.
Find out how you can support at lpo.org.uk/support us
Booking information
How to book Online
Book your seats for our Southbank Centre events online at lpo.org.uk or southbankcentre.co.uk Online bookings incur a £3.50 booking fee.
Phone
Call the LPO Ticket Office on 020 7840 4242 (Mon–Fri 10am–5pm) or the Southbank Centre Ticket Office on 020 3879 9555 (Mon–Fri 10am–5pm, weekends 12–5pm). Phone bookings incur a £4 transaction fee.
Please note there are no booking fees for in-person bookings at the Southbank Centre Ticket Office, or for Southbank Centre Members, Supporters Circles or Patrons when booking through the Southbank Centre. There is a £3 exchange fee per ticket for bookings made directly through the Southbank Centre.
Ticket prices
We offer a range of ticket prices, starting at £14, for all of our concerts. Ticket prices may change according to demand.
Ways to save Series discounts
Book more and pay less when you book through the London Philharmonic Orchestra website or Ticket Office.
Book 3–4 concerts and get 10% off Book 5–7 concerts and get 15% off Book 8–10 concerts and get 20% off Book 11–14 concerts and get 25% off Book 15+ concerts and get 30% off
Please note all discounts are subject to availability and cannot be combined.
London Philharmonic Orchestra concerts can also be booked as part of the Southbank Centre’s classical music multi-buy offer. Book multiple concerts from the same season (Autumn/Winter or Spring/Summer) in one transaction to receive a discount. Full details can be found at southbankcentre.co.uk/ classicalmusic
Group and school bookings
Groups of 10+ save 20% on ticket prices and pay no booking fee when they book through the London Philharmonic Orchestra Ticket Office. Groups of 20+ also receive two of their tickets free of charge. Reservations are flexible until one month before the concert.
School groups receive a 50% discount on ticket prices, plus one in every ten tickets free.
Please note group and school bookings cannot be made online. Call the London Philharmonic Orchestra Ticket Office on 020 7840 4242 or email groups@lpo.org.uk (Mon–Fri 10am–5pm).
LPO Plus
LPO Plus is the London Philharmonic Orchestra’s online reward scheme. Every time you book at lpo.org.uk, you can gain LPO Plus points, which can then be redeemed on future orders. Find out more at lpo.org.uk/lpo-plus
Under 30s
LPO Under 30s offers anyone aged 30 and under the chance to experience the magic of live orchestral music from some of the best seats in the house for less. Find out more at lpo.org.uk/under-30s
Concessions
A limited number of 50% discount tickets are available to full-time students, benefit recipients (Jobseekers’ Allowance, Income Support, Universal or Pension Credit), and under-18s when booking via the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
The Southbank Centre has a limited allocation of concession tickets with a 25% discount for recipients of Universal or Pension Credit, full-time students and under-16s. ID will be checked on admission.
Exchanges
You can exchange your tickets up to two working days before the concert for another performance in our Southbank Centre season or for a credit voucher (valid for one year). We do not offer refunds unless a concert is cancelled. Artists and programmes are subject to change if necessary.
Age guidance
Evening concerts are suitable for children aged seven and over.
Filming
We will be filming a selection of our Southbank Centre concerts for future streaming. Please note that certain sections of the audience may be captured in the background. If you have any concerns, please contact admin@lpo.org.uk
For more information on how to book and ways to save, visit lpo.org.uk/tickets-and-discounts
Visiting the Southbank Centre
The Southbank Centre can be accessed by Waterloo, Waterloo East, Embankment and Charing Cross stations and by bus to Waterloo. There is bike parking in Southbank Centre Square. Blue Badge car parking is available.
Visit southbankcentre.co.uk/visit/getting-here for more information.
Access
The Royal Festival Hall has wheelchair spaces, level access via internal lifts and ramps, and accessible toilets. Sound enhancement systems are available (subject to availability). Assistance dogs are welcome on site.
Visitors with a disability can join the Southbank Centre’s free Access Scheme. You may be eligible for tickets at concessionary prices and to receive information in alternative formats.
For more information, please email accesslist@southbankcentre.co.uk or visit southbankcentre.co.uk/access
Privacy policy
For details of our privacy policy, please visit lpo.org.uk or call to request details.
The London Philharmonic Orchestra gratefully acknowledges the financial support of Arts Council England and the Southbank Centre.
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Resident at the Southbank Centre and Glyndebourne Festival Opera
Regional Residencies
Brighton Dome Congress Theatre, Eastbourne Saffron Hall
David Burke Chief Executive
Elena Dubinets
Artistic Director
HRH The Duke of Kent KG
Patron
Edward Gardner Principal Conductor*
Karina Canellakis
Principal Guest Conductor
Vladimir Jurowski KBE Conductor Emeritus
Pieter Schoeman Leader**
Tania León Composer-in-Residence
Tickets 020 7840 4242
General enquiries 020 7840 4200 lpo.org.uk
Office address 89 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7TP
