London Philharmonic Orchestra 5 February 2016 concert programme by London Philharmonic Orchestra

Concert programme 2015/16 London Season lpo.org.uk

Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor VLADIMIR JUROWSKI supported by the Tsukanov Family Foundation Principal Guest Conductor ANDRÉS OROZCO-ESTRADA Leader pieter schoeman supported by Neil Westreich 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 5 February 2016 | 7.30pm

Gershwin Piano Concerto in F (29’) Interval Rachmaninoff Symphony No. 2 (54’)

Contents 2 Welcome Orchestra news 3 On stage tonight 4 About the Orchestra 5 Leader: Pieter Schoeman 6 Yannick Nézet-Séguin 7 Jean-Yves Thibaudet 8 Programme notes 11 Next concerts 12 Shakespeare400 13 Recent LPO CD releases 14 Sound Futures donors 15 Supporters 16 LPO administration The timings shown are not precise and are given only as a guide.

Yannick Nézet-Séguin conductor Jean-Yves Thibaudet piano

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, Feng Sushi and Topolski, as well as cafes, restaurants and shops inside Royal Festival Hall. 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 We look forward to seeing you again soon. Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Room and Hayward Gallery are closed for essential refurbishment until 2018. During this period, our resident orchestras are performing in venues including St John's Smith Square. Find out more at southbankcentre.co.uk/sjss 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.

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Orchestra news

2016/17 season now announced Details of next season's LPO concerts at Royal Festival Hall are now available. Browse the new season brochure online at lpo.org.uk or look out for your copy in the post in the next few days. Booking opens next Thursday, 11 February (online and via the LPO Box Office only). To take advantage of priority booking (available now), become a Friend of the London Philharmonic Orchestra for as little as £50 a year. Call Helen Yang on 020 7840 4225 or visit lpo.org.uk/support/memberships

New Rachmaninoff release on the LPO Label Just released on the LPO Label is a disc of Rachmaninoff's Third Symphony and 10 Songs, conducted by Vladimir Jurowski and featuring tenor Vsevolod Grivnov (LPO-0088). These recordings were taken from a live LPO concert performance at Royal Festival Hall on 29 April 2015 as part of last season's Rachmaninoff: Inside Out series. The arrangements of the 10 Songs were made by Jurowski’s grandfather, also called Vladimir (1915–72), whose first experience of Rachmaninoff’s music was in Russia after the Second World War. The disc is priced £9.99: see page 10 for more details.

Latest tour news Later this month a quintet of LPO brass players will be jetting off to the Caribbean, where they have been invited to perform at the Cayman Arts Festival in Grand Cayman. The concert programme on 18 February at the First Baptist Church in the capital, George Town, will include works by Clarke, Gabrieli, Mozart and Horovitz, and British and American folk song arrangements, and will also feature the Cayman National Choir. Earlier in the week our musicians will lead a workshop with young brass players at a local school and will attend a reception at the Governor's House. lpo.org.uk/tours

On stage tonight

First Violins Pieter Schoeman* Leader Chair supported by Neil Westreich Yang Xu Vesselin Gellev Sub-Leader Ilyoung Chae Chair supported by an anonymous donor

Ji-Hyun Lee Chair supported by Eric Tomsett

Katalin Varnagy Chair supported by Sonja Drexler

Catherine Craig Thomas Eisner Martin Höhmann Chair supported by The Jeniffer and Jonathan Harris Charitable Trust

Geoffrey Lynn Chair supported by Caroline, Jamie & Zander Sharp

Robert Pool Sarah Streatfeild Yang Zhang Tina Gruenberg Grace Lee Rebecca Shorrock Second Violins Andrew Storey Principal Kate Birchall Chair supported by David & Victoria Graham Fuller

Nancy Elan Lorenzo Gentili-Tedeschi Fiona Higham Nynke Hijlkema Joseph Maher Marie-Anne Mairesse Ashley Stevens Helena Nicholls Sioni Williams Harry Kerr Elizabeth Baldey John Dickinson

Violas Benjamin Roskams Guest Principal Cyrille Mercier Co-Principal Robert Duncan Gregory Aronovich Katharine Leek Susanne Martens Benedetto Pollani Emmanuella Reiter Laura Vallejo Naomi Holt Michelle Bruil Daniel Cornford Cellos Kristina Blaumane Principal Chair supported by Bianca and Stuart Roden

Pei-Jee Ng Co-Principal Francis Bucknall Laura Donoghue Santiago Carvalho† David Lale Gregory Walmsley Elisabeth Wiklander Chair supported by The Viney Family

Sue Sutherley Susanna Riddell Double Basses Kevin Rundell* Principal George Peniston Laurence Lovelle Tom Walley Lowri Morgan Charlotte Kerbegian Helen Rowlands Laura Murphy Ben Wolstenholme Lachlan Radford

Flutes Sue Thomas* Principal

Trumpets Paul Beniston* Principal Anne McAneney*

Chair supported by Victoria Robey OBE

Chair supported by Geoff & Meg Mann

Hannah Grayson Stewart McIlwham

David Hilton

Piccolo Stewart McIlwham* Principal

Trombones Mark Templeton* Principal Chair supported by William & Alex de Winton

Chair supported by Friends of the Orchestra

David Whitehouse Bass Trombone Lyndon Meredith Principal

Oboes Ian Hardwick* Principal Alice Munday Sue Böhling*

Tuba Lee Tsarmaklis* Principal

Cor Anglais Sue Böhling* Principal

Timpani Simon Carrington* Principal

Clarinets Robert Hill* Principal Thomas Watmough

Percussion Andrew Barclay* Principal Chair supported by Andrew Davenport

Bass Clarinet Paul Richards Principal Bassoons Gareth Newman Principal Simon Estell Horns David Pyatt* Principal Chair supported by Simon Robey

John Ryan* Principal Chair supported by Laurence Watt

Martin Hobbs Mark Vines Co-Principal Gareth Mollison

Henry Baldwin Co-Principal Chair supported by Jon Claydon

Keith Millar Jeremy Cornes Harp Rachel Masters* Principal * Holds a professorial appointment in London † Chevalier of the Brazilian Order of Rio Branco Meet our members: lpo.org.uk/players

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London Philharmonic Orchestra

‘It was one of those unforgettable evenings where everything and everyone performed beautifully [with] an extraordinary performance by the London Philharmonic ... The ovation should have been standing.’ Andrew Collins, The News, March 2015 Recognised today as one of the finest orchestras on the international stage, the London Philharmonic Orchestra balances a long and distinguished history with a reputation as one of the UK’s most forwardlooking ensembles. 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. Andrés Orozco-Estrada took up the position of Principal Guest Conductor in September 2015. Magnus Lindberg is the Orchestra’s current Composer in Residence. The Orchestra is resident at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall in London, where it gives over 30 concerts each season. Throughout 2014/15 the Orchestra gave a series of concerts entitled Rachmaninoff: Inside Out, a festival exploring the composer’s major

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orchestral masterpieces. 2015/16 is a strong season for singers, with performances by Toby Spence and Anne Sofie von Otter amongst others; Sibelius enjoys 150th anniversary celebrations; distinguished visiting conductors include Stanisław Skrowaczewski, JukkaPekka Saraste and Vasily Petrenko, with Robin Ticciati returning after his debut in 2015; and in 2016 the LPO joins many of London’s other leading cultural institutions in Shakespeare400, celebrating the Bard’s legacy 400 years since his death. The Orchestra continues its commitment to new music with premieres of commissions including Magnus Lindberg’s Second Violin Concerto and Alexander Raskatov’s Green Mass. Outside London, the Orchestra has flourishing residencies in Brighton and Eastbourne, and performs regularly around the UK. Each summer the Orchestra 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. Touring remains a large part of

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 90 releases available on CD and to download. Recent additions include Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 3 and Ten Songs under Vladimir Jurowski, and archive recordings of Mahler Symphonies and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 conducted by Klaus Tennstedt. 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. lpo.org.uk facebook.com/londonphilharmonicorchestra twitter.com/LPOrchestra youtube.com/londonphilharmonic7 instagram.com/londonphilharmonicorchestra

the Orchestra’s life: highlights of the 2015/16 season include visits to Mexico City as part of the UK Mexico Year of Culture, Spain, Germany, the Canary Islands, Belgium, a return to the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam and the Orchestra’s debut at La Scala, Milan.

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. 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.

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Yannick Nézet-Séguin conductor

Nézet-Séguin may just be the most compelling, most accomplished conductor of his generation.

The Financial Times

Yannick Nézet-Séguin is Music Director of The Philadelphia Orchestra and the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. He has conducted all the major ensembles in his native Canada and has been Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Orchestre Métropolitain (Montreal) since 2000. He continues to enjoy a close collaboration with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, of which he was Principal Guest Conductor from 2008–14.

Yannick began 2015/16 conducting the Metropolitan Opera’s season-opener of Otello, followed by Elektra at the Opéra de Montréal. In addition to his commitments with The Philadelphia Orchestra and the Rotterdam Philharmonic, further highlights include projects with the Vienna Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic and Bayerischer Rundfunk Munich, and a return to the Salzburg Festival with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe.

Yannick Nézet-Séguin has worked with many fine ensembles in Europe including the Dresden Staatskapelle, Berlin Philharmonic, Staatskapelle Berlin, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Vienna Philharmonic, Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic and Chamber Orchestra of Europe. Following his 2009 BBC Proms debut (Scottish Chamber Orchestra), he returned the following year and more recently in 2013 with the Rotterdam Philharmonic. He has also appeared at festivals in Edinburgh, San Sebastián, Santander and Grafenegg, as well as in North America at the Lanaudiere Festival, Bravo! Vail Music Festival, Saratoga Festival and the Mostly Mozart Festival.

Recent additions to Nézet-Séguin’s extensive discography include the complete Schumann symphonies and Così fan tutte with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe; The Rite of Spring and Rachmaninoff Variations with Daniil Trifonov and The Philadelphia Orchestra; and a Tchaikovsky disc with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. He also enjoys a fruitful recording relationship with the London Philharmonic Orchestra for its own label, most recently organ works by Poulenc and Saint-Saëns (LPO-0081).

A notable opera conductor, Yannick’s regular engagements at The Metropolitan Opera in New York have seen him conduct Rusalka, La traviata, Faust and Don Carlo in recent seasons. He has also appeared at the Salzburg Festival, Teatro alla Scala, the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, and the Netherlands Opera. Highlights of last season included a North American tour with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra and a European tour with The Philadelphia Orchestra. Yannick also continued as Artist in Residence at the Konzerthaus Dortmund.

A native of Montreal, Yannick Nézet-Séguin studied at the Conservatoire de musique du Québec in Montreal, and choral conducting at the Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey, before going on to study with renowned conductors, most notably the Italian maestro Carlo Maria Giulini. His honours include a Royal Philharmonic Society Award; Canada’s National Arts Centre Award; and the Prix Denise-Pelletier, the highest distinction for the arts awarded by the Quebec government. He was appointed a Companion of the Order of Canada in 2012. yannicknezetseguin.com twitter.com/nezetseguin

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Jean-Yves Thibaudet piano

A master colourist and a great communicator, able to reduce a large concert hall to an intimate chamber of intent listeners. The Seattle Times

Jean-Yves Thibaudet has performed around the world for more than 30 years and recorded more than 50 albums. He has an artistic depth and a natural charisma that have made him one of today's most sought-after pianists. This season he tackles three Artist-in-Residencies: at the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Seattle Symphony, and the Colburn School of Music in Los Angeles. At Colburn, he fosters the next generation of musicians, teaching masterclasses and performing with students. With the Seattle Symphony, he plays SaintSaëns's Piano Concerto No. 5, Ravel's Piano Concerto in G, and Gershwin's Piano Concerto in F; chairs the jury for the Seattle Symphony Piano Competition; performs Dvořák's Piano Quintet No. 2 with orchestra members, and tours Asia. He opens his residency at the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra with James MacMillan's Piano Concerto No. 3, which he commissioned and premiered in 2011, and tours Europe with the Orchestra, playing Beethoven's 'Emperor' Concerto. The residency also involves chamber music, a performance at an RCO Club Night, and a masterclass. Thibaudet takes Grieg's Piano Concerto in A minor on tour in the spring with the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich. Also this season, he gives a recital tour across the USA, Europe and Asia.

Atonement, Pride and Prejudice and Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close. In 2004 he served as president of the prestigious Hospices de Beaune, an annual charity auction in Burgundy, France. He had a cameo in Bruce Beresford's film on Alma Mahler, Bride of the Wind, and his playing is showcased throughout. He wears a concert wardrobe designed by Vivienne Westwood. Jean-Yves Thibaudet was born in Lyon, France, where he began his piano studies aged five and made his first public appearance aged seven. At 12 he entered the Paris Conservatoire to study with Aldo Ciccolini and Lucette Descaves, a friend and collaborator of Ravel. At 15 he won the Premier Prix du Conservatoire and, three years later, the Young Concert Artists Auditions in New York City. In 2010 the Hollywood Bowl honoured Thibaudet for his musical achievements by inducting him into its Hall of Fame. Previously a Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, Thibaudet was promoted to the title of Officier by the French Ministry of Culture in 2012.

jeanyvesthibaudet.com facebook.com/thibaudet

Jean-Yves Thibaudet has been nominated for two Grammy Awards and has won the Schallplattenpreis, the Diapason d'Or, the Choc du Monde de la Musique, a Gramophone Award, two ECHO awards and the Edison Prize. In 2010 he released Gershwin, featuring big-band orchestrations of Rhapsody in Blue, variations on 'I Got Rhythm', and the Concerto in F live with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra under Music Director Marin Alsop. Thibaudet was the soloist on the award-winning films

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Programme notes

Speedread In 1906 Rachmaninoff and his family left a politically turbulent Russia behind and escaped to Dresden. Here the composer relaxed, attended concerts and experienced one of the most productive periods of his life. Among its first fruits was his Second Symphony, a work that unlocked a new emotional power within the composer and saw

George Gershwin 1898–1937

It was immediately after the success of his Rhapsody in Blue, written for the jazz-band leader Paul Whiteman in 1924, that George Gershwin was asked by conductor Walter Damrosch to write a piano concerto for the New York Symphony. Despite the runaway success of the Rhapsody, the pressure was on. Apart from the fact that expectations were high – violinists Jascha Heifetz and Joseph Joachim as well as Rachmaninoff and Stravinsky had all been at the Rhapsody premiere – the new commission would draw Gershwin yet further into the classical firmament. And, while he had been able to leave the scoring of the earlier work to Whiteman’s arranger Ferde Grofé (a common practice for Broadway composers), this time Gershwin would have to produce his own. As a 26-year-old about to take on his first symphonic score, the young composer was uncertain of his classical credentials, but he boned up on form and orchestration and, once he had scored the Concerto, hired New York’s Globe Theatre and a 60-piece band for a run-through. Writing in 1933, though, it was as if Gershwin’s confidence had never been in question: ‘Many persons had thought that the Rhapsody was only a happy accident … I went out to show them that there was plenty more where that came from.’

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him master both the orchestra and the symphonic form with flowing themes, vital rhythms and sumptuous textures. Tonight we hear it after a piece by Gershwin pulsating with the vibrance and energy of his New York home: the toe-tapping, danceinfested Piano Concerto.

Piano Concerto in F Jean-Yves Thibaudet piano 1 Allegro 2 Adagio – Andante con moto 3 Allegro agitato

For sure, the Concerto opens with a bold statement: a chest-thumping percussion fanfare that quickly leads to a snappy Charleston rhythm and then to a skipping rising–falling tune on solo bassoon (followed by bass clarinet). All these motifs will return, as will the slow bluesy theme with which the solo piano first enters. As these ideas rotate, and sometimes ingeniously collide, there’s a wealth of new ideas, styles and moods, plus another unforgettable tune: a warm, sweeping melody first heard on violins and cor anglais. Likewise, the solo pianist negotiates a breathless array of textures, from racing filigree passagework to crashing accompanying chords right out of the warhorse concertos of Tchaikovsky or Rachmaninoff. If this first movement, for Gershwin, represented ‘the young, enthusiastic spirit of American life’, the slow central movement is a more intimate nocturne, at least in the languorous solo muted trumpet (then oboe) of its introduction. The piano then enters to brighten the mood; after the distant trumpet sounds again, the piano returns for a moonlit, improvisational cadenza, out of which emerges the movement’s big melody, espressivo con moto, on strings.

Gershwin described the finale as ‘an orgy of rhythms’ and it launches with ferocious, motoric movement. There’s almost no let-up over its entire span, except at the end, for a grandiose, technicoloured revival of the first movement’s sweeping theme. Programme note © Edward Bhesania

Interval – 20 minutes An announcement will be made five minutes before the end of the interval.

Serge Rachmaninoff 1873–1943

Thanks largely to the concertos, Rachmaninoff is usually thought of primarily as a composer for the piano, but before he left Russia for the last time in 1917 he was more widely recognised as a composer of vocal, chamber and orchestral music and a gifted conductor active both in the concert hall and the opera house. The Third Piano Concerto came well into a period of heartening success that had served to wipe away the creatively crippling depression caused by the disastrous premiere of the First Symphony ten years earlier: 1901 had seen him return to form with the Second Piano Concerto; in 1902 he had married, his wife giving birth to a daughter the following year; and 1904 had brought a conducting post at the Bolshoi Opera in Moscow, where, early in 1906, he presided over wellreceived premieres of his operas Francesca da Rimini and The Miserly Knight. By this time, however, Rachmaninoff was beginning to feel the strain of celebrity, and made the decision to give himself more breathing space by removing himself and his family to Dresden. It was there that he composed his Second Symphony, in such secrecy that even his closest friends were unaware of the fact until they read about it in the press. ‘I have completed a symphony, it’s true!’,

Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27 1 Largo – Allegro moderato 2 Allegro molto 3 Adagio 4 Allegro vivace

he wrote to one of them in February 1907. ‘It’s only ready in draft. I finished it a month ago and immediately put it aside. It was a severe worry to me and I am not going to think about it any more.’ The score was eventually completed early the following year and the premiere took place in St Petersburg on 8 February 1908, with Rachmaninoff himself conducting. The Second Symphony is both one of Rachmaninoff’s most popular orchestral compositions and one of his finest, a work of relaxed expansiveness and easy melodic flow, yet also one of great expressive power and sweep. Rachmaninoff’s talent for memorable melody is as present as ever here, but it never descends into facility; like Tchaikovsky (whose influence is unmistakable), he was able to move the listener with a big tune, but also to mould his melodies into great architectural spans with a subtlety that makes them appear totally natural. This Symphony is in fact shot through with motivic connections and links, but so organic do they seem that the listener could be forgiven for hardly noticing. Three important thematic cells are set out in the Symphony’s opening eight bars. The first, a weighty,

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Programme notes continued

undulating figure heard in the cellos and basses, is closely followed by a lightly syncopated stab from the woodwind and horns, and then by a downwardwinding line in the violins. All are significant to the work as a whole, but for the moment they serve to initiate a sombre slow introduction which is lengthy enough to include a powerful climax before subsiding on to a cor anglais solo. The main Allegro section of the movement features two themes, the first a dreamy transformation of the opening cello-and-bass figure, and the second (heralded by a brief clarinet solo) a romantic dialogue between wind and strings with links to the syncopated second motif. Reminders of all three motifs then continue to appear as the music drives forward through a Tchaikovskian climax in the central development section (built largely on the first motif), warm restatements of the principal themes, and on to an impassioned finish. The second movement starts out as a breezily confident scherzo. Simpler in design than its companions, it is in three sections, the third of which is essentially a reprise of the first. The outer sections oppose a striding main theme and a lovingly lyrical second for strings, while the central one introduces a contrasting texture of closely worked, chattering counterpoint. Towards the end of the reprise, the brass interrupt with an apparition of the first movement’s second motif, and the scherzo ends in unexpectedly ominous mood.

The Adagio that forms the third movement is one of Rachmaninoff’s most generous melodic creations, a worthy cousin to the slow movement of the Second Piano Concerto, to which it bears similarities. Strangely, its two main themes are presented almost on top of each other, the initial arpeggio-based string melody being immediately followed by a long and languid solo clarinet tune, but both are given ample space to breathe in the course of the ravishing movement that follows, as Rachmaninoff handles their leisurely juxtaposition with great skill and expressive control, decorating them here and there with glistening remembrances of the by-now familiar motifs. The Finale announces its intentions in joyously whirling, carnivalesque music whose textural complexities carry numerous thematic references to what has gone before. Rachmaninoff does not intend to let the movement run away with him, however, and before long introduces a noble violin theme to calm things down. It is an uplifting new presence, and proves even more heart-swellingly so when – following a nostalgic reminiscence of the slow movement and a mountingly exciting section built on descending scales – it makes its majestic return as the Symphony’s crowning glory. Programme note © Lindsay Kemp

Rachmaninoff: New CD release on the LPO Label Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 3 10 Songs (arr. Jurowski) Vladimir Jurowski conductor Vsevolod Grivnov tenor £9.99 | LPO-0088

Available from lpo.org.uk/recordings, the LPO Ticket Office (020 7840 4242) and all good CD outlets Download or stream online via iTunes, Spotify, Amazon and others

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Next concerts at Royal Festival Hall Wednesday 10 February | 7.30pm

Wednesday 24 February | 7.30pm

Dvořák Piano Concerto Sibelius The Tempest: excerpts from the Incidental Music

Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto Tchaikovsky Manfred Symphony

Osmo Vänskä conductor Stephen Hough piano Lilli Paasikivi mezzo soprano Simon Callow narrator

Vasily Petrenko conductor Augustin Hadelich violin

Friday 26 February | 7.30pm JTI friday series

Friday 12 February | 7.30pm JTI friday series

Nicolai Overture, The Merry Wives of Windsor Korngold Violin Concerto Elgar Symphony No. 1 Osmo Vänskä conductor Hyeyoon Park violin

Mendelssohn Overture, A Midsummer Night's Dream* Khachaturian Violin Concerto R Strauss Macbeth Stravinsky The Firebird Suite (1919 version)* Andrés Orozco-Estrada conductor Kristóf Baráti violin * Please note a change to the programme from originally advertised

playing the bard in 2016 In collaboration with some of London’s leading cultural, creative and educational institutions, the London Philharmonic Orchestra joins Shakespeare400 with a series of concerts this year celebrating the Bard’s love of music. find out more: lpo and shakespeare400 lpo.org.uk/shakespeare

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.

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lpo.org.uk/shakespeare

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Concerts at Royal Festival Hall

In collaboration with some of London’s leading cultural, creative and educational institutions, the London Philharmonic Orchestra joins Shakespeare400 with a celebration of the Bard’s love of music, and his influence on it. Join the LPO at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall this year for a celebration of creativity and collaboration, and dive into a musical world born of the words of the legendary William Shakespeare.

Wednesday 3 February 2016 | 7.30pm Dvořák | Othello Wednesday 10 February 2016 | 7.30pm Sibelius | The Tempest

Pre-concert talks

For four and a half centuries, the most admired playwright and poet in history has inspired music both intimate and grand, devastating and uplifting. Shakespeare’s body of plays and poems has exercised more influence over composers and musicians than anything else in literature bar the Bible, and continues to inspire across the generations of today.

Special performances

The centrepiece of the London Philharmonic Orchestra’s 2015/16 concert season at Royal Festival Hall is Shakespeare400, a festival of concerts, talks and exploratory events celebrating the musical legacy of the world’s greatest playwright, William Shakespeare.

Friday 15 April 2016 | 7.30pm | JTI Friday Series Prokofiev | Romeo and Juliet Saturday 23 April 2016 | 7.30pm Anniversary Gala Concert featuring very special guests Sunday 5 June 2016 | 7.30pm FUNharmonics Family Concert | Bottom’s Dream Wednesday 3 February 2016 | 6.00pm Adapting Othello Wednesday 10 February 2016 | 6.00pm Late works of Shakespeare and others Friday 12 February 2016 | 6.00pm Shakespeare’s Windsor Friday 26 February 2016 | 6.00pm The Macbeths Friday 15 April 2016 | 6.00pm Think you know Romeo & Juliet? Wednesday 27 January 2016 | 6.00pm Hamlet in Russia: Shostakovich’s Hamlet Wednesday 10 February 2016 | 5.00pm New Horizons: Inspired by Shakespeare Saturday 5 March 2016 | 6.00pm Foyle Future Firsts: Ophelia Dances Saturday 9 April 2016 | 6.00pm LPO Soundworks & Quicksilver: Inspired by Shakespeare Saturday 30 April 2016 | post-concert RCM Big Band: Such Sweet Thunder

Recent releases on the LPO label The Genius of Film Music: Hollywood Blockbusters 1960s to 1980s John Mauceri conductor £10.99 (2 CDs) | LPO-0086

Beethoven: Coriolan Overture Symphony No. 5

Klaus Tennstedt conductor A BBC recording £6.99 | LPO-0087

Browse the catalogue and sign up for updates at lpo.org.uk/recordings Available from lpo.org.uk/recordings, the LPO Ticket Office (020 7840 4242) and all good CD outlets Available to download or stream online via iTunes, Spotify, Amazon and others.

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Sound Futures Donors We are grateful to the following donors for their generous contributions to our Sound Futures campaign. Thanks to their support, we successfully raised £1 million by 30 April 2015 which has now been matched pound for pound by Arts Council England through a Catalyst Endowment grant. This has enabled us to create a £2 million endowment fund supporting special artistic projects, creative programming and education work with key venue partners including our Southbank Centre home. Supporters listed below donated £500 or over. For a full list of those who have given to this campaign please visit lpo.org.uk/soundfutures. Masur Circle Arts Council England Dunard Fund Victoria Robey OBE Emmanuel & Barrie Roman The Underwood Trust

The Rothschild Foundation Tom & Phillis Sharpe The Viney Family

Haitink Patrons Mark & Elizabeth Adams Dr Christopher Aldren Mrs Pauline Baumgartner Welser-Möst Circle Lady Jane Berrill William & Alex de Winton Mr Frederick Brittenden John Ireland Charitable Trust David & Yi Yao Buckley The Tsukanov Family Foundation Mr Clive Butler Neil Westreich Gill & Garf Collins Tennstedt Circle Mr John H Cook Valentina & Dmitry Aksenov Mr Alistair Corbett Richard Buxton Bruno de Kegel The Candide Trust Georgy Djaparidze Michael & Elena Kroupeev David Ellen Kirby Laing Foundation Christopher Fraser OBE & Lisa Fraser Mr & Mrs Makharinsky David & Victoria Graham Fuller Alexey & Anastasia Reznikovich Goldman Sachs International Simon Robey Mr Gavin Graham Bianca & Stuart Roden Moya Greene Simon & Vero Turner Mrs Dorothy Hambleton The late Mr K Twyman Tony & Susie Hayes Malcolm Herring Solti Patrons Catherine Høgel & Ben Mardle Ageas Mrs Philip Kan John & Manon Antoniazzi Rehmet Kassim-Lakha de Morixe Gabor Beyer, through BTO Rose & Dudley Leigh Management Consulting AG Lady Roslyn Marion Lyons Jon Claydon Miss Jeanette Martin Mrs Mina Goodman & Miss Duncan Matthews QC Suzanne Goodman Diana & Allan Morgenthau Roddy & April Gow Charitable Trust The Jeniffer & Jonathan Harris Dr Karen Morton Charitable Trust Mr Roger Phillimore Mr James R.D. Korner Ruth Rattenbury Christoph Ladanyi & Dr Sophia The Reed Foundation Ladanyi-Czernin Robert Markwick & Kasia Robinski The Rind Foundation The Maurice Marks Charitable Trust Sir Bernard Rix David Ross & Line Forestier (Canada) Mr Paris Natar

14 | London Philharmonic Orchestra

Carolina & Martin Schwab Dr Brian Smith Lady Valerie Solti Mr & Mrs G Stein Dr Peter Stephenson Miss Anne Stoddart TFS Loans Limited Lady Marina Vaizey Jenny Watson Guy & Utti Whittaker Pritchard Donors Ralph & Elizabeth Aldwinckle Mrs Arlene Beare Mr Patrick & Mrs Joan Benner Mr Conrad Blakey Dr Anthony Buckland Paul Collins Alastair Crawford Mr Derek B. Gray Mr Roger Greenwood The HA.SH Foundation Darren & Jennifer Holmes Honeymead Arts Trust Mr Geoffrey Kirkham Drs Frank & Gek Lim Peter Mace Mr & Mrs David Malpas Dr David McGibney Michael & Patricia McLaren-Turner Mr & Mrs Andrew Neill Mr Christopher Queree The Rosalyn & Nicholas Springer Charitable Trust Timothy Walker AM Christopher Williams Peter Wilson Smith Mr Anthony Yolland and all other donors who wish to remain anonymous

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 Mrs Philip Kan* Simon Robey Victoria Robey OBE Bianca & Stuart Roden Laurence Watt Anonymous Jon Claydon Garf & Gill Collins* Andrew Davenport Mrs Sonja Drexler David & Victoria Graham Fuller The Jeniffer and Jonathan Harris Charitable Trust Mr & Mrs Makharinsky Geoff & Meg Mann Caroline, Jamie & Zander Sharp Julian & Gill Simmonds* Eric Tomsett The Viney Family John & Manon Antoniazzi Jane Attias David Goldstone CBE LLB FRICS 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 David & Yi Yao Buckley Desmond & Ruth Cecil Mr John H Cook Mr Bruno de Kegel David Ellen Mr Daniel Goldstein Drs Frank & Gek Lim Peter MacDonald Eggers Dr Eva Lotta & Mr Thierry Sciard Mr & Mrs David Malpas Virginia Slaymaker Mr & Mrs G Stein Mr & Mrs John C Tucker Mr & Mrs John & Susi Underwood Lady Marina Vaizey Grenville & Krysia Williams Mr Anthony Yolland Benefactors Mr Geoffrey Bateman Mrs A Beare Ms Molly Borthwick David & Patricia Buck Mrs Alan Carrington Mr & Mrs Stewart Cohen Mr Alistair Corbett Mr Timothy Fancourt QC Mr Richard Fernyhough Mr Gavin Graham Wim and Jackie Hautekiet-Clare Tony & Susan Hayes Mr Daniel Heaf and Ms Amanda Hill Michael & Christine Henry Malcolm Herring

J. Douglas Home Ivan Hurry Mr Glenn Hurstfield Per Jonsson Mr Gerald Levin Wg. Cdr. & Mrs M T Liddiard OBE JP RAF Paul & Brigitta Lock Mr Peter Mace Ms Ulrike Mansel Mr Robert Markwick and Ms Kasia Robinski Mr Brian Marsh Andrew T Mills Dr Karen Morton Mr & Mrs Andrew Neill Mr James Pickford Mr Michael Posen Alexey & Anastasia Reznikovich Mr Konstantin Sorokin Martin and Cheryl Southgate Mr Peter Tausig Simon and Charlotte Warshaw Howard & Sheelagh Watson 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: Accenture Berenberg Carter-Ruck We are AD Bronze: Appleyard & Trew LLP BTO Management Consulting AG Charles Russell Speechlys Lazard Russo-British Chamber of Commerce Willis Towers Watson Preferred Partners Corinthia Hotel London Heineken Lindt & Sprüngli Ltd Sipsmith Steinway Villa Maria In-kind Sponsor Google Inc

Trusts and Foundations Angus Allnatt Charitable Foundation Axis Foundation The Bernarr Rainbow Trust The Boltini Trust Borletti-Buitoni Trust The Candide Trust Cockayne – Grants for the Arts The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust Dunard Fund The Equitable Charitable Trust The Foyle Foundation Lucille Graham Trust The Jeniffer and Jonathan Harris Charitable Trust Help Musicians UK The Idlewild Trust Kirby Laing Foundation The Leverhulme Trust The London Community Foundation London Stock Exchange Group Foundation Lord and Lady Lurgan Trust Marsh Christian Trust Adam Mickiewicz Institute The Peter Minet Trust

The Ann and Frederick O’Brien Charitable Trust Office for Cultural and Scientific Affairs of the Embassy of Spain in London The Austin and Hope Pilkington Trust The Stanley Picker Trust The Radcliffe Trust Rivers Foundation The R K Charitable Trust RVW Trust Schroder Charity Trust Serge Rachmaninoff Foundation The David Solomons Charitable Trust Souter Charitable Trust The John Thaw Foundation The Tillett Trust UK Friends of the Felix-MendelssohnBartholdy-Foundation The Viney Family Garfield Weston Foundation The Barbara Whatmore Charitable Trust and all others who wish to remain anonymous

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Administration Board of Directors Victoria Robey OBE Chairman Stewart McIlwham* President Gareth Newman* Vice-President Dr Manon Antoniazzi Roger Barron Richard Brass Desmond Cecil CMG Jonathan Harris CBE FRICS Amanda Hill Dr Catherine C. Høgel Rachel Masters* George Peniston* Kevin Rundell* Natasha Tsukanova Mark Vines* Timothy Walker AM Laurence Watt Neil Westreich David Whitehouse* * Player-Director

Chief Executive

Education and Community

Digital Projects

Timothy Walker AM Chief Executive and Artistic Director

Isabella Kernot Education Director (maternity leave)

Alison Atkinson Digital Projects Director

Amy Sugarman PA to the Chief Executive / Administrative Assistant

Clare Lovett Education Director (maternity cover)

Finance

Talia Lash Education and Community Project Manager

Albion Media (Tel: 020 3077 4930)

Lucy Sims Education and Community Project Manager

Philip Stuart Discographer

David Burke General Manager and Finance Director David Greenslade Finance and IT Manager Dayse Guilherme Finance Officer

Richard Mallett Education and Community Producer

Concert Management

Development

Advisory Council Victoria Robey OBE Chairman Christopher Aldren Richard Brass David Buckley Sir Alan Collins KCVO CMG Andrew Davenport Jonathan Dawson William de Winton Cameron Doley Edward Dolman Christopher Fraser OBE Lord Hall of Birkenhead CBE Rehmet Kassim-Lakha Jamie Korner Clive Marks OBE FCA Stewart McIlwham Sir Bernard Rix Baroness Shackleton Lord Sharman of Redlynch OBE Thomas Sharpe QC Julian Simmonds Barry Smith Martin Southgate Sir Philip Thomas Sir John Tooley Chris Viney Timothy Walker AM Elizabeth Winter

Roanna Gibson Concerts Director

Nick Jackman Development Director

Graham Wood Concerts and Recordings Manager

Catherine Faulkner Development Events Manager

American Friends of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Inc. Jenny Ireland Co-Chairman William A. Kerr Co-Chairman Kyung-Wha Chung Xenia Hanusiak Alexandra Jupin Jill Fine Mainelli Kristina McPhee David Oxenstierna Harvey M. Spear, Esq. Danny Lopez Hon. Chairman Noel Kilkenny Hon. Director Victoria Robey OBE Hon. Director Richard Gee, Esq Of Counsel Jenifer L. Keiser, CPA, EisnerAmper LLP Stephanie Yoshida

Damian Davis Transport Manager

Jenny Chadwick Tours Manager Tamzin Aitken Glyndebourne and UK Engagements Manager Alison Jones Concerts and Recordings Co-ordinator

Kathryn Hageman Individual Giving Manager Laura Luckhurst Corporate Relations Manager Anna Quillin Trusts and Foundations Manager Rebecca Fogg Development Co-ordinator

Jo Cotter Tours Co-ordinator

Helen Yang Development Assistant

Orchestra Personnel

Kirstin Peltonen Development Associate

Andrew Chenery Orchestra Personnel Manager Sarah Holmes Sarah Thomas Librarians (job-share) Christopher Alderton Stage Manager

Madeleine Ridout Assistant Orchestra Personnel Manager

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Marketing Kath Trout Marketing Director Libby Northcote-Green Marketing Manager Rachel Williams Publications Manager Samantha Cleverley Box Office Manager (Tel: 020 7840 4242) Anna O’Connor Marketing Co-ordinator Natasha Berg Marketing Intern

Matthew Freeman Recordings Consultant Public Relations