GET
closer
2018/19 Concert Season
AT brighton dome concert hall
concert programme
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 Patron HRH THE DUKE OF KENT KG Chief Executive and Artistic Director TIMOTHY WALKER AM
Brighton Dome Concert Hall Saturday 12 January 2019 | 7.30pm
Beethoven Coriolan Overture, Op. 62 (8’) Brahms Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 77 (36’) Interval (20’) Dvořák Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95 (From the New World) (40’)
Jamie Phillips conductor Alexander Sitkovetsky violin
The timings shown are not precise and are given only as a guide. CONCERT PRESENTED BY THE LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA IN ASSOCIATION WITH BRIGHTON DOME
Contents 2 Welcome Orchestra news 3 On stage tonight 4 About the Orchestra 5 Leader: Kevin Lin 6 Jamie Phillips 7 Alexander Sitkovetsky 8 Programme notes 9 Beethoven on the LPO Label 11 Book now: Die Walküre 12 Last concert this season New on the LPO Label 13 Sound Futures donors 14 Supporters 16 LPO administration
Welcome
Orchestra news
Welcome to Brighton Dome
Spring tours
Chief Executive Andrew Comben
This spring the Orchestra embarks on a major two-week tour of Southeast Asia with conductor Vladimir Jurowski and violinist Julia Fischer. This tour marks our first visit to Taiwan in ten years and our first South Korean tour since 2010, as well as returns to the Chinese cities of Beijing, Tianjin and Shanghai.
We hope you enjoy the performance and your visit to Brighton Dome. For your comfort and safety, please note the following: LATECOMERS may not be admitted until a suitable break in the performance. Some performances may contain no suitable breaks. SMOKING Brighton Dome is a no-smoking venue. INTERVAL DRINKS may be ordered in advance at the bar to avoid queues. PHOTOGRAPHY is not allowed in the auditorium. RECORDING is not allowed in the auditorium. MOBILES, PAGERS AND WATCHES should be switched off before entering the auditorium.
The tour begins on 3 March, when the Orchestra departs Heathrow for the South Korean capital Seoul. There and in the city of Yongin we will perform works by Brahms, Bruckner, Mendelssohn and Strauss, before flying to Taipei in Taiwan for two concerts at the National Concert Hall. The city of Kaohsiung is the second Taiwanese venue, where we’ll perform at the National Center for the Arts before flying to Beijing to begin the China leg of the tour. Concerts at Beijing’s National Centre for the Performing Arts, the Concert Hall in Tianjin and two concerts at the Oriental Art Center in Shanghai follow, before we return to London on 18 March.
The concert at Brighton Dome on 12 January 2019 is presented by the London Philharmonic Orchestra in association with Brighton Dome.
In mid-April we jet off again, travelling to New York to give two concerts at Lincoln Center with conductor Edward Gardner, pianist Jean-Efflam Bavouzet and violinist James Ehnes. From there it’s just a short hop to Stamford, Connecticut where we perform the following evening at the city’s Palace Theatre.
Brighton Dome gratefully acknowledges the support of Brighton & Hove City Council and Arts Council England.
Follow all our touring adventures on Twitter: twitter.com/lporchestra
Thank you for your co-operation.
Glyndebourne 2019
Brighton Dome is managed by Brighton Dome and Brighton Festival, which also runs the annual threeweek Brighton Festival in May. brightondome.org | brightonfestival.org
The 2019 Glyndebourne Festival opens on 18 May, when Berlioz’s La damnation de Faust makes its Festival debut in a new production by Richard Jones, in which the Orchestra will be conducted by Glyndebourne Music Director Robin Ticciati. Later in the season Ticciati conducts the Orchestra in Dvořák’s Rusalka, a revival of Melly Still’s much-loved production. Another first this year is Massenet’s ‘Cinderella’ opera Cendrillon, in its Festival debut directed by Fiona Shaw and conducted by John Wilson. Making a welcome return to the Festival is opera’s greatest comedy, Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia in Annabel Arden’s stylish production, conducted by Rafael Payare. Booking opens on Sunday 3 March. glyndebourne.com
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On stage tonight
First Violins Kevin Lin Leader Jeanie Thorpe Katalin Varnagy Chair supported by Sonja Drexler
Catherine Craig Martin Hรถhmann Geoffrey Lynn Chair supported by Caroline, Jamie & Zander Sharp
Rebecca Shorrock Evin Blomberg Nilufar Alimaksumova Morane Cohen-Lamberger Kana Kawashima Rasa Zukauskaite Eleanor Bartlett Essi Kiiski Second Violins Eriko Nagayama Guest Principal Helena Smart Nancy Elan Fiona Higham Chair supported by David & Yi Buckley
Cellos Kristina Blaumane Principal Chair supported by Bianca & Stuart Roden
Francis Bucknall Laura Donoghue Gregory Walmsley Elisabeth Wiklander Sue Sutherley Susanna Riddell Helen Rathbone Double Basses Sebastian Pennar Principal Hugh Kluger George Peniston Thomas Walley Charlotte Kerbegian Flutes Sue Thomas* Principal Chair supported by Victoria Robey OBE
Stewart McIlwham*
Joseph Maher Marie-Anne Mairesse Ashley Stevens Sioni Williams Robin Wilson Emma Oldfield Sheila Law Alison Strange
Piccolo Stewart McIlwham* Principal
Violas Richard Waters Guest Principal Susanne Martens Benedetto Pollani Naomi Holt Isabel Pereira Alistair Scahill Luca Casciato Martin Wray Richard Cookson Martin Fenn
Cor Anglais Max Spiers
Oboes Amy Roberts Guest Principal Katherine Bryer
Clarinets Thomas Watmough Principal
Horns Nicholas Mooney Guest Principal Stephen Craigen Adam Howcroft Gareth Mollison Oliver Johnson Trumpets Paul Beniston* Principal Anne McAneney* Chair supported by Geoff & Meg Mann
Trombones Mark Templeton* Principal
Chair Supporters The London Philharmonic Orchestra also acknowledges the following chair supporters whose players are not present at this concert: Andrew Davenport Friends of the Orchestra Dr Barry Grimaldi Countess Dominique Loredan Sir Simon Robey Eric Tomsett Laurence Watt Neil Westreich
Chair supported by William & Alex de Winton
David Whitehouse Bass Trombone Lyndon Meredith Principal Tuba Lee Tsarmaklis* Principal Timpani Simon Carrington* Principal Percussion Keith Millar Principal
* Holds a professorial appointment in London Meet our members: lpo.org.uk/players
Chair supported by Roger Greenwood
Massimo Di Trolio Bassoons Simon Estell* Principal Laura Vincent
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London Philharmonic Orchestra
The London Philharmonic’s closing concert took excellence and courageous programme planning to levels of expectation and emotional intensity more than once defying belief. Here was an orchestra in terrific form, rising to every challenge. Classicalsource.com (LPO at Royal Festival Hall, 2 May 2018: Panufnik, Penderecki & Prokofiev)
One of the finest orchestras on the international stage, the London Philharmonic Orchestra balances a long and distinguished history with its reputation as one of the UK’s most forward-looking ensembles. As well as its performances in the concert hall, the Orchestra also records film and video game soundtracks, has its own record label, and reaches thousands of people every year through activities for families, schools and local communities. 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 the Orchestra’s current Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor, and in 2017 we celebrated the tenth anniversary of this extraordinary partnership. Andrés Orozco-Estrada took up the position of Principal Guest Conductor in 2015. The Orchestra is resident at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall in London, where it gives around 40 concerts each season. Throughout 2018 we explore
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the life and music of Stravinsky in our series Changing Faces: Stravinsky’s Journey, charting the life and music of one of the 20th century’s most influential composers. In 2019 we celebrate the music of Britain in our festival Isle of Noises, exploring a range of British and Britishinspired music from Purcell to the present day. 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 the Orchestra’s life: highlights of the 2018/19 season include a major tour of Asia including South Korea, Taiwan and China, as well as performances in Belgium, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Spain, Greece, Switzerland and the USA.
Kevin Lin leader
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 100 releases available on CD and to download. Recent additions include a Poulenc disc conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Tchaikovsky’s Symphonies Nos. 2 & 3 under Vladimir Jurowski, and a film music disc under Dirk Brossé. 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. In 2017/18 we celebrated the 30th anniversary of our Education and Community department, whose work over three decades has introduced so many people of all ages to orchestral music and created opportunities for people of all backgrounds to fulfil their creative potential. Highlights include the BrightSparks schools’ concerts and FUNharmonics family concerts; the LPO Young Composers programme; the Foyle Future Firsts orchestral training programme; and the LPO Junior Artists scheme for talented young musicians from communities and backgrounds currently underrepresented in professional UK orchestras. The Orchestra’s work at the forefront of digital engagement and social media has enabled it to reach even more people worldwide: as well as a YouTube channel and regular podcast series, the Orchestra has a lively presence on social media. lpo.org.uk facebook.com/londonphilharmonicorchestra twitter.com/LPOrchestra youtube.com/londonphilharmonicorchestra
Kevin Lin joined the London Philharmonic Orchestra as Co-Leader in August 2017. Originally from New York, Kevin has received international recognition for his musicianship and ‘soulful’ playing (The Arts Desk). He has performed as a soloist and recitalist in the UK, Taiwan, South Korea and Canada, in addition to numerous performances in the USA. He was previously Guest Concertmaster of the Pittsburgh Symphony and Houston Symphony, and in 2015 was invited to lead the Aspen Philharmonic Orchestra at the Aspen Music Festival and School. He has also served as Concertmaster and Principal Second Violin at The Colburn School and The Curtis Institute of Music. An avid chamber musician, Kevin’s recent collaborations include performances with the Tokyo and Ebène quartets, Edgar Meyer, Cho-Liang Lin, Orion Weiss and Andrew Bain. In recent years he has received prizes from the Irving M. Klein International Competition and the Schmidbauer International Competition, and competed in the George Enescu International Violin Competition and the Menuhin International Violin Competition. Kevin spent his early years studying with Patinka Kopec in New York, before going on to study with Robert Lipsett at The Colburn School in Los Angeles, where he received his Bachelor of Music degree. He then continued his studies at The Curtis Institute in Philadelphia as a Mark E. Rubenstein Fellowship recipient, under the pedagogy of Aaron Rosand.
instagram.com/londonphilharmonicorchestra
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Jamie Phillips conductor
We know Phillips to be one of the ablest up-and-coming conductors, but his account of Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony was electrifying ... He showed tremendous energy and very watchable athleticism, but also an eye for detail and certain discipline. With Phillips we have lift-off. © Sim Canetty-Clark
The Arts Desk, March 2014 (Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 with the Hallé at Bridgewater Hall)
Praised for having the ‘ability to pick up a familiar piece by the scruff of its neck and shake invigorating new life into it’ (Bachtrack), Jamie Phillips demonstrates a natural authority on the rostrum, which he combines with a clear, assured and expressive technique and an innate musicality. Tonight’s concert is his second appearance with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, having made his debut conducting an LPO family concert at Royal Festival Hall in February 2018. Jamie has developed a strong guest conducting profile across Europe, and this season returns to orchestras including the Orchestra of the Opéra de Rouen, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Vienna Tonkünstler Orchestra, Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, Deutsche Radio Philharmonie, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and Philharmonie Zuidnederland. He will also return to the Hallé, where he has been described as handling ‘his vast forces with tight control and penetrating insight’ (Nottingham Post), and has previously held the title of Assistant Conductor and the specially created title of Associate Conductor. Jamie will also make his debuts with the Munich Chamber Orchestra, North Netherlands Symphony Orchestra, Oslo Philhamonic, Orchestre National d’Ile de France and Philharmonia Orchestra, as well as at Vienna’s Musikverein and the Philharmonie de Paris.
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In recent seasons Jamie Phillips has conducted the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic, London Symphony, BBC Symphony, BBC Scottish Symphony, Royal Scottish National, Scottish Chamber, Swedish Chamber, Czech Philharmonic, Copenhagen Philharmonic, Essen Philharmonic, Helsingborg Symphony and Polish National Radio Symphony orchestras; the Nash Ensemble; Camerata Salzburg; and the Orchestre d’Auvergne. He also made return visits to the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Mozarteumorchester Salzburg, RTÉ Symphony Orchestra, Luxembourg Philharmonic and BBC Philharmonic. Jamie Phillips is committed to new and 20th-century music and has recorded two CDs featuring the music of Tarik O’Regan and Helen Grime, both with the Hallé for the NMC label: ‘Performances are spot-on, not least from the orchestra’s assistant conductor, Jamie Phillips, making an auspicious debut on disc.’ (Classical Music Magazine).
Alexander Sitkovetsky violin
Sitkovetsky astonishes with his dazzling playing. Jerry Dubins, Fanfare Magazine, 2015
Alexander Sitkovetsky was born in Moscow into a family with a well-established musical tradition. His concerto debut came at the age of eight, and in the same year he moved to the UK to study at the Menuhin School. Lord Menuhin was his inspiration throughout his school years, and they performed together on several occasions. Highlights include performances with the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Australian Chamber Orchestra, Munich Chamber Orchestra, Konzerthaus Orchester Berlin, Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, Royal Northern Sinfonia, New York Chamber Players, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Sinfonietta Rīga, Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, Poznań Philharmonic, Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, European Union Chamber Orchestra, Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Moscow Symphony Orchestra, Welsh National Opera Orchestra, London Mozart Players and Orquesta Filarmónica de Bolivia. Last season’s highlights included engagements with the Arctic Symphony Orchestra, National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Russian State Philharmonic Orchestra, English Symphony Orchestra, Amsterdam Sinfonietta and Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, and a return to Camerata Salzburg. Alexander is a regular guest soloist in the UK, including tours with the Brussels Philharmonic, St Petersburg Symphony Orchestra and Tonkünstler Orchester. The 2018/19 season sees performances with the Residentie Orkest (The Hague), Anhaltische Philharmonie Dessau, Camerata Zurich and Anima Musicae Chamber Orchestra, and returns to Camerata Salzburg, the Arctic Philharmonic and the Welsh
National Opera Orchestra. He will also embark on a UK tour with the Russian Philharmonic Novosibirsk, as well as several US tours with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Alexander Sitkovetsky’s critically acclaimed CPO recording of Panufnik’s Violin Concerto with the Konzerthaus Orchester Berlin, commemorating the composer’s 100th anniversary, won an ICMA Special Achievement Award. Alexander was awarded First Prize at the Trio di Trieste Duo Competition alongside pianist Wu Qian. He is an alumnus of the prestigious ‘Chamber Music Society Two’ programme at Lincoln Center, and in 2016 received the Lincoln Center Emerging Artist Award. Alexander is a founding member of the Sitkovetsky Piano Trio, with whom he has won various prizes including the Mecklenburg Vorpommern Kammermusik Prize. The trio has performed all over the UK and Europe including at the Alte Oper Frankfurt, the Concertgebouw Amsterdam and Wigmore Hall, and toured Asia in September 2018 with concerts in South Korea, Singapore and Japan. Since 2012 Alexander has also played in a string quartet project with Julia Fischer, meeting once a year to perform in some of Europe’s most prestigious venues. Alexander has shared the stage with Janine Jansen, Maxim Rysanov, Alexander Chaushian, Mischa Maisky, Natalie Clein, Éric Le Sage, Polina Leschenko, Julian Rachlin, Boris Brovtsyn and many others. He also performs frequently with the Razumovsky Ensemble and Ensemble Raro.
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Programme notes
Speedread More tone-poem than curtain-raiser, Beethoven’s dramatic overture to the play Coriolan vividly and powerfully projects the dilemma of the Roman general who must choose either ruthless victory and credibility as a leader or humanity and the preservation of his own mother’s life. Brahms’s one and only Violin Concerto, written for and with the partial collaboration of his friend the violinist Joseph
Ludwig van Beethoven
Joachim, is one of the great examples of its kind, successfully mixing technical challenges with the composure of well refined craft and firm musical integrity. Dvořák’s effortless ability to evoke the atmosphere of his Czech homeland shines through even when combined in his final symphony with a determined attempt to honour the open horizons and peoples of the ‘New World’ of North America.
Coriolan Overture, Op. 62
1770–1827
Until towards the end of the 18th century, overtures were usually little more than musical announcements that an opera or a play was about to begin, a way of silencing the audience. Rarely was their content affected much by the events of the ensuing drama, and it was only with Gluck’s ‘reform operas’ of the 1770s that overtures began to attempt on a more regular basis to encapsulate what was to follow. So influential was the change, however, that by the early 1800s Beethoven’s most dynamic overtures – those to the plays Coriolan, Egmont and The Ruins of Athens, to the ballet The Creatures of Prometheus and the opera Fidelio – soon acquired a concert life of their own. In effect, they had become the earliest examples of one of the 19th century’s favourite forms, the symphonic poem. The overture that Beethoven provided for Coriolan, a five-year-old tragedy by his friend Heinrich von Collin, was actually performed a couple of times as a concert piece in the month which preceded its appearance at a revival of the play in April 1807. Collin’s drama had its origins in Shakespeare’s Coriolanus and, though
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differing from it in several respects, presented the same dilemma of the Roman general who has rebelled and is now leading an attack on Rome itself. On the point of victory he lays down his arms so that his mother, Volumnia, can be spared – a moment of military weakness which eventually drives him to suicide. Beethoven’s Overture focuses on the conflict between the arrogant soldier – shown in the truculent opening chords and urgent string motif – and the pleadings of his mother as represented by the tender second theme, rising step by step as her beseeching intensifies. In Shakespeare, Coriolanus was killed by his own followers for his disloyalty, but Beethoven’s concern, like Collin’s, was for the effect of the hero’s failings on his own mind, as shown at the end. Here, Volumnia’s theme makes its third and last appearance, not rising this time but switching with greater urgency to the minor, with the result that Coriolanus capitulates in a broken version of the opening. As the once-proud chords lose their way and the string motif shrivels to nothing, the general’s fall is quiet and ignominious.
Beethoven’s Coriolan Overture on the LPO Label Beethoven Coriolan Overture, Op. 62 Beethoven Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67 Klaus Tennstedt conductor London Philharmonic Orchestra LPO-0087 | £5.59
CDs available from lpo.org.uk/recordings, the Royal Festival Hall shop, the LPO Ticket Office (020 7840 4242) and all good CD outlets. Download or stream online via Apple Music, Amazon, Spotify and others.
Johannes Brahms 1833–97
Brahms’s summer ‘holidays’ were the times when he was most able to get down to sustained work on composition, and numerous of his works were conceived and created in the idyllic surroundings of various European mountain, lakeside and island locations. In August 1878 he was in the village of Pörtschach by the Wörthersee in southern Austria, the same lake by whose shores Mahler would later spend his creative summers. Brahms had discovered the place the previous year, and written the Second Symphony there, but on this occasion he only intended to stay for one day on his way back from his main holiday in Italy. Fine weather and the vivid blues, greens and whites of the alpine summer, however, caused him to linger, and before long he was composing a Violin Concerto.
Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 77 Alexander Sitkovetsky violin 1 Allegro non troppo 2 Adagio 3 Allegro giocoso, ma non troppo vivace
The work was intended for his friend Joseph Joachim, one of the great violinists of the age, but also a composer himself and a musician who saw virtuosity as an expressive tool, not a vehicle for gratuitous showing off. Brahms consulted him on violinistic matters throughout the composition period and even beyond the premiere in Leipzig on 1 January 1879, and early criticism of the work as a ‘concerto against the violin’ (presumably rather than being for and led by it) failed to recognise that its symphonic integration of a nevertheless demanding solo part within the broader orchestral texture was clearly the result of composer and executant being of like mind. Continued overleaf
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Programme notes continued
Perhaps it was natural that the first movement should recall the subtly unfolding lyrical warmth and relaxed triple-time metre that had characterised its counterpart in that first Wörthersee piece, the Second Symphony – though it is certainly not without assertive moments too. As often with Brahms, however, Romantic atmosphere goes together with a Classical approach to form. The movement opens with the orchestra presenting a succession of themes for discussion just as a Mozart concerto would, and the soloist later offers one of its own, a beautiful ‘leaning’ melody that is the nearest thing Brahms comes here to conceding to the gentle waltz rhythm that lies behind the notes. Equally ‘classical’ is the fact that instead of writing out the cadenza, as by his time had become the norm, Brahms left it to be improvised (or at least composed) by his soloist. Tonight’s performance, as most do, uses the cadenza Joachim himself provided.
The second movement is a serene exercise in sustained invention, starting from a heavenly melody presented by winds alone, led by solo oboe. The solo violin then expands on it both lyrically and decoratively, passes through a more impassioned (but melodically related) central section and emerges on the other side with a blissful reprise of the opening melody, now with enriched orchestral accompaniment. Joachim’s Hungarian heritage is honoured in the finale, which references the ‘gypsy’ style Brahms loved so much to indulge. It was perhaps also a repayment of the friendly tribute Joachim had made by dedicating to Brahms his own Concerto ‘in Hungarian style’ in 1861. The movement is a rondo with a somewhat Beethovenian demeanour in its gruff humour and the resourceful and often unpredictable way it sets about the returns of its main theme, adding playful spirit to the ending to this finely crafted concerto.
Interval – 20 minutes An announcement will be made five minutes before the end of the interval.
Antonín Dvořák 1841–1904
‘Apparently I am to show them the path to the promised land and the kingdom of a new, independent art; in short, to create a national music!’ Having been appointed Director of the National Conservatory of Music in New York, Dvořák knew that great things were expected of him, as his letters home show. American music in the second half of the 19th century was strongly dominated by German-trained composers who aligned it firmly with the central European classical tradition, and it must have been with a view to breaking free from this somewhat stifling influence that the wealthy Jeanette Thurber founded her new conservatory in 1892 and invited Dvořák, one of Europe’s 10 | London Philharmonic Orchestra
Symphony No. 9 in E minor (From the New World), Op. 95 1 Adagio – Allegro molto 2 Largo 3 Scherzo: Molto vivace – Poco sostenuto 4 Allegro con fuoco
most prominent nationalist composers, for a threeyear term as its first Director. By her own account, it was Mrs Thurber who also suggested to Dvořák the idea of composing a symphony that would reflect his impressions of America. He began it in January 1893 and completed it the following May. It was premiered amid huge public interest and acclaim on 16 December. The ideal identity of an American national music was at this time the subject of considerable debate, one desirable element recognised by many being the influence of black and native American music. Dvořák espoused the cause straight away. Having heard
spirituals sung to him by a black student (and no doubt encountered the ‘plantation songs’ of the popular white composer Stephen Foster), he declared in an interview in the New York Herald in May 1893: ‘I am now convinced that the future music of this country must be built on the foundations of the songs which are called Negro melodies. They must become the basis of a serious and original school of composition which should be established in the USA.’ His recently completed symphony – which by the time of its premiere had acquired the title ‘From the New World’ – undoubtedly embodied this ambition. But although few would deny the American feel of the ‘New World’ Symphony, or the audibility of its influence on later American composers (not least those who wrote for Hollywood), Dvořák was clear that he did not use existing folk melodies, and sought only to reproduce ‘the spirit of Negro and Indian music’ with ‘characteristic themes’. In this sense he was doing much the same as in his ‘Slavonic’ music, and indeed, given that such features as syncopations and pentatonic melodies are common to many of the world’s folk-musics (Czech among them), there is much to be said for considering this a work of truly dual nationality. Though he loved America, Dvořák was often homesick while there, and with a different set of ears it is not hard to hear the Symphony as an expression of longing for his Bohemian homeland, displaying (as the 20th-century conductor Václav Talich once put it) ‘the rhythm and melody of his surroundings ... remoulded by Dvořák’s Czechness’. The Symphony opens with a pensive introduction containing a slow melody whose syncopations gradually
draw it towards the athletic main theme of the Allegro that follows (and which will make several strategic returns later in the Symphony). This first movement also features two contrasting themes, both introduced by winds and both with a syncopated nature that would seem to qualify them as ‘characteristically’ American. There is a stormy central development section, and after the main themes have been reprised, a driving finish. The slow movement is a gem whose celebrity is richly deserved. After a sequence of solemn chords has helped to establish its new and unusual key (D flat major), a solo cor anglais intones the simple, spiritual-like theme that is surely one of the most glorious melodies in all music. The warm sense of pastoral nostalgia is briefly broken by some forest stirrings and a fleeting glimpse of the first movement’s wider vistas, but at the end there is a return to the opening’s mood of wistfulness. The stamping dance of the Scherzo seems to inhabit the world of the native American – indeed, Dvořák later said that, like the Largo, it was inspired by a scene in Longfellow’s poem The Song of Hiawatha. Its form is unusual, containing in addition to its lightly skipping central Trio a song-like second theme within its main repeated section. The finale introduces a striking new theme, but while this rightly dominates the movement, Dvořák makes much play of bringing back melodic fragments from earlier movements. The music works to an almost Wagnerian climax before the Symphony ends in a final surprise gesture of longing. Programme notes © Lindsay Kemp
Wagner: Die Walküre Sunday 27 January 2019 | 4.00pm Royal Festival Hall Following the success of Das Rheingold in January 2018, Vladimir Jurowski presents the second instalment of our Wagner Ring Cycle. For full cast details visit lpo.org.uk/walkure
Tickets £25–60 (premium seats £80) Book via lpo.org.uk or call 020 7840 4242 Transaction fee £1.75 online/ £2.75 phone
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final concert this season AT brighton dome concert hall saturday 6 april 2019 7.30pm Bax Tintagel Grieg Piano Concerto Sibelius Suite, Belshazzar’s Feast Sibelius Symphony No. 5
Details of our new 2019/20 Brighton Dome season will be available from April 2019.
Osmo Vänskä conductor Jan Lisiecki piano
Book ONLINE at BRIGHTONDOME.ORG or call 01273 709709
£10.99 | LPO-0110
£9.99 | LPO-0109
£9.99 | LPO-0108
Recent releases on the LPO Label
poulenc
tchaikovsky
the genius of film music
Piano Concerto Organ Concerto | Stabat Mater
Symphonies Nos. 2 & 3
Hollywood Blockbusters 1980s–2000s
Vladimir Jurowski conductor
Yannick Nézet-Séguin conductor Alexandre Tharaud piano James O’Donnell organ Kate Royal soprano London Philharmonic Choir CDs available from lpo.org.uk/recordings, the LPO Ticket Office (020 7840 4242) and all good CD outlets. Download or stream online via Apple Music, Amazon, Spotify and others.
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Dirk Brossé conductor Includes music from Star Wars, La Vita è bella, Gladiator, The Mission & Indiana Jones
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 Sir 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 The Rind Foundation Robert Markwick & Kasia Robinski The Maurice Marks Charitable Trust Sir Bernard Rix David Ross & Line Forestier (Canada) Mr Paris Natar
Carolina & Martin Schwab Dr Brian Smith Lady Valerie Solti Mr & Mrs G Stein Dr Peter Stephenson Miss Anne Stoddart TFS Loans Limited 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 Querée 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
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Thank you
We are extremely grateful to all donors who have given generously to the LPO over the past year. Your generosity helps maintain the breadth and depth of the LPO’s activities, as well as supporting the Orchestra both on and off the concert platform.
Artistic Director’s Circle An anonymous donor Sir Simon & Lady Robey OBE Orchestra Circle The Candide Trust Mr & Mrs Philip Kan Neil Westreich The Tsukanov Family Dr James Huang Zheng (of Kingdom Music Education Group) Principal Associates Gabor Beyer, through BTO Management Consulting AG In memory of Ann Marguerite Collins Mr & Mrs Makharinsky Associates Steven M. Berzin Kay Bryan William & Alex de Winton George Ramishvili Stuart & Bianca Roden In memory of Hazel Amy Smith Gold Patrons David & Yi Buckley John Burgess Richard Buxton In memory of Allner Mavis Channing Garf & Gill Collins Andrew Davenport Sonja Drexler Mrs Gillian Fane Marie-Laure Favre-Gilly de Varennes de Beuill Hamish & Sophie Forsyth Virginia Gabbertas Mr Roger Greenwood The Jeniffer and Jonathan Harris Charitable Trust Rehmet Kassim-Lakha de Morixe Countess Dominique Loredan Geoff & Meg Mann
Sally Groves & Dennis Marks Robert Markwick & Kasia Robinski Melanie Ryan Julian & Gill Simmonds Eric Tomsett The Viney Family Laurence Watt Silver Patrons Dr Christopher Aldren Peter Blanc Georgy Djaparidze Ulrike & Benno Engelmann Peter & Fiona Espenhahn Will & Kate Hobhouse Matt Isaacs & Penny Jerram John & Angela Kessler The Metherell Family Simon Millward Mikhail Noskov & Vasilina Bindley Susan Wallendahl Guy & Utti Whittaker
Drs Frank & Gek Lim Mrs Elizabeth Meshkvicheva Maxim & Natalia Moskalev Mr & Mrs Andrew Neill Peter & Lucy Noble Noel Otley JP & Mrs Rachel Davies Jacopo Pessina Mr Roger Phillimore Mr Michael Posen Tatiana Pyatigorskaya Dr Eva Lotta & Mr Thierry Sciard Tom & Phillis Sharpe Mr Christopher Stewart Mr & Mrs John C Tucker Andrew & Rosemary Tusa Mr & Mrs John & Susi Underwood Marina Vaizey Grenville & Krysia Williams Christopher Williams Ed & Catherine Williams Mr Anthony Yolland
Bronze Patrons Anonymous donors Michael Allen Andrew Barclay Mr Geoffrey Bateman Peter & Adrienne Breen Mr Jeremy Bull Mr Alan C Butler Desmond & Ruth Cecil Mr John H Cook Bruno De Kegel Mr John L G Deacon David Ellen Ignor & Lyuba Galkin Mrs Irina Gofman David Goldberg Mr Daniel Goldstein David & Jane Gosman Mrs Dorothy Hambleton Wim & Jackie Hautekiet-Clare Catherine Hogel & Ben Mardle J Douglas Home Mr James R. D. Korner Rose & Dudley Leigh
Principal Supporters Ralph & Elizabeth Aldwinckle Margot Astrachan Mr Philip Bathard-Smith Mr Edwin Bisset Dr Anthony Buckland Mr & Mrs Stewart Cohen Sir Alan Collins KCVO David & Liz Conway Mr Alistair Corbett Mrs Alina Davey Guy Davies Henry Davis MBE Mr Richard Fernyhough Patrice & Federica Feron Ms Kerry Gardner Malcolm Herring Ivan Hurry Per Jonsson Mr Ralph Kanza Ms Katerina Kashenceva Vadim & Natalia Levin Wg. Cdr. & Mrs M T Liddiard OBE JP RAF Mr Christopher Little
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Paul & Brigitta Lock Mr Peter Mace Mr John Meloy Andrew T Mills Dr Karen Morton Dr Wiebke Pekrull Mr James Pickford Andrew & Sarah Poppleton Natalie Pray Mr Christopher Querée Martin & Cheryl Southgate Ms Nadia Stasyuk Matthew Stephenson & Roman Aristarkhov Louise Walton Howard & Sheelagh Watson Des & Maggie Whitelock Liz Winter Bill Yoe Supporters Mr John D Barnard Mr Bernard Bradbury Mr Richard Brooman Mrs Alan Carrington Alison Clarke & Leo Pilkington Mr Joshua Coger Mr Geoffrey A Collens Miss Tessa Cowie Lady Jane Cuckney OBE Mr David Devons Samuel Edge Manuel Fajardo & Clémence Humeau Mrs Janet Flynn Christopher Fraser OBE Will Gold Mr Peter Gray Mrs Maureen HooftGraafland The Jackman Family Mr David MacFarlane Mr Frederic Marguerre Mr Mark Mishon Mr Stephen Olton Mr David Peters Mr & Mrs Graham & Jean Pugh Mr David Russell Mr Kenneth Shaw
Ms Elizabeth Shaw Ms Natalie Spraggon & Mr David Thomson Mr John Weekes Joanna Williams Hon. Benefactor Elliott Bernerd Hon. Life Members Alfonso Aijón Kenneth Goode Carol Colburn Grigor CBE Pehr G Gyllenhammar Robert Hill Mrs Jackie Rosenfeld OBE Laurence Watt LPO International Board of Governors Natasha Tsukanova Chair Steven M. Berzin (USA) Gabor Beyer (Hungary) Kay Bryan (Australia) Marie-Laure Favre Gilly de Varennes de Bueil (France) Joyce Kan (China/Hong Kong) Olivia Ma (Greater China Area) Olga Makharinsky (Russia) George Ramishvili (Georgia) Victoria Robey OBE (USA) Dr James Huang Zheng (of Kingdom Music Education Group) (China/ Shenzhen)
We are grateful to the Board of the American Friends of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, who assist with fundraising for our activities in the United States of America: Simon Freakley Chairman Xenia Hanusiak Alexandra Jupin William A. Kerr Kristina McPhee Natalie Pray Stephanie Yoshida Antony Phillipson Hon. Chairman Noel Kilkenny Hon. Director Victoria Robey OBE Hon. Director Richard Gee, Esq Of Counsel Jenifer L. Keiser, CPA, EisnerAmper LLP Corporate Donors Arcadis Christian Dior Couture Faraday Fenchurch Advisory Partners IMG Pictet Bank Steppes Travel White & Case LLP
Corporate Members Gold freuds Sunshine Silver After Digital Berenberg Carter-Ruck French Chamber of Commerce Bronze Ageas Lazard Russo-British Chamber of Commerce Walpole Preferred Partners Fever-Tree Heineken Lindt & Sprüngli Ltd London Orthopaedic Clinic Sipsmith Steinway Villa Maria In-kind Sponsor Google Inc Trusts and Foundations The Bernarr Rainbow Trust The Boltini Trust Sir William Boreman’s Foundation Borletti-Buitoni Trust Boshier-Hinton Foundation The Candide Trust The Ernest Cook Trust Diaphonique, Franco-British Fund for contemporary music The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust Dunard Fund The Foyle Foundation Lucille Graham Trust Help Musicians UK
John Horniman’s Children’s Trust The Idlewild Trust Embassy of the State of Israel to the United Kingdom Kirby Laing Foundation The Lawson Trust The Leverhulme Trust Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation London Stock Exchange Group Foundation Lord & Lady Lurgan Trust Marsh Christian Trust The Mercers’ Company Adam Mickiewicz Institute Newcomen Collett Foundation The Stanley Picker Trust The Austin & Hope Pilkington Trust PRS For Music Foundation The Radcliffe Trust Rivers Foundation Romanian Cultural Institute The R K Charitable Trust The Sampimon Trust Schroder Charity Trust Serge Rachmaninoff Foundation Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation The David Solomons Charitable Trust Souter Charitable Trust The Steel Charitable Trust Spears-Stutz Charitable Trust The John Thaw Foundation The Thistle Trust UK Friends of the FelixMendelssohn-BartholdyFoundation The Clarence Westbury Foundation Garfield Weston Foundation The Barbara Whatmore Charitable Trust The William Alwyn Foundation 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 Catherine C. Høgel Vice-Chairman Henry Baldwin* Roger Barron Richard Brass David Buckley Bruno De Kegel Martin Höhmann* Al MacCuish Susanne Martens* Pei-Jee Ng* Andrew Tusa Timothy Walker AM Neil Westreich David Whitehouse* * Player-Director Advisory Council Martin Höhmann Chairman Rob Adediran Christopher Aldren Dr Manon Antoniazzi Richard Brass Desmond Cecil CMG Sir Alan Collins KCVO CMG Andrew Davenport William de Winton Cameron Doley Edward Dolman Christopher Fraser OBE Lord Hall of Birkenhead CBE Jonathan Harris CBE FRICS Amanda Hill Rehmet Kassim-Lakha Jamie Korner Geoff Mann Clive Marks OBE FCA Stewart McIlwham Andrew Neill Nadya Powell Sir Bernard Rix Victoria Robey OBE Baroness Shackleton Thomas Sharpe QC Julian Simmonds Barry Smith Martin Southgate Andrew Swarbrick Sir John Tooley Chris Viney Timothy Walker AM Laurence Watt Elizabeth Winter
General Administration Timothy Walker AM Chief Executive and Artistic Director
Education and Community Isabella Kernot Education and Community Director
David Burke General Manager and Finance Director
Talia Lash Education and Community Manager
Lucas Dwyer PA to the Chief Executive/ Administrative Assistant
Emily Moss Education and Community Project Manager
Finance Frances Slack Finance and Operations Manager
Hannah Tripp Education and Community Project Co-ordinator
Dayse Guilherme Finance Officer
Development Nick Jackman Development Director
Concert Management Roanna Gibson Concerts Director
Vicky Moran Development Events Manager
Graham Wood Concerts and Recordings Manager Sophie Richardson Tours Manager Alison Jones Concerts and Recordings Co-ordinator Jo Cotter Tours Co-ordinator Matthew Freeman Recordings Consultant Andrew Chenery Orchestra Personnel Manager Sarah Holmes Sarah Thomas Librarians Christopher Alderton Stage Manager
Christina McNeill Corporate Relations Manager Rosie Morden Individual Giving Manager Anna Quillin Trusts and Foundations Manager Ellie Franklin Development Assistant Georgie Gulliver Development Assistant Kirstin Peltonen Development Associate Marketing Kath Trout Marketing Director Mairi Warren Marketing Manager
Public Relations Premier classical@premiercomms.co.uk Tel: 020 7292 7355/ 020 7292 7335 Archives Philip Stuart Discographer Gillian Pole Recordings Archive Professional Services Charles Russell Speechlys Solicitors Crowe Clark Whitehill LLP Auditors Dr Barry Grimaldi Honorary Doctor Mr Chris Aldren Honorary ENT Surgeon Mr Brian Cohen Mr Simon Owen-Johnstone Honorary Orthopaedic Surgeons London Philharmonic Orchestra 89 Albert Embankment London SE1 7TP Tel: 020 7840 4200 Box Office: 020 7840 4242 Email: admin@lpo.org.uk lpo.org.uk The London Philharmonic Orchestra Limited is a registered charity No. 238045.
Damian Davis Transport Manager
Megan Macarte Box Office Manager (Tel: 020 7840 4242)
Composer photographs courtesy of the Royal College of Music, London.
Hannah Verkerk Orchestra Co-ordinator and Auditions Administrator
Rachel Williams Publications Manager
Cover artwork Ross Shaw Printer Cantate
Laura Kitson Assistant Transport & Stage Manager
Harriet Dalton Website Manager (maternity leave) Rachel Smith Website Manager (maternity cover) Greg Felton Digital Creative Alexandra Lloyd Marketing Co-ordinator Tom Wright Marketing Assistant
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