LPO programme: 22 Apr 2023 - Don Quixote Rides Again (Vladimir Jurowski, conductor)

2022/23 concert season at the Southbank Centre

Where music takes you

Concert programme

Principal Conductor Edward Gardner supported by Aud Jebsen

Principal Guest Conductor Karina Canellakis

Conductor Emeritus Vladimir Jurowski Patron HRH The Duke of Kent KG

Artistic Director Elena Dubinets Chief Executive David Burke

Leader Pieter Schoeman supported by Neil Westreich

Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall

Saturday 22 April 2023 | 7.30pm

Don Quixote Rides Again

Mozart

Symphony No. 40 in G minor, K550* (28’)

Interval (20’)

R Strauss

Don Quixote, Op. 35 (40’)

Vladimir Jurowski conductor

Kristina Blaumane cello

Chair supported by Bianca and Stuart Roden

Richard Waters viola

Chair supported by Caroline, Jamie & Zander Sharp

* Please note change from originally advertised programme.

This concert is dedicated to the memory of Alexander Cameron.

Contents

2 Welcome LPO news

3 On stage tonight

4 London Philharmonic Orchestra

5 Leader: Pieter Schoeman

6 Vladimir Jurowski

7 Tonight’s soloists

8 Programme notes

9 LPO Label: Jurowski conducts Stravinsky Vol. 2

12 Next concerts

13 Sound Futures donors

14 Thank you

16 LPO administration

The timings shown are not precise and are given only as a guide. Concert presented by the London Philharmonic Orchestra

Welcome LPO news

Welcome to the Southbank Centre

We’re the largest arts centre in the UK and one of the nation’s top visitor attractions, showcasing the world’s most exciting artists at our venues in the heart of London. We’re here to present great cultural experiences that bring people together, and open up the arts to everyone.

The Southbank Centre is made up of the Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Room, Hayward Gallery, National Poetry Library and Arts Council Collection. We’re one of London’s favourite meeting spots, with lots of free events and places to relax, eat and shop next to the Thames.

We hope you enjoy your visit. If you need any information or help, please ask a member of staff. You can also write to us at Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London SE1 8XX, or email hello@southbankcentre.co.uk

Subscribers to our email updates are the first to hear about new events, offers and competitions. Just head to our website to sign up.

Drinks

You are welcome to bring drinks from the venue’s bars and cafés into the Royal Festival Hall to enjoy during tonight’s concert. Please be considerate to fellow audience members by keeping noise during the concert to a minimum, and please take your glasses with you for recycling afterwards. Thank you.

Enjoyed tonight’s concert?

Help us to share the wonder of the LPO by making a donation today. Use the QR code to donate via the LPO website, or visit lpo.org.uk/donate. Thank you.

Our new 2023/24 season: announced this Monday

Keep an eye out for details of our 2023/24 concert season, which we’ll be announcing this Monday, 24 April!

Did you know that Friends of the LPO enjoy priority booking for all our London concerts? The priority booking period for LPO Friends opens this Tuesday, 25 April, ahead of public booking from Tuesday 2 May.

To find out more about LPO Friends and the other benefits on offer, including exclusive invitations to rehearsals, special events and a dedicated private bar at our London concerts, visit lpo.org.uk/friends

Pre-order now: Jurowski conducts Stravinsky Vol. 2

Following rave reviews for the first volume of Vladimir Jurowski’s Stravinsky series on the LPO Label last year, we’re thrilled to release the next volume this Friday.

‘Jurowski conducts Stravinsky Vol. 2’ (LPO-0026) is available to pre-order now, and will be in stores and on streaming services from Friday 28 April. It features Stravinsky’s ballet music for The Fairy’s Kiss, alongside the movements he orchestrated from Tchaikovsky’s The Sleeping Beauty.

Click on the QR code to pre-order now or find out more.

Alexander Cameron

We were saddened to hear of the death of Alexander Cameron on 23 March, two days before his 101st birthday. Alexander was the LPO’s Principal Cellist from 1967–83 and he continued to play with us until 1988. Our thoughts are with his loved ones at this sad time. Tonight’s concert is dedicated to his memory.

First Violins

Pieter Schoeman* Leader

Chair supported by Neil Westreich

Alice Ivy-Pemberton Co-Leader

Kate Oswin

Chair supported by Eric Tomsett

Lasma Taimina

Chair supported by Irina Gofman & Mr Rodrik V. G. Cave

Minn Majoe

Yang Zhang

Katalin Varnagy

Chair supported by Sonja Drexler

Thomas Eisner

Catherine Craig

Sophie Phillips

Nilufar Alimaksumova

Alice Apreda Howell

Eleanor Bartlett

Ronald Long

Chu-Yu Yang

Katherine Waller

Second Violins

Tania Mazzetti Principal

Emma Oldfield Co-Principal

Ray Liu

Kate Birchall

Nancy Elan

Fiona Higham

Chair supported by David & Yi Buckley

Nynke Hijlkema

Claudia Tarrant-Matthews

Joseph Maher

Sheila Law

Lyrit Milgram

Georgina Leo

Sioni Williams

Jamie Hutchinson

Eleonora Consta

Charlie MacClure

Violas

Richard Waters Principal

Chair supported by Caroline, Jamie & Zander Sharp

Martin Wray

Laura Vallejo

Katharine Leek

Benedetto Pollani

Lucia Ortiz Sauco

On stage tonight

Shiry Rashkovsky

Michelle Bruil

Naomi Holt

Pamela Ferriman

Kate De Campos

Toby Warr

Cellos

Bozidar Vukotic Guest Principal

Francis Bucknall

David Lale

Susanna Riddell

Helen Thomas

George Hoult

Sibylle Hentschel

Jane Lindsay

Leo Melvin

Tamaki Sugimoto

Double Basses

Sebastian Pennar Principal

Hugh Kluger

George Peniston

Laura Murphy

Charlotte Kerbegian

Lowri Morgan

David Johnson

Adam Wynter

Flutes

Juliette Bausor Principal

Anna Kondrashina

Piccolo

Stewart McIlwham* Principal

Oboes

Ian Hardwick* Principal

Alice Munday

Cor Anglais

Sue Böhling* Principal

Chair supported by Dr Barry

Grimaldi

Clarinets

Thomas Watmough

Principal

Chair supported by Roger Greenwood

Harry Cameron-Penny

Paul Richards*

Bass Clarinet

Paul Richards* Principal

E-flat Clarinet

Harry Cameron-Penny

Bassoons

Jonathan Davies Principal

Chair supported by Sir Simon Robey

Guylaine Eckersley

Joanna Baillie Stark

Contrabassoon

Simon Estell* Principal

Horns

John Ryan* Principal

Annemarie Federle Principal

Martin Hobbs

Mark Vines Co-Principal

Gareth Mollison

Duncan Fuller

Neil Mitchell

Trumpets

Paul Beniston* Principal

Tom Nielsen Co-Principal

Anne McAneney*

Trombones

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

Stephen Turton

Bass Trombone

Lyndon Meredith Principal

Tenor Tuba

David Whitehouse

Tuba

Lee Tsarmaklis* Principal Chair supported by Friends of the Orchestra

Timpani

Simon Carrington* Principal Chair supported by Victoria Robey OBE

Percussion

Andrew Barclay* Principal Chair supported by Gill & Garf Collins

Feargus Brennan

Harp

Rachel Masters Principal Assistant Conductor

Tim Murray

* Holds a professorial appointment in London

A warm welcome to Lucia Ortiz Sauco, who joined our Viola section earlier this month. Lucia was born in Spain and, after graduating from the Royal College of Music in London, completed Master’s studies at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin. Since then, she has worked with many orchestras across Europe and the UK.

London Philharmonic Orchestra

Uniquely groundbreaking and exhilarating to watch and hear, the London Philharmonic Orchestra has been celebrated as one of the world’s great orchestras since Sir Thomas Beecham founded it in 1932. With every performance we aim to bring wonder to the modern world and cement our position as a leading orchestra for the 21st century.

Our home is here at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, where we’re at the beating heart of London’s cultural life. You’ll also find us at our resident venues in Brighton, Eastbourne and Saffron Walden, and on tour throughout the UK and internationally, performing to sell-out audiences worldwide. Each summer we’re resident at Glyndebourne Festival Opera, combining the magic of opera with Glyndebourne’s glorious setting in the Sussex countryside.

Sharing the wonder

You’ll find us online, on streaming platforms, on social media and through our broadcast partnership with Marquee TV. During the pandemic period we launched ‘LPOnline’: over 100 videos of performances, insights and introductions to playlists, which led to us being named runner-up in the Digital Classical Music Awards 2020. During 2022/23 we’re once again working with Marquee TV to broadcast selected live concerts, so you can share or relive the wonder from your own living room.

Our conductors

Our Principal Conductors have included some of the greatest historic names like Sir Adrian Boult, Bernard Haitink, Sir Georg Solti, Klaus Tennstedt and Kurt Masur. In 2021 Edward Gardner became our 13th Principal Conductor, taking the Orchestra into its tenth decade. Vladimir Jurowski became Conductor Emeritus in recognition of his impact as Principal Conductor from 2007–21. Karina Canellakis is our current Principal Guest Conductor and Brett Dean our Composer-in-Residence, to be succeeded by Tania León in September 2023.

Soundtrack to key moments

Everyone will have heard the London Philharmonic Orchestra, whether it’s playing the world’s National Anthems at every medal ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics, our iconic recording with Pavarotti that made Nessun Dorma a global football anthem, or closing the flotilla at The Queen’s Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant. And you’ll almost certainly have heard us on the soundtracks for major films including The Lord of the Rings

We also release live, studio and archive recordings on our own label, and are the world’s most-streamed orchestra, with over 15 million plays of our content each month. Recent releases include the first volume of a Stravinsky series with Vladimir Jurowski; Tippett’s complete opera The Midsummer Marriage under

© Benjamin Ealovega

Edward Gardner, captured in his first concert as LPO Principal Conductor in September 2021; and James MacMillan’s Christmas Oratorio, recorded at the work’s UK premiere performance in December 2021.

Next generations

We’re committed to inspiring the next generation of musicians and music-lovers: there’s nothing we love more than seeing the joy of children and families enjoying their first musical moments, and we’re passionate about equipping schools and teachers through schools’ concerts, resources and training. Reflecting our values of collaboration and inclusivity, our OrchLab and Open Sound Ensemble projects offer music-making opportunities for adults and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. Today’s young instrumentalists are the orchestral members of the future, so we have a number of opportunities to support their progression. Our LPO Junior Artists programme is leading the way in creating pathways into the profession for young artists from under-represented communities, and our LPO Young Composers and Foyle Future Firsts schemes support the next generation of professional musicians, bridging the transition from education to professional careers. We have also recently launched the LPO Conducting Fellowship, supporting the development of two outstanding early-career conductors from backgrounds currently under-represented in the profession.

2022/23 and beyond

We believe in the relevance of our music, and that our programmes must reflect the narratives of modern times. This season we’re exploring themes of belonging and displacement in our series ‘A place to call home’, delving into music by composers including Austrians Erich Korngold and Paul Hindemith, Hungarian Béla Bartók, Cuban Tania León, Ukrainian Victoria Vita Polevá and Syrian Kinan Azmeh. As we celebrate our 90th anniversary we perform works premiered by the Orchestra during its illustrious history. This season also marks Vaughan Williams’s 150th anniversary and we’ll be celebrating with four of his works, as well as both symphonies by Elgar and music by Tippett and Thomas Adès. Our commitment to everything new and creative includes premieres by Brett Dean and Heiner Goebbels, as well as new commissions from composers from around the world including Agata Zubel, Elena Langer and Vijay Iyer.

lpo.org.uk

Pieter Schoeman Leader

Pieter Schoeman was appointed Leader of the London Philharmonic Orchestra in 2008, having previously been Co-Leader since 2002. He is also a Professor of Violin at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music & Dance.

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 the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall. As a chamber musician he regularly appears at London’s prestigious Wigmore Hall. His chamber music partners have included Anne-Sophie Mutter, Veronika Eberle, Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Boris Garlitsky, Jean-Guihen Queyras, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Martin Helmchen and Julia Fischer.

Pieter has performed numerous times as a soloist with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Highlights have included an appearance as both conductor and soloist in Vivaldi’s Four Seasons at the Royal Festival Hall, the Brahms Double Concerto with Kristina Blaumane, and the Britten Double Concerto with Alexander Zemtsov, which was recorded and released on the LPO Label to great critical acclaim.

Pieter has appeared as Guest Leader with the BBC, Barcelona, Bordeaux, Lyon and Baltimore symphony orchestras; the Rotterdam and BBC Philharmonic orchestras; and the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra.

Pieter’s chair in the LPO is generously supported by Neil Westreich.

© Benjamin Ealovega

Vladimir Jurowski

Conductor Emeritus, London Philharmonic Orchestra

A committed operatic conductor, Vladimir’s recent highlights include semi-staged performances of Wagner’s Das Rheingold, Die Walküre and Siegfried with the London Philharmonic Orchestra at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall; new productions of Der Rosenkavalier, Shostakovich’s The Nose and Penderecki’s Die Teufel von Loudun at the Bavarian State Opera; Die Frau ohne Schatten in Berlin and Bucharest with the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra; Prokofiev’s The Fiery Angel at the Bavarian State Opera; Henze’s The Bassarids and Schoenberg’s Moses und Aron at the Komische Oper Berlin; his acclaimed debut at the Salzburg Festival with Wozzeck; and his first return to Glyndebourne as a guest conductor, for the world premiere production of Brett Dean’s Hamlet with the LPO.

Vladimir Jurowski became the London Philharmonic Orchestra’s Conductor Emeritus in September 2021, following 14 years as Principal Conductor, during which his creative energy and artistic rigour were central to the Orchestra’s success. At the BBC Proms concert with the LPO on 12 August 2021 – his final official concert as Principal Conductor – he received the Royal Philharmonic Society Gold Medal, one of the highest international honours in music.

In September 2021 Vladimir became Music Director at the Bavarian State Opera in Munich. Since 2017 he has been Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra. He is also Principal Artist of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, and in 2021 stepped down from his decade as Artistic Director of the Russian State Academic Symphony Orchestra to become its Honorary Conductor. He has previously held the positions of First Kapellmeister of the Komische Oper, Berlin (1997–2001), Principal Guest Conductor of the Teatro Comunale di Bologna (2000–03), Principal Guest Conductor of the Russian National Orchestra (2005–09), and Music Director of Glyndebourne Festival Opera (2001–13).

Vladimir enjoys close relationships with the world’s most distinguished artistic institutions, collaborating with many of the world’s leading orchestras including the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, the Staatskapelle Dresden, the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, the Cleveland and Philadelphia orchestras, the New York Philharmonic and the Chicago and Boston symphony orchestras.

Previous seasons at Glyndebourne – many with the LPO – have included Die Zauberflöte, La Cenerentola, Otello, Macbeth, Falstaff, Tristan und Isolde, Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg, Don Giovanni, The Rake’s Progress, The Cunning Little Vixen, Ariadne auf Naxos and Péter Eötvös’s Love and Other Demons.

This season Vladimir returns to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, conducts new productions of Così fan tutte and Prokofiev’s War and Peace and a revival of Dean’s Hamlet at the Bavarian State Opera, and showcases a wealth of concert repertoire with the Berlin Radio Symphony and Bavarian State orchestras.

The LPO has released a wide selection of Vladimir Jurowski’s live recordings with the Orchestra on its own label, including the complete symphonies of Brahms and Tchaikovsky; Mahler’s Symphonies Nos. 1, 2, 4 & 8; and works by Shostakovich, Stravinsky, Beethoven, Rachmaninoff, Strauss, Mozart, Vaughan Williams, Julian Anderson and Vladimir Martynov. In 2017 the Orchestra released a 7-CD box set of Jurowski’s LPO recordings in celebration of his 10th anniversary as Principal Conductor.

2022 saw the first of a three-volume Stravinsky series featuring The Rite of Spring and The Firebird (LPO0123). The second volume, including The Fairy’s Kiss and movements orchestrated by Stravinsky from Tchaikovsky’s The Sleeping Beauty, is released at the end of this month (LPO-0126): see page 9.

© Drew Kelley

Kristina Blaumane cello Richard Waters viola

Kristina Blaumane was born in Riga and graduated from the Latvian Academy of Music and the Guildhall School of Music & Drama. She has been the London Philharmonic Orchestra’s Principal Cello since 2007, and has been invited to play as a soloist, recitalist and chamber musician around the world. She has performed as soloist with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Amsterdam Sinfonietta, Chicago Civic Orchestra, Kremerata Baltica, Britten Sinfonia, Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, Sofia Soloists, Netherlands Wind Ensemble, Dalarna Sinfonietta, MDR Symphony Orchestra Leipzig, Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra and Ensemble Ubertini, as well as all the main orchestras in Latvia.

As a chamber musician Kristina has worked in partnership with such renowned artists as Isaac Stern, Gidon Kremer, Yo-Yo Ma, Yuri Bashmet, Leif Ove Andsnes, Janine Jansen, Julian Rachlin, Dmitry Sitkovetsky, Bruno Giuranna, Misha Maisky, Nikolaj Znaider, Tatyana Grindenko, Oleg Maisenberg, Michael Collins, Isabelle van Keulen and Alina Ibragimova, and has performed at festivals such as Gstaad, Lockenhaus, Salzburg, Verbier, Basel, Jerusalem, Utrecht, Spitalfields, Cheltenham, Aldeburgh, Homecoming, Crescendo and Amsterdam Cello Biennale. She is a member of Trio Palladio and the Wigmore Soloists ensemble.

Kristina is a winner of many awards including the Latvian Philharmonic Young Musician of the Year, the Latvian television competition ‘Alternativa’, Carmel International Competition, Musicians Benevolent Fund and Lord Mayor’s Prize. She is a two-time laureate of the Great Music Award, the highest prize given by the Latvian State in the field of music (2005 & 2007).

Chair supported by Bianca & Stuart Roden

Co-Principal Viola of the London Philharmonic Orchestra since 2019, Richard Waters has also appeared as Principal Viola with the London Sinfonietta, Philharmonia Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, performing in many of the world’s most prestigious venues.

An active chamber musician, Richard has given concerts in Europe, Asia and South America. As a founder member of the prize-winning Bernadel Quartet, he performed at Wigmore Hall, Kings Place and numerous festivals including West Cork.

Richard has also presented his own festival in Devon and Cornwall, where he grew up. As the first Cavatina Chamber Music Fellows at the Royal Academy of Music, the Bernadel Quartet were also selected as the first participants in the ChamberStudio scheme and the Belcea Quartet’s inaugural coaching scheme, with whom they later collaborated to perform Mendelssohn’s Octet.

Studying at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama under Mark Knight and as a postgraduate at the Royal Academy of Music with Paul Silverthorne, Richard achieved the highest honours for his final examinations, the Concert Recital Diploma (GSMD) and the DipRAM from the Royal Academy. In 2018 he was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music.

Richard is a keen advocate for contemporary music, working with many leading composers such as George Benjamin, whose virtuoso work Viola, Viola he has performed on numerous occasions.

Chair supported by Caroline, Jamie & Zander Sharp

© Benjamin Ealovega

© Kevin Lin

Programme notes

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

1756–91

Symphony No. 40 in G minor, K550 1788

1 Molto allegro

2 Andante

3 Menuetto

4 Allegro assai

Attempting to reconcile the measured perfection of Mozart’s music with the squalid turbulence of his life can have the mind doing somersaults. The composer teetered perennially on the edge – of chaos, of employability, of success and even of rationalism. But peering into the abyss thrust a wondrous immeasurability into Mozart’s art. In his darkest days, he had a tendency to deliver the most sublime, intense and even joyous music.

Not much was going well for Mozart in the summer of 1788. The composer was experiencing bouts of depression, facing severe financial pressures and was probably on the brink of marital breakdown. He and his wife would later be forced to endure the death of their infant daughter Teresa – a tragedy that occurred midway through a strange and remarkable project: a ‘trilogy’ of final symphonies.

The precise genesis of the symphonies we know as those numbered 39–41 is elusive. No commission exists, and details of first performances are sketchy. There is good reason to believe Mozart wrote this music out of personal need and impulse, rather than to satisfy the terms of a commission – the general way of things in the 18th century. A little less than a year after this middle symphony was completed, Mozart returned to the score, adapting it to include parts for two clarinets and making other tweaks too.

Musically, all three symphonies used ostensibly standard formal footprints but broke new ground within them. The four-movement structure was not simply

a way of providing four contrasting musical experiences; each movement would now echo its predecessor while sowing seeds that would come to fruition later on. The final movement became not the sweet compositional dessert, but the conclusive apex of the symphonic mountain. A narrative struggle emerges in these pieces that would be taken forward by the likes of Beethoven and Mahler.

What sets this Symphony immediately apart is the urgency of its opening – one reason, perhaps, its main theme was so ubiquitously used as a mobile phone ringtone back in the 2000s. Initially, the Symphony is all texture – the music’s slickness of orchestration and distribution of material all the more apparent given its translucence.

Harmonies are relatively simple, until they aren’t. The ‘development’ section sees the same material confronted and discussed with wrenching, grinding harmonic distortions and the demonic spiral of a fullblown fugue (the braiding of a specified tune into an elaborate conversation by different instruments or melodic voices, with the tune introduced at staggered intervals). The music eventually plunges into the unrelated key of F sharp minor, a diversion that would have surprised even Beethoven.

The second-movement Andante – a speed indication suggesting moderation – would appear tranquil were it not stalked by throbbing dissonances and unsettled by an eerie violin melody. There follows a Minuet – a gallant dance by definition, but more like a stomp here, in which

Programme notes

Mozart carves through bar-lines with disorientating syncopations and finds ever-more ominous colours from his instruments.

The pathos of the third movement ferments the explosive tendencies of the fourth. At the start, a perfectly polite and orderly theme tries to stand its ground, but is lashed down time and again by rushing, dismissive strings. More lyrical, soothing music then emerges, and it becomes clear Mozart will force these two contrasting moods to argue it out with extreme stress.

The more heated the conversation becomes, the more it twists and turns in on itself and the more inevitable the music’s onward momentum seems. This Symphony, combining grief and sensuality, has posed mysteries and asked questions, but in its final movement Mozart appears to want out – to close the circle, to shut the conversation down, to stop the noise. Perhaps that’s one reason the music itself appears to teeter on the edge of its own structural integrity.

Interval – 20 minutes

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

New on the LPO Label: Vladimir Jurowski conducts

Stravinsky Vol. 2

Tchaikovsky (arr. Stravinsky) The Sleeping Beauty (excerpts)

‘The early evolution of Stravinsky from fledgling to Firebird feels like the most natural thing in the world ... It helps, of course, that the instinct and intellect of this most inquisitive and searching of conductors makes all the right connections.’

Programme notes

Richard Strauss

1864–1949

Don Quixote, Op. 35 1897

Kristina Blaumane cello

Richard Waters viola

The string of symphonic poems Strauss produced before turning to opera initially focused on figures from literature and philosophy. In 1897, the composer was drawn to Miguel de Cervantes’s novel Don Quixote, which tells of a chivalrous but deluded knight errant setting out to put the world to rights – even inventing a woman, whose hand he will win, to make the enterprise worthwhile.

Though Strauss had the epic philosophical tone-poem Also sprach Zarathustra under his belt already, his Spanish tale introduced multiple complications, notably the new level of detail required in recounting handpicked scenarios from a sprawling novel that enters the domain of magical realism.

One of Strauss’s solutions was to place the story – his selected segments of it, at least – in the service of what is effectively an extended character-portrait. Strauss subtitled his work ‘Fantastical Variations on a Theme of a Knightly Character’. It is a tone-poem, a theme with ten variations and more. With an extensive solo role for cello and supporting roles for solo viola, violin and bass clarinet, it could even be described as a solo concerto or a sort of ‘concerto grosso’ (a concerto with soloists drawn from within the ensemble).

No orchestral composer of the late 19th century could define a character in a few concise gestures, or conjure a place and mood with apparently cinematic detail, quite like Richard Strauss could. The genius of Strauss, not unlike his hero Mozart, was that he could incorporate elements of formal ‘classical’ design into all that, knowing that the ingredients of sonata form – a clear differentiation of keys and themes – could bolster the expressive effects of his stories in music.

We can associate the instruments with particular characters: the cello with Don Quixote, the long viola solo with Sancho Panza – here seen as a prattling sidekick – and the oboe with the Don’s imaginary bride Dulcinea (though the characters aren’t confined to those instruments, and vice versa). The themes presented for variation are, principally, the Don’s ascending flourish and slow climb-down (probably metaphorical) and Dulcinea’s warm, loving theme first heard on an oboe. After the initial statement of both,

Programme notes

Strauss weaves a complex contrapuntal web that could be a picture of the Don’s mind struggling with its own fantasies.

What follows is a set of free variations as Quixote’s misadventures begin with Sancho Panza by his side. They discuss knight errantry, with the Don grandstanding in the face of his companion’s doubts to levels of comic self-righteousness (cello and viola duet).

The Don later mistakes windmills for fierce giants (Strauss has them crush the Don’s ascending theme mercilessly, ending with a timpani thump), takes a flock of sheep for an attacking army (Strauss seizes the opportunity to indulge in some more literal tonepainting, asking the brass players to flutter their tongues

in the imitation of bleating), ambushes a group of marching pilgrims, experiences a grand vision of Dulcinea and sees himself flying on a magic horse to win her. One moment of clarity clears the decks before the Don accepts death. This moment resonated particularly with Strauss, long fascinated by the notion of mortality and its final acceptance by humans.

Don Quixote was first performed on 8 March 1898 in Cologne, conducted by Franz Wüllner with Friedrich Grützmacher as the soloist. It may not be the loudest or grandest of Strauss’s tone-poems, but it’s undeniably one of the most ambitious.

Programme notes © Andrew Mellor

Next LPO concerts at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall

MAHLER’S FIFTH

Wednesday 26 April 2023 | 7.30pm

Brett Dean In spe contra spem (world premiere)*

Mahler Symphony No. 5

Edward Gardner conductor

Emma Bell soprano

Elsa Dreisig soprano

* Commissioned by the London Philharmonic Orchestra with the generous support of The Boltini Trust.

Supported by Cockayne - Grants for the Arts, a donor advised fund held at The London Community Foundation.

MUSIC FROM THE SHADOWS

Saturday 29 April 2023 | 7.30pm

Shostakovich Violin Concerto No. 1

Thomas Larcher Symphony No. 2 (Kenotaph)

Mahler Adagio from Symphony No. 10

Klaus Mäkelä conductor

Julian Rachlin violin

HYMN OF THE FORESTS

Saturday 6 May 2023 | 7.30pm

Tippett Suite for the Birthday of Prince Charles*

Mendelssohn Violin Concerto*

Janáček Glagolitic Mass

Edward Gardner conductor

Alina Ibragimova violin

Sara Jakubiak soprano

Madeleine Shaw mezzo-soprano

Toby Spence tenor

Matthew Rose bass

Catherine Edwards organ

London Philharmonic Choir

* Please note change of programme from originally advertised. Generously supported by the LPO International Board of Governors.

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

Welser-Möst Circle

William & Alex de Winton

John Ireland Charitable Trust

The Tsukanov Family Foundation

Neil Westreich

Tennstedt Circle

Valentina & Dmitry Aksenov

Richard Buxton

The Candide Trust

Michael & Elena Kroupeev

Kirby Laing Foundation

Mr & Mrs Makharinsky

Alexey & Anastasia Reznikovich

Sir Simon Robey

Bianca & Stuart Roden

Simon & Vero Turner

The late Mr K Twyman

Solti Patrons

Ageas

John & Manon Antoniazzi

Gabor Beyer, through BTO Management Consulting AG

Jon Claydon

Mrs Mina Goodman & Miss Suzanne

Goodman

Roddy & April Gow

The Jeniffer & Jonathan Harris Charitable Trust

Mr James R.D. Korner

Christoph Ladanyi & Dr Sophia

Ladanyi-Czernin

Robert Markwick & Kasia Robinski

The Maurice Marks Charitable Trust

Mr Paris Natar

The Rothschild Foundation

Tom & Phillis Sharpe

The Viney Family

Haitink Patrons

Mark & Elizabeth Adams

Dr Christopher Aldren

Mrs Pauline Baumgartner

Lady Jane Berrill

Mr Frederick Brittenden

David & Yi Yao Buckley

Mr Clive Butler

Gill & Garf Collins

Mr John H Cook

Mr Alistair Corbett

Bruno De Kegel

Georgy Djaparidze

David Ellen

Christopher Fraser OBE

David & Victoria Graham Fuller

Goldman Sachs International

Mr Gavin Graham

Moya Greene

Mrs Dorothy Hambleton

Tony & Susie Hayes

Malcolm Herring

Catherine Høgel & Ben Mardle

Mrs Philip Kan

Rehmet Kassim-Lakha de Morixe

Rose & Dudley Leigh

Lady Roslyn Marion Lyons

Miss Jeanette Martin

Duncan Matthews KC

Diana & Allan Morgenthau

Charitable Trust

Dr Karen Morton

Mr Roger Phillimore

Ruth Rattenbury

The Reed Foundation

The Rind Foundation

Sir Bernard Rix

David Ross & Line Forestier (Canada)

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 CBE AM

Christopher Williams

Peter Wilson Smith

Mr Anthony Yolland

and all other donors who wish to remain anonymous

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

Anonymous donors

Mrs Aline Foriel-Destezet

Aud Jebsen

In memory of Mrs Rita Reay

Sir Simon & Lady Robey OBE

Orchestra Circle

William & Alex de Winton

Patricia Haitink

Mr & Mrs Philip Kan

TIOC Foundation

Neil Westreich

The American Friends of the London Philharmonic Orchestra

Principal Associates

Richard Buxton

Gill & Garf Collins

In memory of Brenda Lyndoe

Casbon

In memory of Ann Marguerite

Collins

Sally Groves MBE

George Ramishvili

Associates

Mrs Irina Andreeva

In memory of Len & Edna Beech

Steven M. Berzin

Ms Veronika BorovikKhilchevskaya

The Candide Trust

John & Sam Dawson

Irina Gofman & Mr Rodrik V. G.

Cave

The Lambert Family Charitable

Trust

Stuart & Bianca Roden

In memory of Hazel Amy Smith

The Tsukanov Family

The Viney Family

Gold Patrons

An anonymous donor

Chris Aldren

David & Yi Buckley

In memory of Allner Mavis

Channing

Sonja Drexler

Jan & Leni Du Plessis

The Vernon Ellis Foundation

Peter & Fiona Espenhahn

Hamish & Sophie Forsyth

Mr Roger Greenwood

Malcolm Herring

John & Angela Kessler

Julian & Gill Simmonds

Eric Tomsett

Andrew & Rosemary Tusa

Guy & Utti Whittaker

Mr Florian Wunderlich

Silver Patrons

Dame Colette Bowe

David Burke & Valerie Graham

Bruno De Kegel

Ulrike & Benno Engelmann

Virginia Gabbertas MBE

Dmitry & Ekaterina Gursky

The Jeniffer & Jonathan Harris

Charitable Trust

Catherine Høgel & Ben Mardle

Sir George Iacobescu

Jamie & Julia Korner

Mr & Mrs Makharinsky

Mr Nikita Mishin

Andrew Neill

Tom & Phillis Sharpe

Mr & Mrs John & Susi Underwood

Laurence Watt

Bronze Patrons

Anonymous donors

Michael Allen

Mr Mark Astaire

Nicholas & Christine Beale

Mikhail Noskov & Vasilina Bindley

Mr Anthony Blaiklock

Lorna & Christopher Bown

Mr Bernard Bradbury

Simon Burke & Rupert King

Desmond & Ruth Cecil

Mr Evgeny Chichvarkin

Mr John H Cook

Georgy Djaparidze

Deborah Dolce

Cameron & Kathryn Doley

Mariana Eidelkind & Gene

Moldavsky

David Ellen

Ben Fairhall

Mr Richard & Helen Gillingwater

Mr Daniel Goldstein

David & Jane Gosman

Mr Gavin Graham

Lord & Lady Hall

Mrs Dorothy Hambleton

Iain & Alicia Hasnip

Martin & Katherine Hattrell

Michael & Christine Henry

Mr Steve Holliday

J Douglas Home

Mr & Mrs Ralph Kanza

Mrs Elena & Mr Oleg Kolobov

Rose & Dudley Leigh

Wg. Cdr. & Mrs M T Liddiard OBE

JP RAF

Drs Frank & Gek Lim

Mr Nicholas Little

Geoff & Meg Mann

Mrs Elizabeth Meshkvicheva

Andrew T Mills

Peter & Lucy Noble

Mr Roger Phillimore

Mr Michael Posen

Mr Anthony Salz

Ms Nadia Stasyuk

Charlotte Stevenson

Mr Joe Topley & Ms Tracey

Countryman

Mr & Mrs John C Tucker

Timothy Walker CBE AM

Jenny Watson CBE

Grenville & Krysia Williams

Principal Supporters

Anonymous donors

Dr Manon Antoniazzi

Julian & Annette Armstrong

Mr John D Barnard

Mr Geoffrey Bateman

Mr Philip Bathard-Smith

Mrs A Beare

Dr Anthony Buckland

Dr Simona Cicero & Mr Mario

Altieri

Mr Peter Coe

Mrs Pearl Cohen

David & Liz Conway

Mr Alistair Corbett

Ms Mary Anne Cordeiro

Ms Elena Dubinets

Mr Richard Fernyhough

Jason George

Mr Christian Grobel

Prof Emeritus John Gruzelier

Mark & Sarah Holford

Mrs Maureen Hooft-Graafland

Per Jonsson

Mr Ian Kapur

Ms Kim J Koch

Ms Elena Lojevsky

Mrs Terry Neale

John Nickson & Simon Rew

Oliver & Josie Ogg

Ms Olga Ovenden

Mr James Pickford

Filippo Poli

Sir Bernard Rix

Mr Robert Ross

Priscylla Shaw

Martin & Cheryl Southgate

Mr & Mrs G Stein

Dr Peter Stephenson

Joanna Williams

Christopher Williams

Ms Elena Ziskind

Supporters

Anonymous donors

Ralph & Elizabeth Aldwinckle

Mr & Mrs Robert Auerbach

Mrs Julia Beine

Harvey Bengen

Miss YolanDa Brown OBE

Miss Yousun Chae

Mr Julien Chilcott-Monk

Alison Clarke & Leo Pilkington

Mr Joshua Coger

Miss Tessa Cowie

Mr David Devons

Patricia Dreyfus

Mr Martin Fodder

Christopher Fraser OBE

Will Gold

Ray Harsant

Mr Peter Imhof

The Jackman Family

Mr David MacFarlane

Dame Jane Newell DBE

Mr Stephen Olton

Mari Payne

Mr David Peters

Ms Edwina Pitman

Mr & Mrs Graham & Jean Pugh

Mr Giles Quarme

Mr Kenneth Shaw

Mr Brian Smith

Ms Rika Suzuki

Tony & Hilary Vines

Dr June Wakefield

Mr John Weekes

Mr C D Yates

Hon. Benefactor

Elliott Bernerd

Hon. Life Members

Alfonso Aijón

Kenneth Goode

Carol Colburn Grigor CBE

Pehr G Gyllenhammar

Robert Hill

Victoria Robey OBE

Mrs Jackie Rosenfeld OBE

Timothy Walker CBE AM

Laurence Watt

Thomas Beecham Group Members

David & Yi Buckley

Gill & Garf Collins

William & Alex de Winton

Sonja Drexler

The Friends of the LPO

Irina Gofman

Roger Greenwood

Dr Barry Grimaldi

Mr & Mrs Philip Kan

John & Angela Kessler

Sir Simon Robey

Victoria Robey OBE

Bianca & Stuart Roden

Caroline, Jamie & Zander Sharp

Julian & Gill Simmonds

Eric Tomsett

Neil Westreich

Guy & Utti Whittaker

Corporate Donor

Barclays

LPO Corporate Circle Principal

Bloomberg

Carter-Ruck

French Chamber of Commerce

Tutti

Lazard

Natixis Corporate Investment

Banking

Sciteb Ltd

Walpole

Preferred Partners

Gusbourne Estate

Jeroboams

Lindt & Sprüngli Ltd

OneWelbeck Steinway

In-kind Sponsor

Google Inc

Thank you

Trusts and Foundations

ABO Trust

BlueSpark Foundation

The Boltini Trust

Borrows Charitable Trust

The Candide Trust

Cockayne – Grants for the Arts

The London Community Foundation

The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust

Dunard Fund

Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation

Foyle Foundation

Garrick Charitable Trust

John Coates Charitable Trust

John Horniman’s Children’s Trust

John Thaw Foundation

Institute Adam Mickiewicz

Kirby Laing Foundation

Lord and Lady Lurgan Trust

Lucille Graham Trust

The Marchus Trust

PRS Foundation

The Radcliffe Trust

Rivers Foundation

Rothschild Foundation

Scops Arts Trust

Sir William Boremans’ Foundation

The John S Cohen Foundation

The R K Charitable Trust

The Stanley Picker Trust

The Thriplow Charitable Trust

TIOC Foundation

Vaughan Williams Foundation

The Victoria Wood Foundation

The Viney Family

The Barbara Whatmore Charitable Trust

and all others who wish to remain anonymous.

Board of the American Friends of the LPO

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

Kara Boyle

Jon Carter

Jay Goffman

Alexandra Jupin

Natalie Pray

Damien Vanderwilt

Marc Wassermann

Elizabeth Winter

Catherine Høgel Hon. Director

Jenifer L. Keiser, CPA, EisnerAmper LLP

LPO International Board of Governors

Natasha Tsukanova Co-Chair

Martin Höhmann Co-Chair

Mrs Irina Andreeva

Steven M. Berzin

Shashank Bhagat

Veronika Borovik-Khilchevskaya

Marie-Laure Favre Gilly de Varennes de Bueil

Aline Foriel-Destezet

Irina Gofman

Countess Dominique Loredan

Olivia Ma

George Ramishvili

Sophie Schÿler-Thierry

Jay Stein

Florian Wunderlich

London Philharmonic Orchestra Administration

Board of Directors

Dr Catherine C. Høgel Chair

Lord Hall of Birkenhead CBE Vice-Chair

Martin Höhmann* President

Mark Vines* Vice-President

Kate Birchall*

David Buckley

David Burke

Bruno De Kegel

Deborah Dolce

Elena Dubinets

Tanya Joseph

Hugh Kluger*

Katherine Leek*

Al MacCuish

Minn Majoe*

Tania Mazzetti*

Jamie Njoku-Goodwin

Andrew Tusa

Neil Westreich

Simon Freakley (Ex officio –Chairman of the American Friends of the London

Philharmonic Orchestra)

*Player-Director

Advisory Council

Martin Höhmann Chairman

Christopher Aldren

Dr Manon Antoniazzi

Roger Barron

Richard Brass

Helen Brocklebank

YolanDa Brown OBE

Simon Burke

Simon Callow CBE

Desmond Cecil CMG

Sir Alan Collins KCVO CMG

Andrew Davenport

Guillaume Descottes

Cameron Doley

Christopher Fraser OBE

Jenny Goldie-Scot

Jonathan Harris CBE FRICS

Marianna Hay MBE

Nicholas Hely-Hutchinson DL

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 KC

Julian Simmonds

Barry Smith

Martin Southgate

Chris Viney

Laurence Watt

Elizabeth Winter

General Administration

Elena Dubinets

Artistic Director

David Burke Chief Executive

Chantelle Vircavs PA to the Executive

Concert Management

Roanna Gibson

Concerts and Planning Director

Graham Wood

Concerts and Recordings Manager

Maddy Clarke

Tours Manager

Madeleine Ridout

Glyndebourne and Projects Manager

Alison Jones

Concerts and Recordings Co-ordinator

Robert Winup

Concerts and Tours Assistant

Matthew Freeman

Recordings Consultant

Andrew Chenery

Orchestra Personnel Manager

Sarah Thomas

Martin Sargeson

Librarians

Laura Kitson Stage and Operations Manager

Stephen O’Flaherty

Deputy Operations Manager

Felix Lo

Orchestra and Auditions Manager

Finance

Frances Slack

Finance Director

Dayse Guilherme

Finance Manager

Jean-Paul Ramotar

Finance and IT Officer

Education and Community

Talia Lash

Education and Community Director

Lowri Davies

Hannah Foakes

Education and Community Project Managers

Hannah Smith

Education and Community Co-ordinator

Development

Laura Willis

Development Director

Rosie Morden

Individual Giving Manager

Siân Jenkins

Corporate Relations Manager

Anna Quillin

Trusts and Foundations Manager

Katurah Morrish

Development Events Manager

Eleanor Conroy

Al Levin

Development Assistants

Nick Jackman

Campaigns and Projects Director

Kirstin Peltonen

Development Associate

Marketing

Kath Trout

Marketing and Communications Director

Sophie Harvey

Marketing Manager

Rachel Williams

Publications Manager

Harrie Mayhew

Website Manager

Gavin Miller

Sales and Ticketing Manager

Ruth Haines

Press and PR Manager

Greg Felton

Digital Creative

Hayley Kim

Marketing Co-ordinator

Alicia Hartley

Digital Co-ordinator

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 Simon Owen-Johnstone

Hon. Orthopaedic Surgeon

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

Cover illustration

Simon Pemberton/Heart

2022/23 season identity

JMG Studio

Printer John Good Ltd