LPO programme: 23 Nov 2024 Brighton - Isata Kanneh-Mason plays Beethoven
2024/25 season at Brighton Dome CONCERT PROGRAMME
Principal Conductor Edward Gardner supported by Aud Jebsen
Principal Guest Conductor Karina Canellakis
Conductor Emeritus Vladimir Jurowski KBE Patron HRH The Duke of Kent KG
Artistic Director Elena Dubinets Chief Executive David Burke
Leader Pieter Schoeman supported by Neil Westreich
Brighton Dome Concert Hall
Saturday 23 November 2024 | 7.30pm
Isata Kanneh-Mason plays Beethoven
Weber
Overture, Der Freischütz (10')
Beethoven
Piano Concerto No. 4 (34’)
Interval (20’)
Dvořák Symphony No. 8 (36’)
Martin Rajna conductor
Isata Kanneh-Mason piano
Pre-concert performance | 6.45pm | The Foyer
Join us for a special free performance in the foyer, given by young musicians from Create Music, the music education hub for Brighton & Hove and East Sussex.
The
The Steinway concert piano chosen and hired by the London Philharmonic Orchestra for this performance is supplied and maintained by Steinway & Sons, London.
London Philharmonic Orchestra • 23 November 2024 • Isata Kanneh-Mason plays Beethoven
Welcome to Brighton Dome
Welcome to tonight’s concert by the London Philharmonic Orchestra here at Brighton Dome. We hope you enjoy the performance and your visit here. For your comfort and safety, please note the following: thank you for your co-operation.
Latecomers may not be admitted until a suitable break in the performance. Some performances may contain no suitable breaks.
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 and watches should be switched off before entering the auditorium.
The concert at Brighton Dome on 23 November 2024 is presented by the London Philharmonic Orchestra in association with Brighton Dome.
Brighton Dome gratefully acknowledges the support of Brighton & Hove City Council and Arts Council England.
Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival with Create Music
Situated in the Royal Pavilion Estate at the heart of the city, Brighton Dome is an arts charity, three historic contemporary live arts venues, a music education service across the region – Create Music – and the biggest curated cross-arts festival in England. brightondome.org | brightonfestival.org createmusic.org.uk
The paper used for all LPO brochures and concert programmes has been sourced from responsibly managed forests, certified in accordance with the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council). It is also Carbon Balanced, meaning the carbon impact of its production is offset by the World Land Trust through the purchase and preservation of ecologically important forestry under imminent threat of clearance.
LPO news
Tonight’s pre-concert performance by Create Music
We’d like to extend a special welcome to the young musicians from Create Music who join us tonight. Create Music is part of Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival, and the Hub Lead Organisation for the Sussex Music Hub. Their vision is for a future where children and young peoples’ lives are forever transformed by the power of music.
You will have heard the Create Music group performing in the foyer before today’s concert. These young musicians also met LPO players earlier today, with an opportunity to ask questions and find out what it’s like to be a professional musician. We’re delighted to welcome these young musicians and look forward to lots more collaboration with talented young people in Brighton and the surrounding areas.
createmusic.org.uk
‘Pitch me Classical’: A new podcast from the LPO
The London Philharmonic Orchestra is launching a brand new podcast! Host YolanDa Brown and players from the LPO pitch their thoughts on some of classical music’s most-asked questions, in an attempt to get to the bottom of some contentious conundrums. Is Mozart the greatest of all time? Does all classical music really sound the same? Should we be ditching bow ties?
Episode 1 of ‘Pitch me Classical’ will be released this Thursday, 28 November. Tune in every other Thursday wherever you get your podcasts!
First Violins
Pieter Schoeman* Leader
Chair supported by Neil Westreich
Kate Oswin
Chair supported by Eric Tomsett
Lasma Taimina
Chair supported by Irina Gofman & Mr Rodrik
V. G. Cave
Minn Majoe
Chair supported by Dr Alex & Maria Chan
Thomas Eisner
Chair supported by Ryze Power
Cassandra Hamilton
Katalin Varnagy
Elizaveta Tyun
Ricky Gore
Eleanor Bartlett
Maeve Jenkinson
Katherine Waller
Eve Kennedy
Tayfun Bomboz
Second Violins
Emma Oldfield Principal
Coco Inman
Ashley Stevens
Nynke Hijlkema
Joseph Maher
Nancy Elan
Claudia Tarrant-Matthews
Kate Birchall
Sioni Williams
Sarah Thornett
Harry Kerr
Sheila Law
Violas
Scott Dickinson Guest Principal
Katharine Leek
Benedetto Pollani
Martin Wray
Chair supported by David & Bettina Harden
Terry Nettle
Michelle Bruil
James Heron
Kate De Campos
Rachel Robson
Toby Warr
On stage tonight
Cellos
Bozidar Vukotic Guest Principal
Hee Yeon Cho
Iain Ward
Henry Hargreaves
Helen Thomas
Pedro Silva
Timothée Botbol
Victoria Simonsen
Double Basses
Kevin Rundell* Principal
Sebastian Pennar* Co-Principal
Tom Walley
Chair supported by William & Alex de Winton
George Peniston
Michael Fuller
Flutes
Frederico Paixão Guest Principal
Stewart McIlwham*
Piccolo
Stewart McIlwham* Principal
Oboes
Alice Munday Principal
Russell Coates
Cor Anglais
Russell Coates
Clarinets
Benjamin Mellefont* Principal
Chair supported by Sir Nigel Boardman & Prof. Lynda Gratton
Beth Crouch
Bassoons
Paul Boyes Guest Principal
Helen Storey*
Chair supported by Friends of the Orchestra
Horns
John Ryan* Principal
Martin Hobbs
Mark Vines Co-Principal
Gareth Mollison
Duncan Fuller
Trumpets
Paul Beniston* Principal
Tom Nielsen Co-Principal
Anne McAneney*
Chair supported in memory of Peter Coe
Trombones
Mark Templeton* Principal
Chair supported by William & Alex de Winton
David Whitehouse
Bass Trombone
Lyndon Meredith Principal
Tuba
Lee Tsarmaklis* Principal
Chair supported by William & Alex de Winton
Timpani
Simon Carrington* Principal
Chair supported by Victoria Robey CBE
*Professor at a London conservatoire
The LPO also acknowledges the following chair supporters whose players are not present at this concert:
David & Yi Buckley
Gill & Garf Collins
Ian Ferguson & Susan Tranter
Roger Greenwood
Dr Barry Grimaldi
Sir Simon Robey
Bianca & Stuart Roden
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. Our mission is to share wonder with the modern world through the power of orchestral music, which we accomplish through live performances, online, and an extensive education and community programme, cementing our position as a leading orchestra for the 21st century.
Our home is 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 worldwide. In 2024 we celebrated 60 years as Resident Symphony Orchestra at Glyndebourne Festival Opera, combining the magic of opera with Glyndebourne’s glorious setting in the Sussex countryside.
Soundtrack to key moments
Everyone will have heard the Grammy-nominated London Philharmonic Orchestra, whether it’s playing the world’s National Anthems for 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
Sharing the wonder worldwide
We’re one of the world’s most-streamed orchestras, with over 15 million plays of our content each month. In 2023 we were the most successful orchestra worldwide on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram, with over 1.1m followers across all platforms, and in spring 2024 we featured in a TV documentary series on Sky Arts: ‘Backstage with the London Philharmonic Orchestra’, still available to watch via Now TV. During 2024/25 we’re once again working with Marquee TV to broadcast selected live concerts to enjoy from your own living room.
Our conductors
Our Principal Conductors have included some of the greatest historic names like Sir Adrian Boult, Bernard Haitink, Klaus Tennstedt and Kurt Masur. In 2021 Edward Gardner became our 13th Principal Conductor, and 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 Tania León our Composer-in-Residence.
Next generations
We’re committed to nurturing the next generation of musicians and music-lovers: we love seeing the joy of children and families experiencing their first musical moments, and we’re passionate about inspiring schools and teachers through dedicated concerts, workshops,
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 disabilities and special educational needs.
Today’s young instrumentalists are the orchestra members of the future, and we have a number of opportunities to support their progression. Our LPO Junior Artists programme leads 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 also recently launched the LPO Conducting Fellowship, supporting the development of two outstanding early-career conductors from backgrounds under-represented in the profession.
2024/25 season
Principal Conductor Edward Gardner leads the Orchestra in an exciting 2024/25 season, with soloists including Joyce DiDonato, Leif Ove Andsnes, Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Víkingur Ólafsson and Isabelle Faust, and works including Strauss’s Alpine Symphony, Ravel’s Daphnis and Chloe and Mahler’s Eighth Symphony. Principal Guest Conductor Karina Canellakis joins us for three concerts including Bruckner’s Fourth Symphony, Tchaikovsky’s Sixth Symphony, and Mozart with pianist Benjamin Grosvenor. We’ll also welcome back Conductor Emeritus Vladimir Jurowski, as well as guest conductors including Mark Elder, Lidiya Yankovskaya, Robin Ticciati and Kevin John Edusei.
Throughout the season we’ll explore the relationship between music and memory in our ‘Moments Remembered’ series, featuring works like Beethoven’s ‘Eroica’ Symphony, Strauss’s Metamorphosen and John Adams’s On the Transmigration of Souls. During the season there’ll be the chance to hear brand new works by composers including Freya Waley-Cohen and David Sawer, as well as performances by renowned soloists violinist Gidon Kremer, sarod player Amjad Ali Khan, soprano Renée Fleming and many more. The season also features tours to Japan, the USA, China and across Europe, as well as a calendar bursting with performances and community events in our Brighton, Eastbourne and Saffron Walden residencies.
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 Rachmaninoff 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, Florence Price’s Violin Concerto No. 2, 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.
Martin Rajna is one of the most outstanding young conductors to have emerged from Hungary in recent years. In 2023, aged 27, he was appointed Principal Conductor of the Hungarian State Opera. He is also Chief Conductor of the Győr Philharmonic Orchestra, and regularly appears as a guest conductor with other leading Hungarian symphony orchestras, as well as other orchestras across Europe.
Tonight’s concert is Martin’s London Philharmonic Orchestra debut, and this season also sees major international debuts with the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestra Del Teatro La Fenice, and the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra. He will also appear on the podium at the Tyrol Festival in Erl, in a new production of Bartók’s Bluebeard’s Castle and Poulenc’s La Voix humaine, both directed by Claus Guth. For the Hungarian State Opera in Budapest, he will conduct productions of Der fliegende Holländer, Macbeth, Die Fledermaus, Maria Stuarda and Cavalleria Rusticana. He will also return to conduct concerts with the Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra and the Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra.
Martin Rajna’s previous awards include a scholarship to participate in the German Music Council’s Forum Dirigieren programme in 2022, and he was also selected for the Conducting Fellowship at the Lucerne Festival Academy, where his mentor was Thomas Adès. In 2018, he won Hungary’s Junior Prima Award, and most recently, in 2023, he was the winner of the György Cziffra Festival Talent Prize.
Martin Rajna graduated from the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest, where he studied with Ádám Medveczky and András Ligeti. He is currently completing his training at the University of Music Franz Liszt in Weimar, Germany, under conductors Nicolás Pasquet and Ekhart Wycik. In 2021 Martin was selected to participate in the mentoring programme of the Peter Eötvös Contemporary Music Foundation, where he worked with such masters as Péter Eötvös, György Kurtág, Fabián Panisello and Magnus Lindberg. Since 2023 he has been Assistant Conductor to Ádám Fischer during the annual ‘Budapest Wagner Days’.
London Philharmonic Orchestra • 23 November 2024 • Isata Kanneh-Mason plays Beethoven
Isata Kanneh-Mason
piano
Pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason offers eclectic and interesting recital programmes with repertoire encompassing Haydn and Mozart, Fanny Mendelssohn and Clara Schumann, Chopin and Brahms, to Gershwin and beyond. In concerto, she is equally at home in Felix Mendelssohn and Clara Schumann as in Prokofiev and Dohnányi.
Isata is in high demand from concert halls and orchestras worldwide. Following her phenomenally successful concerto debut at the BBC Proms in 2023, she was invited to open the festival in July 2024 with the BBC Symphony and conductor Elim Chan, a performance that resulted in stellar reviews in the mainstream press. Isata appeared as concerto soloist with the European Union Youth Orchestra and Iván Fischer in summer 2024, performing Dohnányi’s Variations on a Nursery Tune at New York’s Carnegie Hall, the Grafenegg Festival, and Bolzano Festival Bozen in South Tyrol.
Tonight is Isata’s debut with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Other highlights of the 2024/25 season include Beethoven’s Fourth Piano Concerto at the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie’s FREISPIEL festival and at the Ulster Orchestra’s season opening concert; and Prokofiev’s Third Concerto with the Chineke! Orchestra on tour at Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie, the Berlin Philharmonie, Brussels’s BOZAR and the Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall. Solo recital appearances include the Lucerne Festival, Piano aux Jacobins Toulouse, the Schumann-Haus Düsseldorf, PHIL Haarlem, and on tour across the USA. In concerto performances, Isata appears with the Bergen, Bremen and Duisburg Philharmonics, the North Carolina Symphony, and on tour with the Staatskapelle Weimar
and the Residentie Orkest. She also continues her longstanding duo collaboration with her cellist brother, Sheku, with performances in the UK and on tour across Europe, the USA and Canada. She will also give performances with bass-baritone Gerald Finley in the Czech Republic and Germany.
In 2023/24, Isata gave performances with the Philadelphia Orchestra, National Arts Centre Orchestra Ottawa, NCPA Orchestra Beijing, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra on tour in the USA and Germany, Cleveland Orchestra, Toronto Symphony and Stockholm Philharmonic, among others. She appeared in solo recitals at the Beethoven Bonn and Rheingau festivals, and at venues around the globe such as London’s Wigmore Hall, New York’s Carnegie Hall, Boston’s Jordan Hall and the Konzerthaus Dortmund.
Isata is a Decca Classics artist, and has recorded four solo albums for the label – Romance (2019), Summertime (2021), Childhood Tales (2023) and Mendelssohn (2024). Her latest release presents music from two Mendelssohn siblings, including the glittering First Piano Concerto by Felix and the long-lost ‘Easter Sonata’ by his exceptionally talented but overlooked elder sister Fanny, alongside transcriptions of some of Felix’s most famous music by Rachmaninoff and Liszt.
Isata has received many awards, including the coveted Leonard Bernstein Award from the Schleswig-Holstein Festival and an Opus Klassik award for best young artist. She also enjoys composing and arranging, and released two albums of her favourite works for intermediate and advanced piano students through ABRSM Publishing in 2023.
When Weber unveiled his seventh opera, Der Freischütz, to a startled Berlin audience in June 1821, his fortunes transformed overnight. ‘Weber must now write operas, nothing but operas’, Beethoven wrote, proclaiming the work an unmitigated triumph. Weber had spent much of his early career in or around the opera house, but none of his operas before Der Freischütz had quite hit the mark. This was an era when Italian opera held the public enthralled, and the German Singspiel – although elevated by Beethoven with Fidelio (1805) – had not yet been able to make the same impression. With Der Freischütz, and with Euryanthe and Oberon in the years that followed, Weber at last found a way of combining the thrill of Italianate models and the gloss of French romanticism with a spirit that was defiantly German, its themes strongly rooted in the German folk tradition.
The story of Der Freischütz (literally ‘The Free Shooter’ or ‘The Marksman’) is adapted from a traditional German legend, in which a hunter, Kaspar, sells his soul to the Devil in return for seven silver bullets which never fail to hit their mark. When the Prince sets his loyal assistant, Max, a shooting test to win his daughter’s hand in marriage, Kaspar takes Max on and with the help of the silver bullets looks set to triumph. But the heavens intervene, the final bullet is deflected and Kaspar is killed, leaving Max to claim the Prince’s daughter for his own.
The Overture, in Weber’s words, depicts the opera’s two opposing forces: ‘the life of the hunter and the rule of demonic powers’. Instead of a glittering curtain-raiser, this makes for a rather darker opener, the ominous swell of the lower strings punctuated by moments of eerie silence, the Overture initially faltering and uncertain. This gives way to the sunny call of the hunter – a glorious pastoral horn quartet – but this too is cut off, all too soon, by the return to the portentous ripple of the strings. What follows would not sound out of place in Wagner’s early works: a thrilling exploration of good versus evil, major versus minor, its vivid storytelling rendered in full colour through Weber’s astonishing orchestration.
London Philharmonic Orchestra • 23 November 2024 • Isata Kanneh-Mason plays Beethoven
Programme notes
Ludwig van Beethoven
1770–1827
Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58
1805–06
Isata Kanneh-Mason piano
1
Allegro moderato
2
Andante con moto
Rondo (Vivace)
Rather than a gradually diminishing ability to perceive sound, Beethoven was plagued by an intense form of tinnitus, in which a loud ringing in his ears obscured all external sounds. The affliction began as early as his mid-twenties, and over time began to manifest itself as deafness. Although the effects were erratic and varied from day to day, by 1816 Beethoven was left with almost no hearing at all. While he continued to compose prolifically throughout these years, his hearing problems had other implications for performances of his works. Although he himself had given the premieres of his first three piano concertos, by the time the fourth concerto came to be premiered his hearing had worsened to such an extent that he was forced to seek out an alternative soloist. Despite asking a number of renowned pianists to perform the work, each of them refused and, left with little choice, Beethoven was forced to give the work’s premiere himself: first in a private concert to his patron Prince Lobkowitz in March 1807, and later in its public premiere in Vienna in December 1808.
In fact, the 1808 concert proved to be one of the most memorable of Beethoven’s life: not only was it Beethoven’s last appearance as a soloist in public, the four-hour long concert also saw the premieres of his Symphonies Nos. 5 and 6, the Fantasia in C minor for piano, orchestra and chorus, the aria Ah! Perfido, the Fantasia in G minor for solo piano, and two sections of the Mass in C minor. Despite the promising programme, however, it was not a particularly happy occasion: the
London Philharmonic Orchestra • 23 November 2024 • Isata Kanneh-Mason plays Beethoven
Programme notes
music was greatly under-rehearsed, the hall itself cold and uncomfortable, and Beethoven’s own performance was, according to reports, close to a shambles. This undoubtedly did little to endear the audience to Beethoven’s grand new works.
Indeed, although today it is celebrated as a turningpoint in Beethoven’s concerto writing, listeners at the premiere of the Fourth Piano Concerto found its innovative structure and radical departure from traditional techniques somewhat alienating. In an unusual structural twist, the Concerto breaks with the tradition of orchestral introductions and opens with a pulsating melody for solo piano. This lyrical opening
sets the tone for the Concerto which, although at times vibrant and dramatic, is governed by a sense of calm and tranquillity. The pervading dolce tones of the first movement are broken at the opening of the slow movement, however, by gruff, accented outbursts from the strings, who begin to initiate a musical argument. Yet these interruptions are met by a calm response from the soloist, who, through a dramatic dialogue over the course of the movement, gradually pacifies the strings and hushes them into submission. Their compliance is rewarded in the finale, with a huge release of energy and a sparkling duet for soloist and orchestra that brings the work to a witty conclusion.
Interval – 20 minutes
An announcement will be made five minutes before the end of the interval.
Out this week on the LPO Label: Edward Gardner conducts Tippett
Tippett Piano Concerto
Tippett Symphony No. 2
Edward Gardner conductor
Steven Osborne piano
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Recorded live in concert at the Royal Festival Hall
Released 29 November 2024
‘ It would be hard to imagine a more convincing account of the Piano Concerto than the one Steven Osborne conjured here.’ ★★★★
The Guardian (concert review)
Available on CD, and to download or stream via Spotify, Apple Music, Presto Music and others. Scan the QR code to pre-add or find out more.
Programme notes
Antonín Dvořák
1841–1904
Symphony No. 8 in G major 1889
1
Allegro con brio
2 Adagio
3 Allegretto grazioso
4 Allegro ma non troppo – Molto vivace
Dvořák’s music has often slipped into an undeserved category of the repertoire: too tuneful, too folksy, too popular. But beneath the veneer of this melodious folk style, Dvořák’s works display a cyclical coherence not seen since Beethoven, and his rigorous approach to form signals his clear allusions to Brahms and the symphonic tradition. Over time, he developed and honed these influences to create a far more rounded –but still distinctly Czech – musical style that synthesised the developments of his predecessors with a freshness and variety that won him plaudits across the world. As Alfred Einstein wrote in his survey of the Romantic era: ‘Dvořák took over the heritage of absolute music quite naively, and filled its forms with an elemental music of the freshest invention, the liveliest rhythms, the finest sense of sonority – it is the most full-blooded, most direct music conceivable, without its becoming vulgar.’
Dvořák’s ascent to fame was a swift one, helped in no small part by a stipend he received from the Austrian Government in 1874. The young Dvořák, at that time working as an orchestral violist and church organist, submitted a number of his works to a judging committee that included both Johannes Brahms and the critic Eduard Hanslick. He was successful – winning a significant stipend not just that year, but also in 1876 and 1877, and with the help of Brahms and Hanslick he also found a publisher for his music. Plaudit after plaudit followed, and Dvořák soon developed a reputation to rival Brahms’s own. But when his mother died in 1882, Dvořák sank into a deep depression and his sombre
London Philharmonic Orchestra • 23 November 2024 • Isata Kanneh-Mason plays Beethoven
Programme notes
Seventh Symphony of 1885 still bears the scars of his loss – Dvořák added a footnote to the score: ‘From the sad years’.
His Eighth Symphony, then, came as a complete volte-face. It is one of Dvořák’s most joyous and carefree works, composed at his summer resort in Bohemia, on the occasion of his election to the Bohemian Academy of Science, Literature and Art and dedicated to Emperor Franz Joseph by way of gratitude. It is a work infused with warmth and contentment, composed with a seemingly spontaneous flow of ideas, casting aside the traditional rigours of sonata form in favour of a more unstructured approach that is almost improvisatory in nature. The opening Allegro has not one, nor two, but a whole raft of themes that flow effortlessly from one to the next, their evocations of birdsong calling to mind the blissful countryside retreat where the work was written. The ebullient finale, too, echoes this chirruping theme, which Dvořák now expands into a magnificent series of variations, resplendent with the call of the trumpets, who invite the whole orchestra to join them in a joyful, unbridled dance.
Where there is darkness – such as in the gently melancholic, reverie-like Adagio – it is only a temporary moment of reflection, soon cast aside by the elegant Allegretto that follows, a traditional waltz that Dvořák recasts and revives with his own distinctive Slavic elegance.
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Dvořák’s Symphony No. 8 on the LPO Label
Dvořák Symphonic Variations
Dvořák Symphony No. 8
Sir Charles Mackerras conductor London Philharmonic Orchestra LPO-0055
Recorded live in concert at the Royal Festival Hall, 24 April 1992
‘A joy from beginning to end ... None knew better than Mackerras how to pace and colour this magical work, and the orchestra responds magnificently.’
Ravel & Rimsky-Korsakov
Saturday 1 February 2025
7.30pm
Ravel Pavane pour une infante défunte
Ravel Piano Concerto for the Left Hand
Rimsky-Korsakov Scheherazade
Juya Shin conductor*
Nicholas McCarthy piano
*LPO Fellow Conductor 2024/25. The LPO Conducting Fellowship is generously supported by Patricia Haitink with
London Philharmonic Orchestra • 23 November 2024 • Isata Kanneh-Mason plays Beethoven
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.
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In memory of Mrs Rita Reay
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An anonymous donor
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In memory of Brenda Lyndoe Casbon
In memory of Ann Marguerite
Collins
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Roger & Clare Barron
Mrs A Beare
Chris Benson
Peter & Adrienne Breen
Dr Anthony Buckland
Mr Julien Chilcott-Monk
David & Liz Conway
Mr Alistair Corbett
David Devons
Deborah Dolce
In memory of Enid Gofton
Prof Emeritus John Gruzelier
Mrs Farrah Jamal
Bruce & Joanna Jenkyn-Jones
Per Jonsson
Tanya Joseph
Mr Ian Kapur
Jozef & Helen Kotz
Mr Peter Mace
Peter Mainprice
Miss Rebecca Murray
Mrs Terry Neale
Mr Stephen Olton
Mr James Pickford
Neil & Karen Reynolds
Mr Robert Ross
Kseniia Rubina
Mr Andrea Santacroce & Olivia Veillet-Lavallée
Penny Segal
Priscylla Shaw
Michael Smith
Mr & Mrs G Stein
Dr Peter Stephenson
Ben Valentin KC
Sophie Walker
Christopher Williams
Liz Winter
Elena Y Zeng
Supporters
Anonymous donors
Ralph & Elizabeth Aldwinckle
Robert & Sarah Auerbach
Dr Simona Cicero & Mr Mario Altieri
Alison Clarke & Leo Pilkington
Sarah Connor
Miss Tessa Cowie
Andrew Davenport
Stephen Denby
Mr Simon Edelsten
Steve & Cristina Goldring
In memory of Derek Gray
Nick Hely-Hutchinson
The Jackman Family
Molly Jackson
Jan Leigh & Jan Rynkiewicz
Mr David MacFarlane
Simon Moore
Simon & Fiona Mortimore
Dana Mosevicz
Dame Jane Newell DBE
Diana G Oosterveld
Mr David Peters
Mr & Mrs Graham & Jean Pugh
Clarence Tan
Tony & Hilary Vines
Dr June Wakefield
Mr John Weekes
Mr Roger Woodhouse
Mr C D Yates
Hon. Benefactor
Elliott Bernerd
Hon. Life Members
Alfonso Aijón
Carol Colburn Grigor CBE
Pehr G Gyllenhammar
Robert Hill
Keith Millar
Victoria Robey CBE
Mrs Jackie Rosenfeld OBE
Cornelia Schmid
Timothy Walker CBE AM Laurence Watt
Thomas Beecham
Group
Members
Sir Nigel Boardman & Prof. Lynda Gratton
David & Yi Buckley
In memory of Peter Coe
Dr Alex & Maria Chan
Garf & Gill Collins
William & Alex de Winton
The Friends of the LPO
Irina Gofman & Mr Rodrik V. G.
Cave
Mr Roger Greenwood
Barry Grimaldi
David & Bettina Harden
Mr & Mrs Philip Kan
Mr & Mrs John Kessler
Sir Simon Robey
Victoria Robey OBE
Stuart & Bianca Roden
Julian & Gill Simmonds
Eric Tomsett
Neil Westreich
Guy & Utti Whittaker
LPO Corporate Circle
Principal
Bloomberg
Carter-Ruck Solicitors
French Chamber of Commerce
Ryze Power
Tutti
German-British Chamber of Industry & Commerce
Lazard
Natixis Corporate Investment
Banking
Walpole
Thank you
Preferred Partners
Jeroboams
Lindt & Sprüngli Ltd
Neal’s Yard Remedies
OneWelbeck
Sipsmith
Steinway & Sons
In-kind Sponsor
Google Inc
Trusts and Foundations
ABO Trust
Art Mentor Foundation Lucerne
BlueSpark Foundation
The Boltini Trust
Candide Trust
Cockayne Grants for the Arts in London
Dunard Fund
Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation
Foyle Foundation
Garfield Weston Foundation
Garrick Charitable Trust
The Golsoncott Foundation
Jerwood Foundation
John Coates Charitable Trust
John Horniman’s Children’s Trust
John Thaw Foundation
Idlewild Trust
Institute Adam Mickiewicz
Kirby Laing Foundation
The John S Cohen Foundation
The Lennox Hannay Charitable Trust
Kurt Weill Foundation
Lord and Lady Lurgan Trust
Lucille Graham Trust
The Marchus Trust
Maria Bjӧrnson Memorial Fund
PRS Foundation
The R K Charitable Trust
The Radcliffe Trust
Rivers Foundation
Rothschild Foundation
Scops Arts Trust
Sir William Boreman’s Foundation
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 MBE
Damien Vanderwilt
Marc Wassermann
Elizabeth Winter
Catherine Høgel Hon. Director
LPO International Board of Governors
Natasha Tsukanova Chair
Mrs Irina Andreeva
Steven M. Berzin
Shashank Bhagat
Irina Gofman
Olivia Ma
George Ramishvili
Florian Wunderlich
London Philharmonic Orchestra • 23 November 2024 • Isata Kanneh-Mason plays Beethoven
London Philharmonic Orchestra Administration
Board of Directors
Dr Catherine C. Høgel Chair
Nigel Boardman Vice-Chair
Mark Vines* President
Kate Birchall* Vice-President
Emily Benn
David Buckley
David Burke
Michelle Crowe Hernandez
Deborah Dolce
Elena Dubinets
Simon Estell*
Tanya Joseph
Katherine Leek*
Minn Majoe*
Tania Mazzetti*
Jamie Njoku-Goodwin
Neil Westreich
David Whitehouse*
Simon Freakley (Ex officio –
Chairman of the American Friends of the LPO)
*Player-Director
Advisory Council
Roger Barron Chairman
Christopher Aldren
Kate Birchall
Richard Brass
Helen Brocklebank
YolanDa Brown OBE
David Burke
Simon Burke
Simon Callow CBE
Desmond Cecil CMG
Jane Coulson
Andrew Davenport
Guillaume Descottes
Cameron Doley
Elena Dubinets
Lena Fankhauser
Christopher Fraser OBE
Jenny Goldie-Scot
Jonathan Harris CBE FRICS
Nicholas Hely-Hutchinson DL
Dr Catherine C. Høgel
Martin Höhmann
Jamie Korner
Andrew Neill
Nadya Powell
Sir Bernard Rix
Victoria Robey CBE
Baroness Shackleton
Thomas Sharpe KC
Julian Simmonds
Daisuke Tsuchiya
Mark Vines
Chris Viney
Laurence Watt
Elizabeth Winter
New Generation Board
Ellie Ajao
Peter De Souza
Vivek Haria
Rianna Henriques
Pasha Orleans-Foli
Zerlina Vulliamy
General Administration
Elena Dubinets
Artistic Director
David Burke
Chief Executive
Ineza Grabowska
PA to the Executive & Office Manager
Concert Management
Roanna Gibson
Concerts & Planning Director
Graham Wood
Concerts & Recordings Manager
Maddy Clarke Tours Manager
Madeleine Ridout
Glyndebourne & Projects Manager
Alison Jones
Concerts & Artists Co-ordinator
Dora Kmezić
Concerts & Recordings Co-ordinator
Tom Cameron
Concerts & Tours Assistant
Matthew Freeman
Recordings Consultant
Andrew Chenery
Orchestra Personnel Manager
Helen Phipps
Orchestra & Auditions Manager
Sarah Thomas
Martin Sargeson Librarians
Laura Kitson
Stage & Operations Manager
Stephen O’Flaherty
Deputy Operations Manager
Benjamin Wakley
Deputy Stage Manager
Finance
Frances Slack
Finance Director
Dayse Guilherme Finance Manager
Jean-Paul Ramotar
Finance & IT Officer
Education & Community
Talia Lash
Education & Community Director
Lowri Davies
Eleanor Jones
Education & Community Project Managers
Hannah Smith
Education & Community Co-ordinator
Claudia Clarkson
Regional Partnerships Manager
Development
Laura Willis
Development Director
Rosie Morden
Individual Giving Manager
Owen Mortimer
Corporate Relations Manager
Anna Quillin
Trusts & Foundations Manager
Eleanor Conroy
Development Events Manager
Al Levin
Development Co-ordinator
Holly Eagles Development Assistant
Nick Jackman
Campaigns & Projects Director
Kirstin Peltonen
Development Associate
Marketing
Kath Trout
Marketing & Communications Director
Sophie Lonergan (née Harvey)
Marketing Manager
Rachel Williams
Publications Manager
Gavin Miller
Sales & Ticketing Manager
Josh Clark
Data, Insights & CRM Manager
Georgie Blyth
Press & PR Manager
Greg Felton
Digital Creative
Alicia Hartley
Digital & Marketing
Co-ordinator
Isobel Jones
Marketing 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
Printer John Good Ltd
Cover photograph Jason Bell
2024/25 season design
JMG Studio
Printer John Good Ltd
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