London Philharmonic Orchestra 23 Sep 2016 concert programme by London Philharmonic Orchestra

MUSIC IS OUR WORLD. WE WANT TO SHARE ITS ASTONISHING POWER AND WONDER WITH YOU. Concert programme lpo.org.uk

Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor VLADIMIR JUROWSKI supported by the Tsukanov Family Foundation Principal Guest Conductor ANDRÉS OROZCO-ESTRADA Leader pieter schoeman supported by Neil Westreich Composer in Residence magnus lindberg Patron HRH THE DUKE OF KENT KG Chief Executive and Artistic Director TIMOTHY WALKER AM

JTI FRIDAY SERIES Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall Friday 23 September 2016 | 7.30pm Debussy Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune (10’) Szymanowski Violin Concerto No. 1* (23’) Interval (20’) Szymanowski Violin Concerto No. 2* (20’)

Contents 2 Welcome LPO news 3 On stage tonight 4 About the Orchestra 5 Leader: Pieter Schoeman 6 Vladimir Jurowski 7 Nicola Benedetti 8 Programme notes 11 Recommended recordings 12 Next concerts 13 Backstage: Juliette Bausor 17 Sound Futures donors 18 Supporters 20 LPO administration

Bartók Suite, The Miraculous Mandarin (21’) Vladimir Jurowski conductor Nicola Benedetti violin * Organised in collaboration with the Adam Mickiewicz Institute as part of the Polska Music programme

Free post-concert event 6.15–6.45pm | Royal Festival Hall Professor Jim Samson from Royal Holloway, University of London, looks at the two very different violin concertos by Szymanowski. The timings shown are not precise and are given only as a guide. CONCERT PRESENTED BY THE LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

Broadcast by Radio 3 in Concert, and available for 30 days after broadcast via the Radio 3 website and the BBC iPlayer Radio app. Radio 3 is streamed in HD sound online.

Welcome

Welcome to Southbank Centre We hope you enjoy your visit. We have a Duty Manager available at all times. If you have any queries please ask any member of staff for assistance. Eating, drinking and shopping? Southbank Centre shops and restaurants include Foyles, EAT, Giraffe, Strada, YO! Sushi, wagamama, Le Pain Quotidien, Las Iguanas, ping pong, Canteen, Caffè Vergnano 1882, Skylon, Feng Sushi and Topolski, as well as cafes, restaurants and shops inside Royal Festival Hall.

LPO news

elcome to our first concert of the 2016/17 season at Royal Festival Hall. Whether you’re a regular concert-goer, a visitor to London or new to classical music, it’s great to have you with us! Between now and May there are countless highlights to look forward to including:

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Anne-Sophie Mutter playing Beethoven’s Violin Concerto The return of Osmo Vänskä to conduct a Sibelius Symphony Cycle alongside major British works by Britten, Elgar, Walton and Vaughan Williams Vladimir Jurowski’s continuation of his Mahler and Bruckner symphony cycles Great choral works including Haydn’s The Creation, Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis, Mozart’s Requiem, Mahler’s Symphony No. 8, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 and Tallis’s 40-part motet Spem in Alium

If you wish to get in touch with us following your visit please contact the Visitor Experience Team at Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London SE1 8XX, phone 020 7960 4250, or email customer@southbankcentre.co.uk

• •

We look forward to seeing you again soon.

•

Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Room and Hayward Gallery are closed for essential refurbishment until 2018. During this period, our resident orchestras are performing in venues including St John's Smith Square. Find out more at southbankcentre.co.uk/sjss

Browse the full season and book online at lpo.org.uk, pick up a season brochure in the Royal Festival Hall foyer this evening or call us on 020 7840 4200 to request a copy in the post.

A few points to note for your comfort and enjoyment: PHOTOGRAPHY is not allowed in the auditorium. LATECOMERS will only be admitted to the auditorium if there is a suitable break in the performance. RECORDING is not permitted in the auditorium without the prior consent of Southbank Centre. Southbank Centre reserves the right to confiscate video or sound equipment and hold it in safekeeping until the performance has ended. MOBILES, PAGERS AND WATCHES should be switched off before the performance begins.

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Landmark works by Steve Reich and Gavin Bryars Cabaret diva Meow Meow with members of the cross-genre band Pink Martini Belief and Beyond Belief, a year-long festival with Southbank Centre throughout 2017 exploring what makes us human in the 21st century.

New members

We welcome three new faces to the Orchestra this season. Juliette Bausor joined us in July as Principal Flute (meet Juliette on page 13). Tania Mazzetti joins the Second Violin section, and next month Jonathan Davies joins us as Principal Bassoon.

Out now The Autumn/Winter 2016 edition of Tune In, our free twice-yearly magazine. Copies are available at the LPO Information Desk in the foyer, or phone the LPO office on 020 7840 4200 to receive one in the post. Also available digitally: issuu.com/londonphilharmonic

On stage tonight

First Violins Pieter Schoeman* Leader Chair supported by Neil Westreich

Vesselin Gellev Sub-Leader Ilyoung Chae Chair supported by an anonymous donor

Ji-Hyun Lee Chair supported by Eric Tomsett

Katalin Varnagy Chair supported by Sonja Drexler

Catherine Craig Thomas Eisner Martin Höhmann Geoffrey Lynn Chair supported by Caroline, Jamie & Zander Sharp

Robert Pool Sarah Streatfeild Yang Zhang Grace Lee Rebecca Shorrock Caroline Sharp Amanda Smith Second Violins Andrew Storey Principal Jeongmin Kim Chair supported by Friends of the Orchestra

Tania Mazzetti Nancy Elan Lorenzo Gentili-Tedeschi Fiona Higham Chair supported by David & Yi Buckley

Nynke Hijlkema Joseph Maher Marie-Anne Mairesse Helena Herford Ashley Stevens Kate Birchall Sioni Williams Harry Kerr

Violas David Quiggle Guest Principal Cyrille Mercier Co-Principal Robert Duncan Gregory Aronovich Katharine Leek Susanne Martens Benedetto Pollani Laura Vallejo Naomi Holt Stanislav Popov Isabel Pereira Richard Cookson Cellos Kristina Blaumane Principal Chair supported by Bianca & Stuart Roden

Pei-Jee Ng Co-Principal Francis Bucknall Santiago Carvalho† Chair co-supported by Molly & David Borthwick

David Lale Elisabeth Wiklander Chair supported by Drs Oliver & Asha Foster

Sue Sutherley Susanna Riddell Tom Roff Helen Rathbone Double Basses Kevin Rundell* Principal Hugh Kluger Sebastian Pennar Sub-Principal George Peniston Laurence Lovelle Iván Rubido González Charlotte Kerbegian Lowri Morgan

Flutes Juliette Bausor Principal Sue Thomas* Chair supported by Victoria Robey OBE

Trumpets Paul Beniston* Principal Anne McAneney* Chair supported by Geoff & Meg Mann

Stewart McIlwham*

Toby Street

Piccolos Stewart McIlwham* Principal Sue Thomas*

Trombones Mark Templeton* Principal

Oboes Ian Hardwick* Principal Alice Munday Sue Böhling* Cor Anglais Sue Böhling* Principal Chair supported by Dr Barry Grimaldi

Clarinets Thomas Watmough Principal Paul Richards William Stafford James Maltby E-flat Clarinet William Stafford Bass Clarinet Paul Richards Principal

Chair supported by William & Alex de Winton

David Whitehouse Bass Trombone Lyndon Meredith Principal Tuba Lee Tsarmaklis* Principal Timpani Simon Carrington* Principal Percussion Andrew Barclay* Principal Chair supported by Andrew Davenport

Henry Baldwin Co-Principal Keith Millar James Bower Karen Hutt Harps Rachel Masters* Principal Emma Ramsdale

Bassoons Gareth Newman Principal Emma Harding Simon Estell

Piano Catherine Edwards

Contrabassoon Simon Estell Principal

Assistant Conductor Jamie Phillips

Horns John Ryan* Principal Chair supported by Laurence Watt

Martin Hobbs Mark Vines Co-Principal Gareth Mollison Stephen Nicholls

Celeste John Alley

* Holds a professorial appointment in London † Chevalier of the Brazilian Order of Rio Branco Meet our members: lpo.org.uk/players

The London Philharmonic Orchestra also acknowledges the following chair supporter whose player is not present at this concert: Simon Robey

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London Philharmonic Orchestra

So far, so miraculous, with the orchestra moving as one under its admired principal conductor’s meticulous guidance. The Arts Desk, BBC Proms July 2016

Recognised today as one of the finest orchestras on the international stage, the London Philharmonic Orchestra balances a long and distinguished history with a reputation as one of the UK’s most forwardlooking ensembles. As well as its performances in the concert hall, the Orchestra also records film and video game soundtracks, releases CDs on its own record label, and reaches thousands of people every year through activities for families, schools and 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 currently the Orchestra’s Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor, appointed in 2007. Andrés Orozco-Estrada took up the position of Principal Guest Conductor in September 2015. Magnus Lindberg is the Orchestra’s current Composer in Residence. The Orchestra is resident at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall in London, where it gives around 40 concerts each season. Throughout 2016 the LPO joined many of the UK’s other leading cultural institutions in Shakespeare400, celebrating the Bard’s legacy 400

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years since his death. In 2017 we will collaborate with Southbank Centre on Belief and Beyond Belief: a year-long multi-artform festival. Other 2016/17 season highlights include the return of Osmo Vänskä to conduct the Sibelius symphonies alongside major British concertos by Britten, Elgar, Walton and Vaughan Williams; Jurowski’s continuation of his Mahler and Brucker symphony cycles; landmark contemporary works by Steve Reich, Philip Glass, John Adams and Gavin Bryars; and premieres of new works by Aaron Jay Kernis and the Orchestra’s Composer in Residence Magnus Lindberg. 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: the 2015/16 season included visits to

Pieter Schoeman leader

Mexico, Spain, Germany, the Canary Islands and Russia; and tour plans for 2016/17 include New York, Germany, Hungary, Spain, France, Belgium, The Netherlands and Switzerland.

In summer 2012 the London Philharmonic Orchestra performed as part of The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Pageant on the River Thames, and was also chosen to record all the world’s national anthems for the London 2012 Olympics. In 2013 it was the winner of the RPS Music Award for Ensemble. The London Philharmonic Orchestra is committed to inspiring the next generation of musicians through an energetic programme of activities for young people. Highlights include the BrightSparks schools’ concerts and FUNharmonics family concerts; the Young Composers Programme; and the Foyle Future Firsts orchestral training programme for outstanding young players. Its work at the forefront of digital engagement has enabled the Orchestra to reach even more people worldwide: all its recordings are available to download from iTunes and, as well as regular concert streamings and a popular podcast series, the Orchestra has a lively presence on social media. lpo.org.uk facebook.com/londonphilharmonicorchestra twitter.com/LPOrchestra youtube.com/c/londonphilharmonicorchestra instagram.com/londonphilharmonicorchestra

The London Philharmonic Orchestra has recorded the soundtracks to numerous blockbuster films, from The Lord of the Rings trilogy to Lawrence of Arabia, East is East, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and Thor: The Dark World. It also broadcasts regularly on television and radio, and in 2005 established its own record label. There are now over 90 releases available on CD and to download. Recent additions include Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 3 and Ten Songs under Vladimir Jurowski; a second volume of works by the Orchestra’s former Composer in Residence, Julian Anderson; and Bruckner’s Symphony No. 5 with veteran maestro Stanisław Skrowaczewski.

Pieter Schoeman was appointed Leader of the London Philharmonic Orchestra in 2008, having previously been Co-Leader since 2002. Born in South Africa, Pieter made his solo debut aged 10 with the Cape Town Symphony Orchestra. Five years later he won the World Youth Concerto Competition in Michigan. Aged 17, he moved to the US to further his studies in Los Angeles and Dallas. In 1991 his talent was spotted by Pinchas Zukerman who, after several consultations, recommended that he move to New York to study with Sylvia Rosenberg. Pieter has performed worldwide as a soloist and recitalist in such famous halls as the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Moscow’s Rachmaninov Hall, Capella Hall in St Petersburg, Staatsbibliothek in Berlin, Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles and Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall in London. As a chamber musician he regularly appears at London’s prestigious Wigmore Hall. At the invitation of Yannick Nézet-Séguin he has been part of the ‘Yannick and Friends’ chamber group, performing at festivals in Dortmund and Rheingau. Pieter has performed several times as a soloist with the LPO, and his live recording of Britten’s Double Concerto with Alexander Zemtsov was released on the Orchestra’s own label to great critical acclaim. He has also recorded numerous violin solos for film and television, and led the LPO in its soundtrack recordings for The Lord of the Rings trilogy. In 1995 Pieter became Co-Leader of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Nice. Since then he has appeared frequently as Guest Leader with the Barcelona, Bordeaux, Lyon, Baltimore and BBC symphony orchestras, and the Rotterdam and BBC Philharmonic orchestras. In April 2016 he was Guest Leader with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra for Kurt Masur’s memorial concert. He is a Professor of Violin at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London. Pieter’s chair in the London Philharmonic Orchestra is supported by Neil Westreich.

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Vladimir Jurowski conductor

Jurowski’s performances with the LPO these days really are unmissable.

The Times, March 2015

One of today’s most sought-after conductors, acclaimed worldwide for his incisive musicianship and adventurous artistic commitment, Vladimir Jurowski was born in Moscow and studied at the Music Academies of Dresden and Berlin. In 1995 he made his international debut at the Wexford Festival conducting Rimsky-Korsakov’s May Night, and the same year saw his debut at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, with Nabucco. Vladimir Jurowski was appointed Principal Guest Conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra in 2003, becoming Principal Conductor in 2007. In October 2015 he was appointed the next Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Rundfunk-sinfonieorchester Berlin, a position he will take up in September 2017. Jurowski also maintains his position as Artistic Director of the State Academic Symphony Orchestra of Russia (Svetlanov Symphony Orchestra). 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). He is a regular guest with many leading orchestras in both Europe and North America, including the Berlin Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic and Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester Berlin; the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra; The Philadelphia Orchestra; The Cleveland Orchestra; the Boston, San Francisco and Chicago symphony orchestras; and the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Leipzig Gewandhausorchester, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Staatskapelle Dresden and Chamber Orchestra of Europe.

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His opera engagements have included Rigoletto, Jenůfa, The Queen of Spades, Hansel and Gretel and Die Frau ohne Schatten at the Metropolitan Opera, New York; Parsifal and Wozzeck at Welsh National Opera; War and Peace at the Opéra National de Paris; Eugene Onegin at the Teatro alla Scala, Milan; Ruslan and Ludmila at the Bolshoi Theatre; Moses und Aron at Komische and Iolanta and Die Teufel von Loudun at Semperoper Dresden, and numerous operas at Glyndebourne including Otello, Macbeth, Falstaff, Tristan und Isolde, Don Giovanni, The Cunning Little Vixen, Peter Eötvös’s Love and Other Demons, and Ariadne auf Naxos. In 2015 he returned to the Komische Oper in Berlin for a universally acclaimed new production of Moses und Aron, and made his debut at the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich with Prokofiev’s The Fiery Angel. Future highlights include his Salzburg Festival debut with Wozzeck, and his first return to Glyndebourne as a guest conductor, to lead the world premiere production of Brett Dean’s Hamlet. The Glyndebourne production of Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, led by Vladimir Jurowski with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Glyndebourne Chorus, won the 2015 BBC Music Magazine Opera Award.

In 2007 Vladimir was a guest on BBC Radio 4's flagship programme Desert Island Discs. Discover his eight records of choice here: bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007w97r

Nicola Benedetti violin

Benedetti’s trademark is her tone: sweet and clear in the upper register, honeyed in mid-range and velvety in her low notes.

Classical Voice America

Nicola Benedetti is one of the most sought-after violinists of her generation. Her ability to captivate audiences with her innate musicianship and dynamic presence, coupled with her wide appeal as a high-profile advocate for classical music, have made her one of the most influential classical artists of today. With concerto performances at the heart of her career, Nicola is in much demand with major orchestras and conductors across the globe. Highlights of the 2016/17 season include performances with the London Philharmonic, Israel Philharmonic, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, Gothenburg Symphony, Toronto Symphony, City of Birmingham Symphony, Royal Scottish National and Scottish Chamber orchestras, amongst many others. This season will see the continuation of the premiere performance circuit of the Wynton Marsalis Violin Concerto, written for Nicola, with the Leipzig Gewandhausorchester, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic and National Symphony Orchestra Washington. In addition, the season features two extensive tours of North America with the Venice Baroque Orchestra and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. With her regular duo partner, pianist Alexei Grynyuk, Nicola frequently gives recitals at the world’s leading concert halls and festivals. Nicola is also a devoted chamber musician and collaborates with cellist Leonard Elschenbroich and pianist Grynyuk, who have been performing as a trio since 2008. Fiercely committed to music education and developing young talent, Nicola has formed associations with schools, music colleges and local authorities. In 2010 she became Sistema Scotland’s official musical ‘Big Sister’ for the Big Noise project; a music initiative

partnered with Venezuela’s El Sistema (Fundación Musical Simón Bolívar). In addition, Nicola has developed her own education and outreach initiative entitled ‘The Benedetti Sessions’, which gives hundreds of aspiring young string players the opportunity to rehearse, undertake and observe masterclasses culminating in a performance alongside Nicola. She has presented ‘The Benedetti Sessions’ at the Royal Albert Hall, the Cheltenham Festival and the Royal Concert Hall Glasgow, and has plans to develop it on an international scale. Winner of Best Female Artist at the 2012 and 2013 Classical BRIT Awards, Nicola records exclusively for Decca (Universal Music). Her most recent recording, of the Shostakovich & Glazunov violin concertos, has met with critical acclaim. Her past seven recordings on Universal/Deutsche Grammophon include a varied catalogue of works, from Szymanowski’s Concerto No. 1 to Homecoming: A Scottish Fantasy, which made Nicola the first solo British violinist since the 1990s to enter the Top 20 of the Official UK Album Chart. Nicola was appointed MBE in the 2013 New Year Honours in recognition of her international music career and work with musical charities throughout the UK. Born in Scotland of Italian heritage, Nicola began violin lessons at the age of five with Brenda Smith. In 1997 she entered the Yehudi Menuhin School, where she studied with Natasha Boyarskaya. Upon leaving, she continued her studies with Maciej Rakowski and then Pavel Vernikov, and continues to work with multiple acclaimed teachers and performers. Nicola plays the Gariel Stradivarius (1717), courtesy of Jonathan Moulds.

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Programme notes

Speedread If Vienna was the epicentre of composition in the 19th century, then Paris was its new home at the dawn of the 20th. When Debussy unveiled Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune to his mesmerised Parisian audience in 1894, he set in train a new strand of modernism: one guided by shapes, colours and textures. It was to prove irresistible to a whole host of composers who followed in his wake – and not just those living in Paris. During the years of the First World War, when Szymanowski found himself living in virtual isolation on his family’s estate in rural Poland, it was through

Claude Debussy

the music of Debussy and Ravel that he found new sources of inspiration. This iridescent new landscape comes pouring through in his First Violin Concerto, a work whose form also owes much to the languid, shape-shifting poeticism of Debussy’s early symbolist works. But in the years after the Revolution Szymanowski (and others too) became drawn to the ‘other side’ of early 20th-century Paris – to Stravinsky’s uncompromising ‘primitive’ style, with its sharp edges, bold melodic lines and powerful manipulation of folk material. In The Miraculous Mandarin, Bartók all but composed the Hungarian answer to The Rite of Spring.

Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune (1894)

1862–1918

Debussy’s talent as a young composer was confirmed when he was admitted to the Paris Conservatoire aged just ten years old, but it would be another 20 years before he made his name throughout Europe with a revolutionary new work inspired by the symbolist poetry of Stéphane Mallarmé. Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune, based on Mallarmé’s poem of the same name, was an immediate success. The conductor at its Parisian premiere in 1894, Gustave Doret, described how the audience was held ‘spellbound’, demanding that the work be repeated there and then in an unprecedented outpouring of praise. This was something of a surprise to both Doret and the orchestra, who had their doubts about how this ‘new style’ would be received by the public. ‘Debussy was constantly modifying this or that sonority’, Doret recalled. ‘We tried it out, repeated it, compared it. Once the players had come to understand this new style, they realised that we would have a serious battle on our hands. Of course, Debussy’s name 8 | London Philharmonic Orchestra

was familiar to the real connoisseurs, but to the general public it was still unknown.’ At the forefront of Debussy’s mind was a desire to create colours – new colours – using textures, harmonies and forms in fresh and often surprising ways. In Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune Debussy makes no attempt to transpose Mallarmé’s text, word for word, into music. Instead, he hoped to stimulate the imagination of his listeners, to conjure up a vivid new world of expression and sensuality, to allude to the text of the original poetry but ultimately to transcend it. Using a radical new harmonic palette, hitherto unexplored formal ideas and a dazzling new approach to texture and colour, in this one ten-minute work, Debussy set the stage for a whole new chapter of western music history, ushering in the dawn of the 20th century, and with it the very concept of modernity.

Karol Szymanowski 1882–1937

Had Szymanowski been born half a century earlier, his life might have taken a rather different turn. As it was, he found himself at the centre of a series of political crises that left their scars on his music and almost forced him to give up composing altogether. Born in the Ukraine to a family of landed gentry, Szymanowski lost everything in the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, which saw the family’s grand estate completely destroyed (even the grand piano was said to have been tossed into the lake). His passion for composing quickly evaporated. ‘Can you imagine? I cannot compose now’, he said in 1918. The following year he settled in Warsaw, but his music was forever altered. Gone were the elaborate, impressionistic landscapes of his exotic early style and, in their place, the vistas of Poland, coloured by the folk music of the Tatra Mountains. Although both were written for his friend, the celebrated violinist Paweł Kochański, Szymanowski’s two concertos for violin straddle this drastic musical divide. The First belongs to the ornate, sumptuous style of Szymanowski’s pre-Revolution day and takes its cue from the poetic orchestral works of the early impressionists, unfolding over five movements that

Violin Concerto No. 1, Op. 35 (1916) Nicola Benedetti violin 1 2 3 4 5

Vivace assai – Tempo comodo – Andantino – Vivace scherzando – Poco meno – Allegretto – Vivace (Tempo I)

are played without pause. Apparently inspired by a short poem by the Polish writer Tadeusz Micinski, the Concerto rejects traditional ideas such as dramatic and thematic opposition in favour of a more personal, expressive outpouring, one that moves seamlessly from one idea to the next. All the birds pay tribute to me for today I wed a goddess. And now we stand by the lake in crimson blossom in flowing tears of joy, with rapture and fear, burning in amorous conflagration. ‘Noc Majowa’ by Tadeusz Micinski It was to mark a wholly new path for concerto writing, one that Szymanowski himself described as ‘terribly fantastical and unexpected’. With its eastern scales, glittering orchestration and ethereal melodic writing, the Concerto left the audience at its 1922 premiere entranced. ‘The sound is so magical that people here were completely transfixed’, Szymanowski wrote to Kochański, ‘and just imagine, Paweł, the violin comes out on top the whole time!’

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

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Programme notes continued

Karol Szymanowski

Violin Concerto No. 2, Op. 61 (1933) Nicola Benedetti violin 1 2 3 4

1882–1937

four weeks, so you can imagine how hard I had to work and how very tired I am.’

Although the First Violin Concerto was enthusiastically received, the huge upheavals of the 1917 Revolution put paid to any thoughts Szymanowski might have had of composing another. In the years that followed, he found a new musical purpose and dedicated himself to exploring Polish folk music, describing the process as akin to ‘the discovery of one’s own jewels’. Then, in 1930, suffering from the onset of tuberculosis and keen to seek respite, Szymanowski moved himself to the foothills of the mountains, setting up home in the town of Zakopane. It was here, in the summer of 1932, that he was visited by his friend, the violinist Paweł Kochański, who had high hopes for a new piece of music. ‘Paweł provoked and simply squeezed out of me a whole (second) violin concerto (of course so far only in draft)’, he wrote to a friend in September. ‘I wrote it in just under

Béla Bartók 1881–1945

In November 1926, Cologne experienced its first musical scandal. ‘Catcalls, whistling, stamping, and booing’, reported one German music journal, ‘which did not subside even after the composer’s personal appearance, nor even after the safety curtain went down’. Not since Stravinsky unveiled The Rite of Spring to a shocked

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Moderato – Molto tranquillo – Andantino sostenuto – Allegramente – Molto energico – Andantino – Molto tranquillo

The Concerto would become Szymanowski’s final largescale work before he was forced to give up composing, receiving its premiere in Warsaw in October 1933 with Kochański as soloist. Where the First Violin Concerto is grand and expansive, the Second is rather more measured and understated, although it is no less joyful in tone. Despite Szymanowski’s poor health, this is a work of bright, often diatonic, harmonies and sharp, compact melodies. There are shadows of Stravinsky and Bartók in the rustic nature of the folk material and the often hardedged manner in which it is treated, but as a whole it is highly original – Szymanowski’s own personal hymn to Poland, a place where he felt truly at home.

Suite, The Miraculous Mandarin, Op. 19, BB 82 (1918–24) 1 2 3 4 5 6

Introduction (Street Sounds) – The thugs order the girl to the window The girl entices the old rake The girl entices the young man The girl entices the Mandarin The girl slowly begins to dance for the Mandarin The dance concludes – the Mandarin chases the girl

Parisian audience in 1913 had Europe witnessed such a dramatic reception to a new work. According to Bartók, even before The Miraculous Mandarin received its controversial premiere, ‘people had read the plot and decided it was objectionable’, perhaps with good reason.

Described in Bartók’s own words, the plot of this one-act ‘pantomime grotesque’ – composed to a story by Hungarian playwright and screenwriter Melchior Lengyel – has all the hallmarks of a horror film: ‘Three [thugs] force a beautiful girl to lure men into their den so they can rob them … The third [visitor] is a wealthy Chinese man. He is a good catch, and the girl entertains him by dancing. The Mandarin’s desire is aroused, he is inflamed by passion, but the girl shrinks from him in horror. The [thugs] attack him, rob him, smother him in a quilt, and stab him with a sword, but their violence is of no avail. They cannot kill the Mandarin, who continues to look at the girl with love and longing in his eyes. Finally feminine instinct helps: the girl satisfies the Mandarin’s desire, and only then does he collapse and die.’ Published in a Hungarian magazine in 1917, Lengyel’s story immediately captured Bartók’s imagination and he began work on his pantomime ballet the following year. ‘It will be hellish music’, he wrote to his wife that summer. ‘The prelude before the curtain goes up will be very short and sound like pandemonium ... the audience

will be introduced to the [thieves’] den at the height of the hurly-burly of the metropolis.’ Bartók’s completed score did not disappoint. Its cacophonous mix of pounding rhythms, blaring orchestration and dizzying climaxes – interspersed with moments of seductive, glittering tenderness – would far exceed the drama of anything he wrote in the years to come. Composed during the final months of the First World War, it is hard not to hear the savagery and horror of the war-torn landscape in Bartók’s music, which he himself described as ‘breathless’ from start to finish. After its disastrous reception in Cologne, it would be another 20 years before The Miraculous Mandarin was staged in Bartók’s native Hungary. But his concert suite of the work, which Bartók arranged in 1919, was performed in Budapest in 1928 under the baton of fellow Hungarian Ernö Dohnányi. Comprising around two-thirds of the material in the complete work and played in one continuous movement, the suite concludes with the girl’s struggle with the Mandarin – so in this scenario, at least, he escapes death. Programme notes © Jo Kirkbride

Recommended recordings of tonight’s works Many of our recommended recordings, where available, are on sale this evening at the Foyles stand in the Royal Festival Hall foyer. Debussy: Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune London Philharmonic Orchestra | Serge Baudo (Classics for Pleasure) Szymanowski: Violin Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 Baiba Skride | Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra | Vasily Petrenko (Orfeo) Bartók: The Miraculous Mandarin Budapest Festival Orchestra | Iván Fischer (Philips)

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Next concerts at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall Wednesday 28 September 2016 7.30pm

Wednesday 12 October 2016 7.30pm

Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 1* Bruckner Symphony No. 4 (Romantic)

Haydn Overture, The Apothecary Mozart Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor, K491 Mahler Symphony No. 4

Vladimir Jurowski conductor Valery Afanassiev piano * Generously supported by Gourji

Saturday 8 October 2016 7.30pm Sibelius Suite, King Kristian II Panufnik Violin Concerto* Shostakovich Symphony No. 5 Thomas Søndergård conductor Sergej Krylov violin * Organised in collaboration with the Adam Mickiewicz Institute as part of the Polska Music programme

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Vladimir Jurowski conductor Lucas Debargue piano Sofia Fomina soprano

Book now lpo.org.uk 020 7840 4242 Season discounts of up to 30% available

Backstage

We get to know Juliette Bausor, the Orchestra’s new Principal Flute – in the spotlight opening this evening’s Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune.

Juliette joined us in July 2016 as Principal Flute. She was previously Principal with Royal Northern Sinfonia, based at Sage Gateshead. We got to know her and her first impressions of the LPO ...

When did you begin playing the flute? Can you remember what attracted you to the instrument? I started playing the flute when I was about five years old. My mother’s a music teacher so there was a lot of music in my life from the very beginning, but it was seeing James Galway playing his golden flute on television and hearing his recordings that made me desperate to play the flute! Have you always wanted to be a professional musician? When did you decide that it was the career for you? I think that I set my heart on a career as a professional musician at that very early age, but opportunities such as studying at The Purcell School of Music and being part of the National Youth Orchestra and the European Union Youth Orchestra made me even more determined to work hard enough to succeed as a professional player. What are the best and worst things about life as an orchestral musician? The best thing is definitely spending every day doing something I love, as well as the overwhelming journey of emotions when playing an amazing piece of music and the feeling of high following a great performance! The less enjoyable side of things is that we work fairly antisocial hours, plus an exhausting amount of travelling – but getting to visit lots of amazing places is obviously a perk! What are your first impressions of the atmosphere in the LPO, and the wind section in particular? It’s an extremely warm, friendly orchestra, and everyone has been so welcoming. The wind section is really supportive and they are all brilliant people as well as

players, so I feel very honoured to be joining such a great team. What’s your favourite music to listen to when you’re not working? I generally put on something to wind down and chill out to like Norah Jones or Goldfrapp, but I’m always up for a boogie to some old cheesy dance numbers or having a singalong to musicals! Had you not become a musician, what other career might you have liked to do instead? My whole family is quite ‘arty’, and in fact my brother, Jon Bausor, is a very talented and successful set designer who has some truly amazing and brilliantly clever ideas. I haven’t got his talent but do enjoy craft and design, so I think I’d probably have liked to have done something in the field of interior design. I’m slightly obsessed with reading home magazines in my spare time, and enjoy watching TV programmes about home renovation and design. I also find painting and decorating quite therapeutic, which is lucky, as I’m about to start work on our new house! ... As a newcomer to London, what are you most looking forward to exploring in the city in your time off? I’ve just moved down from Gateshead to Kent and there’s a lot of lovely countryside to explore nearby, but I’m really looking forward to being able to get into London easily for the theatre and exhibitions. I’ve just recently bought my husband a book about some more unusual quirky places to explore on our days off in London! Juliette on Twitter @juliettebausor Meet our members lpo.org.uk/players

This interview originally appeared in the Autumn 2016 edition of Tune In, the Orchestra’s twice-yearly magazine. Read it online at issuu.com/londonphilharmonic, or call 020 7840 4200 to request a copy in the post.

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Sound Futures donors

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

The Rothschild Foundation Tom & Phillis Sharpe The Viney Family

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

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

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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 Victoria Robey OBE Orchestra Circle Natalia Semenova & Dimitri Gourji The Tsukanov Family Principal Associates An anonymous donor Mr Peter Cullum CBE Dr Catherine Høgel & Ben Mardle Mr & Mrs Philip Kan Neil Westreich Associates Simon Robey Stuart & Bianca Roden Barry Grimaldi William & Alex de Winton Gold Patrons An anonymous donor Mrs Evzen Balko David & Yi Buckley Garf & Gill Collins Andrew Davenport Georgy Djaparidze Sonja Drexler Mrs Gillian Fane Drs Oliver & Asha Foster Simon & Meg Freakley David & Victoria Graham Fuller Wim & Jackie Hautekiet-Clare The Jeniffer & Jonathan Harris Charitable Trust Alexandra Jupin & John Bean James R D Korner Mr & Mrs Makharinsky Geoff & Meg Mann Caroline, Jamie & Zander Sharp Julian & Gill Simmonds Eric Tomsett Laurence Watt Michael & Ruth West

Silver Patrons Mrs Molly Borthwick Peter & Fiona Espenhahn David Goldstone CBE LLB FRICS Rehmet Kassim-Lakha de Morixe John & Angela Kessler Vadim & Natalia Levin Mrs Virginia Slaymaker Mr Brian Smith The Viney Family Guy & Utti Whittaker Bronze Patrons Valentina & Dmitry Aksenov Dr Christopher Aldren Michael Allen Mr Jeremy Bull Desmond & Ruth Cecil Mr John H Cook Bruno De Kegel David Ellen Mrs Marie-Laure Favre-Gilly de Varennes de Bueil Igor & Lyuba Galkin Mrs Irina Gofman Mr Daniel Goldstein Mr Gavin Graham Mrs Dorothy Hambleton Mr Martin Hattrell Mr Colm Kelleher Drs Frank & Gek Lim Mrs Angela Lynch Peter MacDonald Eggers William & Catherine MacDougall Mr & Mrs David Malpas Mr Adrian Mee Mrs Elizabeth Meshkvicheva Mrs Rosemarie Pardington Ms Olga Pavlova Mr Michael Posen Mrs Karmen Pretel-Martines Dr Eva Lotta & Mr Thierry Sciard Tom & Phillis Sharpe Mr & Mrs G Stein Sergei & Elena Sudakova Captain Mark Edward Tennant Ms Sharon Thomas Mr & Mrs John C Tucker Mr & Mrs John & Susi Underwood Grenville & Krysia Williams

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Christopher Williams Mr Anthony Yolland Principal Supporters Ralph & Elizabeth Aldwinckle Mr Geoffrey Bateman Mrs A Beare Mr Charles Bott Mr Graham Brady Mr Gary Brass Mr Richard Brass Mr Frederick Brittenden David & Patricia Buck Dr Anthony Buckland Sir Terry Burns GCB Richard Buxton Mr Pascal Cagni Mrs Alan Carrington Dr Archibald E Carter The Countess June Chichester John Childress & Christiane Wuillamie Mr & Mrs Stewart Cohen Mr Alistair Corbett Mr Alfons Cortés Mr David Edwards Mr Timothy Fancourt QC Mr Richard Fernyhough Mr Roger Greenwood Mr Chris Grigg Malcolm Herring Amanda Hill & Daniel Heaf J Douglas Home Ivan Hurry Mr Glenn Hurstfield Mr Peter Jenkins Per Jonsson Mr Frank Krikhaar Rose & Dudley Leigh Mr Gerald Levin Wg. Cdr. & Mrs M T Liddiard OBE JP RAF Paul & Brigitta Lock Mr John Long Mr Nicholas Lyons Mr Peter Mace Mrs Ulrike Mansel Robert Markwick & Kasia Robinski Elena Mezentseva Andrew T Mills

Dr Karen Morton Mr & Mrs Andrew Neill Maestro Yannick Nézet-Séguin Pavel & Elena Novoselov Dr Wiebke Pekrull Mr Roger Phillimore Mr James Pickford Andrew & Sarah Poppleton Oleg Pukhov Miss Tatiana Pyatigorskaya Martin & Cheryl Southgate Peter Tausig Mr Jonathan Townley Andrew & Roanna Tusa Lady Marina Vaizey Howard & Sheelagh Watson Des & Maggie Whitelock Bill Yoe Supporters Mr Clifford Brown Miss Siobhan Cervin Miss Lynn Chapman Mr Joshua Coger Mr Geoffrey A Collens Timothy Colyer Miss Tessa Cowie Lady Jane Cuckney OBE Ms Holly Dunlap Ms Susanne Feldthusen Mrs Janet Flynn Mr Nick Garland Mr Derek B. Gray Dr Geoffrey Guy The Jackman Family Mrs Svetlana Kashinskaya Niels Kroninger Mrs Nino Kuparadze Mr Christopher Langridge Alison Clarke & Leo Pilkington Miss S M Longson Mr David Macfarlane Mr John Meloy Miss Lucyna Mozyrko Mr Leonid Ogarev Mr Stephen Olton Mr David Peters Mr Ivan Powell Mr & Mrs Graham & Jean Pugh Mr Christopher Queree Mr James A Reece

Mr Olivier Rosenfeld Mr Robert Ross Mr Kenneth Shaw Mr Barry Smith Ms Natalie Spraggon James & Virginia Turnball Michael & Katie Urmston Timothy Walker AM Mr Berent Wallendahl Edward & Catherine Williams Mr C D Yates Hon. Benefactor Elliott Bernerd Hon. Life Members Kenneth Goode Carol Colburn Grigor CBE Pehr G Gyllenhammar Robert Hill Mrs Jackie Rosenfeld OBE 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: Jenny Ireland Co-Chairman William A. Kerr Co-Chairman Xenia Hanusiak Alexandra Jupin Jill Fine Mainelli Kristina McPhee David Oxenstierna Natalie Pray Robert Watson Danny Lopez Hon. Chairman Noel Kilkenny Hon. Director Victoria Robey OBE Hon. Director Richard Gee, Esq Of Counsel Jenifer L. Keiser, CPA, EisnerAmper LLP Stephanie Yoshida

Corporate Donors Fenchurch Advisory Partners LLP Goldman Sachs Linklaters London Stock Exchange Group Morgan Lewis Phillips Auction House Pictet Bank Corporate Members Gold Sunshine Silver Accenture After Digital Berenberg Carter-Ruck French Chamber of Commerce Bronze BTO Management Consulting AG Charles Russell Speechlys Lazard Russo-British Chamber of Commerce Willis Towers Watson Preferred Partners Corinthia Hotel London Heineken Lindt & Sprüngli Ltd London Orthopaedic Clinic Sipsmith Steinway Villa Maria In-kind Sponsor Google Inc

Trusts and Foundations Axis Foundation The Bernarr Rainbow Trust The Boltini Trust Borletti-Buitoni Trust Boshier-Hinton Foundation The Candide Trust Cockayne – Grants for the Arts The Ernest Cook Trust Diaphonique, Franco-British Fund for contemporary music The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust Dunard Fund The Equitable Charitable Trust The Foyle Foundation The Goldsmiths’ Company Lucille Graham Trust Help Musicians UK Derek Hill Foundation John Horniman’s Children’s Trust The Idlewild Trust Kirby Laing Foundation The Leverhulme Trust The London Community Foundation London Stock Exchange Group Foundation Lord and Lady Lurgan Trust Marsh Christian Trust The Mercers’ Company Adam Mickiewicz Institute The Stanley Picker Trust The Radcliffe Trust Rivers Foundation The R K Charitable Trust RVW Trust Schroder Charity Trust Serge Rachmaninoff Foundation The David Solomons Charitable Trust Souter Charitable Trust The John Thaw Foundation The Michael Tippett Musical Foundation UK Friends of the FelixMendelssohn-BartholdyFoundation

Garfield Weston Foundation The Barbara Whatmore Charitable Trust and all others who wish to remain anonymous.

London Philharmonic Orchestra | 19

Administration Board of Directors Victoria Robey OBE Chairman Stewart McIlwham* President Gareth Newman* Vice-President Roger Barron Richard Brass Desmond Cecil CMG Dr Catherine C. Høgel Rachel Masters* Al MacCuish Julian Metherell George Peniston* Kevin Rundell* Natasha Tsukanova Mark Vines* Timothy Walker AM Neil Westreich David Whitehouse* * Player-Director Advisory Council Victoria Robey OBE Chairman Rob Adediran Christopher Aldren Dr Manon Antoniazzi Richard Brass David Buckley Sir Alan Collins KCVO CMG Andrew Davenport Jonathan Dawson Bruno De Kegel 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 Clive Marks OBE FCA Stewart McIlwham Sir Bernard Rix Baroness Shackleton Lord Sharman of Redlynch OBE Thomas Sharpe QC Julian Simmonds Barry Smith Martin Southgate Sir Philip Thomas Sir John Tooley Chris Viney Timothy Walker AM Laurence Watt Elizabeth Winter

Chief Executive

Education and Community

Public Relations

Timothy Walker AM Chief Executive and Artistic Director

Isabella Kernot Education Director

Albion Media (Tel: 020 3077 4930)

Talia Lash Education and Community Project Manager