London Philharmonic Orchestra 24 Feb 2018 Brighton concert programme by London Philharmonic Orchestra

b e m ov e d IN BRIGHTON

2017/18 Season at Brighton Dome Concert Hall Concert programme

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

Brighton Dome Concert Hall Saturday 24 February 2018 | 7.30pm

Berlioz Overture, Béatrice et Bénédict (8’) Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35 (34’) Interval (20’) Rimsky-Korsakov Scheherazade, Op. 35 (47’)

Vasily Petrenko conductor Albrecht Menzel violin

The timings shown are not precise and are given only as a guide. CONCERT PRESENTED BY THE LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA IN ASSOCIATION WITH BRIGHTON DOME

Contents 2 Welcome Orchestra news 3 On stage tonight 4 About the Orchestra 5 Leader: Pieter Schoeman 6 Vasily Petrenko 7 Albrecht Menzel 8 Programme notes 11 Next concert Tchaikovsky on the LPO Label 12 LPO 2017/18 Annual Appeal 13 Sound Futures donors 14 Supporters 16 LPO administration

Welcome

Orchestra news

Welcome to Brighton Dome

Glyndebourne 2018

Chief Executive Andrew Comben We hope you enjoy the performance and your visit to Brighton Dome. For your comfort and safety, please note the following: LATECOMERS may not be admitted until a suitable break in the performance. Some performances may contain no suitable breaks. SMOKING Brighton Dome is a no-smoking venue. INTERVAL DRINKS may be ordered in advance at the bar to avoid queues.

As Resident Symphony Orchestra at Glyndebourne Festival Opera since 1964, we always look forward to our summer months spent in the Sussex opera house, and the 2018 Festival promises to be a vocal and visual feast. Booking opens on Sunday 4 March and we launch the season on 19 May with Puccini’s glorious Madama Butterfly conducted by Omer Meir Wellber (running until 18 July). Over the summer we’ll also perform Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier (20 May–26 June) and Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande under Glyndebourne Music Director Robin Ticciati (30 June–9 August); and Barber’s rarely performed, Pulitzer Prize-winning opera Vanessa under Jakub Hrůša (5–26 August). For more details visit glyndebourne.com

PHOTOGRAPHY is not allowed in the auditorium. RECORDING is not allowed in the auditorium. MOBILES, PAGERS AND WATCHES should be switched off before entering the auditorium.

LPO Annual Appeal 2017/18

The concert at Brighton Dome on 24 February 2018 is presented by the London Philharmonic Orchestra in association with Brighton Dome.

This season we are proud to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Orchestra’s Education & Community department. For three decades we have taken ourselves from the concert platform and out into the world around us, driven by the desire to share the power and wonder of orchestral music with everyone. We are asking you to help us celebrate this 30th year by giving to our 2017/18 Annual Appeal. Turn to page 12 to read more, and visit lpo.org.uk/appeal to find out how your gift can help, from planting the seed in those who have never heard orchestral music to reawakening others to joys they may have forgotten.

Brighton Dome gratefully acknowledges the support of Brighton & Hove City Council and Arts Council England.

New on the LPO Label: Mozart and Rachmaninoff Piano Concertos

Thank you for your co-operation.

Brighton Dome is managed by Brighton Dome and Brighton Festival, which also runs the annual threeweek Brighton Festival in May. brightondome.org | brightonfestival.org

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This month’s CD release on our LPO Label features Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20 and Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 performed by Aldo Ciccolini under conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin (LPO-0102). The CD is priced at £9.99 and, along with 100+ other titles on the label, is available to buy from lpo.org.uk/ recordings, the LPO Ticket Office (020 7840 4242) and all good CD outlets. Our recordings are also available to download or stream via iTunes, Amazon Spotify and others.

On stage tonight

First Violins Pieter Schoeman* Leader Chair supported by Neil Westreich

Philippe Honoré Catherine Craig Thomas Eisner Geoffrey Lynn Chair supported by Caroline, Jamie & Zander Sharp

Robert Pool Sarah Streatfeild Yang Zhang Grace Lee Rebecca Shorrock Morane Cohen-Lamberger Joana Valentinaviciute Jonathan Lee Amelia Conway-Jones Second Violins Tristan Gurney Guest Principal Tania Mazzetti Co-Principal Kate Birchall Fiona Higham Chair supported by David & Yi Buckley

Joseph Maher Robin Wilson Harry Kerr Sheila Law Georgina Leo Judith Choi-Castro Alison Strange John Dickinson

Violas David Quiggle Principal Susanne Martens Benedetto Pollani Alistair Scahill Stanislav Popov Linda Kidwell Daisy Spiers Julia Kornig Charles Cross Cristina Gestido Cellos Kristina Blaumane Principal Chair supported by Bianca & Stuart Roden

Pei-Jee Ng Co-Principal Francis Bucknall David Lale Elisabeth Wiklander Susanna Riddell Sibylle Hentschel Jane Lindsay Double Basses Kevin Rundell* Principal Sebastian Pennar Co-Principal George Peniston Damián Rubido González Lowri Morgan Laura Murphy Flutes Juliette Bausor Principal Hannah Grayson Stewart McIlwham*

Piccolos Stewart McIlwham* Principal Hannah Grayson

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

Oboes John Anderson Guest Principal Alice Munday

David Whitehouse Bass Trombone Lyndon Meredith Principal

Cor Anglais Sue Böhling* Principal

Tuba Lee Tsarmaklis* Principal

Chair supported by Dr Barry Grimaldi

Timpani William Lockhart Guest Principal

Clarinets Thomas Watmough Principal James Maltby

Percussion Andrew Barclay* Principal

Bassoons Simon Estell* Principal Emma Harding

Chair supported by Andrew Davenport

Henry Baldwin Co-Principal Chair supported by Friends of the Orchestra

Horns David Pyatt* Principal Chair supported by Sir Simon Robey

Martin Hobbs Mark Vines Co-Principal Jonathan Quaintrell-Evans Stephen Nicholls Trumpets Paul Beniston* Principal James Fountain Guest Principal Anne McAneney* Chair supported by Geoff & Meg Mann

Keith Millar Jeremy Cornes Karen Hutt Harp Rachel Masters Principal * Holds a professorial appointment in London

Meet our members: lpo.org.uk/players

The London Philharmonic Orchestra also acknowledges the following chair supporters whose players are not present at this concert: The Candide Trust • Sonja Drexler • Victoria Robey OBE • Eric Tomsett • Laurence Watt

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London Philharmonic Orchestra

The LPO musicians really surpassed themselves in playing of élan, subtlety and virtuosity. Matthew Rye, Bachtrack, 24 September 2017 (Enescu’s Oedipe at Royal Festival Hall) 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. Celebrating its 85th anniversary this season, the Orchestra was founded by Sir Thomas Beecham in 1932. It has since been headed by many of the world’s greatest conductors including Sir Adrian Boult, Bernard Haitink, Sir Georg Solti, Klaus Tennstedt and Kurt Masur. Vladimir Jurowski is the Orchestra’s current Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor, and this season we celebrate the tenth anniversary of this extraordinary partnership. Andrés Orozco-Estrada took up the position of Principal Guest Conductor in September 2015. The Orchestra is resident at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall in London, where it gives around 40 concerts each season. Our year-long Belief and Beyond Belief festival in partnership with Southbank Centre ran

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throughout 2017, exploring what it means to be human in the 21st century. In 2018, we explore the life and music of Stravinsky in our new series Changing Faces: Stravinsky’s Journey, charting the life and music of one of the 20th century’s most influential composers. 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 2016/17 season included visits to New York, Germany, Hungary, Spain, France, Belgium, The Netherlands and Switzerland, and tours in 2017/18 include Romania, Japan, China, the Czech Republic, Germany, Belgium, Austria, Spain, Italy and France.

Pieter Schoeman leader

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. In 2017/18 we celebrate the 30th anniversary of our Education and Community department, whose work over three decades has introduced so many people of all ages to orchestral music and created opportunities for people of all backgrounds to fulfil their creative potential. Highlights include the BrightSparks schools’ concerts and FUNharmonics family concerts; the Young Composers Programme; and the Foyle Future Firsts orchestral training programme for outstanding young players. Its work at the forefront of digital engagement and social media has enabled the Orchestra to reach even more people worldwide: all its recordings are available to download from iTunes and, as well as 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/londonphilharmonicorchestra instagram.com/londonphilharmonicorchestra

Pieter Schoeman was appointed Leader of the London Philharmonic Orchestra in 2008, having previously been Co-Leader since 2002. © Benjamin Ealovega

The London Philharmonic Orchestra has recorded the soundtracks to numerous blockbuster films, from The Lord of the Rings trilogy to Lawrence of Arabia, East is East, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and Thor: The Dark World. It also broadcasts regularly on television and radio, and in 2005 established its own record label. There are now over 100 releases available on CD and to download. Recent additions include Dvořák’s Symphonies 6 & 7 conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin; Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 and Fidelio Overture conducted by Vladimir Jurowski; and Mozart and Rachmaninoff piano concertos performed by Aldo Ciccolini, again under Nézet-Séguin.

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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Vasily Petrenko conductor

[Petrenko’s] performance with the London Philharmonic was enthralling from start to finish.

The Guardian, 25 February 2016 (Tchaikovsky’s Manfred Symphony with the LPO at Royal Festival Hall)

Vasily Petrenko was born in 1976 and studied at the St Petersburg Conservatoire. Following success in a number of international conducting competitions, he was appointed Chief Conductor of the St Petersburg State Academic Symphony Orchestra from 2004–07. Vasily Petrenko is Chief Conductor of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra (appointed in 2013/14), Chief Conductor of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra (a position he adopted in 2009 as a continuation of his period as Principal Conductor, which commenced in 2006), Chief Conductor of the European Union Youth Orchestra (since 2015) and Principal Guest Conductor of the State Academic Symphony Orchestra of Russia (since 2016). He has also served as Principal Conductor of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain from 2009–13, and Principal Guest Conductor of the Mikhailovsky Theatre. In December 2017 Petrenko conducted the London Philharmonic Orchestra on a major tour of China. He has worked with many other prestigious orchestras including the Berlin Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Russian National Orchestra, Orchestre national de France, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Finnish Radio Symphony, NHK Symphony Tokyo and Sydney Symphony. He has appeared at the Edinburgh Festival with the Oslo Philharmonic, and the Grafenegg Festival with the European Union Youth Orchestra and the State Academic Symphony of Russia, and made frequent appearances at the BBC Proms. Recent years have seen a series of highly successful North American debuts including The Philadelphia Orchestra, The Cleveland Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the San Francisco, Boston, Chicago and Montreal symphony orchestras.

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Equally at home in the opera house, Petrenko made his debuts in 2010 at Glyndebourne Festival Opera (Macbeth) and the Opéra de Paris (Eugene Onegin), and in recent seasons has conducted The Queen of Spades at Hamburg State Opera; Boris Godunov at the National Reisopera; Eugene Onegin, La bohème and Carmen at the Mikhailovsky Theatre; Carmen and Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk at Zurich Opera; Tosca, Falstaff and Parsifal with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra; and The Flying Dutchman with the Oslo Philharmonic and at the Mikhailovsky Theatre. 2016 saw a highly successful debut at the Bayerische Staatsoper with Boris Godunov. Vasily Petrenko has established a strong profile as a recording artist. His Shostakovich symphony cycle with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra garnered worldwide acclaim, and 2016 saw the release of the complete Tchaikovsky symphonies. With the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra he has released the Shostakovich cello concertos with Truls Mørk, the Szymanowski violin concertos with Baiba Skride, and the first two instalments in a cycle of Scriabin symphonies, and in autumn 2016 Lawo Classics released Prokofiev’s complete ballet Romeo and Juliet. In 2017 Vasily Petrenko was named Artist of the Year at the annual Gramophone Awards (ten years after receiving the Young Artist of the Year Award), and in 2010 he won Male Artist of the Year at the Classical BRIT Awards. He is only the second person to have been awarded Honorary Doctorates by both the University of Liverpool and Liverpool Hope University, and an Honorary Fellowship of Liverpool John Moores University, awards that recognise the immense impact he has had on the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and the city’s cultural scene.

Albrecht Menzel violin

Albrecht Menzel charmed his audience with virtuoso sounds, breathtaking tempos and a rousing, lively interpretation.

Leipziger Volkszeitung (Mendelssohn Violin Concerto)

Winner of the Grand Prix and First Prize at the 2016 Toruń International Violin Competition in Poland, and a prizewinner at the 2015 Premio Paganini Competition in Genoa, Albrecht Menzel’s career has gained international recognition. Tonight’s concert is Albrecht’s debut with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. As a soloist he has played with, among others, the Munich Radio Orchestra, the Magdeburg Philharmonic, the North West German Philharmonic Orchestra, the Frankfurt Brandenburg State Orchestra, the Łódź Symphony Orchestra, the Polish Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra, the Silesian Philharmonic Katowice, the New Russian State Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestra del Carlo Felice in Genoa. Under the baton of Kurt Masur, Albrecht Menzel performed Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto with the Leipzig Symphony Orchestra at the 2011 Mendelssohn Festival. He has also appeared as a soloist together with Anne-Sophie Mutter at the Philharmonie Berlin, Philharmonie Luxembourg, Palau de la Música Barcelona and Aix-en-Provence Grand Theatre, and toured with her in the USA, Canada and Europe, giving concerts at New York’s Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center in Washington and the Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto.

Rheingau Music Festival, the International Eilat Music Festival in Israel, the Moscow Meets Friends Festival, Sommets Musicaux de Gstaad and the George Enescu Festival. As a chamber musician Albrecht has played with artists such as Gidon Kremer, Jan Vogler, Steven Isserlis, Julian Rachlin, Igor Levit, Nils Mönkemeyer and Julien Quentin. His album ‘Thoughts’, featuring The Last Rose and Erlkönig by Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst and sonatas by Schumann, was released in 2015 on the OehmsClassics label, in a production with Radio Berlin Brandenburg. Born in 1992, Albrecht Menzel began playing the violin aged four and made his solo debut aged 13 at the Dresden Music Festival. He was taught by the renowned violin professor Boris Kuschnir, and studied at the University of Vienna Conservatoire with Julian Rachlin. Albrecht has been honoured with scholarships from the Jürgen-Ponto Foundation Frankfurt, the EduardSöring-Prize and the Gerd-Bucerius-scholarship by the German Music Foundation Hamburg. He plays a violin by Antonio Stradivari (Cremona 1709), on loan from the German Music Foundation Hamburg.

Albrecht Menzel has appeared at the Elbphilharmonie and Laeiszhalle in Hamburg, the Prinzregententheater and Gasteig in Munich, the House of Music in Moscow, the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa and the Vienna Musikverein, and has been invited to international festivals including the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival, the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, the

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Programme notes

Speedread Acts of storytelling characterise much of the music by the three composers on tonight’s programme. It was in 1827, when Berlioz saw his future wife as Ophelia in Hamlet, that his obsession with Shakespeare began. But it took another 30 years – and the failure of that first marriage – for the composer to begin his vivacious adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing. Filled with the heat of Italy and typified by a wonderful lightness of touch, the result was Béatrice et Bénédict, the Overture of which opens tonight’s concert. Like Berlioz, Tchaikovsky was fond of both Shakespeare and Italy. Indeed, the beguiling melodies of Florentine street entertainers provided

Hector Berlioz

the inspiration for the tuneful first movement of his Violin Concerto, begun in 1878. Exiled from Russia, Tchaikovsky also filled the work with homesick longing, finding voice in the Concerto’s melancholy Canzonetta and then bursting forth with patriotic pride in its virtuoso Finale. Tchaikovsky’s compatriot Rimsky-Korsakov was equally adept at telling stories in musical form. That was no more apparent than in his 1888 orchestral evocation of Scheherazade, the great raconteur at the heart of One Thousand and One Nights, who saves her life with her tales of princes, princesses and stormy seascapes.

Overture, Béatrice et Bénédict

1803–69

Berlioz’s obsession with Shakespeare began in 1827, when he saw a production of Hamlet at the Odéon Theatre in Paris. As well as the text and Charles Kemble’s appearance in the title role, Berlioz was particularly captured by Harriet Smithson, who was playing the role of Ophelia. ‘The impression made on my heart and mind by her extraordinary talent’, he later wrote, ‘was equalled only by the havoc wrought in me by the poet she so nobly interpreted.’ Shakespeare and Smithson were to be completely intertwined in Berlioz’s emotional and intellectual life. He eventually married Smithson, until an affair with Marie Recio, a singer at the Opéra, brought the union to an end. But the relationship with Shakespeare continued throughout Berlioz’s life. He appended a passage from Macbeth to his famous Mémoires and was frequently inspired by the great man’s dramas, 8 | London Philharmonic Orchestra

including King Lear, Romeo and Juliet, The Tempest and Hamlet. His only Shakespearean opera, however, was Béatrice et Bénédict, whose self-penned libretto draws on Much Ado About Nothing. Berlioz had originally planned to write the opera in 1833, shortly after returning from Italy (where the tragi-comedy is set). It was only in 1860, however, that he began work in earnest. The opéra comique, described by Berlioz as ‘a caprice written with the point of a needle’, opens with a vivacious Overture, alluding to several passages from the score. Most prominent is the lilting, if somewhat pointed, theme that eventually accompanies the two title characters as they cease years of fighting and declare their love.

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky 1840–93

1877 was a disastrous year for Tchaikovsky. He had made the misguided decision to marry Antonina Milyukova. The idea of marriage had been brewing for a while. As Tchaikovsky’s fame grew, the balance between his public and private life was becoming more precarious. A suitable union might have quelled gossip about his homosexuality, but the marriage failed within just two months and the rumours began afresh. Tchaikovsky absconded to Berlin and from there to Geneva and, finally, Clarens. But he found the Swiss mountains stifling and hungered for Russia. Realising that a return home might be premature, he then spent time in Italy, where his opera Eugene Onegin and the Fourth Symphony were both completed. This Italian sojourn may have been successful, but it was also costly, so in March 1878 Tchaikovsky decided to return to the cheaper resort of Clarens, on the banks of Lake Geneva. Unlike the previous year, he was able to work there, beginning a grand, if somewhat pedestrian, Piano Sonata. More immediate were the pleasures afforded by the arrival of violinist Iosif Kotek. Armed with a supply of new music from Berlin, Kotek introduced Tchaikovsky to Édouard Lalo’s Symphonie espagnole, a carefree work that struck a significant chord, as did the company of the 22-year-old Kotek (with whom the composer may or may not have had a relationship).

Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35 Albrecht Menzel violin 1 Allegro moderato 2 Canzonetta: Andante 3 Finale: Allegro vivacissimo

Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto was the product of those happy days. Having abandoned the Piano Sonata, Tchaikovsky wrote the first movement of the Concerto in five days, with the Finale completed in just three. Two different slow movements were composed at the time. The composer had misgivings about his first attempt, so replaced it with a second, composed in 24 hours, while preserving the original as the first of three pieces published under the evocative title of Souvenir d’un lieu cher (‘Memory of a dear place’). Cherished memories likewise pervade the completed Concerto. Its melodies were doubtless inspired by the teenage folk singers Tchaikovsky had heard during his stay in Florence the previous year, and the first movement is built around three generous themes. The first is quietly confident, becoming emboldened with a series of double-stopped chords. These pave the way for a second, showier theme, before Tchaikovsky’s symptomatically melancholy streak comes to the fore in the third. A confident mood eventually wins through, but the ensuing Canzonetta returns us to the pensive vein of that third theme. Tchaikovsky’s homesickness is palpable. For all the joy of Kotek’s company – to say nothing of his assistance in creating the violin part – only Russia could offer Tchaikovsky the comfort he craved. But the last movement turns that lingering sadness into joy. Miles from home, Tchaikovsky’s music conjures the folkloristic colour of Russia, with its peasant drones and bravura violin part, full of giddy joy. In April 1878, just a month after he completed the Violin Concerto, the composer returned home.

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

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Programme notes continued

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov 1844–1908

Orientalism was big business during the final decades of the 19th century. World fairs introduced new clothes and customs to culturally voracious Westerners and, as shipping lines opened – not least the Suez Canal in 1869 – access increased. The Russians had their own intoxicating brand of Orientalism, though even they admitted that an empire straddling both Europe and Asia could not entirely consider the Middle and Far East as ‘other’. Nonetheless, there are numerous examples of exotic tropes in their music, such as Borodin’s In Central Asia, the Arabian Dance in Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker, and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade. Drawing on One Thousand and One Nights, the collection of West and South Asian folk tales compiled in Arabic during the Middle Ages, this symphonic poem was composed in 1888, shortly after Rimsky-Korsakov had finished work on the completion and orchestration of Borodin’s mammoth Prince Igor. Rimsky-Korsakov decided that his new work, Scheherazade, would recall, rather than refer directly to, events from One Thousand and One Nights. ‘All I desired’, he wrote in his autobiography, ‘was that the hearer, if he liked my piece as symphonic music, should carry away the impression that it is beyond doubt an Oriental narrative of some numerous and varied fairy-tale wonders and not merely four pieces played one after the other and composed on the basis of themes common to all the four movements’. The work begins with a fanfare, describing Sultan Schariar. Rimsky-Korsakov wrote that the Sultan ‘vowed to put to death each of his wives after the first nuptial night. But the Sultana Scheherazade saved her life by entertaining her lord with fascinating tales.’ After a passage indebted to Mendelssohn’s music for A Midsummer Night’s Dream, we hear Scheherazade’s own beguiling motif, played by a solo violin and 10 | London Philharmonic Orchestra

Scheherazade, Op. 35 1 2 3 4

The Sea and Sinbad’s Ship The Tale of the Kalender Prince The Young Prince and the Young Princess Festival in Baghdad; The Sea; The Ship goes to pieces on a rock surmounted by a Bronze Warrior; Conclusion

harp. There follows a steady but sweeping barcarolle, describing the sea and Sinbad’s ship. Its melody, full of chromatic inflections, develops freely over the course of the ensuing sections, in which Scheherazade’s storytelling theme is also prominent. The second movement brings with it another story, introduced once more by the Sultana. She recites the tale of a young prince who dresses up as a wandering pauper, enduring hardships in his search for wisdom. Various instruments pick up his travelling tune before they are interrupted by more ominous forces (with premonitions of the evil Kashchei in Stravinsky’s The Firebird). The third movement, on the other hand, is a heartfelt romance, evoking a prince, represented by a string melody, and his love for a princess, who is described in the dancing middle section. Although the two are initially separated, they eventually come together, as the movement closes contentedly with both themes. As in many four-part symphonies, the finale offers a grand summation of the preceding movements. Particularly prominent is the juxtaposition of the Sultan’s booming bass motif and Scheherazade’s storytelling theme. To save her life, she offers a dazzling conflation of three episodes from One Thousand and One Nights, featuring the humming bazaars of Baghdad and a particularly violent seascape. Ultimately, Scheherazade’s charms overwhelm the Sultan’s murderous intentions and the work closes with her theme and a final iteration of the Mendelssohn-like chords. Programme notes © Gavin Plumley

Final LPO concert this season at Brighton Dome Concert Hall

Saturday 14 April 2018 7.30pm Discover Rachmaninoff’s Hollywood in the chrome-plated dazzle of his gorgeous Third Symphony. Stravinsky Jeu de cartes Tchaikovsky Rococo Variations Rachmaninoff Symphony No. 3* John Storgårds conductor Stéphane Tétreault cello * In co-operation with the Serge Rachmaninoff Foundation.

Book now at brightondome.org or call 01273 709709

Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto on the LPO Label Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35 Lalo Symphonie espagnole, for violin and orchestra, Op. 21 Augustin Hadelich violin Vasily Petrenko conductor (Tchaikovsky) Omer Meir Wellber conductor (Lalo) London Philharmonic Orchestra LPO-0094 | £9.99

‘One of the finest accounts’ MusicWeb International, April 2017 Available from lpo.org.uk/recordings, the LPO Ticket Office (020 7840 4242) and all good CD outlets. Download or stream online via iTunes, Spotify, Amazon and others.

London Philharmonic Orchestra | 11

2017/18 annual appeal

Sharing the Wonder 30 years of music for all

For 30 years we have taken ourselves off the concert platform and out into the world around us, driven by the desire to share the power and wonder of orchestral music with everyone. We strive to create stories and experiences that others will call their own. From planting the seed in those who have never heard orchestral music to reawakening others to joys they may have forgotten. We work to awaken passions, develop talent and nurture ability. Help us celebrate this 30th year of the London Philharmonic Orchestra’s Education and Community Programme by giving to our Appeal. Your gift will support us as we invest in the creation of future experiences. Together we can unlock discoveries not only in musical abilities, but also in confidence, creativity and self-belief; helping create stories of change and journeys of progression.

£30

will contribute to our work, wherever we need it most

£50

will hire a venue for a 30-minute mentor session for an LPO Junior Artist

£85

will hire a set of 30 chime bars for Creative Classrooms

£120

will pay for a class of 30 children to attend a subsidised BrightSparks concert

£300

will pay for 30 teacher resource packs, used prior to attending a BrightSparks concert

£500

will pay for 30 teachers to attend a musical INSET training day

Read some of the stories so far, find out more and donate to help share the wonder

lpo.org.uk/appeal

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

Tom & Phillis Sharpe The Viney Family

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

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

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Thank you

We are extremely grateful to all donors who have given generously to the LPO over the past year. Your generosity helps maintain the breadth and depth of the LPO’s activities, as well as supporting the Orchestra both on and off the concert platform.

Artistic Director’s Circle An anonymous donor Victoria Robey OBE Orchestra Circle The Tsukanov Family Principal Associates An anonymous donor The Candide Trust In memory of Miss Ann Marguerite Collins Alexander & Elena Djaparidze Mr & Mrs Philip Kan Mr & Mrs Makharinsky Sergey Sarkisov & Rusiko Makhashvili Julian & Gill Simmonds Neil Westreich Dr James Huang Zheng (of Kingdom Music Education Group) Associates Steven M. Berzin Gabor Beyer Kay Bryan William & Alex de Winton Virginia Gabbertas Hsiu Ling Lu Oleg & Natalya Pukhov George Ramishvili Sir Simon Robey Stuart & Bianca Roden Gold Patrons Evzen & Lucia Balko David & Yi Buckley Garf & Gill Collins Andrew Davenport Sonja Drexler Mrs Gillian Fane Marie-Laure Favre Gilly de Varennes de Bueil Hamish & Sophie Forsyth Sally Groves & Dennis Marks The Jeniffer & Jonathan Harris Charitable Trust

John & Angela Kessler Vadim & Natalia Levin Countess Dominique Loredan Geoff & Meg Mann Tom & Phillis Sharpe Eric Tomsett The Viney Family Laurence Watt Guy & Utti Whittaker Silver Patrons Michael Allen Mrs Irina Gofman David Goldberg Mr Gavin Graham Mr Roger Greenwood Pehr G Gyllenhammar Catherine Høgel & Ben Mardle Matt Isaacs & Penny Jerram Rose & Dudley Leigh Mrs Elizabeth Meshkvicheva The Metherell Family Mikhail Noskov & Vasilina Bindley Jacopo Pessina Brian & Elizabeth Taylor Bronze Patrons Anonymous donors Dr Christopher Aldren Mrs Margot Astrachan Mrs A Beare Richard & Jo Brass Peter & Adrienne Breen Mr Jeremy Bull Mr Alan C Butler Richard Buxton John Childress & Christiane Wuillaimie Mr Geoffrey A Collens Mr John H Cook Bruno De Kegel Georgy Djaparidze David Ellen Ulrike & Benno Engelmann Ignor & Lyuba Galkin Mr Daniel Goldstein Mrs Dorothy Hambleton

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Martin & Katherine Hattrell Wim & Jackie Hautekiet-Clare Michael & Christine Henry J Douglas Home Mr Glenn Hurstfield Elena Lileeva & Adrian Pabst Drs Frank & Gek Lim Peter MacDonald Eggers Isabelle & Adrian Mee Maxim & Natalia Moskalev Mr & Mrs Andrew Neill Peter & Lucy Noble Noel Otley JP & Mrs Rachel Davies Roderick & Maria Peacock Mr Roger Phillimore Mr Michael Posen Sir Bernard Rix Mr Robert Ross Dr Eva Lotta & Mr Thierry Sciard Barry & Gillian Smith Anna Smorodskaya Lady Valerie Solti Mr & Mrs G Stein Mr Christopher Stewart Mrs Anne Storm Sergei & Elena Sudakov Mr & Mrs John C Tucker Mr & Mrs John & Susi Underwood Marina Vaizey Grenville & Krysia Williams Mr Anthony Yolland Principal Supporters An anonymous donor Ralph & Elizabeth Aldwinckle Roger & Clare Barron Mr Geoffrey Bateman David & Patricia Buck Dr Anthony Buckland Desmond & Ruth Cecil Mr & Mrs Stewart Cohen David & Liz Conway Mr Alistair Corbett Mr Peter Cullum CBE Mr Timonthy Fancourt QC Mr Richard Fernyhough

Mr Derek B. Gray Malcolm Herring Ivan Hurry Per Jonsson Mr Raphaël Kanzas Rehmet Kassim-Lakha de Morixe Mr Colm Kelleher Peter Kerkar Mr Gerald Levin Wg. Cdr. & Mrs M T Liddiard OBE JP RAF Paul & Brigitta Lock Mr John Long Mr Peter Mace Brendan & Karen McManus Kristina McPhee Andrew T Mills Randall & Maria Moore Dr Karen Morton Olga Pavlova Dr Wiebke Pekrull Mr James Pickford Andrew & Sarah Poppleton Tatiana Pyatigorskaya Mr Christopher Querée Martin & Cheryl Southgate Matthew Stephenson & Roman Aristarkhov Andrew & Rosemary Tusa Anastasia Vvedenskaya Howard & Sheelagh Watson Des & Maggie Whitelock Holly Wilkes Christopher Williams Mr C D Yates Bill Yoe Supporters Anonymous donors Mr John D Barnard Mrs Alan Carrington Miss Siobhan Cervin Gus Christie Alison Clarke & Leo Pilkington Mr Joshua Coger Timothy Colyer Miss Tessa Cowie Lady Jane Cuckney DBE

Mr David Devons Cameron & Kathryn Doley Stephen & Barbara Dorgan Mr Nigel Dyer Sabina Fatkullina Mrs Janet Flynn Christopher Fraser OBE The Jackman Family Mrs Irina Tsarenkov Mr David MacFarlane Mr John Meloy Mr Stephen Olton Robin Partington Mr David Peters Mr Ivan Powell Mr & Mrs Graham & Jean Pugh Mr David Russell Mr Kenneth Shaw Ms Natalie Spraggon Michael & Katie Urmston Damien & Tina Vanderwilt Timothy Walker AM Mr John Weekes Hon. Benefactor Elliott Bernerd Hon. Life Members Alfonso Aijón Kenneth Goode Carol Colburn Grigor CBE Pehr G Gyllenhammar Robert Hill Mrs Jackie Rosenfeld OBE Laurence Watt LPO International Board of Governors Natasha Tsukanova Chair Steven M. Berzin (USA) Gabor Beyer (Hungary) Kay Bryan (Australia) Marie-Laure Favre Gilly de Varennes de Bueil (France) Joyce Kan (China/Hong Kong) Hsiu Ling Lu (China/Shanghai) Olivia Ma (Greater China Area)

Olga Makharinsky (Russia) George Ramishvili (Georgia) Victoria Robey OBE (USA) Dr James Huang Zheng (of Kingdom Music Education Group) (China/ Shenzhen) We are grateful to the Board of the American Friends of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, who assist with fundraising for our activities in the United States of America: William A. Kerr Chairman Xenia Hanusiak Alexandra Jupin Kristina McPhee David Oxenstierna Natalie Pray Stephanie Yoshida Anthony Phillipson Hon. Chairman Noel Kilkenny Hon. Director Victoria Robey OBE Hon. Director Richard Gee, Esq Of Counsel Jenifer L. Keiser, CPA, EisnerAmper LLP Corporate Donors Arcadis Bonhams Christian Dior Couture Faraday Fenchurch Advisory Partners Giberg Goldman Sachs Pictet Bank White & Case LLP

Corporate Members Gold freuds Sunshine Silver After Digital Berenberg Carter-Ruck French Chamber of Commerce Bronze Accenture Ageas Lazard Russo-British Chamber of Commerce Willis Towers Watson Preferred Partners Fever-Tree Heineken Lindt & Sprüngli Ltd London Orthopaedic Clinic Sipsmith Steinway Villa Maria In-kind Sponsor Google Inc Trusts and Foundations The Boltini Trust Sir William Boreman’s Foundation Borletti-Buitoni Trust Boshier-Hinton Foundation The Candide Trust The Ernest Cook Trust Diaphonique, Franco-British Fund for contemporary music The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust Dunard Fund The Foyle Foundation Lucille Graham Trust Help Musicians UK

John Horniman’s Children’s Trust The Idlewild Trust Embassy of the State of Israel to the United Kingdom Kirby Laing Foundation The Lawson Trust The Leverhulme Trust Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation London Stock Exchange Group Foundation Lord & Lady Lurgan Trust Marsh Christian Trust The Mercers’ Company Adam Mickiewicz Institute Newcomen Collett Foundation The Stanley Picker Trust The Austin & Hope Pilkington Trust PRS For Music Foundation Rivers Foundation Romanian Cultural Institute The R K Charitable Trust The Sampimon Trust Schroder Charity Trust Serge Rachmaninoff Foundation Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation The David Solomons Charitable Trust Souter Charitable Trust The Steel Charitable Trust Spears-Stutz Charitable Trust The John Thaw Foundation The Thistle Trust UK Friends of the FelixMendelssohn-BartholdyFoundation Garfield Weston Foundation The Barbara Whatmore Charitable Trust The William Alwyn Foundation and all others who wish to remain anonymous.

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Administration

Board of Directors Victoria Robey OBE Chairman Stewart McIlwham* President Gareth Newman* Vice-President Henry Baldwin* Roger Barron Richard Brass David Buckley Bruno De Kegel Al MacCuish Susanne Martens* George Peniston* Natasha Tsukanova Mark Vines* Timothy Walker AM Neil Westreich David Whitehouse* * Player-Director Advisory Council Martin Höhmann Chairman Rob Adediran Christopher Aldren Dr Manon Antoniazzi Richard Brass Desmond Cecil CMG Sir Alan Collins KCVO CMG Andrew Davenport William de Winton Cameron Doley Edward Dolman Christopher Fraser OBE Lord Hall of Birkenhead CBE Jonathan Harris CBE FRICS Amanda Hill Dr Catherine C. Høgel Rehmet Kassim-Lakha Jamie Korner Geoff Mann Clive Marks OBE FCA Stewart McIlwham Nadya Powell Sir Bernard Rix Victoria Robey OBE Baroness Shackleton Thomas Sharpe QC Julian Simmonds Barry Smith Martin Southgate Andrew Swarbrick Sir John Tooley Chris Viney Timothy Walker AM Laurence Watt Elizabeth Winter

General Administration Timothy Walker AM Chief Executive and Artistic Director

Education and Community Isabella Kernot Education and Community Director

Public Relations Albion Media (Tel: 020 3077 4930)

David Burke General Manager and Finance Director

Talia Lash Education and Community Project Manager