2021/22 concert season at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall
Concert programme
Principal Conductor Edward Gardner supported by Aud Jebsen Principal Guest Conductor Karina Canellakis Conductor Emeritus Vladimir Jurowski Patron HRH The Duke of Kent KG Artistic Director Elena Dubinets Chief Executive David Burke Leader Pieter Schoeman supported by Neil Westreich
Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall Saturday 26 February 2022 | 7.30pm
From Russia with Love Prokofiev Violin Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 63 (26’) Interval (20’) Rachmaninoff Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27 (54’) Klaus Mäkelä conductor Daniel Lozakovich violin
The timings shown are not precise and are given only as a guide. CONCERT PRESENTED BY THE LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
Contents 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 11 12 13 14 16
Welcome LPO news On stage tonight London Philharmonic Orchestra Leader: Pieter Schoeman Klaus Mäkelä Daniel Lozakovich Programme notes New on the LPO Label: Jessye Norman sings Strauss Recommended recordings Next concerts Sound Futures donors Thank you LPO administration
London Philharmonic Orchestra • 26 February 2022 • From Russia with Love
Welcome to the Southbank Centre
LPO news
We hope you enjoy your visit. We have a Duty Manager available at all times. If you need any information or help, please ask a member of staff.
New on the LPO Label: Jessye Norman sings Strauss
Eating, drinking and shopping? Take in the views over food and drinks at the Riverside Terrace Cafe, Level 2, Royal Festival Hall. Visit our shops for products inspired by our great cultural experiences, iconic buildings and central London location.
The latest release on our LPO Label is an album of works by Richard Strauss featuring the late Jessye Norman. Conducted by Klaus Tennstedt at the Royal Festival Hall in 1986, this live recording captured the extraordinary soprano in the prime of her career. It features five of Strauss’s songs and the Dance of the Seven Veils and Closing Scene from Salome, as well as the orchestral suite Le bourgeois Gentilhomme.
Explore across the site with Beany Green, Côte Brasserie, Foyles, Giraffe, Honest Burger, Las Iguanas, Le Pain Quotidien, Ping Pong, Pret, Strada, Skylon, Spiritland, wagamama and Wahaca. If you would like to get in touch with us following your visit, please write to: Visitor Contact Team, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London SE1 8XX, or email hello@southbankcentre.co.uk
The album is available now to stream or download, or to purchase on CD from all good retailers.
We look forward to seeing you again soon. A few points to note for your comfort and enjoyment:
LPO Young Composers 2022/23: Applications now open
Photography is not allowed in the auditorium. Latecomers will only be admitted to the auditorium if there is a suitable break in the performance.
The LPO Young Composers programme aims to find and support the progression of talented orchestral composers, offering a platform to develop their orchestral compositional voice and wider music industry knowledge. Working under the mentorship of the LPO’s Composer-in-Residence (currently Brett Dean), the Young Composers spend a season with the LPO, each creating a new work for chamber orchestra that is performed by Foyle Future First musicians and LPO players at a showcase concert.
Recording is not permitted in the auditorium without the prior consent of the Southbank Centre. The Southbank Centre reserves the right to confiscate video or sound equipment and hold it in safekeeping until the performance has ended. Mobiles and watches should be switched off before the performance begins.
The deadline to apply for the 2022/23 programme is 11.59pm on Friday 11 March 2022. To be eligible to apply, composers need to:
• • • • •
Be over 18 years of age and not in full-time education Compose at postgraduate level or beyond, or at an equivalent standard Be based in the UK, able to attend London-based dates on the scheme (c.10–12 dates over the year) and have the time to dedicate to the opportunity Be unpublished by a major publisher Have not had a work performed by a professional symphonic orchestra in concert (unless as part of an emerging composer programme or scheme).
For more information visit lpo.org.uk/youngcomposers
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London Philharmonic Orchestra • 26 February 2022 • From Russia with Love
On stage tonight First Violins
Pieter Schoeman* Leader Chair supported by Neil Westreich
Kate Oswin
Chair supported by Friends of the Orchestra
Lasma Taimina
Chair supported by Irina Gofman & Mr Rodrik V. G. Cave
Morane Cohen-Lamberger Catherine Craig Nilufar Alimaksumova Katalin Varnagy Chair supported by Sonja Drexler
Sophie Phillips Thomas Eisner Yang Zhang
Chair supported by Eric Tomsett
Martin Höhmann
Chair supported by Chris Aldren
Jeff Moore Cassi Hamilton Katherine Waller Ruth Schulten John Dickinson
Second Violins
Tania Mazzetti Principal Chair supported by Countess Dominique Loredan
Emma Oldfield Helena Smart Fiona Higham
Chair supported by David & Yi Buckley
Kate Birchall Ashley Stevens Nancy Elan Sioni Williams Nynke Hijlkema Sarah Thornett Kate Cole Jamie Hutchinson Georgina Leo Claudia Tarrant-Matthews
Violas
Flutes
David Quiggle Principal Richard Waters Co-Principal
Charlotte Ashton Guest Principal
Hannah Grayson Stewart McIlwham*
Chair supported by Caroline, Jamie & Zander Sharp
Ting-Ru Lai Laura Vallejo Katharine Leek Naomi Hoult Daniel Cornford Jennifer Coombes Raquel Bolivar Shiry Rashkovsky Kim Becker Julia Kornig
Piccolo
Stewart McIlwham* Principal
Oboes
Ian Hardwick* Principal Alice Munday Sue Böhling*
Cellos
Cor Anglais
Chair supported by Bianca & Stuart Roden
Chair supported by Dr Barry Grimaldi
Kristina Blaumane Principal
Sue Böhling* Principal
Pei-Jee Ng Co-Principal
Clarinets
Chair supported by The Candide Trust
Benjamin Mellefont Principal Thomas Watmough
Francis Bucknall Gregory Walmsley Laura Donoghue David Lale Tom Roff Helen Thomas George Hoult Sibylle Hentschel
Gareth Newman
Horns
Diego Incertis Sánchez Guest Principal
Martin Hobbs Duncan Fuller Gareth Mollison Oliver Johnson
Chair supported by William & Alex de Winton
Laura Murphy Charlotte Kerbegian Sam Rice Cathy Colwell Catherine Ricketts
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Chair supported by William & Alex de Winton
David Whitehouse
Bass Trombone
Lyndon Meredith Principal
Tuba
Lee Tsarmaklis* Principal
Timpani
Simon Carrington* Principal Chair supported by Victoria Robey OBE
Chair supported by Gill & Garf Collins
Chair supported by Sir Simon Robey
Co-Principal
Mark Templeton* Principal
Bass Clarinet
Jonathan Davies Principal
Hugh Kluger George Peniston Tom Walley
Trombones
Percussion
Bassoons
Kevin Rundell* Principal Sebastian Pennar
Paul Beniston* Principal Anne McAneney* Tom Nielsen
Chair supported by Roger Greenwood
Paul Richards* Principal
Double Basses
Trumpets
Andrew Barclay* Principal Keith Millar Tom Edwards Karen Hutt
* Holds a professorial appointment in London
London Philharmonic Orchestra • 26 February 2022 • From Russia with Love
© Mark Allan
London Philharmonic Orchestra
One of the finest orchestras on the international stage, the London Philharmonic Orchestra balances a long and distinguished history with its reputation as one of the UK’s most forward-looking ensembles. As well as its concert performances, the Orchestra also records film soundtracks, releases CDs and downloads on its own label, and reaches thousands of people every year through activities for families, schools and local communities.
the Orchestra takes up its annual residency at Glyndebourne Festival Opera, 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. The London Philharmonic Orchestra has recorded many blockbuster film scores, 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 highlights include Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 11 and Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 under Vladimir Jurowski; a commemorative box set of historic recordings with former Principal Conductor Sir Adrian Boult; and works by Richard Strauss under Klaus Tennstedt, featuring soprano Jessye Norman.
The Orchestra was founded by Sir Thomas Beecham in 1932, and has since been headed by many great conductors including Sir Adrian Boult, Bernard Haitink, Sir Georg Solti, Klaus Tennstedt and Kurt Masur. In September 2021 Edward Gardner became the Orchestra’s Principal Conductor, succeeding Vladimir Jurowski, who became Conductor Emeritus in recognition of his transformative impact on the Orchestra as Principal Conductor from 2007–21. Karina Canellakis is the Orchestra’s current Principal Guest Conductor and Brett Dean is the Orchestra’s current Composer-in-Residence.
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 Orchestra is resident at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall in London, where it gives around 40 concerts each season. It also enjoys flourishing residencies in Brighton, Eastbourne and Saffron Walden, and performs regularly around the UK. Each summer
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London Philharmonic Orchestra • 26 February 2022 • From Russia with Love
Pieter Schoeman
The London Philharmonic Orchestra is committed to inspiring the next generation of musicians, and recently celebrated the 30th anniversary of its 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. Its dynamic and wide-ranging programme provides first musical experiences for children and families; offers creative projects and professional development opportunities for schools and teachers; inspires talented teenage instrumentalists to progress their skills; and develops the next generation of professional musicians. The Orchestra’s work at the forefront of digital technology has enabled it to reach millions of people worldwide. Over the pandemic period the LPO further developed its relationship with UK and international audiences through its ‘LPOnline’ digital content: over 100 videos of performances, insights, and introductions to playlists, which collectively received over 3 million views worldwide and led to the LPO being named runner-up in the Digital Classical Music Awards 2020. From Autumn 2020 the Orchestra was delighted to be able to return to its Southbank Centre home to perform a season of concerts filmed live and streamed free of charge via Marquee TV.
© Benjamin Ealovega
Leader
Pieter Schoeman was appointed Leader of the London Philharmonic Orchestra in 2008, having previously been Co-Leader since 2002. He is also a Professor of Violin at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music & Dance. Pieter has performed worldwide as a soloist and recitalist in such famous halls as the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Moscow’s Rachmaninov Hall, Capella Hall in St Petersburg, Staatsbibliothek in Berlin, Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles and London’s Royal Festival Hall. As a chamber musician he regularly appears at London’s prestigious Wigmore Hall. His chamber music partners have included Anne-Sophie Mutter, Veronika Eberle, Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Boris Garlitsky, JeanGuihen Queyras, Yannick Nézet-Séguin and Martin Helmchen.
September 2021 saw the opening of a new live concert season at the Royal Festival Hall, featuring many of the world’s leading musicians including Sheku KannehMason, Klaus Mäkelä, Renée Fleming, Bryn Terfel and this season’s Artist-in-Residence, Julia Fischer. The Orchestra is delighted to be continuing to offer digital streams to selected concerts throughout the season through its ongoing partnership with Intersection and Marquee TV.
Pieter has performed numerous times as a soloist with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Highlights have included an appearance as both conductor and soloist in Vivaldi’s Four Seasons at the Royal Festival Hall, the Brahms Double Concerto with Kristina Blaumane, and the Britten Double Concerto with Alexander Zemtsov, which was recorded and released on the LPO Label to great critical acclaim.
lpo.org.uk
Pieter has appeared as Guest Leader with the BBC, Barcelona, Bordeaux, Lyon and Baltimore symphony orchestras, and the Rotterdam and BBC Philharmonic orchestras. Pieter’s chair in the LPO is generously supported by Neil Westreich.
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London Philharmonic Orchestra • 26 February 2022 • From Russia with Love
Klaus Mäkelä conductor
the Hamburg Elbphilharmonie, and will tour to the UK and France.
© Marco Borggreve
With the Orchestre de Paris, Klaus Mäkelä performed at the 2021 summer festivals of Granada and Aix-enProvence. For his first concert in the 2021/22 season he conducted a new work by Unsuk Chin entitled Spira, Strauss’s Four Songs, Op. 27, with soloist Lise Davidsen, and Mahler’s Symphony No. 1. His first season as Music Director also features the music of Ligeti and Dutilleux alongside Biber, Mozart, Mendelssohn, Brahms, Rachmaninoff and Stravinsky. In the 2021/22 season Klaus appears as a Portrait Artist at the Vienna Konzerthaus, conducting the Vienna Symphony and Oslo Philharmonic orchestras, and playing cello in chamber music. He also guest conducts the Cleveland Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and Munich Philharmonic. Last season he appeared with the Concertgebouworkest, Munich Philharmonic, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, NDR Elbphilharmonie, Orchestra del Maggio Musicale, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and Tapiola Sinfonietta. As Artist-in-Residence at Spain’s Granada Festival he conducted the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Orquesta Ciudad de Granada and Orchestre de Paris. At the Verbier Festival he conducted, and played cello in a chamber music programme.
Klaus Mäkelä is Chief Conductor and Artistic Advisor of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra and Music Director of the Orchestre de Paris. He is also Principal Guest Conductor of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and Artistic Director of the Turku Music Festival. An exclusive Decca Classics artist, he has recorded Sibelius’s complete symphonies with the Oslo Philharmonic as his first project for the label, to be released in 2022. Klaus Mäkelä made his debut with the London Philharmonic Orchestra earlier this season, when in November 2021 he conducted the Orchestra in a programme of Messiaen, Debussy and Saint-Saëns with cellist Truls Mørk. He returned to the Royal Festival Hall on 23 February 2022 to conduct the Orchestra in Strauss’s Also sprach Zarathustra and Javier Perianes premiering a new Piano Concerto by Jimmy López.
Klaus Mäkelä studied conducting at the Sibelius Academy with Jorma Panula and cello with Marko Ylönen, Timo Hanhinen and Hannu Kiiski. As a cellist he has performed with several Finnish orchestras and as a chamber musician with members of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France.
Klaus Mäkelä launched the Oslo Philharmonic’s 2021/22 season in August with a special concert featuring Kaija Saariaho’s Asteroid 4179: Toutatis, Strauss’s Also sprach Zarathustra, two new works by Norwegian composer Mette Henriette, and Sibelius’s Lemminkäinen. A similarly wide range of repertoire is presented throughout his second season in Oslo, including major choral works by Bach, Mozart and Walton, Mahler’s Symphony No. 3, and Shostakovich’s Symphonies Nos. 10 and 14 with soloists Mika Kares and Asmik Grigorian. Recent and new works include compositions by Sally Beamish, Unsuk Chin, Jimmy Lopez, Andrew Norman and Kaija Saariaho. In spring 2022 Klaus Mäkelä and the Oslo Philharmonic will perform the complete Sibelius symphony cycle at the Wiener Konzerthaus and
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London Philharmonic Orchestra • 26 February 2022 • From Russia with Love
Daniel Lozakovich violin
the WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln; and the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra. © Johan Sandberg/Deutsche Grammophon
A highly sought-after recitalist, having performed in some of the world’s most prestigious venues, Daniel Lozakovich has appeared at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, the Fondation Louis Vuitton, the Tonhalle Zürich, the Victoria Hall Geneva, the Conservatorio G. Verdi Milan and the Mariinsky Theatre. On tour he has appeared at the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, the Amsterdam Concertgebouw and the Vienna Konzerthaus. He is also a regular guest at international music festivals including the Verbier Festival, Sommets Musicaux de Gstaad, the Rotterdam Festival, White Nights Festival of St Petersburg, Moscow Easter Festival, Tsinandali Festival, Aix-enProvence Easter Festival, Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, Tanglewood Music Festival, Blossom Music Festival and the Pacific Music Festival.
Daniel Lozakovich was born in Stockholm in 2001 and began playing the violin aged six, making his solo debut just two years later with the Moscow Virtuosi and Vladimir Spivakov. Daniel now regularly performs with such orchestras as the Orchestre National de France, Orchestre de Paris, Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, RAI National Symphony Orchestra, Gulbenkian Orchestra and Munich Philharmonic. He collaborates with the world’s most eminent conductors including Semyon Bychkov, Christoph Eschenbach, Valery Gergiev, Neeme Järvi, Cristian Măcelaru, Klaus Mäkelä, Andris Nelsons, Vasily Petrenko, Lahav Shani, Tugan Sokhiev, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Nathalie Stutzmann, Krzysztof Urbański and Lorenzo Viotti. Tonight’s concert is his debut with the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
Aged 15, Daniel Lozakovich signed an exclusive recording contract with Deutsche Grammophon, and in 2018 released his debut album of Bach’s violin concertos and the solo Partita No. 2. The album reached number 1 in the music category of the French Amazon charts and the classical album charts in Germany. His second album, None but the Lonely Heart, was released in 2019. Dedicated to Tchaikovsky, it includes the Violin Concerto, and was recorded live with the National Philharmonic of Russia and Spivakov. Daniel’s third album, released in 2020, centres on Beethoven’s Violin Concerto. It was recorded live with the Munich Philharmonic, together with Lozakovich’s close artist partner and the orchestra’s Chief Conductor, Valery Gergiev, and released as an audio album and e-video in the Beethoven 250th anniversary year. Daniel Lozakovich has been awarded many prizes including First Prize at the 2016 Vladimir Spivakov International Violin Competition, the Young Artist of the Year Award at the 2017 Festival of Nations, the Premio Batuta Award in Mexico, and the Excelentia Prize under the honorary presidency of Queen Sofia of Spain. He studied at the Hochschule für Musik in Karlsruhe with Professor Josef Rissin from 2012, and from 2015 has been mentored by Eduard Wulfson in Geneva.
Recent highlights include a return invitation to the Boston Symphony Orchestra with Andris Nelsons; his New York debut at the Mostly Mozart Festival with Louis Langrée; and debuts with The Cleveland Orchestra under Klaus Mäkelä and the Los Angeles Philharmonic under Esa-Pekka Salonen. Notable touring highlights include engagements in Japan and Asia with Valery Gergiev, and with the hr-Sinfonieorchester under Andrés Orozco-Estrada. As well as tonight’s LPO debut, the 2021/22 season also includes Daniel’s debuts with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, The Philadelphia Orchestra and the Oslo Philharmonic. He returns to orchestras including the Orchestre National de France, where he opened the season under Cristian Măcelaru;
Daniel plays the ‘ex-Baron Rothschild’ Stradivarius on generous loan on behalf of the owner by Reuning & Son, Boston, and Eduard Wulfson, and the Stradivarius Le Reynier (1727), generously loaned by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton.
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London Philharmonic Orchestra • 26 February 2022 • From Russia with Love
Programme notes Sergei Prokofiev 1891–1953
Violin Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 63 1935 Daniel Lozakovich violin 1 Allegro moderato 2 Andante assai 3 Allegro, ben marcato Prokofiev’s Second Violin Concerto came 18 years after his First, and just as the earlier work, composed in 1917, dated from the beginning of his period of residence outside his native Russia (mainly in Paris), so the later one marked the end of it as he prepared for his return. As befits such a position in his life, it also reflected a change of direction for his music. The one-time enfant terrible of provocatively brutal works such as the Scythian Suite and the earlier piano works now consciously determined on a ‘new simplicity’ which not only aligned conveniently with the Soviet taste for music of direct, uncomplicated, essentially optimistic expression, but also mined a seam of rich melodic inspiration that had always been latent in his music.
‘It should first of all be melodic, but the melody, though simple and accessible, should not become a refrain or a trivial turn of phrase …The same holds true for compositional technique and how it is set forth; it must be clear and simple but not hackneyed. Its simplicity must not be old-fashioned.’ The Second Violin Concerto, a work operating at a high level of inspiration, could certainly not be found wanting on these issues. Starting straight in with the soloist outlining a lean but calmly elegant melody, it alternates more animated episodes with reflective statements of this subject and a second, more warmly romantic theme. Here, as in the rest of the concerto, the soloist’s part is not overtly virtuosic; unlike in the concertos for his own instrument, the piano, Prokofiev saw no need for technical fireworks, and even originally shied away from the ‘concerto’ word, considering for a time calling it a ‘concertante sonata for violin and orchestra’.
The Second Violin Concerto, commissioned for the French violinist Robert Soëteus and premiered by him in Madrid on 1 December 1935, displays these qualities with effortless ease and grace, and together with the ballet Romeo and Juliet, composed for the Kirov Company at the same time, stands at the head of a stream of readily tuneful compositions such as Peter and the Wolf and the scores for the films Lieutenant Kijé and Alexander Nevsky.
The second movement opens with another beautifully conceived violin melody, this time suspended weightlessly over a simple but assured triplet accompaniment from pizzicato strings and clarinet. The passion heightens gradually, the soloist playing almost all the while, until a slightly quicker dance-like central section is reached, followed by a return to the music of the first section. At the end, roles are reversed as the soloist supplies the accompanying triplets to a statement of the opening theme on clarinets and
Prokofiev did not confuse simplicity with banality, however; he knew as well as anyone that it was a difficult skill, and that originality was still vital. ‘Finding the right language for our music is not easy,’ he wrote in a Soviet newspaper article in 1934.
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London Philharmonic Orchestra • 26 February 2022 • From Russia with Love
Programme notes muted cellos. The whole enchanting movement could almost be a lost scene from Romeo and Juliet. The last movement, a rondo, finally brings an upturn in energy, and with it harmonic and melodic bite. Opening with a raspy waltz-like tune whose every subsequent reappearance will be accompanied by castanets, it toys with rhythmic irregularities and Shostakovich-like sardonic grotesques, reaching its end in an atmosphere almost of burlesque.
Interval – 20 minutes An announcement will be made five minutes before the end of the interval.
New on the LPO Label: Jessye Norman sings Strauss Richard Strauss: Five Songs Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme Salome (excerpts) Klaus Tennstedt conductor Jessye Norman soprano .£9.99 | LPO-0122
Newly available recording: recorded live in concert at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall on 4 May 1986
All LPO Label releases are available on CD from all good retailers, and to download or stream via Spotify, Apple Music, Idagio and others.
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London Philharmonic Orchestra • 26 February 2022 • From Russia with Love
Programme notes Serge Rachmaninoff 1873–1943
Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27 1907–08 1 Largo — Allegro moderato 2 Scherzo: Allegro molto 3 Adagio 4 Finale: Allegro vivace Thanks largely to the concertos, Rachmaninoff is usually thought of primarily as a composer for the piano, but before he left Russia for the last time in 1917 he was more widely recognised as a composer of vocal, chamber and orchestral music, and a gifted conductor active both in the concert hall and the opera house. The Third Piano Concerto came well into a period of heartening success that had served to wipe away the creatively crippling depression caused by the disastrous premiere of the First Symphony ten years earlier: 1901 had seen him return to form with the Second Piano Concerto; in 1902 he had married, his wife giving birth to a daughter the following year; and 1904 had brought a conducting post at the Bolshoi Opera in Moscow, where, early in 1906, he presided over well-received premieres of his operas Francesca da Rimini and The Miserly Knight.
The Second Symphony is both one of Rachmaninoff’s most popular orchestral compositions and one of his finest, a work of relaxed expansiveness and easy melodic flow, yet also one of great expressive power and sweep. Rachmaninoff’s talent for memorable melody is as present as ever here, but it never descends into facility; like Tchaikovsky (whose influence is unmistakable), he was able to move the listener with a big tune, but also to mould his melodies into great architectural spans with a subtlety that makes them appear totally natural. This Symphony is in fact shot through with motivic connections and links, but so organic do they seem that the listener could be forgiven for hardly noticing. Three important thematic cells are set out in the Symphony’s opening eight bars. The first, a weighty, undulating figure heard in the cellos and basses, is closely followed by a lightly syncopated stab from the woodwind and horns, and then by a downward-winding line in the violins. All are significant to the work as a whole, but for the moment they serve to initiate a sombre slow introduction which is lengthy enough to include a powerful climax before subsiding on to a cor anglais solo. The main Allegro section of the movement features two themes, the first a dreamy transformation of the opening cello-and-bass figure, and the second (heralded by a brief clarinet solo) a romantic dialogue between wind and strings with links to the syncopated second motif. Reminders of all three motifs then continue to appear as the music drives forward through a Tchaikovskian climax in the central
By this time, however, Rachmaninoff was beginning to feel the strain of celebrity, and made the decision to give himself more breathing space by removing himself and his family to Dresden. It was there that he composed his Second Symphony, in such secrecy that even his closest friends were unaware of the fact until they read about it in the press. ‘I have completed a symphony, it’s true!’, he wrote to one of them in February 1907. ‘It’s only ready in draft. I finished it a month ago and immediately put it aside. It was a severe worry to me and I am not going to think about it any more.’ The score was eventually completed early the following year and the premiere took place in St Petersburg on 8 February 1908, with Rachmaninoff himself conducting.
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London Philharmonic Orchestra • 26 February 2022 • From Russia with Love
Programme notes development section (built largely on the first motif), warm restatements of the principal themes, and on to an impassioned finish.
immediately followed by a long and languid solo clarinet tune, but both are given ample space to breathe in the course of the ravishing movement that follows, as Rachmaninoff handles their leisurely juxtaposition with great skill and expressive control, decorating them here and there with glistening remembrances of the by-now familiar motifs.
The second movement starts out as a breezily confident Scherzo. Simpler in design than its companions, it is in three sections, the third of which is essentially a reprise of the first. The outer sections oppose a striding main theme and a lovingly lyrical second for strings, while the central one introduces a contrasting texture of closely worked, chattering counterpoint. Towards the end of the reprise, the brass interrupt with an apparition of the first movement’s second motif, and the Scherzo ends in unexpectedly ominous mood.
The Finale announces its intentions in joyously whirling, carnivalesque music whose textural complexities carry numerous thematic references to what has gone before. Rachmaninoff does not intend to let the movement run away with him, however, and before long introduces a noble violin theme to calm things down. It is an uplifting new presence, and proves even more heart-swellingly so when – following a nostalgic reminiscence of the slow movement and a mountingly exciting section built on descending scales – it makes its majestic return as the Symphony’s crowning glory.
The Adagio that forms the third movement is one of Rachmaninoff’s most generous melodic creations, a worthy cousin to the slow movement of the Second Piano Concerto, to which it bears similarities. Strangely, its two main themes are presented almost on top of each other, the initial arpeggio-based string melody being
Programme notes © Lindsay Kemp
Serge Rachmaninoff Courtesy of the Royal College of Music, London
Recommended recordings of tonight’s works by Laurie Watt Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 2 Janine Jansen | London Philharmonic Orchestra Vladimir Jurowski (Decca) Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 2 Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Vladimir Ashkenazy (Decca)
Enjoyed tonight’s concert? Help us to share the wonder of the LPO by making a donation today. Use the QR code to donate via the LPO website, or visit lpo.org.uk/donate. Thank you.
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Next LPO concerts at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall Sheku Kanneh-Mason plays Shostakovich
Bryn Terfel sings Brahms
Wednesday 9 March 2022
Mendelssohn Overture: A Midsummer Night’s Dream Brahms Four Serious Songs, Op. 121 Schoenberg Pelleas und Melisande
Judith Weir Forest Shostakovich Cello Concerto No. 2 Daniel Kidane Sirens Bartók Concerto for Orchestra
Saturday 19 March 2022
Edward Gardner conductor Bryn Terfel bass-baritone
Edward Gardner conductor Sheku Kanneh-Mason cello
Generously supported by Victoria Robey OBE
Out of Italy
Movie Legends
Wednesday 16 March 2022
Friday 25 March 2022
Vaughan Williams Overture: The Wasps Mozart Piano Concerto No. 25, K503 R Strauss Aus Italien
Howard Shore The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring for Symphony Orchestra and Chorus Danny Elfman Percussion Concerto (world premiere) Danny Elfman Alice in Wonderland Suite Danny Elfman Batman Suite
David Zinman conductor Richard Goode piano
Ludwig Wicki conductor Colin Currie percussion London Philharmonic Choir
Book online lpo.org.uk Ticket Office 020 7400 4242
London Philharmonic Orchestra • 26 February 2022 • From Russia with Love
Sound Futures donors We are grateful to the following donors for their generous contributions to our Sound Futures campaign. Thanks to their support, we successfully raised £1 million by 30 April 2015 which has now been matched pound for pound by Arts Council England through a Catalyst Endowment grant. This has enabled us to create a £2 million endowment fund supporting special artistic projects, creative programming and education work with key venue partners including our Southbank Centre home. Supporters listed below donated £500 or over. For a full list of those who have given to this campaign please visit lpo.org.uk/soundfutures.
Masur Circle Arts Council England Dunard Fund Victoria Robey OBE Emmanuel & Barrie Roman The Underwood Trust
Welser-Möst Circle William & Alex de Winton John Ireland Charitable Trust The Tsukanov Family Foundation Neil Westreich
Tennstedt Circle Valentina & Dmitry Aksenov Richard Buxton The Candide Trust Michael & Elena Kroupeev Kirby Laing Foundation Mr & Mrs Makharinsky Alexey & Anastasia Reznikovich Sir Simon Robey Bianca & Stuart Roden Simon & Vero Turner The late Mr K Twyman
Solti Patrons Ageas John & Manon Antoniazzi Gabor Beyer, through BTO Management Consulting AG Jon Claydon Mrs Mina Goodman & Miss Suzanne Goodman Roddy & April Gow The Jeniffer & Jonathan Harris Charitable Trust Mr James R.D. Korner Christoph Ladanyi & Dr Sophia Ladanyi-Czernin Robert Markwick & Kasia Robinski
The Maurice Marks Charitable Trust Mr Paris Natar The Rothschild Foundation Tom & Phillis Sharpe The Viney Family
Haitink Patrons Mark & Elizabeth Adams Dr Christopher Aldren Mrs Pauline Baumgartner Lady Jane Berrill Mr Frederick Brittenden David & Yi Yao Buckley Mr Clive Butler Gill & Garf Collins Mr John H Cook Mr Alistair Corbett Bruno De Kegel Georgy Djaparidze David Ellen Christopher Fraser OBE David & Victoria Graham Fuller Goldman Sachs International Mr Gavin Graham Moya Greene Mrs Dorothy Hambleton Tony & Susie Hayes Malcolm Herring Catherine Høgel & Ben Mardle Mrs Philip Kan Rehmet Kassim-Lakha de Morixe Rose & Dudley Leigh Lady Roslyn Marion Lyons Miss Jeanette Martin Duncan Matthews QC Diana & Allan Morgenthau Charitable Trust Dr Karen Morton Mr Roger Phillimore Ruth Rattenbury The Reed Foundation The Rind Foundation Sir Bernard Rix
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David Ross & Line Forestier (Canada) Carolina & Martin Schwab Dr Brian Smith Lady Valerie Solti Mr & Mrs G Stein Dr Peter Stephenson Miss Anne Stoddart TFS Loans Limited Marina Vaizey Jenny Watson Guy & Utti Whittaker
Pritchard Donors Ralph & Elizabeth Aldwinckle Mrs Arlene Beare Mr Patrick & Mrs Joan Benner Mr Conrad Blakey Dr Anthony Buckland Paul Collins Alastair Crawford Mr Derek B. Gray Mr Roger Greenwood The HA.SH Foundation Darren & Jennifer Holmes Honeymead Arts Trust Mr Geoffrey Kirkham Drs Frank & Gek Lim Peter Mace Mr & Mrs David Malpas Dr David McGibney Michael & Patricia McLaren-Turner Mr & Mrs Andrew Neill Mr Christopher Querée The Rosalyn & Nicholas Springer Charitable Trust Timothy Walker CBE AM Christopher Williams Peter Wilson Smith Mr Anthony Yolland and all other donors who wish to remain anonymous
London Philharmonic Orchestra • 26 February 2022 • From Russia with Love
Thank you We are extremely grateful to all donors who have given generously to the LPO over the past year. Your generosity helps maintain the breadth and depth of the LPO’s activities, as well as supporting the Orchestra both on and off the concert platform.
Artistic Director’s Circle Anonymous donors Mrs Aline Foriel-Destezet Mrs Christina Lang Assael In memory of Mrs Rita Reay Sir Simon & Lady Robey OBE
Orchestra Circle
The Candide Trust William & Alex de Winton Aud Jebsen Mr & Mrs Philip Kan Neil Westreich The American Friends of the London Philharmonic Orchestra
Principal Associates
An anonymous donor Richard Buxton Gill & Garf Collins In memory of Brenda Lyndoe Casbon In memory of Ann Marguerite Collins Hamish & Sophie Forsyth The Tsukanov Family
Associates
Anonymous donors Mrs Irina Andreeva In memory of Len & Edna Beech Steven M. Berzin Ms Veronika BorovikKhilchevskaya Irina Gofman & Mr Rodrik V. G. Cave The Lambert Family Charitable Trust Countess Dominique Loredan Mr & Mrs Makharinsky George Ramishvili Stuart & Bianca Roden Julian & Gill Simmonds In memory of Hazel Amy Smith Deanie & Jay Stein
Gold Patrons
An anonymous donor Chris Aldren David & Yi Buckley David Burke & Valerie Graham David & Elizabeth Challen In memory of Allner Mavis Channing Sonja Drexler The Vernon Ellis Foundation Peter & Fiona Espenhahn Marie-Laure Favre-Gilly de Varennes de Beuill Mr Roger Greenwood Malcolm Herring
John & Angela Kessler Dame Theresa Sackler Scott & Kathleen Simpson Eric Tomsett Andrew & Rosemary Tusa The Viney Family Guy & Utti Whittaker
Silver Patrons
Mrs A Beare The Rt Hon. The Lord Burns GCB Bruno De Kegel Jan & Leni Du Plessis Ulrike & Benno Engelmann Simon & Meg Freakley Pehr G Gyllenhammar The Jeniffer & Jonathan Harris Charitable Trust Catherine Høgel & Ben Mardle Wg. Cdr. & Mrs M T Liddiard OBE JP RAF Sofiya Machulskaya Mrs Elizabeth Meshkvicheva The Metherell Family Andrew Neill Peter & Lucy Noble Marianne Parsons Tom & Phillis Sharpe Laurence Watt Grenville & Krysia Williams
Geoff & Meg Mann Harriet & Michael Maunsell Marianne Parsons Dr Wiebke Pekrull Mr Gerald Pettit Mr Roger Phillimore Gillian Pole Mr Michael Posen Mr Christopher Querée Sir Bernard Rix Mr Robert Ross Priscylla Shaw Patrick & Belinda Snowball Charlotte Stevenson Mr Robert Swannell Joe Topley Tony & Hilary Vines Mr & Mrs John C Tucker Mr & Mrs John & Susi Underwood Marina Vaizey Jenny Watson CBE Mr John Weekes Christopher Williams
Andrew T Mills Simon & Fiona Mortimore Mrs Terry Neale John Nickson & Simon Rew Mr James Pickford Michael & Carolyn Portillo Mr David Russell Colin Senneck & the Hartley and District LPO Group Mr John Shinton Nigel Silby Mr Brian Smith Martin & Cheryl Southgate Mr & Mrs G Stein Dr Peter Stephenson Mr Ian Tegner Dr June Wakefield Howard & Sheelagh Watson Joanna Williams Roger Woodhouse Mr John Wright
Principal Supporters
Anonymous donors Ralph & Elizabeth Aldwinckle Alexander & Rachel Antelme Julian & Annette Armstrong Lindsay Badenoch Mr Mark Bagshaw & Mr Ian Walker Mr John Barnard Mr John D Barnard Damaris, Richard & Friends Mr David Barrett Diana Barrett Mr Simon Baynham Harvey Bengen Nick & Rebecca Beresford Mr Paul Bland Mr Keith Bolderson Mr Andrew Botterill Julian & Margaret Bowden & Mr Paul Michel Richard & Jo Brass Mr & Mrs Shaun Brown Mr Alan C Butler Lady Cecilia Cadbury Mrs Marilyn Casford Alison Clarke & Leo Pilkington J Clay Mr Joshua Coger Mr Martin Compton Mr Martin Connelly Mr Stephen Connock Miss Tessa Cowie Mr David Davies Mr Roderick Davies Mr David Devons Anthony & Jo Diamond Miss Sylvia Dowle Patricia Dreyfus Mr Andrew Dyke
Anonymous donors Dr R M Aickin Mr Mark Astaire Sir John Baker Tessa Bartley Mr Geoffrey Bateman Mrs Julia Beine Mr Anthony Boswood Dr Anthony Buckland Dr Carlos Carreno Mr Julien Chilcott-Monk Mr & Mrs Stewart Cohen David & Liz Conway Mr Alistair Corbett Andrew Davenport Mr Simon Douglas Mr B C Fairhall Mr Richard Fernyhough Mrs Janet Flynn Mrs Ash Frisby Jason George Mr Stephen Goldring Mr Daniel Goldstein Mr Milton Grundy Prof. Emeritus John Gruzelier Nerissa Guest & David Foreman Michael & Christine Henry Mark & Sarah Holford Ivan Hurry Per Jonsson Alexandra Jupin & John Bean Mr Ian Kapur Ms Kim J Koch Richard & Briony Linsell Paul & Brigitta Lock Mr Peter Mace Nicholas & Lindsay Merriman
Bronze Patrons
Anonymous donors Michael Allen Dr Manon Antoniazzi Julian & Annette Armstrong Roger & Clare Barron Mr Philip Bathard-Smith Sir Peter Bazalgette Mikhail Noskov & Vasilina Bindley Mr Bernard Bradbury Sally Bridgeland In memory of Julie Bromley Desmond & Ruth Cecil Mr John H Cook Howard & Veronika Covington John & Sam Dawson Cameron & Kathryn Doley David Ellen Christopher Fraser OBE Virginia Gabbertas MBE David & Jane Gosman Mr Gavin Graham Mrs Dorothy Hambleton J Douglas Home The Jackman Family Mr & Mrs Ralph Kanza Jamie & Julia Korner Rose & Dudley Leigh Drs Frank & Gek Lim Nicholas & Felicity Lyons
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Supporters
London Philharmonic Orchestra • 26 February 2022 • From Russia with Love
Thank you
Mr Declan Eardly Mrs Maureen Erskine Mr Peter Faulk Mr Joe Field Ms Chrisine Louise Fluker Mr Kevin Fogarty Mr Richard France Mr Bernard Freudenthal Mrs Adele Friedland & Friends Will Gold Mrs Alison Goulter Mr Andrew Gunn Mr K Haines Mr Martin Hale Roger Hampson Mr Graham Hart Mr & Mrs Nevile Henderson The Jackman Family Martin Kettle Mr Justin Kitson Ms Yvonne Lock Mrs Sally Manning Belinda Miles Dr Joe Mooney Christopher & Diane Morcom Dame Jane Newell DBE Oliver & Josie Ogg Mr Stephen Olton Mari Payne Mr David Peters Nadya Powell Ms Caroline Priday Mr Richard Rolls Mr Richard Rowland Mr & Mrs Alan Senior Tom Sharpe Mr Kenneth Shaw Ruth Silvestre Barry & Gillian Smith Mr David Southern Ms Mary Stacey Mr Simon Starr Mrs Margaret Thompson Philip & Katie Thonemann Mr Owen Toller Mrs Rose Tremain Ms Mary Stacey Ms Caroline Tate Mr Peter Thierfeldt Dr Ann Turrall Michael & Katie Urmston Dr June Wakefield Mr Dominic Wallis Mrs C Willaims Joanna Williams Mr Kevin Willmering Mr David Woodhead
Hon. Life Members
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:
Alfonso Aijón Kenneth Goode Carol Colburn Grigor CBE Pehr G Gyllenhammar Robert Hill Mrs Jackie Rosenfeld OBE Laurence Watt
Simon Freakley Chairman Jay Goffman Alexandra Jupin William A. Kerr Kristina McPhee Natalie Pray Damien Vanderwilt Elizabeth Winter Victoria Robey OBE Hon. Director Jenifer L. Keiser, CPA, EisnerAmper LLP
LPO International Board of Governors
Natasha Tsukanova Chair Martin Höhmann Co-Chair Mrs Irina Andreeva (Russia) Steven M. Berzin (USA) Veronika Borovik-Khilchevskaya (Cyprus) Marie-Laure Favre Gilly de Varennes de Bueil (France) Aline Foriel-Destezet (France) Irina Gofman (Russia) Countess Dominique Loredan (Italy) Olivia Ma (Greater China Area) Olga Makharinsky (Russia) George Ramishvili (Georgia) Victoria Robey OBE (USA) Jay Stein (USA)
Corporate Donors
Barclays CHANEL Fund for Women in the Arts and Culture Pictet Bank
LPO Corporate Circle Leader freuds Sunshine
Thomas Beecham Group Members
Principal Berenberg Bloomberg Carter-Ruck French Chamber of Commerce
Chris Aldren David & Yi Buckley Gill & Garf Collins William & Alex de Winton Sonja Drexler The Friends of the LPO Irina Gofman Roger Greenwood Dr Barry Grimaldi Mr & Mrs Philip Kan John & Angela Kessler Countess Dominique Loredan Sir Simon Robey Victoria Robey OBE Bianca & Stuart Roden Caroline, Jamie & Zander Sharp Julian & Gill Simmonds Eric Tomsett Neil Westreich Guy & Utti Whittaker
Tutti Lazard Russo-British Chamber of Commerce Walpole
Trialist Allianz Musical Insurance Sciteb
Preferred Partners Gusbourne Estate Lidl Lindt & Sprüngli Ltd OneWelbeck Steinway
Hon. Benefactor
In-kind Sponsor
Elliott Bernerd
Google Inc
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Trusts and Foundations The Boltini Trust Borrows Charitable Trust Boshier-Hinton Foundation The Candide Trust Cockayne – Grants for the Arts The London Community Foundation The David Solomons Charitable Trust The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust Dunard Fund Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation The Fidelio Charitable Trust Foyle Foundation Garrick Charitable Trust The Leche Trust Lucille Graham Trust John Horniman’s Children’s Trust John Thaw Foundation The Idlewild Trust Kirby Laing Foundation The Marchus Trust Adam Mickiewicz Institute PRS Foundation The Radcliffe Trust Rivers Foundation The R K Charitable Trust Romanian Cultural Institute Rothschild Foundation RVW Trust Schroder Charity Trust Serge Rachmaninoff Foundation Sir William Boreman’s Foundation Souter Charitable Trust The Stanley Picker Trust The Thomas Deane Trust The Thriplow Charitable Trust The Vaughan Williams Charitable Trust The Victoria Wood Foundation The Viney Family The Barbara Whatmore Charitable Trust The William Alwyn Foundation
and all others who wish to remain anonymous. The LPO would also like to acknowledge all those who have made donations to the Play On Appeal and who have supported the Orchestra during the COVID-19 pandemic.
London Philharmonic Orchestra • 26 February 2022 • From Russia with Love
London Philharmonic Orchestra Administration Board of Directors Victoria Robey OBE Chairman Martin Höhmann* President Dr Catherine C. Høgel Vice-Chairman Mark Vines* Vice-President Kate Birchall* David Buckley David Burke Bruno De Kegel Deborah Dolce Elena Dubinets Tanya Joseph Hugh Kluger* Al MacCuish Tania Mazzetti* Stewart McIlwham* Jamie Njoku-Goodwin Andrew Tusa Neil Westreich Simon Freakley (Ex officio – Chairman of the American Friends of the London Philharmonic Orchestra) *Player-Director
Advisory Council Martin Höhmann Chairman Christopher Aldren Dr Manon Antoniazzi Roger Barron Richard Brass Helen Brocklebank YolanDa Brown Simon Callow CBE Desmond Cecil CMG Sir Alan Collins KCVO CMG Andrew Davenport Guillaume Descottes Cameron Doley Christopher Fraser OBE Lord Hall of Birkenhead CBE Jonathan Harris CBE FRICS Marianna Hay MBE Amanda Hill Rehmet Kassim-Lakha Jamie Korner Geoff Mann Clive Marks OBE FCA Stewart McIlwham Andrew Neill Nadya Powell Sir Bernard Rix Victoria Robey OBE Baroness Shackleton Thomas Sharpe QC Julian Simmonds
Barry Smith Martin Southgate Chris Viney Laurence Watt Elizabeth Winter
Finance
General Administration
Jean-Paul Ramotar Finance and IT Officer
Frances Slack Finance Director Dayse Guilherme Finance Manager
Elena Dubinets Artistic Director David Burke Chief Executive Chantelle Vircavs PA to the Executive
Education and Community Talia Lash Interim Education and Community Director
Concert Management
Rebecca Parslow Education and Community Project Manager
Roanna Gibson Concerts Director
Hannah Foakes Tilly Gugenheim Education and Community Project Co-ordinators
Graham Wood Concerts and Recordings Manager Fabio Sarlo Glyndebourne and Projects Manager
Development Laura Willis Development Director
Grace Ko Tours Manager
Scott Tucker Development Events Manager
Alison Jones Concerts and Recordings Co-ordinator Christina Perrin Concerts and Tours Assistant Matthew Freeman Recordings Consultant
Greg Felton Digital Creative Kiera Lockard Marketing Assistant
Archives Philip Stuart Discographer Gillian Pole Recordings Archive
Professional Services Charles Russell Speechlys Solicitors Crowe Clark Whitehill LLP Auditors Dr Barry Grimaldi Honorary Doctor
Mr Simon Owen-Johnstone Hon. Orthopaedic Surgeon
Laura Kitson Stephen O’Flaherty Stage Managers
Nick Jackman Campaigns and Projects Director Kirstin Peltonen Development Associate
Marketing Kath Trout Marketing and Communications Director Mairi Warren Marketing Manager Rachel Williams Publications Manager
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Sophie Harvey Digital and Residencies Marketing Manager
Rosie Morden Individual Giving Manager
Priya Radhakrishnan Georgia Wiltshire Development Assistants
Felix Lo Orchestra and Auditions Manager
Ruth Haines (née Knight) Press and PR Manager
Mr Chris Aldren Honorary ENT Surgeon
Sarah Thomas Martin Sargeson Librarians
Freddie Jackson Assistant Stage Manager
Gavin Miller Sales and Ticketing Manager
Stef Woodford Corporate Relations Manager
Anna Quillin Trusts and Foundations Manager
Andrew Chenery Orchestra Personnel Manager
Harrie Mayhew Website Manager
London Philharmonic Orchestra 89 Albert Embankment London SE1 7TP Tel: 020 7840 4200 Box Office: 020 7840 4242 Email: admin@lpo.org.uk lpo.org.uk Cover photo James Wicks 2021/22 season identity JMG Studio Printer John Good Ltd