LPO programme: 5 Oct 2024 Brighton - Edward Gardner conducts Sibelius
2024/25 season at Brighton Dome CONCERT PROGRAMME
Principal Conductor Edward Gardner supported by Aud Jebsen
Principal Guest Conductor Karina Canellakis
Conductor Emeritus Vladimir Jurowski KBE Patron HRH The Duke of Kent KG
Artistic Director Elena Dubinets Chief Executive David Burke
Leader Pieter Schoeman supported by Neil Westreich
Brighton Dome Concert Hall
Saturday 5 October 2024 | 7.30pm
Edward Gardner conducts Sibelius
Beethoven
Overture, Egmont (8')
Shostakovich
Violin Concerto No. 1 (36’)
Interval (20’)
Sibelius
Symphony No. 5 (31’)
Edward Gardner conductor
Generously supported by Aud Jebsen
Patricia Kopatchinskaja violin
Pre-concert performance | 6.45pm | The Foyer
Enjoy the sound of local young talent, as musicians from West Sussex Music, the music education hub for West Sussex, give a special free performance in the Brighton Dome foyer.
The
Welcome to Brighton Dome
Welcome to tonight’s concert by the London Philharmonic Orchestra here at Brighton Dome. We hope you enjoy the performance and your visit here. For your comfort and safety, please note the following: thank you for your co-operation.
Latecomers may not be admitted until a suitable break in the performance. Some performances may contain no suitable breaks.
Interval drinks may be ordered in advance at the bar to avoid queues.
Photography is not allowed in the auditorium.
Recording is not allowed in the auditorium.
Mobiles and watches should be switched off before entering the auditorium.
The concert at Brighton Dome on 5 October 2024 is presented by the London Philharmonic Orchestra in association with Brighton Dome.
Brighton Dome gratefully acknowledges the support of Brighton & Hove City Council and Arts Council England.
Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival with Create Music
Situated in the Royal Pavilion Estate at the heart of the city, Brighton Dome is an arts charity, three historic contemporary live arts venues, a music education service across the region – Create Music – and the biggest curated cross-arts festival in England. brightondome.org | brightonfestival.org createmusic.org.uk
The paper used for all LPO brochures and concert programmes has been sourced from responsibly managed forests, certified in accordance with the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council). It is also Carbon Balanced, meaning the carbon impact of its production is offset by the World Land Trust through the purchase and preservation of ecologically important forestry under imminent threat of clearance.
LPO news
Edward Gardner extends his LPO contract
You might have seen the news earlier this month that Edward Gardner has renewed his contract as LPO Principal Conductor until at least 2028. Karina Canellakis has also extended her Principal Guest Conductor contract until 2027, which – along with Conductor Emeritus Vladimir Jurowski – means we retain our enviable conductor lineup for years to come. We’re all looking forward to the musical adventures ahead!
‘There’s something about this wonderful group of musicians ...’
Scan to watch a video of Ed talking about his contract extension and what he loves about the LPO:
This evening’s pre-concert performance by West Sussex Music
We are delighted to welcome young musicians from West Sussex Music, who join us this evening. West Sussex Music is the music education hub lead for the county, and offers high quality and inclusive music education and performance opportunities to more than 25,000 children and young people each year. You will have heard the West Sussex Music Flute Choir performing in the foyer before today’s concert. A larger group of young people from West Sussex Music also met some of our LPO artists earlier today, with a chance to ask questions and find out what it’s like to be a professional musician.
We’re delighted to welcome these young musicians, thank them for their brilliant pre-concert performance and look forward to lots more collaborations with the talented young people of Sussex.
First Violins
Pieter Schoeman* Leader
Chair supported by Neil Westreich
Alice Ivy-Pemberton Co-Leader
Vesselin Gellev Sub-Leader
Kate Oswin
Chair supported by Eric Tomsett
Lasma Taimina
Chair supported by Irina Gofman & Mr Rodrik V. G. Cave
Minn Majoe
Chair supported by Dr Alex & Maria
Chan
Thomas Eisner
Chair supported by Ryze Power
Martin Höhmann
Alice Hall
Yang Zhang
Cassandra Hamilton
Elizaveta Tyun
Nilufar Alimaksumova
Amanda Smith
Second Violins
Tania Mazzetti Principal
Emma Oldfield Co-Principal
Claudia Tarrant-Matthews
Sophie Phillips
Nancy Elan
Fiona Higham
Chair supported by David & Yi
Buckley
Marie-Anne Mairesse
Ashley Stevens
Sioni Williams
Kate Cole
Jessica Coleman
Alison Strange
Violas
Scott Dickinson
Guest Principal
Martin Wray
Chair supported by David & Bettina
Harden
Katharine Leek
Benedetto Pollani
Laura Vallejo
Lucia Ortiz Sauco
Jisu Song
Kate De Campos
Shiry Rashkovsky
Linda Kidwell
On stage tonight
Cellos
Kristina Blaumane Principal
Chair supported by Bianca & Stuart Roden
Waynne Kwon
David Lale
Hee Yeon Cho
Nina Kiva
Helen Thomas
George Hoult
Sibylle Hentschel
Double Basses
Kevin Rundell* Principal
Sebastian Pennar
Co-Principal
Hugh Kluger
George Peniston
Tom Walley
Chair supported by William & Alex de Winton
Laura Murphy
Flutes
Fiona Kelly Guest Principal
Ellie Blamires
Stewart McIlwham*
Piccolo/Alto Flute
Stewart McIlwham* Principal
Oboes
Ian Hardwick* Principal
Alice Munday
Sue Böhling*
Cor Anglais
Sue Böhling* Principal
Chair supported by Dr Barry Grimaldi
Clarinets
Benjamin Mellefont* Principal
Chair supported by Sir Nigel Boardman & Prof. Lynda Gratton
Thomas Watmough
Chair supported by Roger Greenwood
Paul Richards*
Bass Clarinet
Paul Richards* Principal
Bassoons
Jonathan Davies* Principal Chair supported by Sir Simon Robey
Dominic Tyler
Simon Estell*
Contrabassoon
Simon Estell* Principal
Horns
Annemarie Federle
Principal
Chair supported by Victoria Robey CBE
Martin Hobbs
Mark Vines Co-Principal
Gareth Mollison
Duncan Fuller
Trumpets
Paul Beniston* Principal
Tom Nielsen Co-Principal
Anne McAneney*
Chair supported by Peter Coe
Trombones
Mark Templeton* Principal Chair supported by William & Alex de Winton
David Whitehouse
Bass Trombone
Lyndon Meredith Principal
Tuba
Lee Tsarmaklis* Principal Chair supported by William & Alex de Winton
Timpani
Simon Carrington* Principal Chair supported by Victoria Robey CBE
Percussion
Andrew Barclay* Principal Chair supported by Gill & Garf Collins
Karen Hutt
Harp
Sue Blair Guest Principal
Celeste
Catherine Edwards
Assistant Conductor
Juya Shin
*Professor at a London conservatoire
The LPO also acknowledges the following chair supporters whose players are not present at this concert: Sonja Drexler Friends of the Orchestra
Uniquely groundbreaking and exhilarating to watch and hear, the London Philharmonic Orchestra has been celebrated as one of the world’s great orchestras since Sir Thomas Beecham founded it in 1932. Our mission is to share wonder with the modern world through the power of orchestral music, which we accomplish through live performances, online, and an extensive education and community programme, cementing our position as a leading orchestra for the 21st century.
Our home is at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, where we’re at the beating heart of London’s cultural life. You’ll also find us at our resident venues in Brighton, Eastbourne and Saffron Walden, and on tour worldwide. In 2024 we celebrated 60 years as Resident Symphony Orchestra at Glyndebourne Festival Opera, combining the magic of opera with Glyndebourne’s glorious setting in the Sussex countryside.
Soundtrack to key moments
Everyone will have heard the Grammy-nominated London Philharmonic Orchestra, whether it’s playing the world’s National Anthems for every medal ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics, our iconic recording with Pavarotti that made Nessun Dorma a global football anthem, or closing the flotilla at The Queen’s Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant. And you’ll almost certainly have heard us on the soundtracks for major films including The Lord of the Rings
Sharing the wonder worldwide
We’re one of the world’s most-streamed orchestras, with over 15 million plays of our content each month. In 2023 we were the most successful orchestra worldwide on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram, with over 1.1m followers across all platforms, and in spring 2024 we featured in a TV documentary series on Sky Arts: ‘Backstage with the London Philharmonic Orchestra’, still available to watch via Now TV. During 2024/25 we’re once again working with Marquee TV to broadcast selected live concerts to enjoy from your own living room.
Our conductors
Our Principal Conductors have included some of the greatest historic names like Sir Adrian Boult, Bernard Haitink, Klaus Tennstedt and Kurt Masur. In 2021 Edward Gardner became our 13th Principal Conductor, and Vladimir Jurowski became Conductor Emeritus in recognition of his impact as Principal Conductor from 2007–21. Karina Canellakis is our current Principal Guest Conductor, and Tania León our Composer-in-Residence.
Next generations
We’re committed to nurturing the next generation of musicians and music-lovers: we love seeing the joy of children and families experiencing their first musical moments, and we’re passionate about inspiring schools and teachers through dedicated concerts, workshops,
resources and training. Reflecting our values of collaboration and inclusivity, our OrchLab and Open Sound Ensemble projects offer music-making opportunities for adults and young people with disabilities and special educational needs.
Today’s young instrumentalists are the orchestra members of the future, and we have a number of opportunities to support their progression. Our LPO Junior Artists programme leads the way in creating pathways into the profession for young artists from under-represented communities, and our LPO Young Composers and Foyle Future Firsts schemes support the next generation of professional musicians, bridging the transition from education to professional careers. We also recently launched the LPO Conducting Fellowship, supporting the development of two outstanding early-career conductors from backgrounds under-represented in the profession.
2024/25 season
Principal Conductor Edward Gardner leads the Orchestra in an exciting 2024/25 season, with soloists including Joyce DiDonato, Leif Ove Andsnes, Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Víkingur Ólafsson and Isabelle Faust, and works including Strauss’s Alpine Symphony, Ravel’s Daphnis and Chloe and Mahler’s Eighth Symphony. Principal Guest Conductor Karina Canellakis joins us for three concerts including Bruckner’s Fourth Symphony, Tchaikovsky’s Sixth Symphony, and Mozart with pianist Benjamin Grosvenor. We’ll also welcome back Conductor Emeritus Vladimir Jurowski, as well as guest conductors including Mark Elder, Lidiya Yankovskaya, Robin Ticciati and Kevin John Edusei.
Throughout the season we’ll explore the relationship between music and memory in our ‘Moments Remembered’ series, featuring works like Beethoven’s ‘Eroica’ Symphony, Strauss’s Metamorphosen and John Adams’s On the Transmigration of Souls. During the season there’ll be the chance to hear brand new works by composers including Freya Waley-Cohen and David Sawer, as well as performances by renowned soloists violinist Gidon Kremer, sarod player Amjad Ali Khan, soprano Renée Fleming and many more. The season also features tours to Japan, the USA, China and across Europe, as well as a calendar bursting with performances and community events in our Brighton, Eastbourne and Saffron Walden residencies. lpo.org.uk
Pieter Schoeman Leader
Pieter Schoeman was appointed Leader of the London Philharmonic Orchestra in 2008, having previously been Co-Leader since 2002. He is also a Professor of Violin at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music & Dance.
Pieter has performed worldwide as a soloist and recitalist in such famous halls as the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Moscow’s Rachmaninoff Hall, Capella Hall in St Petersburg, Staatsbibliothek in Berlin, Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles and the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall. As a chamber musician he regularly appears at London’s prestigious Wigmore Hall. His chamber music partners have included Anne-Sophie Mutter, Veronika Eberle, Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Boris Garlitsky, Jean-Guihen Queyras, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Martin Helmchen and Julia Fischer.
Pieter has performed numerous times as a soloist with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Highlights have included an appearance as both conductor and soloist in Vivaldi’s Four Seasons at the Royal Festival Hall, the Brahms Double Concerto with Kristina Blaumane, Florence Price’s Violin Concerto No. 2, and the Britten Double Concerto with Alexander Zemtsov, which was recorded and released on the LPO Label to great critical acclaim.
Pieter has appeared as Guest Leader with the BBC, Barcelona, Bordeaux, Lyon and Baltimore symphony orchestras; the Rotterdam and BBC Philharmonic orchestras; and the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra.
Pieter’s chair in the LPO is generously supported by Neil Westreich.
Edward Gardner Principal Conductor, London Philharmonic Orchestra
Edward Gardner has been Principal Conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra since September 2021, recently extending his contract until at least 2028. He is also Music Director of the Norwegian Opera & Ballet, and Honorary Conductor of the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, following his tenure as Chief Conductor from 2015–24.
In 2024/25 – his fourth season as Principal Conductor –Edward conducts nine LPO concerts at the Royal Festival Hall. Next week he and the Orchestra embark on a major tour of the US, again with Patricia Kopatchinskaja, as well as violinist Randall Goosby. Later in the season Edward is joined by more superb soloists including Víkingur Ólafsson, Isabelle Faust and Augustin Hadelich, and presents works including Strauss’s mighty Alpine Symphony, Ravel’s Daphnis and Chloe and Mahler’s Symphony No. 8.
Edward opened his inaugural season as Music Director of the Norwegian Opera & Ballet with concert performances of Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman and Mahler’s ‘Resurrection’ Symphony. He will later conduct two fully staged operas; Verdi’s La traviata and Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen, following earlier productions of Bartók’s Bluebeard’s Castle, Zemlinsky’s A Florentine Tragedy and Verdi’s Un ballo in maschera
In demand as a guest conductor, this season Edward appears with the Bavarian Radio Symphony, Frankfurt Radio, Dallas Symphony, New World Symphony, Minnesota, Seoul Philharmonic, Sydney Symphony and West Australian Symphony orchestras. Debuts in recent seasons have included with the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia and Cleveland Orchestras, and the San Francisco Symphony, Staatskapelle Berlin, Berlin
Radio Symphony and Vienna Symphony orchestras. In the UK, he has had longstanding collaborations with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, where he was Principal Guest Conductor from 2010-16, and the BBC Symphony Orchestra, whom he has conducted at both the First and Last Night of the BBC Proms.
In spring 2025 Edward returns to London’s Royal Opera House to conduct the world premiere of Mark-Anthony Turnage’s Festen, and in June he returns to the Bavarian State Opera for Rusalka, following his debut with Peter Grimes in 2022 and Otello in 2023. Music Director of English National Opera for eight years (2007–15), Edward has also built a strong relationship with New York’s Metropolitan Opera, with productions of The Damnation of Faust, Carmen, Don Giovanni, Der Rosenkavalier and Werther. Elsewhere, he has conducted at La Scala, Chicago Lyric Opera, Glyndebourne Festival Opera and Opéra National de Paris.
In February this year, the LPO Label released a recording of Berlioz’s The Damnation of Faust with Edward Gardner, recorded live in February 2023 (LPO-0128). This follows his recording of Tippett’s The Midsummer Marriage, which won the 2023 Gramophone Opera Award. A second Tippett disc (featuring Symphony No. 2 and the Piano Concerto with Steven Osborne) is planned for release in November 2024. In spring 2024 Edward and the LPO were the subject of a TV documentary series on Sky Arts: ‘Backstage with the London Philharmonic Orchestra’, still available to watch on Now TV.
A passionate supporter of young talent, Edward founded the Hallé Youth Orchestra in 2002 and regularly conducts the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain. He has a close relationship with the Juilliard School of Music, and with the Royal Academy of Music who appointed him their inaugural Sir Charles Mackerras Conducting Chair in 2014.
Born in Gloucester in 1974, Edward was educated at the University of Cambridge and the Royal Academy of Music, and gained early recognition as Assistant Conductor of the Hallé and Music Director of Glyndebourne Touring Opera. His many accolades include the Royal Philharmonic Society Conductor of the Year Award (2008), an Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Opera (2009) and an OBE for Services to Music in The Queen’s Birthday Honours (2012).
Edward Gardner’s position at the LPO is generously supported by Aud Jebsen.
Patricia Kopatchinskaja’s focus is to get to the heart of the music – to its meaning for us, here and now. With a combination of depth, brilliance and humour, she brings an inimitable sense of theatrics to her music. Described by The New York Times as ‘a player of rare expressive energy and disarming informality, of whimsy and theatrical ambition’, Patricia’s distinctive approach always conveys the core of a work, whether an out-ofthe-box performance of a traditional repertoire classic or an original, experimental staged project.
A boundary-crosser who thrives on the challenge of musical experiments and describes contemporary music as her lifeblood, Patricia’s absolute priority is the music of the 20th and 21st centuries and collaborations with living composers such as Francisco Coll, Luca Francesconi, Michael Hersch, Márton Illés, György Kurtág, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Aureliano Cattaneo, Stefano Gervasoni, and many others. She directs staged concerts at venues on both sides of the Atlantic and collaborates with leading orchestras, conductors and festivals worldwide.
From the 2024/25 season, Patricia will serve as Artistic Partner of the SWR Symphony Orchestra in Germany. A virtuoso, storyteller and all-around phenomenon, she will design her own programmes, spanning both established concert formats and innovative theatrical and interdisciplinary approaches. Among these is the staged concert The Peace Project, which reflects on centuries of existential suffering caused by war through a kaleidoscope of Baroque and modern works. The project addresses the numerous reports from war zones, the violent disruption of daily life, and the constant fear for one’s life and loved ones. Patricia will also be Artist-in-Residence at the 2025 Klarafestival in
Belgium, where she will continue to actively support themes related to environmental protection and sustainability through innovatively curated projects. She also holds the position of Associated Artist of the SWR Experimentalstudio, one of the most important international research centres in the field of electronic music.
This season, Patricia channels her creative prowess and versatility into performances at the Venice Biennale, the BBC Proms and the Lucerne Festival, and an appearance with the New York Philharmonic. In 2024 she honours Schoenberg’s 150th anniversary by performing his monumental Violin Concerto with the BBC Symphony and Vienna Symphony orchestras, the Dresden Philharmonic, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France and the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, to name just a few.
A trusted partner of the LPO for over a decade, following tonight’s concert, Patricia will join them and Edward Gardner on an extensive US tour spanning from West to East Coasts, and culminating in a concert at New York’s Carnegie Hall on 19 October. This season she also reunites with Ensemble Resonanz for a new project, playground, which lightheartedly deconstructs our familiar world, reassembles it, and leads the audience on an adventure of discovery. The programme features a new double concerto by Dai Fujikura alongside flautist Claire Chase.
Patricia Kopatchinskaja’s discography includes over 30 recordings, among them the Grammy Award-winning Death and the Maiden with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, which was also recreated as a semi-staged filmed performance with Camerata Bern. Recent releases include Plaisirs Illuminés with cellist Sol Gabetta and Camerata Bern, which was saluted with a BBC Music Magazine Award, and Le monde selon George Antheil with pianist Joonas Ahonen (both on Alpha Classics). A revival of the project Maria Mater Meretrix with soprano Anna Prohaska, a musical mosaic of women throughout the centuries, was also released on CD last season, as well as a new recording with pianist Fazıl Say which was awarded an ‘Editor’s Choice’ by Gramophone. Last season also saw the release of the album Take 3 with clarinettist Reto Bieri and pianist Polina Leschenko – a testament to the enduring partnership of these three artists, celebrating their shared musical journey and musical origins.
Revolution was in the air when Johann Wolfgang von Goethe wrote his play Egmont in 1786. America had declared independence from Britain in 1776, and in 1789 the French were to begin the long and bloody process of overthrowing their own absolute monarchy. Egmont is set in the Netherlands in the 16th century, then brutally repressed by occupying Spanish forces. The hero, Count Egmont, rouses the Flemish people in revolt against Spanish tyranny. Eventually he is arrested, and an attempt to rescue him by his lover, Klärchen, fails. Klärchen poisons herself, and Egmont is executed – but not before he has had a vision of freedom personified as Klärchen herself, who crowns Egmont with a laurel wreath. Egmont offers his death as a sacrifice for his people, confident that freedom will prevail.
Despite the play’s subversive message, Goethe’s Egmont was staged by the Viennese Imperial Court Theatre in 1810, and it was for this production that Beethoven wrote his powerfully dramatic Overture. Beethoven’s impassioned sympathy for Egmont’s cause can be felt at every stage: the slow introduction, alternately stern and plaintive, leads to an urgent, obsessive Allegro that could easily be the first movement of a tragic symphony. As the music seems to be preparing to a grim final climax, the music is suddenly cut off. Silence follows, then a few plaintive chords for woodwind – surely the moment of Egmont’s execution. Then, without any attempt at transition, the mood is catapulted into a bright F major and the Overture hurtles to an ecstatic conclusion. In the play – and in the context of Beethoven’s own time – this vision of ‘Crowned Freedom’ is still only a far-off hope.
Composing in Soviet Russia was never an easy task, with Shostakovich all too aware of the gagging powers of the regime, as when his 1934 opera Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District failed to impress. Sadly, matters were only going to worsen, with Shostakovich and other leading composers becoming the target of Stalin’s chief propogandist Andrey Zhdanov in February 1948. The entire group, including Prokofiev and Khachaturian, saw their works banned due to ‘formalism’ – a term the authorities were never keen to define. It was a grave time, which also saw Shostakovich removed from his post at the Moscow Conservatory. While he knew that any attempt to mount serious new works in such an environment was futile, he continued to compose for his desk drawer, in the hope that a thaw would follow. Chief among these works was the First Violin Concerto in A minor. Begun in July 1947, work was continuing when Zhdanov issued his decree.
Inspiration had come came from the Odessa-born violinist David Oistrakh, to whom the Concerto was dedicated and who gave the premiere. That first performance in Leningrad had to wait until 1955, however, after the deaths of both Zhdanov and Stalin, though the Concerto was soon performed elsewhere, including in New York, where Oistrakh made a crucial recording with The Philadelphia Orchestra and Dimtri Mitropoulos.
Programme notes
The work begins with a sense of dread, though the opening Nocturne is intensely lyrical too. While its principal theme’s dotted rhythms hint at Baroque detachment, the long-spun nature of the soloist’s outpouring indicates there is much to be said. The presence of the Dies irae hints that judgement is on its way, but that is only realised in the Scherzo. This is a wild danse macabre, looking to the apparent portrait of Stalin in Shostakovich’s Tenth Symphony. The dance here employs the composer’s musical cipher DSch –D, E flat, C, B natural – as well as Jewish folk material, all at a time of rising anti-Semitism in the Soviet Union.
The imposing Passacaglia returns us to the formalities of the Moderato, with the woodwind and low brass suggesting the religiosity of an organ. When the soloist finally enters, the music speaks more of private grief amid this public mourning. Yet as much as the soloist tries to bend the orchestra to its will, the Passacaglia’s ominous tread continues, until, finally, the violinist seizes control and hurtles into a staggering cadenza. This in turn provides the springboard to the finale, its unbridled glee delivered with a devilish glint in the eye.
An announcement will be made five minutes before the end of the interval.
Coming soon on the LPO
Label:
Edward Gardner conducts Tippett
Tippett Piano Concerto Tippett Symphony No. 2
Edward Gardner conductor
Steven Osborne piano
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Recorded live in concert at the Royal Festival Hall
Released 22 November 2024
‘ It would be hard to imagine a more convincing account of the Piano Concerto than the one Steven Osborne conjured here.’ ★★★★
The Guardian (concert review)
Available on CD, and to download or stream via Spotify, Apple Music, Presto Music and others. Scan the QR code to pre-add or find out more.
Programme notes
Jean Sibelius
1865–1957
Symphony No. 5 in E flat major, Op. 82 1915
1 Tempo molto moderato – Allegro moderato
2 Andante mosso, quasi allegretto
3 Allegro molto – Un pochettino largamente
In the early 1910s Sibelius could add to his own financial and health problems those of his beloved Finland itself. Russia was strengthening its grip on the province, suspending parliament and attempting to drive out the Finnish language. As Europe slipped towards war, Finland, aligned with Russia, faced mass slaughter and the annihilation of its timber exporting industry. ‘In a deep mire again, but already I am beginning to see dimly the mountain that I shall ascend’, wrote a knowing Sibelius, ‘God opens his door for a moment and his orchestra is playing the Fifth Symphony.’
So, the new symphony was rapidly forming in Sibelius’s mind. Themes included the onset of spring and the spirit of the composer’s country home at Järvenpää. Then, on 12 April 1914, Sibelius witnessed a sight that would affect him profoundly and write the Fifth Symphony’s main theme for him. It was a flock of 16 swans, soaring upwards from the Järvenpää lake for their migration. ‘One of my greatest experiences’, Sibelius wrote in his diary, ‘the Fifth Symphony’s final theme … legato in the trumpets.’
At the time of the Symphony’s Helsinki premiere on 8 December 1915, there were four movements. Sibelius later amalgamated his first movement and scherzo into the opener that was eventually published and that we know now. After the initial, blossoming theme on glowing horns and woodwinds the music gains momentum and folds outwards, the orchestra falling over itself in contrary motion towards the proclamation of a major fourth by the trumpet. The opening motif soon appears again, returning in another form as the
Programme notes
Symphony is injected with optimism by an upwardpining theme – again in the trumpets.
Those gestures sow the seeds for Sibelius’s finale, in which the double basses are soon heard spelling out a fifth that augments as the bottom note drops twice, stepping back up in the manner of an ostinato. Here are the Järvenpää swans. As it’s taken up by the horns, the theme gains the pace and grandeur of flight, like the rise and fall of an avian wing. Suddenly, the music shifts key: Sibelius’s long-held bass note or ‘pedal note’ disappears like the falling away of a runway. The swans – magically, gloriously – take flight.
Soon they can be heard in the distance again, returning as if for a last farewell. Once more they soar upwards, cutting through a tangling, churning orchestral texture as if to break free from earthly concerns. Six stern orchestral jabs bid them a final salute.
We hope you enjoyed tonight’s concert. Could you spare a few moments afterwards to complete a short survey about your experience? Your feedback is invaluable to us and will help to shape our future plans. Just scan the QR code to begin the survey. Thank you!
Sibelius Symphonies on the LPO Label
Sibelius Symphony No. 2
Sibelius Symphony No. 7
Paavo Berglund conductor
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Sibelius Pohjola’s Daughter
Sibelius Symphony No. 5
Lutosławski Concerto for Orchestra
Jukka-Pekka Saraste conductor
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Sibelius Symphony No. 5
Sibelius Symphony No. 6
Sibelius The Swan of Tuonela
Paavo Berglund conductor
London Philharmonic Orchestra
All LPO Label releases are available to buy on CD, and to download or stream via Spotify, Apple Music, Idagio and others. Scan the QR codes to listen now or find out more.
Isata Kanneh-Mason plays Beethoven
Saturday 23 November 2024 | 7.30pm
Weber Overture, Der Freischütz
Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 4
Dvořák Symphony No. 8
Martin Rajna conductor
Isata Kanneh-Mason piano
Ravel & Rimsky-Korsakov
Saturday 1 February 2025 | 7.30pm
Ravel Pavane pour une infante défunte
Ravel Piano Concerto for the Left Hand
Rimsky-Korsakov Scheherazade
Juya Shin conductor*
Nicholas McCarthy piano
*LPO Fellow Conductor 2024/25. The LPO Conducting Fellowship is generously supported by Patricia Haitink with additional support from Gini and Richard Gabbertas.
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
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In memory of Mrs Rita Reay
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An anonymous donor
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In memory of Ann Marguerite Collins
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Cave
Patricia Haitink
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Guy Davies
Cameron & Kathryn Doley
Ms Elena Dubinets
David Ellen
Cristina & Malcolm Fallen
Mr Daniel Goldstein
David & Jane Gosman
Mr Gavin Graham
Mrs Dorothy Hambleton
Eugene & Allison Hayes
J Douglas Home
Mr & Mrs Jan
Mr & Mrs Ralph Kanza
Mrs Elena Kolobova & Mr Oleg
Kolobov
Rose & Dudley Leigh
Wg. Cdr. M T Liddiard OBE JP
RAF
Drs Frank & Gek Lim
Andrew T Mills
Mr & Mrs Andrew Neill
John Nickson & Simon Rew
Peter Noble & L Vella
Mikhail Noskov & Vasilina
Bindley
Simon & Lucy Owen-Johnstone
Andrew & Cindy Peck
Mr Roger Phillimore
Mr Michael Posen
Marie Power
Sir Bernard Rix
Baroness Shackleton
Tim Slorick
Sir Jim Smith
Mrs Maria Toneva
Mr Joe Topley & Ms Tracey Countryman
Mr & Mrs John C Tucker
Andrew & Rosemary Tusa
Galina Umanskaia
Mr & Mrs John & Susi
Underwood
The Viney Family
Mr Rodney Whittaker
Grenville & Krysia Williams
Joanna Williams
Principal Supporters
Anonymous donors
Chris Banks
Mr John D Barnard
Roger & Clare Barron
Mrs A Beare
Chris Benson
Peter & Adrienne Breen
Dr Anthony Buckland
Mr Julien Chilcott-Monk
Mr Alistair Corbett
David Devons
Deborah Dolce
In memory of Enid Gofton
Prof Emeritus John Gruzelier
Mrs Farrah Jamal
Bruce & Joanna Jenkyn-Jones
Per Jonsson
Tanya Joseph
Mr Ian Kapur
Jozef & Helen Kotz
Mr Peter Mace
Peter Mainprice
Miss Rebecca Murray
Mrs Terry Neale
Mr Stephen Olton
Mr James Pickford
Mr Robert Ross
Kseniia Rubina
Mr Andrea Santacroce & Olivia Veillet-Lavallée
Penny Segal
Priscylla Shaw
Michael Smith
Mr & Mrs G Stein
Dr Peter Stephenson
Ben Valentin KC
Sophie Walker
Christopher Williams
Liz Winter
Elena Y Zeng
Supporters
Anonymous donors
Ralph & Elizabeth Aldwinckle
Julian & Annette Armstrong
Robert & Sarah Auerbach
Dr Simona Cicero & Mr Mario Altieri
Alison Clarke & Leo Pilkington
Sarah Connor
Miss Tessa Cowie
Andrew Davenport
Stephen Denby
Mr Simon Edelsten
Mr Stephen Goldring
In memory of Derek Gray
Nick Hely-Hutchinson
The Jackman Family
Molly Jackson
Jan Leigh & Jan Rynkiewicz
Mr David MacFarlane
Simon Moore
Simon & Fiona Mortimore
Dana Mosevicz
Dame Jane Newell DBE
Diana G Oosterveld
Mr David Peters
Mr & Mrs Graham & Jean Pugh
Clarence Tan
Tony & Hilary Vines
Dr June Wakefield
Mr John Weekes
Mr Roger Woodhouse
Mr C D Yates
Hon. Benefactor
Elliott Bernerd
Hon. Life Members
Alfonso Aijón
Carol Colburn Grigor CBE
Pehr G Gyllenhammar
Robert Hill
Keith Millar
Victoria Robey CBE
Mrs Jackie Rosenfeld OBE
Cornelia Schmid
Timothy Walker CBE AM Laurence Watt
Thomas Beecham
Group Members
Sir Nigel Boardman & Prof. Lynda Gratton
David & Yi Buckley
In memory of Peter Coe
Dr Alex & Maria Chan
Garf & Gill Collins
William & Alex de Winton
Sonja Drexler
The Friends of the LPO
Irina Gofman & Mr Rodrik V. G.
Cave
Mr Roger Greenwood
Barry Grimaldi
David & Bettina Harden
Mr & Mrs Philip Kan
Mr & Mrs John Kessler
Sir Simon Robey
Victoria Robey OBE
Stuart & Bianca Roden
Julian & Gill Simmonds
Eric Tomsett
Neil Westreich
Guy & Utti Whittaker
LPO Corporate Circle
Principal
Bloomberg Carter-Ruck Solicitors
French Chamber of Commerce
Ryze Power
Tutti
German-British Chamber of Industry & Commerce
Lazard
Natixis Corporate Investment
Banking
Walpole
Thank you
Preferred Partners
Jeroboams
Lindt & Sprüngli Ltd
Neal’s Yard Remedies
OneWelbeck
Sipsmith
Steinway & Sons
In-kind Sponsor
Google Inc
Trusts and Foundations
ABO Trust
Art Mentor Foundation Lucerne
BlueSpark Foundation
The Boltini Trust
Candide Trust
Cockayne Grants for the Arts in London
Dunard Fund
Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation
Foyle Foundation
Garrick Charitable Trust
The Golsoncott Foundation
Jerwood Foundation
John Coates Charitable Trust
John Horniman’s Children’s Trust
John Thaw Foundation
Idlewild Trust Institute Adam Mickiewicz
Kirby Laing Foundation
The John S Cohen Foundation
The Lennox Hannay Charitable Trust
Kurt Weill Foundation
Lord and Lady Lurgan Trust
Lucille Graham Trust
The Marchus Trust
PRS Foundation
The R K Charitable Trust
The Radcliffe Trust
Rivers Foundation
Rothschild Foundation
Scops Arts Trust
TIOC Foundation
Vaughan Williams Foundation
The Victoria Wood Foundation
The Viney Family
The Barbara Whatmore
Charitable Trust
and all others who wish to remain anonymous.
Board of the American Friends of the LPO
We are grateful to the Board of the American Friends of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, who assist with fundraising for our activities in the United States of America:
Simon Freakley Chairman
Kara Boyle
Jon Carter
Jay Goffman
Alexandra Jupin
Natalie Pray MBE
Damien Vanderwilt
Marc Wassermann
Elizabeth Winter
Catherine Høgel Hon. Director
LPO International Board of Governors
Natasha Tsukanova Chair
Mrs Irina Andreeva
Steven M. Berzin
Shashank Bhagat
Irina Gofman
Olivia Ma
George Ramishvili Florian Wunderlich
London Philharmonic Orchestra Administration
Board of Directors
Dr Catherine C. Høgel Chair
Nigel Boardman Vice-Chair
Mark Vines* President
Kate Birchall* Vice-President
Emily Benn
David Buckley
David Burke
Michelle Crowe Hernandez
Deborah Dolce
Elena Dubinets
Simon Estell*
Tanya Joseph
Katherine Leek*
Minn Majoe*
Tania Mazzetti*
Jamie Njoku-Goodwin
Neil Westreich
David Whitehouse*
Simon Freakley (Ex officio –Chairman of the American Friends of the LPO)
