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 Friday 6 May 2022 | 7.30pm
The Song of the Earth Birtwistle Deep Time (23’) Interval (20’) Mahler Das Lied von der Erde (59’)
Contents 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 12 16 17 18 20
Welcome LPO news On stage tonight London Philharmonic Orchestra Leader: Pieter Schoeman Edward Gardner Tonight’s soloists Programme notes Song texts and translations Das Lied on the LPO Label Sound Futures donors Thank you LPO administration
Edward Gardner conductor
Generously supported by Aud Jebsen
Magdalena Kožená mezzo-soprano Andrew Staples tenor Generously supported by the LPO International Board of Governors. This concert is dedicated to the memory of Sir Harrison Birtwistle, 1934–2022.
The timings shown are not precise and are given only as a guide. CONCERT PRESENTED BY THE LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
This concert is being recorded and broadcast live by BBC Radio 3. It will be available for 30 days on BBC Sounds.
London Philharmonic Orchestra • 6 May 2022 • The Song of the Earth
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.
A warm welcome to the London Philharmonic Orchestra this evening, for the last of our concerts at the Royal Festival Hall this season.
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.
While preparing for tonight’s concert, we were deeply saddened to hear of composer Sir Harrison Birtwistle’s passing on 18 April, at the age of 87. Described by The Times as ‘a great original ... one of the most gifted composers of his generation’, Birtwistle was internationally regarded as one of the most individual composers in contemporary classical music of the past half-century. The LPO enjoyed a long relationship with Birtwistle, including as co-commissioner of his Piano Concerto (Responses: Sweet Disorder and the Carefully Careless), which the Orchestra performed in 2014 with soloist Pierre-Laurent Aimard under Vladimir Jurowski. The Orchestra also gave the world premieres of Birtwistle's The Cry of Anubis for tuba and orchestra, and performed his operas The Second Mrs Kong and The Last Supper at Glyndebourne in 1995 and 2001 respectively.
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 We look forward to seeing you again soon. A few points to note for your comfort and enjoyment: Photography is not allowed in the auditorium.
Tonight’s conductor, Edward Gardner, writes: ‘I was writing to Harry days before his death hoping to talk to him about his music for this concert. Despite his advanced age, that extraordinary life-force in his music and wonderfully gruff personality make it seem impossible that he’s not with us. We’re so proud to be performing his music and dedicate our season closing to him.’
Latecomers will only be admitted to the auditorium if there is a suitable break in the performance. Recording is not permitted in the auditorium without the prior consent of 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.
When this evening's work, Deep Time, was premiered in 2017, critics hailed the ‘immensely powerful’ work as an instant classic. We hope you enjoy this evening’s performance, and that it proves a fitting tribute to this greatest of British composers, as well as a touching and appropriate close to what has been a remarkable LPO season. We return to the Royal Festival Hall on 24 September, when Edward Gardner opens our new 2022/23 season with a performance of Schoenberg’s epic Gurrelieder, one of the most ambitious choral works of all time. Booking for the new season is now open: pick up a 2022/23 brochure as you leave the Hall this evening, visit lpo.org.uk/2223season, or call 020 7840 4200 to request a brochure by post.
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.
2
London Philharmonic Orchestra • 6 May 2022 • The Song of the Earth
On stage tonight First Violins
Pieter Schoeman* Leader
Chair supported by Neil Westreich
Kate Oswin
Chair supported by Friends of the Orchestra
Clarinets
Raquel López Bolívar Mark Gibbs Julia Doukakis Abby Bowen
Benjamin Mellefont Principal Thomas Watmough Emma Burgess Paul Richards*
Cellos
Trombones
David Whitehouse Principal Duncan Wilson
Bass Trombones
E-flat Clarinet
Lyndon Meredith Principal Simon Minshall
Pei-Jee Ng Co-Principal
Chair supported by Roger Greenwood
Tubas
Francis Bucknall David Lale Gregory Walmsley Susanna Riddell Tom Roff George Hoult Sibylle Hentschel Julia Morneweg
Bass/Contrabass Clarinets
Martin Robertson
Andrew Barclay* Principal
Ronald Long Rasa Zukauskaite Amanda Smith Joseph Devalle
Double Basses
Bassoons
Tom Edwards Karen Hutt Feargus Brennan
Second Violins
Hugh Kluger George Peniston Tom Walley
Lasma Taimina
Chair supported by Irina Gofman & Mr Rodrik V. G. Cave
Minn Majoe Yang Zhang
Chair supported by Eric Tomsett
Elizaveta Tyun Katalin Varnagy
Chair supported by Sonja Drexler
Morane Cohen-Lamberger Thomas Eisner Sophie Phillips Martin Höhmann Chair supported by Chris Aldren
Emma Oldfield Principal Helena Smart Ashley Stevens Joseph Maher Nynke Hijlkema Kate Birchall Nancy Elan Jessica Coleman Sioni Williams Kate Cole Lyrit Milgram Claudia Tarrant-Matthews Georgina Leo Fiona Higham Chair supported by David & Yi Buckley
Violas
David Quiggle Principal Ting-Ru Lai Laura Vallejo Katharine Leek Benedetto Pollani Martin Wray Shiry Rashkovsky Stanislav Popov
Kristina Blaumane Principal Chair supported by Bianca & Stuart Roden
Thomas Watmough Principal
Chair supported by The Candide Trust
Paul Richards* Principal Steve Morris
Soprano Saxophone
Jonathan Davies Principal
Kevin Rundell* Principal Sebastian Pennar
Chair supported by Sir Simon Robey
Gareth Newman Matthew Kitteringham Simon Estell*
Co-Principal
Contrabassoons
Chair supported by William & Alex de Winton
Simon Estell* Principal Matthew Kitteringham
Laura Murphy Charlotte Kerbegian Adam Wynter
Horns
John Ryan* Principal Nicholas Mooney
Flutes
Juliette Bausor Principal Hannah Grayson Clare Childs Stewart McIlwham*
Guest Principal
Martin Hobbs Mark Vines Co-Principal Gareth Mollison
Piccolos
Trumpets
Stewart McIlwham* Principal Clare Childs
Paul Beniston* Principal Anne McAneney* Tom Nielsen Katie Smith
Oboes
Ian Hardwick* Principal Alice Munday Sue Böhling*
Piccolo Trumpets Paul Beniston* Principal Anne McAneney*
Cor Anglais
Sue Böhling* Principal
Chair supported by Dr Barry Grimaldi
3
Lee Tsarmaklis* Principal Stuart Beard
Timpani
James Bower Guest Principal
Percussion
Chair supported by Gill & Garf Collins
Harps
Rachel Masters Principal Tamara Young
Piano/Celeste
Catherine Edwards
Mandolin
Daniel Thomas
Assistant Conductor Patrick Milne
* Holds a professorial appointment in London
The LPO also acknowledges the following chair supporters whose players are not present at this concert: Countess Dominique Loredan Victoria Robey OBE Caroline, Jamie & Zander Sharp
London Philharmonic Orchestra • 6 May 2022 • The Song of the Earth
© 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
4
London Philharmonic Orchestra • 6 May 2022 • The Song of the Earth
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, Martin Helmchen and Julia Fischer.
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. As it looks forward to its 90th anniversary season in 2022/23, 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; the Rotterdam and BBC Philharmonic orchestras; and the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra. Pieter’s chair in the LPO is generously supported by Neil Westreich.
5
London Philharmonic Orchestra • 6 May 2022 • The Song of the Earth
Edward Gardner Principal Conductor, London Philharmonic Orchestra
© Benjamin Ealovega
In demand as a guest conductor, recent seasons have seen Edward debut with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic and Vienna Symphony. He also continues his 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. Music Director of English National Opera for ten years (2006–15), Edward has an ongoing relationship with New York’s Metropolitan Opera, where he has conducted productions of La damnation de Faust, Carmen, Don Giovanni, Der Rosenkavalier and Werther. In London he has future plans with the Royal Opera House, where he made his debut in 2019 in a new production of Káťa Kabanová and returned for Werther the following season. The 2021/22 season saw Edward make his debut with the Bayerische Staatsoper in a new production of Peter Grimes. Elsewhere, he has conducted at La Scala, Chicago Lyric Opera, Den Norske Opera and Ballet, Glyndebourne Festival Opera and Opéra National de Paris.
Edward Gardner began his tenure as Principal Conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra in September 2021; he is also Chief Conductor of the Bergen Philharmonic, a position he has held since 2015. From February 2022 he also became Artistic Advisor at the Norwegian Opera & Ballet, and will take up the position of Music Director in August 2024. During the 2021/22 season Edward conducted the London Philharmonic Orchestra in eleven concerts at the Royal Festival Hall, opening with an acclaimed performance of Tippett’s The Midsummer Marriage in which the London Philharmonic Choir was joined by the ENO Chorus. On 31 August he conducts the Orchestra in Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius at the BBC Proms, with the LPC and the Hallé Choir. He returns to the Royal Festival Hall on 24 September to open the Orchestra’s 2022/23 season with Schoenberg’s Gurrelieder. Other LPO programmes next season include Mendelssohn’s ‘Reformation’ Symphony, Lutosławski’s Fourth Symphony, Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, Mahler’s Fifth Symphony, an Elgar symphony cycle, and – with the London Philharmonic Choir – Janáček’s Glagolitic Mass and Berlioz’s Damnation of Faust.
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. He went on to become Assistant Conductor of the Hallé and Music Director of Glyndebourne Touring Opera. His many accolades include being named Royal Philharmonic Society Award Conductor of the Year (2008), an Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Opera (2009) and receiving an OBE for Services to Music in the Queen’s Birthday Honours (2012).
Edward opened the Bergen Philharmonic’s 2021/22 season with a performance of John Adams’s Harmonium. Further highlights include an all-Stravinsky programme and new commissions by Thomas Larcher, Ryan Wigglesworth and Rebecka Ahvenniemi. Following recent tours to Berlin, Munich, Amsterdam and at the BBC Proms and Edinburgh International Festival, the orchestra performs in Barcelona and Paris this season.
Edward Gardner’s position at the LPO is generously supported by Aud Jebsen.
6
London Philharmonic Orchestra • 6 May 2022 • The Song of the Earth
Andrew Staples
mezzo-soprano
tenor
© Mathias Bothor/DG
Magdalena Kožená
One of the leading mezzo-sopranos of her generation, Magdalena Kožená was born in Brno, Czech Republic and studied piano and voice at Brno Conservatory and later at Bratislava’s Academy of Performing Arts.
A prolific concert performer, British tenor Andrew Staples has appeared with the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonic orchestras, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment with Simon Rattle; the Orchestre de Paris, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and London Symphony Orchestra with Daniel Harding; the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin and Scottish Chamber Orchestra with Robin Ticciati; the Rotterdam Philharmonic, the Orchestre Métropolitain and The Philadelphia Orchestra with Yannick Nézet-Séguin; the Accademia Santa Cecilia with Semyon Bychkov; and the Staatskapelle Berlin with Daniel Barenboim.
agdalena is a celebrated recitalist and regularly M partners with some of the most renowned pianists of our time including Mitsuko Uchida, Yefim Bronfman, Malcolm Martineau, Daniel Barenboim, András Schiff and Simon Rattle. These collaborations have seen her perform all over the world, including at London’s Wigmore Hall; New York’s Alice Tully and Carnegie Halls, the Musikverein and Konzerthaus in Vienna; the Pierre Boulez-Saal, Philharmonie and Konzerthaus in Berlin, the Amsterdam Concertgebouw; and the Rudolfinum in Prague.
Andrew made his debut at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden as Jacquino in Fidelio, returning for Flamand in Capriccio, Tamino in Die Zauberflöte, Tichon in Katya Kabanova and Narraboth in Salome. He has also appeared at the Metropolitan Opera, the National Theatre Prague; La Monnaie, Brussels; the Salzburger Festspiele; the Hamburgische Staatsoper, the Theater an der Wien, the Lucerne Festival and the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
In concert Magdalena has appeared with the New York, Berlin, Vienna, Czech and Rotterdam Philharmonic orchestras, the Bayerische Rundfunkorchester, the Deutsche Sinfonie-Orchester Berlin, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, under Gustavo Dudamel, Bernard Haitink, Mariss Jansons, Roger Norrington and Nikolaus Harnoncourt. Tonight is her LPO debut.
Recent and future engagements include his Metropolitan Opera debut as Andres in Wozzeck, Nicias in concert performances of Thaïs with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and Das Lied von der Erde with the New York Philharmonic, Orchestre de Paris, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin and Budapest Festival Orchestra. Further future engagements include returns to the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin and the Bayerischer Rundfunk Munich.
ontinuing to dazzle audiences on the opera stage, C Magdalena’s recent appearances include Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier at the Metropolitan Opera; Idamante in Idomeneo at the Staatsoper Berlin; Lady Macbeth in Pascal Dusapin’s Macbeth in the Underworld at La Monnaie, Brussels; and the Waitress in the world premiere of Kaija Saariaho’s Innocence at the Aix-enProvence Festival.
7
London Philharmonic Orchestra • 6 May 2022 • The Song of the Earth
Programme notes Harrison Birtwistle 1934–2022
Deep Time
© Philip Gatward
2016
Deep Time received its world premiere at the Berlin Philharmonie on 5 June 2017, conducted by Daniel Barenboim. Dedicated to the memory of Peter Maxwell Davies, this 25-minute, single-movement work was conceived as a companion to two other major orchestral pieces in which Birtwistle explored his interest in time and geology: The Triumph of Time (1971–72) – a slowmoving procession of more or less unrelated objects, raising questions about how we perceive time and motion in music that lacks tonality – and Earth Dances (1985–6), in which contrasted musical layers are
superimposed like geological strata, generating seismic climaxes reminiscent of those in Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring. Deep Time combines these two approaches, the processional and the tectonic, but emerges from and frequently returns to the shadows: a series of descending sighs in the double basses at the opening, for example, directly recalls the melancholy hues and gestures of Birtwistle’s John Dowland-inspired orchestral works The Shadow of Night (2001) and Night’s Black Bird (2004).
8
London Philharmonic Orchestra • 6 May 2022 • The Song of the Earth
Programme notes The work’s title comes from John McPhee’s 1981 book Basin and Range, in which the term refers to the measurement of inconceivably large time spans. The biblical idea of the Earth being 6,000 years old had long since been replaced by the current estimate of 4.5 billion years and McPhee observes that if deep time is equivalent to the old English yard – the distance from the King’s nose to the end of his outstretched hand – then ‘one stroke of a nail file on his middle finger erases human history’, an idea with which Birtwistle’s melancholic vision resonates powerfully.
supersedes another as lines that coalesce and splinter, hocketing objects (passed between sections of the orchestra) and pulsating textures follow, overlap, or are juxtaposed in a discontinuous yet related succession that is in a permanent state of exposition – a fantasy-like ebb and flow in a time all its own, halted only by the sudden reassertion of clock time at the end. Birtwistle suggests that these musical processes are comparable to – although not a representation of – the notion of geologic time, first proposed by 18th-century Scottish geologist James Hutton (1726–97), that involves an unimaginably slow but perpetual cycle of rock erosion, sedimentation and formation, in which there is ‘no vestige of a beginning, no prospect of an end’. Catastrophic events intervene in this process, as demonstrated by the Moine Thrust Belt in Scotland, where older rock was forced up over younger rock, a phenomenon Birtwistle likens to a ‘frozen violence’. Yet when we view such landscapes we experience in them a stillness, something Birtwistle claims is at the heart of his piece, a stillness which, to quote from Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, is that of ‘an implacable force brooding over an inscrutable intention’.
Deep Time favours a darkened palette enriched by tubas, contrabassoons and contrabass and bass clarinets, but its range of textures and timbres, and the proliferation of ideas, suggests an advance on previous orchestral works in a subtle shaping of pace and colour, with filigree string passages, resonant piano chords, thunderous tam tam and plaintive woodwind and saxophone solos that recall similar laments in The Triumph of Time. The work is a tour de force in the way it assembles, blends, orders and arranges a plethora of contrasting materials and melds these multiple strands – which appear to move at their own speeds and resist integration – into a coherent and powerful drama. One kind of multilayered order
Programme note © David Beard
‘An immensely powerful, sometimes breathtakingly beautiful work … the landscapes that the music traverses are wonderfully varied and coloured. One of Birtwistle’s finest orchestral achievements.’ – The Guardian
Interval – 20 minutes An announcement will be made five minutes before the end of the interval.
9
London Philharmonic Orchestra • 6 May 2022 • The Song of the Earth
Programme notes Gustav Mahler 1860–1911
Das Lied von der Erde (The Song of the Earth) 1908–09 Magdalena Kožená mezzo-soprano Andrew Staples tenor
1 Das Trinklied vom Jammer der Erde Drinking Song of Earth’s Misery 2 Der Einsame im Herbst Autumn Loneliness 3 Von der Jugend Youth 4 Von der Schönheit Beauty 5 Der Trunkene im Frühling The Drunkard in Spring 6 Der Abschied Farewell The song texts and translations begin on page 12. The story that Mahler avoided calling Das Lied von der Erde his Ninth Symphony because he wished to cheat death, which had claimed Beethoven and Bruckner at the same stage in their careers, is a much-repeated one, and though its origins may be questionable, it has the merit of plausibility. In the summer of 1907, a year after completing his gigantic, life-affirming Eighth Symphony, Mahler was staying with his family at their summer lakeside retreat at Maiernigg when he suffered the double blow of the death from scarlet fever of his elder daughter and the discovery of his own life-threatening heart condition. It was the beginning of a black period for him; ever aware of death, he was now forced even more into making an accommodation with it. Small wonder if portents of mortality gained extra strength. The summers were when Mahler did most of his composing – winters were devoted to a punishing conducting schedule – but the traumas of 1907
10
London Philharmonic Orchestra • 6 May 2022 • The Song of the Earth
Programme notes rendered the year creatively fruitless. That is unless we accept his widow Alma’s assertion that it was at the end of that summer that a friend gave him a copy of Die chinesische Flöte (‘The Chinese Flute’), a small book of assorted Chinese poems, many of them ancient, gathered together in German translations by Hans Bethge. The collection may have had its faults as an academic exercise – Bethge’s ‘translations’ were in fact second-hand adaptations of other men’s work, and many of his attributions are incorrect – but it certainly touched something in Mahler. Chinoiserie was much in vogue in European art at this time, but Mahler must have been drawn, too, to the poems’ highly concentrated reflections on natural beauty, the transience of human existence and the inevitable acceptance of death. When in 1908 he took up residence in a new summer home at Tolbach in the Dolomite Mountains (after a winter season which had seen his final performances as musical director at the Vienna State Opera and his first conducting engagements at the Metropolitan Opera in New York), he had already made a selection and was ready to turn them into an orchestral song-cycle. According to Alma, ‘he worked at white-heat all the summer … The scope of the composition grew as he worked. He linked up the separate poems and composed interludes, and so found himself drawn more and more to his true musical form – the symphony.’
a howling ape is terrifying, the movement’s bleak last chord like an unforgiving blow to the back of the head. The slow second movement brings a dramatic change in texture, and indeed recurrences of the noisy orchestral sounds of the first movement will be rare from now on, as extreme delicacy and precision take over. ‘Der Einsame im Herbst’ (‘Autumn Loneliness’) is sparingly scored, its winding solo winds and icy muted strings matching the cold intimacy of the poem’s imagery. The only outburst of warmth, at the words ‘Sun of love, will you never shine again?’, is snuffed out like the ‘little lamp’, the hope of one more spring answered by emptiness. The next three movements are shorter, a trio of scherzos to put thoughts of death temporarily aside. ‘Von der Jugend’ (‘Youth’) is all charm in its depiction of people drinking, talking and laughing in a porcelain pavilion, and its gentle musical orientalisms are carried forward into the fourth movement, ‘Von der Schönheit’ (‘Beauty’), where maidens quietly picking flowers are disturbed by a passing group of horsemen who stir up their emotions (and with it, briefly, the orchestral sound-level) before disappearing to leave in their wake a nameless sense of longing. Finally, ‘Der Trunkene im Frühling’ (‘The Drunkard in Spring’) closes the sequence with a carefree, even boisterous reiteration of the opening movement’s advice to lose yourself in drink. Spring may come, it says, but who cares?
The symphonic credentials of Das Lied are indeed strong. Its unique layout of six movements for solo voice and orchestra, with the last almost as long as the first five put together, seems not so unusual in the context of a symphonic canon which had already included much vocal music and a number of pragmatic formal designs, for instance in the Second, Third and Eighth symphonies. And while compared to those Das Lied is more like a song-cycle – the form that had dominated the earlier part of Mahler’s career – it is surely symphonic in its scope, its long-range thematic coherence and its sense of the voice as an ‘extra instrument’ in an overall orchestral texture rather than as a tune-carrier in need of accompaniment.
Which brings us to the long final movement, ‘Der Abschied’ (‘Farewell’). At first it seems to be offering a similar picture to that of the second movement: the heightened senses of a person preparing for death. The vocal line is static, the music weighed down, haunted by intimations of a funeral march which eventually rears itself to full height in a vast and seemingly implacable orchestral development section. The mood of resignation resumes at the singer’s return, but this is not how it will end. As we ‘await the hour’, there suddenly comes realisation: natural beauty will continue; the earth is ever renewing. As the voice soars in ecstatic release, the sense of resolution is total; all is said, and this great work fades away to the serene and gentle pulse of one repeating word – ‘ewig’.
The orchestra for Das Lied is a rich mix, and leaps into action with immediate and full effect in the first movement, ‘Das Trinklied vom Jammer der Erde’ (‘Drinking Song of Earth’s Misery’). The solo part is high here, the orchestration thick, and the atmosphere is an almost hysterical one of forced cheerfulness, as if the tenor were drowning in awful awareness of the spoiling hand of death. The glimpse of the grave surmounted by
Programme note © Lindsay Kemp
11
London Philharmonic Orchestra • 6 May 2022 • The Song of the Earth
Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde Text & translation 1 Das Trinklied vom Jammer der Erde (Li-Tai-Po)
Drinking Song of Earth’s Misery
Schon winkt der Wein im gold’nen Pokale, Doch trinkt noch nicht, erst sing’ ich euch ein Lied! Das Lied vom Kummer soll auflachend in die Seele euch klingen. Wenn der Kummer naht, liegen wüst die Gärten der Seele, Welkt hin und stirbt die Freude, der Gesang. Dunkel ist das Leben, ist der Tod. Herr dieses Hauses! Dein Keller birgt die Fülle des goldenen Weins! Hier, diese Laute nenn’ ich mein! Die Laute schlagen und die Gläser leeren, Das sind die Dinge, die zusammen passen. Ein voller Becher Weins zur rechten Zeit Ist mehr wert als alle Reiche dieser Erde! Dunkel ist das Leben, ist der Tod! Das Firmament blaut ewig und die Erde Wird lange fest steh’n und aufblüh’n im Lenz.
Wine is already sparkling in the golden goblet But do not drink yet; first I will sing you a song! The song of care shall sound laughing in your soul.
Du aber, Mensch, wie lang lebst denn du? Nicht hundert Jahre darfst du dich ergötzen
But thou, O man, how long wilt thou live? Not one hundred years may’st thou enjoy thyself
An all dem morschen Tande dieser Erde! Seht dort hinab! Im Mondschein auf den Gräbern Hockt eine wild-gespenstische Gestalt – Ein Aff’ ist’s! Hört ihr, wie sein Heulen Hinausgellt in den süßen Duft des Lebens! Jetzt nehmt den Wein! Jetzt ist es Zeit, Genossen! Leert eure gold’nen Becher zu Grund! Dunkel ist das Leben, ist der Tod!
With all the rotting trifles of this earth! Look down there! In the moonlight on the graves There crouches a wild and ghostly form – It is an ape! Listen, how its howling Rings out amidst the sweet scent of life! Now take up the wine! Now, friends, it is time! Drain your golden cups to the depths! Dark is life; dark is death!
2 Der Einsame im Herbst (Tchang-Tsi)
Autumn Loneliness
Herbstnebel wallen bläulich überm See; Vom Reif bezogen stehen alle Gräser; Man meint, ein Künstler habe Staub von Jade Über die feinen Blüten ausgestreut.
The autumn mists drift blue over the lake; The blades of grass stand covered with frost; One would think an artist had strewn jade-dust Over the delicate blossoms.
Der süße Duft der Blumen ist verflogen; Ein kalter Wind beugt ihre Stengel nieder. Bald werden die verwelkten, gold’nen Blätter Der Lotosblüten auf dem Wasser zieh’n. Mein Herz ist müde. Meine kleine Lampe
The flowers’ sweet scent is gone; An icy wind bends down their stems. Soon the withered golden leaves Of the lotus-flowers will be drifting on the water. My heart is weary. My little lamp
When care draws near, the gardens of the soul lie waste, Joy and singing fade away and die. Dark is life; dark is death. Lord of this house! Your cellar holds abundance of golden wine! I call this lute here my own! To strike the lute and to drain the glasses, Those are the things which go together. A brimming cup of wine at the right time Is worth more than all the riches of this earth! Dark is life; dark is death! The heavens are ever blue and the earth Will long stand fast and blossom forth in spring.
12
London Philharmonic Orchestra • 6 May 2022 • The Song of the Earth
Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde Text & translation Erlosch mit Knistern, es gemahnt mich an den Schlaf. Ich komm’ zu dir, traute Ruhestätte! Ja, gib mir Ruh’, ich hab’ Erquickung not!
Has gone out with a sputter, it urges me to go to sleep. I come to you, beloved place of rest, Yes, give me rest; I need refreshment!
Ich weine viel in meinen Einsamkeiten. Der Herbst in meinem Herzen währt zu lange. Sonne der Liebe, willst du nie mehr scheinen, Um meine bittern Tränen mild aufzutrocknen?
Long do I weep in my loneliness. The autumn in my heart endures too long. Sun of love, will you never shine again Tenderly to dry my bitter tears?
3 Von der Jugend (Li-Tai-Po)
Youth
Mitten in dem kleinen Teiche Steht ein Pavillon aus grünem Und aus weißem Porzellan. Wie der Rücken eines Tigers Wölbt die Brücke sich aus Jade Zu dem Pavillon hinüber.
In the middle of the little pool Stands a pavilion of green And white porcelain. Like a tiger’s back, The jade bridge arches itself Over to the pavilion.
In dem Häuschen sitzen Freunde, Schön gekleidet, trinken, plaudern, Manche schreiben Verse nieder.
In the little house friends are sitting Prettily dressed, drinking and chattering; Some are writing down verses.
Ihre seidnen Ärmel gleiten Rückwärts, ihre seidnen Mützen Hocken lustig tief im Nacken.
Their silk sleeves fall Backwards; their silk caps fall Roguishly over their necks.
Auf des kleinen Teiches stiller Wasserfläche zeigt sich alles Wunderlich im Spiegelbilde.
On the still surface of the little pool Everything is reflected Wonderfully as in a mirror.
Alles auf dem Kopfe stehend In dem Pavillon aus grünem Und aus weißem Porzellan.
Everything is standing on its head In the pavilion of green And white porcelain.
Wie ein Halbmond steht die Brücke, Umgekehrt der Bogen. Freunde, Schön gekleidet, trinken, plaudern.
The bridge stands like a half-moon With its arch upside-down. Friends Prettily dressed are drinking and chattering.
13
London Philharmonic Orchestra • 6 May 2022 • The Song of the Earth
Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde Text & translation 4 Von der Schönheit (Li-Tai-Po)
Beauty
Junge Mädchen pflücken Blumen, Pflücken Lotosblumen an dem Uferrande. Zwischen Büschen und Blättern sitzen sie, Sammeln Blüten in den Schoß und rufen Sich einander Neckereien zu. Gold’ne Sonne webt um die Gestalten Spiegelt sie im blanken Wasser wider, Sonne spiegelt ihre schlanken Glieder, Ihre süßen Augen wider. Und der Zephir hebt mit Schmeichelkosen das Gewebe Ihrer Ärmel auf, führt den Zauber Ihrer Wohlgerüche durch die Luft. O sieh, was tummeln sich für schöne Knaben Dort an dem Uferrand auf mut’gen Rossen? Weithin glänzend wie die Sonnenstrahlen; Schon zwischen dem Geäst der grünen Weiden Trabt das jungfrische Volk einher! Das Roß des einen wiehert fröhlich auf Und scheut und saust dahin, Über Blumen, Gräser, wanken hin die Hufe, Sie zerstampfen jäh im Sturm die hingesunk’nen Blüten. Hei! Wie flattern im Taumel seine Mähnen, Dampfen heiß die Nüstern! Gold’ne Sonne webt um die Gestalten, Spiegelt sie im blanken Wasser wider. Und die schönste von den Jungfrau’n sendet Lange Blicke ihm der Sehnsucht nach. Ihre stolze Haltung ist nur Verstellung. In dem Funkeln ihrer großen Augen, In dem Dunkel ihres heißen Blicks Schwingt klagend noch die Erregung ihres Herzens nach.
Young girls are picking flowers, Lotus-flowers by the river-bank. They are sitting among the bushes and the leaves, Gathering blossoms in their laps and calling Teasingly to one another. The golden sun shines over their forms And reflects them in the clear water; The sun reflects their slender limbs, And their sweet eyes. And the breeze lifts their embroidered sleeves Caressingly, and carries the magic of their perfume Through the air. Oh see, what fair youths are those There by the river-bank on their brave steeds? Flashing in the distance like sunbeams, The gay young men are trotting by, Among the branches of the green willows! The steed of one of them neighs merrily, Hesitates and plunges on. His hooves pass over flowers and grass; Stormily they trample down the fallen blossoms. How his mane tosses in frenzy! Hot steam blows from his nostrils. The golden sun shines over the forms And reflects them in the clear water. And the fairest of the maidens casts Looks of longing after him. Her proud bearing is only pretence. In the flashing of her large eyes In the darkness of her warm glances, Her anxious heart cries after him.
5 Der Trunkene im Frühling (Li-Tai-Po)
The Drunkard in Spring
Wenn nur ein Traum das Leben ist, Warum denn Müh’ und Plag’? Ich trinke, bis ich nicht mehr kann, Den ganzen, lieben Tag!
If life is but a dream, Why are there toil and misery? I drink till I can drink no more The whole, long, merry day!
Und wenn ich nicht mehr trinken kann, Weil Kehl’ und Seele voll, So tauml’ ich bis zu meiner Tür Und schlafe wundervoll!
And when I can drink no more, For body and mind are sated, I stagger to my door And sleep wonderfully.
14
London Philharmonic Orchestra • 6 May 2022 • The Song of the Earth
Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde Text & translation
Was hör ich beim Erwachen? Horch! Ein Vogel singt im Baum. Ich frag’ ihn, ob schon Frühling sei, Mir ist als wie im Traum.
And what do I hear when I awake? Hark! A bird is singing in the tree. I ask him if it is already spring; It seems to me like a dream.
Der Vogel zwitschert: Ja! Der Lenz Ist da, ist kommen über Nacht! Aus tiefstem Schauen lauscht’ ich auf, Der Vogel singt und lacht!
The bird twitters: Yes! Spring Is here; it came overnight! With deep attention I listened for it; The bird sings and laughs!
Ich fülle mir den Becher neu Und leer’ ihn bis zum Grund Und singe, bis der Mond erglänzt Am schwarzen Firmament!
I fill my glass anew And drain it to the bottom, And sing until the moon shines out In the dark heavens.
Und wenn ich nicht mehr singen kann, So schlaf’ ich wieder ein. Was geht mich denn der Frühling an? Laßt mich betrunken sein!
And when I can sing no more, I fall asleep again. What have I to do with spring? Let me remain a drunkard!
6 Der Abschied (Mong-Kao-Yen and Wang-Wei)
Farewell
Die Sonne scheidet hinter dem Gebirge. In alle Täler steigt der Abend nieder Mit seinen Schatten, die voll Kühlung sind. O sieh! Wie eine Silberbarke schwebt Der Mond am blauen Himmelssee herauf. Ich spüre eines feinen Windes Weh’n Hinter den dunklen Fichten! Der Bach singt voller Wohllaut durch das Dunkel.
The sun sinks behind the mountains. Evening falls in the valleys With its shadows, full of cooling freshness. See, how the moon above floats like a silver ship On the blue sea of the heavens. I feel a gentle wind blowing Behind the dark pines! The brook sings loud and melodious through the darkness. The flowers grow pale in the twilight. The earth breathes deeply in rest and sleep. All longing now has turned to dreaming. The tired people go homewards To find forgotten happiness in sleep And to learn youth anew! The birds crouch silent on the branches. The world falls asleep! There is a cool breeze in the shadow of the pines. I stand here waiting for my friend; I wait for him to take a last farewell. I long, my friend, to enjoy the beauty Of the evening at your side. Where are you? You have left me alone so long!
Die Blumen blassen im Dämmerschein. Die Erde atmet voll von Ruh’ und Schlaf. Alle Sehnsucht will nun träumen. Die müden Menschen geh’n heimwärts, Um im Schlaf vergeßnes Glück Und Jugend neu zu lernen! Die Vögel hocken still in ihren Zweigen. Die Welt schläft ein! Es wehet kühl im Schatten meiner Fichten. Ich stehe hier und harre meines Freundes; Ich harre sein zum letzten Lebewohl. Ich sehne mich, o Freund, an deiner Seite Die Schönheit dieses Abends zu genießen. Wo bleibst du? Du läßt mich lang allein!
15
London Philharmonic Orchestra • 6 May 2022 • The Song of the Earth
Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde Text & translation Ich wandle auf und nieder mit meiner Laute Auf Wegen, die von weichem Grase schwellen. O Schönheit! O ewigen Liebens-Lebenstrunk’ne Welt! Er stieg vom Pferd und reichte ihm den Trunk Des Abschieds dar. Er fragte ihn, wohin Er führe und auch warum es müßte sein. Er sprach, und seine Stimme war umflort: Du, mein Freund, Mir war auf dieser Welt das Glück nicht hold! Wohin ich geh’? Ich geh’, ich wand’re in die Berge. Ich suche Ruhe für mein einsam Herz. Ich wandle nach der Heimat! Meiner Stätte. Ich werde niemals in die Ferne schweifen. Still ist mein Herz und harret seiner Stunde! Die liebe Erde allüberall blüht auf im Lenz und grünt
Ewig... ewig...
I wander up and down with my lute On paths rich with soft grass. O beauty! O world, drunk for ever with love and life! He dismounted and I gave him the parting cup. I asked him where He was going, and also why it must be. He spoke, and his tones were veiled; O my friend, Fortune was not kind to me in this world! Where am I going? I shall wander in the mountains, I am seeking rest for my lonely heart. I shall wander to my native land, to my home. I shall never roam abroad. Still is my heart; it is awaiting its hour! Everywhere the lovely earth blossoms forth in spring and grows green Anew! Everywhere, for ever, horizons are blue and bright! For ever and ever ...
Text by Hans Bethge (1876–1946), from Die Chinesischen Flöte (1908)
English translation reprinted by kind permission of Decca Music Group Limited.
Aufs neu! Allüberall und ewig blauen licht die Fernen!
Das Lied von der Erde on the LPO Label Yannick Nézet-Séguin conductor Sarah Connolly mezzo-soprano Toby Spence tenor Recorded live at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall on 19 February 2011 £9.99 | LPO-0073
‘Glorious playing from the LPO ... a very special disc indeed’ Classical Music Magazine All LPO Label releases are available on CD from all good retailers, and to download or stream via Spotify, Apple Music, Idagio and others.
16
London Philharmonic Orchestra • 6 May 2022 • The Song of the Earth
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
17
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 • 6 May 2022 • The Song of the Earth
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
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 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
Principal Supporters
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
18
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 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
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 Miss Yousun Chae 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 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
London Philharmonic Orchestra • 6 May 2022 • The Song of the Earth
Thank you
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
Corporate Donors
Hon. Benefactor
Tutti
Elliott Bernerd
Hon. Life Members Alfonso Aijón Kenneth Goode Carol Colburn Grigor CBE Pehr G Gyllenhammar Robert Hill Mrs Jackie Rosenfeld OBE Laurence Watt
Thomas Beecham Group Members 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
Barclays CHANEL Fund for Women in the Arts and Culture Pictet Bank
LPO Corporate Circle Leader freuds Sunshine
Principal Berenberg Bloomberg Carter-Ruck French Chamber of Commerce Lazard Russo-British Chamber of Commerce Walpole
Trialist Allianz Musical Insurance Ogilvy UK Sciteb
Preferred Partners Gusbourne Estate Lidl Lindt & Sprüngli Ltd OneWelbeck Steinway
In-kind Sponsor Google Inc
Trusts and Foundations
BlueSpark Foundation 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 Scops Arts 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.
19
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 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 Co-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) George Ramishvili (Georgia) Victoria Robey OBE (USA) Jay Stein (USA)
London Philharmonic Orchestra • 6 May 2022 • The Song of the Earth
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)
Frances Slack Finance Director Dayse Guilherme Finance Manager Jean-Paul Ramotar Finance and IT Officer
General Administration Elena Dubinets Artistic Director David Burke Chief Executive Chantelle Vircavs PA to the Executive
Education and Community Talia Lash Interim Education and Community Director Rebecca Parslow Education and Community Project Manager
Concert Management Roanna Gibson Concerts Director
Hannah Foakes Tilly Gugenheim Education and Community Project Co-ordinators
Graham Wood Concerts and Recordings Manager
*Player-Director
Fabio Sarlo Glyndebourne and Projects Manager
Advisory Council
Grace Ko Tours Manager
Martin Höhmann Chairman Christopher Aldren Dr Manon Antoniazzi Roger Barron Richard Brass Helen Brocklebank YolanDa Brown Simon Burke 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
Finance
Julian Simmonds Barry Smith Martin Southgate Chris Viney Laurence Watt Elizabeth Winter
Development Laura Willis Development Director Scott Tucker Development Events Manager
Alison Jones Concerts and Recordings Co-ordinator Matthew Freeman Recordings Consultant Andrew Chenery Orchestra Personnel Manager
Marketing Kath Trout Marketing and Communications Director Mairi Warren Marketing Manager Rachel Williams Publications Manager
20
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
Kirstin Peltonen Development Associate
Felix Lo Orchestra and Auditions Manager
Sophie Harvey Digital and Residencies Marketing Manager
Rosie Morden Individual Giving Manager
Nick Jackman Campaigns and Projects Director
Freddie Jackson Assistant Stage Manager
Ruth Haines (née Knight) Press and PR Manager
Mr Chris Aldren Honorary ENT Surgeon
Priya Radhakrishnan Georgia Wiltshire Development Assistants
Laura Kitson Stephen O’Flaherty Stage Managers
Gavin Miller Sales and Ticketing Manager
Siân Jenkins Corporate Relations Manager
Anna Quillin Trusts and Foundations Manager
Sarah Thomas Martin Sargeson Librarians
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