London Philharmonic Orchestra 8 Nov 2017 concert programme by London Philharmonic Orchestra

b e m ov e d 2017/18 Season at Southbank Centreâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Royal Festival Hall Concert programme

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

Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall Wednesday 8 November 2017 | 7.30pm

Tchaikovsky 1812 Overture, Op. 49 (16’) Schumann Violin Concerto in D minor, WoO23 (30’) Interval (20’) Beethoven Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, Op. 55 (Eroica) (47’)

Alain Altinoglu conductor Patricia Kopatchinskaja violin

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

Contents 2 Welcome 3 On stage tonight 4 About the Orchestra 5 Leader: Pieter Schoeman 6 Alain Altinoglu 7 Patricia Kopatchinskaja 8 Programme notes 11 Recommended recordings 12 Next concerts 13 Sound Futures donors 14 Supporters 16 LPO administration

Welcome

Welcome to Southbank Centre We hope you enjoy your visit. We have a Duty Manager available at all times. If you have any queries please ask any member of staff for assistance. Eating, drinking and shopping? Southbank Centre shops and restaurants include Foyles, EAT, Giraffe, Strada, YO! Sushi, wagamama, Le Pain Quotidien, Las Iguanas, ping pong, Canteen, Caffè Vergnano 1882, Skylon, Feng Sushi and Topolski, as well as cafes, restaurants and shops inside Royal Festival Hall. If you wish to get in touch with us following your visit please contact the Visitor Experience Team at Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London SE1 8XX, phone 020 3879 9555, or email customer@southbankcentre.co.uk We look forward to seeing you again soon. Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Room and Hayward Gallery are closed for essential refurbishment until 2018. During this period, our resident orchestras are performing in venues including St John's Smith Square. Find out more at southbankcentre.co.uk/sjss A few points to note for your comfort and enjoyment: PHOTOGRAPHY is not allowed in the auditorium. LATECOMERS will only be admitted to the auditorium if there is a suitable break in the performance.

Das Rheingold: A Golden Gala Evening Saturday 27 January 2018 6.00pm Royal Festival Hall

Wagner Das Rheingold Vladimir Jurowski conductor with soloists including Sofia Fomina, Anna Larsson, Matthias Goerne and Matthew Rose

Celebrate Vladimir Jurowski’s 10th year as LPO Principal Conductor by joining us for this Golden Gala Evening at Royal Festival Hall. As well as standard concert tickets, we are offering special packages including pre- and post-concert receptions and the chance to meet the musicians who will bring Wagner’s great music drama to the stage.

lpo.org.uk/vj10

RECORDING is not permitted in the auditorium without the prior consent of Southbank Centre. Southbank Centre reserves the right to confiscate video or sound equipment and hold it in safekeeping until the performance has ended. MOBILES, PAGERS AND WATCHES should be switched off before the performance begins. Generously supported by members of the Orchestra’s Ring Cycle Syndicate and patrons of our Golden Gala Evening.

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On stage tonight

First Violins Pieter Schoeman* Leader Chair supported by Neil Westreich

Kevin Lin Co-Leader Vesselin Gellev Sub-Leader JiJi Lee Catherine Craig Thomas Eisner Martin Höhmann Geoffrey Lynn Chair supported by Caroline, Jamie & Zander Sharp

Robert Pool Sarah Streatfeild Yang Zhang Tina Gruenberg Rebecca Shorrock Georgina Leo Second Violins Tania Mazzetti Principal Jeongmin Kim Kate Birchall Nancy Elan Fiona Higham Chair supported by David & Yi Buckley

Nynke Hijlkema Joseph Maher Marie-Anne Mairesse Ashley Stevens Robin Wilson Sioni Williams Alison Strange

Violas David Quiggle Principal Katharine Leek Susanne Martens Benedetto Pollani Laura Vallejo Stanislav Popov Alistair Scahill Daniel Cornford Martin Fenn Martin Wray

Piccolo Stewart McIlwham* Principal

Cornets Paul Beniston* Jason Lewis

Oboes John Anderson Guest Principal Alice Munday

Trombones Mark Templeton* Principal

Cellos Kristina Blaumane Principal

Clarinets Jean-Pascal Post Guest Principal Thomas Watmough

Chair supported by Bianca & Stuart Roden

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

David Lale Elisabeth Wiklander Susanna Riddell Tom Roff Double Basses Kevin Rundell* Principal Sebastian Pennar Co-Principal George Peniston Laurence Lovelle Lowri Morgan Charlotte Kerbegian Flutes Juliette Bausor Principal Sue Thomas*

Chair supported by William & Alex de Winton

David Whitehouse

Cor Anglais Jane Marshall

Bass Trombone Lyndon Meredith Principal Tuba Lee Tsarmaklis* Principal

Bassoons Jonathan Davies Principal Gareth Newman Horns Mark Vines Principal Chair supported by Laurence Watt

Martin Hobbs Nicholas Mooney Gareth Mollison Elise Campbell Trumpets Paul Beniston* Principal Sérgio Pacheco Guest Principal Anne McAneney* Chair supported by Geoff & Meg Mann

Timpani Simon Carrington* Principal Percussion Andrew Barclay* Principal Chair supported by Andrew Davenport

Keith Millar James Bower Karen Hutt Paul Stoneman

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

Jason Lewis

Chair supported by Victoria Robey OBE

The London Philharmonic Orchestra also acknowledges the following chair supporters whose players are not present at this concert: The Candide Trust • Sonja Drexler • Friends of the Orchestra • Dr Barry Grimaldi • Sir Simon Robey

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London Philharmonic Orchestra

The LPO musicians really surpassed themselves in playing of élan, subtlety and virtuosity. Matthew Rye, Bachtrack, 24 September 2017 (Enescu’s Oedipe at Royal Festival Hall) Recognised today as one of the finest orchestras on the international stage, the London Philharmonic Orchestra balances a long and distinguished history with a reputation as one of the UK’s most forwardlooking ensembles. As well as its performances in the concert hall, the Orchestra also records film and video game soundtracks, releases CDs on its own record label, and reaches thousands of people every year through activities for families, schools and local communities. Celebrating its 85th anniversary this season, the Orchestra was founded by Sir Thomas Beecham in 1932. It has since been headed by many of the world’s greatest conductors including Sir Adrian Boult, Bernard Haitink, Sir Georg Solti, Klaus Tennstedt and Kurt Masur. Vladimir Jurowski is the Orchestra’s current Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor, and this season we celebrate the tenth anniversary of this extraordinary partnership. Andrés Orozco-Estrada took up the position of Principal Guest Conductor in September 2015. The Orchestra is resident at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall in London, where it gives around 40 concerts each season. Our year-long Belief and Beyond Belief festival in partnership with Southbank Centre

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continues to the end of 2017, exploring what it means to be human in the 21st century. Then, in 2018, we explore the life and music of Stravinsky in our new series Changing Faces: Stravinsky’s Journey, charting the life and music of one of the 20th century’s most influential composers. Outside London, the Orchestra has flourishing residencies in Brighton and Eastbourne, and performs regularly around the UK. Each summer the Orchestra takes up its annual residency at Glyndebourne Festival Opera in the Sussex countryside, where it has been Resident Symphony Orchestra for over 50 years. The Orchestra also tours internationally, performing to sell-out audiences worldwide. In 1956 it became the first British orchestra to appear in Soviet Russia and in 1973 made the first ever visit to China by a Western orchestra. Touring remains a large part of the Orchestra’s life: the 2016/17 season included visits to New York, Germany, Hungary, Spain, France, Belgium, The Netherlands and Switzerland, and tours in 2017/18 include Romania, Japan, China, the Czech Republic, Germany, Belgium, Austria, Spain, Italy and France.

Pieter Schoeman leader

In summer 2012 the London Philharmonic Orchestra performed as part of The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Pageant on the River Thames, and was also chosen to record all the world’s national anthems for the London 2012 Olympics. In 2013 it was the winner of the RPS Music Award for Ensemble. The London Philharmonic Orchestra is committed to inspiring the next generation of musicians through an energetic programme of activities for young people. In 2017/18 we celebrate the 30th anniversary of our Education and Community department, whose work over three decades has introduced so many people of all ages to orchestral music and created opportunities for people of all backgrounds to fulfil their creative potential. Highlights include the BrightSparks schools’ concerts and FUNharmonics family concerts; the Young Composers Programme; and the Foyle Future Firsts orchestral training programme for outstanding young players. Its work at the forefront of digital engagement and social media has enabled the Orchestra to reach even more people worldwide: all its recordings are available to download from iTunes and, as well as regular concert streamings and a popular podcast series, the Orchestra has a lively presence on social media. lpo.org.uk facebook.com/londonphilharmonicorchestra twitter.com/LPOrchestra youtube.com/londonphilharmonicorchestra instagram.com/londonphilharmonicorchestra

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

The London Philharmonic Orchestra has recorded the soundtracks to numerous blockbuster films, from The Lord of the Rings trilogy to Lawrence of Arabia, East is East, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and Thor: The Dark World. It also broadcasts regularly on television and radio, and in 2005 established its own record label. There are now over 90 releases available on CD and to download. Recent additions include Beethoven’s Symphonies Nos. 1 and 4 conducted by Kurt Masur; Dvořák’s Symphonies 6 & 7 conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin; and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 and Fidelio Overture conducted by Vladimir Jurowski.

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

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Alain Altinoglu conductor

Altinoglu led the suite with energy and surgical precision, and The Cleveland Orchestra infused the piece with dazzling colour. The audience response was rapturous.

Daniel Hathaway, Cleveland Classical, 17 October 2016 (Ravel’s Daphnis and Chloé)

In his second season as Music Director of Brussels’ Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, Alain Altinoglu continues to earn rave reviews for his intense yet refined performances. This season will also mark the re-opening of La Monnaie’s iconic opera house following extensive renovation works. Tonight’s concert is Alain Altinoglu’s debut with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and it will be followed by a week-long tour of Belgium and Germany with the Orchestra and tonight’s soloist Patricia Kopatchinskaja. As a guest, Altinoglu is regularly invited to conduct such distinguished orchestras as the Boston Symphony, the Chicago Symphony, The Philadelphia Orchestra, The Cleveland Orchestra, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden, the Staatskapelle Berlin, the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, the ORF Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien and the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, as well as all the major Parisian orchestras. Highlights of this season include Altinoglu’s debut with the Berlin Philharmonic, conducting his own arrangement of a suite from Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande. He will also appear at the Mozart Festival in Salzburg with the Vienna Philharmonic. Other important debuts include concerts with the WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, the Oslo Philharmonic, and the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin with pianist Leif Ove Andsnes. In Brussels he will conduct new productions of Wagner’s Lohengrin and Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmélites, both directed by Olivier Py,

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as well as Bartók’s The Miraculous Mandarin and Bluebeard’s Castle in a new double-bill production by Christophe Coppens. A regular guest at the world’s leading opera houses, Alain Altinoglu appears at Metropolitan Opera, New York; the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden; the Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires; the Wiener Staatsoper; Opernhaus Zürich; the Deutsche Oper Berlin; the Staatsoper Unter den Linden; the Bayerische Staatsoper München; and all three opera houses in Paris. He has also appeared at the festivals of Bayreuth, Salzburg, Orange and Aix-enProvence. Alongside his conducting, Altinoglu maintains a strong affinity and command over the Lieder repertoire. Regularly accompanying his wife, the mezzo-soprano Nora Gubisch, their most recent recording for Naïve includes folk songs by de Falla, Obradors, Granados, Berio and Brahms. Other recordings together have included songs by Duparc (Cascavelle) and Ravel (Naïve). Past releases include Lalo’s Fiesque with the Orchestre National de Montpellier and Roberto Alagna (DG), and Liszt’s piano concertos with the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin and soloist Nareh Arghamanyan (PentaTone). DVD recordings include Honegger’s Jeanne d’Arc au bûcher (Accord) in 2007 and Wagner’s Der fliegende Holländer (DG) in 2015. Born in Paris in 1975, Alain Altinoglu studied at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris, where he now teaches the conducting class. alainaltinoglu.com

Patricia Kopatchinskaja violin

What is beyond argument is her fierce, questing intelligence, allied to a virtuosity that lets her turn her instrument into a thousand different characters in a drama to which only she has the script.

Richard Morrison, The Times, March 2014

Violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja’s versatility shows itself in her diverse repertoire, ranging from baroque and classical often played on gut strings, to new commissions and re-interpretations of modern masterworks. Her 2017/18 season began in September with the world premiere of her new project Dies irae at the Lucerne Festival, where this season she is ‘artiste étoile’. The North American premiere will take place in June 2018 at the Ojai Festival, California, where Patricia will also be Music Director. Ligeti’s Violin Concerto is a prominent feature of Patricia’s 2017/18 season – she will perform it with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra in Bucharest under Rafael Payare; with the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI; and with Aurora Orchestra under Nicholas Collon as part of Southbank Centre’s Ligeti weekend in May 2018, during which she will also perform the composer’s Horn Trio with Pierre-Laurent Aimard and Marie-Luise Neunecker. The Stravinsky Violin Concerto will also feature this season: as well as performing it with the LPO on tour in Belgium and Germany following tonight’s concert, Patricia will give performances with Teodor Currentzis and the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, and with Gustavo Gimeno and the Rotterdam Philharmonic. Last season Patricia was Artist in Residence at four major European venues and festivals: the Berlin Konzerthaus, the Lucerne Festival, London’s Wigmore Hall and the Kissinger Sommer Festival. She performed Ligeti’s Violin Concerto with the Berlin Philharmonic under Sir Simon Rattle; with the Filharmonica della Scala under Andrés Orozco-Estrada; and with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra under Jukka-Pekka Saraste. She also made her debut with the Gothenburg Symphony and Peter Eötvös, performing his violin concerto DoReMi. Continuing her

regular collaboration with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, she appeared with them at Royal Festival Hall and in New York under Vladimir Jurowski. Chamber music is immensely important to Patricia Kopatchinskaja and she performs regularly with artists such as Markus Hinterhäuser, Polina Leschenko, Anthony Romaniuk and Jay Campbell. She is also an Artistic Partner with The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Minnesota, and performs with the ensemble regularly. This season she partners cellist Jay Campbell in an eclectic programme at New York City’s Armory and in a series of recitals around Europe with pianist Polina Leschenko including London’s Wigmore Hall, Berlin’s Boulez Saal and the Vienna Konzerthaus. A prolific recording artist, Patricia’s last few seasons have seen a number of major releases: an album of Kancheli’s music with Gidon Kremer and Kremerata Baltica; a disc of duos entitled TAKE TWO; Schumann’s Violin Concerto and Fantasy with the WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln under Heinz Holliger; and Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto with Teodor Currentzis. Her release for Naïve Classique featuring concerti by Bartók, Ligeti and Peter Eötvös won Gramophone’s Recording of the Year Award in 2013, an ECHO Klassik Award and a 2014 Grammy nomination. Her latest release, Schubert’s Death and the Maiden with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, has received great critical acclaim. patriciakopatchinskaja.com facebook.com/patriciakopatchinskaja @PatKopViolin

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Programme notes

Speedread Two encounters with Napoleon in tonight’s concert, proving that he could provoke the artist as much as the soldier: Tchaikovsky’s famous ‘1812’ Overture celebrates the year of the successful repulse of French invasion by Russian forces (and weather) following the occupation of Moscow, but while it is the clamorously patriotic ending that has made it most famous, it also explores a surprising range of different moods; and Beethoven’s Third Symphony

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

has at least part of its original inspiration in the young Napoleon, even if the composer’s subsequent anger at his subject’s self-pronounced elevation to Emperor left the path open for it to carry a wider and more universally uplifting message. In between, Schumann’s rarely heard Violin Concerto reflects a less convulsive – though no less real and dignified – struggle, this time a private one against mental illness.

1812 Overture, Op. 49

1840–93

Tchaikovsky was reluctant, to say the least, to fulfil an imprecise commission received in the summer of 1880 from Nikolay Rubinstein, the newly appointed director of music for the following year’s All-Russian Arts and Industry Exhibition, for an overture ‘for the opening of the exhibition, or for the Tsar’s 25th anniversary, or a cantata in whatever style or form you like but the with a hint of religious music’. In a testy reply he emphasised that either clearer instructions, a stronger spur to inspiration or a bigger fee were required. Yet in the end he agreed, and by November had finished it. ‘It will be very loud and noisy’, he reported. In the event, the assassination of Tsar Alexander II in the spring of 1881 meant the exhibition was postponed for a year, and thus it was not until August 1882 that the ‘1812 Overture’ received its premiere.

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It is not clear at what stage Tchaikovsky alighted on the year 1812 as the subject of his overture, but as the date of Napoleon’s ignominious retreat from occupation of Moscow it was clearly one with huge patriotic resonance for all Russians. It is natural, therefore, that it should feature a patchwork of stirringly evocative Russian themes, including the Orthodox chant Save us, O Lord (heard in the slow introduction), the folksong At the gates, father’s gates, and a Romantic melody from his own opera The Voyevoda. These tunes are menaced throughout by fragments of La Marseillaise, which run wild until, in a tumultuous finale, they are comprehensively seen off by a grandiose combination of the opening chant and the hymn ‘God save the Tsar’, all supported by ringing bells and roaring cannons.

Robert Schumann 1810–56

Schumann composed three concertos, including in the Piano Concerto one of the best-loved works of its kind. The Cello Concerto is less often heard, while performances of the Violin Concerto are infrequent indeed. The origins of its neglect are in the first place historical. Schumann composed it in the autumn of 1853, having been inspired by the playing of the 22-year-old Joseph Joachim, one of the greatest violinists of the 19th century. It was a time of feverish productivity for Schumann, but also one when mental illness was beginning to strike him down. He was committed to an asylum early in 1854, and by the time of his death in July 1856 there had still been no performance of the Concerto. Following this its course into obscurity was set when, despite early enthusiasm, Joachim and the composer’s widow Clara grew increasingly uncomfortable with it. ‘It must be regretfully admitted that there are unmistakable signs of a certain weariness’, Joachim later declared, ‘though his intellectual energy strives to master it’, while Clara protectively omitted it from the publication of her husband’s ‘collected works’. After Joachim’s death in 1907 his son placed a total ban on its publication. Yet, like its companions, the Violin Concerto is distinctive and personal to its composer to a degree that ought to ensure wider interest. Schumann was no lover of empty virtuosity, and while the solo writing here is certainly demanding (as Joachim himself admitted), it does not soar above the orchestra in the expected manner, nor explode into violinist pyrotechnics to impress the audience. But as Joachim said, there are passages that ‘give evidence (how could it be otherwise?) of the profound spirit of its creator’.

Violin Concerto in D minor, WoO23 Patricia Kopatchinskaja violin 1 2 3

Im kräftigen, nicht zu schnellen Tempo [in a forceful but not rapid tempo] Langsam [slow] – Lebhaft, doch nicht schnell [lively, but not fast]

The work was finally allowed into the light in 1937, when it received its premiere in Berlin, and since then it has continued to fascinate and challenge violinists and audiences alike. The first movement opens with an imposingly Romantic theme, albeit one in whose stately rhythms and trills commentators have seen a possible homage to Handel. It is countered by a lyrical but strangely halting second theme which Joachim praised as ‘genuine Schumann’, even if he was less sympathetic towards the way intimate dialogues between the soloist and woodwinds create a similar soft atmosphere in the central development section, rather than swelling into something more agitated and conventionally effective. ‘Glorious Master – the blissful dream is captured, as warm and intimate as ever’, wrote Joachim of the slow second movement, which is dominated by a poignant melody that Schumann told Clara was inspired by the spirit of Schubert, before adding that it ‘should sing itself to death like a nightingale’. The opening gently rocking figure which seems at first to be pure accompaniment later ingeniously becomes part of the solo melody, and also reappears in support of the violin as it uses yet another motif from that melody to drive the music into the third movement. Though not so called, this last is in the style of a polonaise, most evidently in its swaggering main theme. The overall pace, however, is leisurely, while the construction is relaxed and varied, with fleeting references to the previous movements. A conventionally climactic finale this may not be, but there is no doubting the personality behind it.

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

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Programme notes continued

Ludwig van Beethoven

Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, Op. 55 (Eroica)

Only a year separates the completion of Beethoven’s Second Symphony from that of his Third, yet in that time the composer made an enormous leap forward that left his contemporaries gasping in his wake. It was not just that the ‘Eroica’ (‘Heroic’) expanded the physical size of the symphony to hitherto unknown dimensions; it also imbued the genre with a new and gigantic message, turning it into an artistic and philosophical statement that transcended any of its previously accepted functions. For here Beethoven used the symphony to express nothing less than his abiding faith in mankind’s capacity for greatness.

The opening chords are almost startlingly terse, while in its smooth spaciousness the main theme is like no main theme ever written before. The central development section is a long and brutal battle, but leads to a return to the main theme that is hushed and mysterious. After all this, the movement’s long, gently developmental coda is nothing less than a structural necessity.

The figure with whom he most associated greatness when he wrote the work in 1803 was Napoleon. At that time Napoleon seemed to embody the republican ideals of many of Europe’s intellectuals, but when he crowned himself Emperor in 1804 Beethoven angrily deleted his name from the title-page of the score, where he had been cited as dedicatee. Yet heroism – personal and idealistic – did not lose its significance for the composer. His own claim to artistic heroic status could hardly be doubted after his emergence from the near-suicidal despair of 1802 with creativity unimpaired, and the spiritual rebirth this represented is outlined in the four movements of the ‘Eroica’: the first a titanic struggle; the second a tragic funeral march; the third a joyous renewal of life; and the last a confident and triumphant affirmation of the power of Man. It was with this realisation of the extra-musical autobiographical potential of the symphony that Beethoven was to set the ideological tone for the next hundred years of symphonic writing. As in the Second Symphony, Beethoven’s expansion of the genre’s dimensions here makes use of the conventional building blocks, but in the ‘Eroica’ the familiar is made to sound impressively different.

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1 2 3 4

Allegro con brio Marcia funebre: Adagio assai Scherzo and Trio: Allegro vivace Finale: Allegro molto

The second movement – the funeral march – makes large-scale use of what is basically a simple design. Three immensely slow, grief-stricken outer sections frame a vainly hopeful major-key ‘trio’, a solemn double fugue and a cataclysmic orchestral upheaval. There is another long coda, at the end of which, in one of the Symphony’s most radical gestures, the music literally disintegrates, seemingly incapable of consolation. But all is not lost. The Scherzo now steals in almost imperceptibly on the woodwind and strings, to be joined eventually by the full orchestra. The Trio does not do much to calm the celebrations, though it is less frantic, and the repeat of the first section is no mere formal nicety but a winding-up of the euphoria, with the orchestra at one point almost falling over itself with glee. The Finale is one movement in which Beethoven did create a new formal design – a unique combination of variation form, passacaglia and rondo. After a noisy orchestral opening, the movement’s early progress from stark bass-line to dance-like tune is borrowed from an earlier set of piano variations on a theme from Beethoven’s music for the ballet The Creatures of Prometheus. The theme itself does not appear until the third variation, where it is played by the oboe, but by then the music has already begun to acquire an unstoppable feel. Eventually a slower variation brings the movement a dignity more befitting the

work’s heroic subject, before a return of the orchestral introduction sweeps the music into a joyful coda.

Recommended recordings of tonight’s works

The story of the Prometheus ballet had concerned a figure who creates two beings with the aid of fire stolen from the gods and then instructs them in human arts and passions. As a representation of the creative artist’s role as educator and civilising influence, it could hardly have failed to appeal to Beethoven; by making such direct reference to it, how better could he have concluded this masterly symphonic self-portrait?

Many of our recommended recordings, where available, are on sale this evening at the Foyles stand in the Royal Festival Hall foyer.

Programme notes © Lindsay Kemp

Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture St Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra | Vladimir Ashkenazy (Decca) Schumann: Violin Concerto Baiba Skride | Danish National Symphony Orchestra | John Storgårds (Orfeo) Beethoven: Symphony No 3 (Eroica) London Philharmonic Orchestra | Vladimir Jurowski (LPO Label LPO-0096; see below left)

Beethoven’s ‘Eroica’ Symphony on the LPO Label ‘A thrilling read’ ‘An explosive start ... and the kind of narrow-bore brass sound that in recent years has reborn the London Philharmonic as the city’s premier Beethoven orchestra.’

Beethoven Overture, Fidelio Symphony No. 3 (Eroica)

Gramophone, April 2017

John Suchet, Best Books of 2016, Daily Mail

Jessica Duchen

Ghost Variations

Vladimir Jurowski conductor London Philharmonic Orchestra

The Strangest Detective Story in Music

LPO-0096 | £9.99

‘Schumann’s wonderful violin concerto has a tragic history unlike any other piece of music. In this splendid new novel Jessica Duchen manages to find the fine balance between facts and fiction.Her book reads like a thriller yet it’s also a tribute to great music and musicians.’ Sir András Schiff

Available from lpo.org.uk/recordings, the LPO Ticket Office (020 7840 4242) and all good CD outlets Download or stream online via iTunes, Spotify, Amazon and others

Ghost Variations is published by Unbound. Copies are available to purchase this evening from the Foyles stand in the Royal Festival Hall foyer.

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be m ov e d Next concerts at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall

wednesday 22 november 2017 7.30pm

friday 24 november 2017 7.30pm

WEDNESDAY 29 november 2017 7.30pm

Bridge Summer Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 3 Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 1 (Winter Daydreams)

Vivaldi The Four Seasons* Kabalevsky Spring Glazunov The Seasons

Respighi Autumn Poem Chausson Poème Marx An Autumn Symphony (UK premiere)

Michail Jurowski conductor Beatrice Rana piano

Marius Stravinsky conductor Pieter Schoeman director/violin*† † Pieter Schoeman’s chair in the Orchestra is generously supported by Neil Westreich.

Vladimir Jurowski conductor Julia Fischer violin

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

Sound Futures donors

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

The Rothschild Foundation Tom & Phillis Sharpe The Viney Family

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

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

London Philharmonic Orchestra | 13

Thank you

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

Artistic Director’s Circle An anonymous donor Victoria Robey OBE Orchestra Circle The Tsukanov Family Principal Associates An anonymous donor The Candide Trust Alexander & Elena Djaparidze Mr & Mrs Philip Kan Sergey Sarkisov & Rusiko Makhashvili Julian & Gill Simmonds Neil Westreich Associates Kay Bryan William & Alex de Winton Virginia Gabbertas Oleg & Natalya Pukhov Sir Simon Robey Stuart & Bianca Roden Gold Patrons Evzen & Lucia Balko David & Yi Buckley Garf & Gill Collins Andrew Davenport Sonja Drexler Mrs Gillian Fane Hamish & Sophie Forsyth Sally Groves & Dennis Marks The Jeniffer & Jonathan Harris Charitable Trust John & Angela Kessler Vadim & Natalia Levin Countess Dominique Loredan Mr & Mrs Makharinsky Geoff & Meg Mann Tom & Phillis Sharpe The Viney Family Laurence Watt Guy & Utti Whittaker

Silver Patrons Michael Allen Mrs Irina Gofman David Goldberg Mr Gavin Graham Pehr G Gyllenhammar Catherine Høgel & Ben Mardle Matt Isaacs & Penny Jerram Mrs Elizabeth Meshkvicheva The Metherell Family Jacopo Pessina Brian & Elizabeth Taylor Bronze Patrons Anonymous donors Dr Christopher Aldren Mrs Margot Astrachan Mrs A Beare Richard & Jo Brass Peter & Adrienne Breen Mr Jeremy Bull Richard Buxton John Childress & Christiane Wuillaimie Mr Geoffrey A Collens Mr John H Cook Bruno De Kegel Georgy Djaparidze David Ellen Ulrike & Benno Engelmann Ignor & Lyuba Galkin Mr Daniel Goldstein Mr Roger Greenwood Mrs Dorothy Hambleton Martin & Katherine Hattrell Wim & Jackie Hautekiet-Clare Michael & Christine Henry J Douglas Home Mr Glenn Hurstfield Rose & Dudley Leigh Elena Lileeva & Adrian Pabst Drs Frank & Gek Lim Peter MacDonald Eggers Isabelle & Adrian Mee Maxim & Natalia Moskalev Mr & Mrs Andrew Neill Peter & Lucy Noble

14 | London Philharmonic Orchestra

Noel Otley JP & Mrs Rachel Davies Roderick & Maria Peacock Mr Roger Phillimore Mr Michael Posen Sir Bernard Rix Mr Robert Ross Anonymous Dr Eva Lotta & Mr Thierry Sciard Barry & Gillian Smith Anna Smorodskaya Lady Valerie Solti Mr & Mrs G Stein Mrs Anne Storm Sergei & Elena Sudakov Mr & Mrs John C Tucker Mr & Mrs John & Susi Underwood Marina Vaizey Grenville & Krysia Williams Mr Anthony Yolland Principal Supporters An anonymous donor Roger & Clare Barron Mr Geoffrey Bateman Gabor Beyer, through BTO Management Consulting AG David & Patricia Buck Dr Anthony Buckland Mr Alan C Butler Desmond & Ruth Cecil Mr & Mrs Stewart Cohen Mr Alistair Corbett Mr Peter Cullum CBE Mr Timonthy Fancourt QC Marie-Laure Favre-Gilly de Varennes de Beuill Mr Richard Fernyhough Mr Derek B. Gray Malcolm Herring Ivan Hurry Per Jonsson Mr Ralph Kanza Rehmet Kassim-Lakha de Morixe Mr Colm Kelleher Peter Kerkar

Mr Gerald Levin Wg. Cdr. & Mrs M T Liddiard OBE JP RAF Paul & Brigitta Lock Mr John Long Mr Peter Mace Brendan & Karen McManus Kristina McPhee Andrew T Mills Randall & Maria Moore Dr Karen Morton Olga Pavlova Dr Wiebke Pekrull Mr James Pickford Andrew & Sarah Poppleton Tatiana Pyatigorskaya Martin & Cheryl Southgate Matthew Stephenson & Roman Aristarkhov Mr Christopher Stewart Andrew & Rosemary Tusa Anastasia Vvedenskaya Howard & Sheelagh Watson Des & Maggie Whitelock Holly Wilkes Christopher Williams Mr C D Yates Bill Yoe Supporters Anonymous donors Ralph & Elizabeth Aldwinckle Mrs Alan Carrington Miss Siobhan Cervin Gus Christie Alison Clarke & Leo Pilkington Mr Joshua Coger Timothy Colyer Miss Tessa Cowie Lady Jane Cuckney OBE Mr David Devons Cameron & Kathryn Doley Stephen & Barbara Dorgan Mr Nigel Dyer Sabina Fatkullina Mrs Janet Flynn Christopher Fraser OBE The Jackman Family Mrs Irina Tsarenkov

Mr David MacFarlane Mr John Meloy Mr Stephen Olton Robin Partington Mr David Peters Mr Ivan Powell Mr & Mrs Graham & Jean Pugh Mr Christopher Queree Mr David Russell Mr Kenneth Shaw Ms Natalie Spraggon Michael & Katie Urmston Damien & Tina Vanderwilt Timothy Walker AM Mr John Weekes Hon. Benefactor Elliott Bernerd Hon. Life Members Alfonso Aijón Kenneth Goode Carol Colburn Grigor CBE Pehr G Gyllenhammar Robert Hill Mrs Jackie Rosenfeld OBE Laurence Watt We are grateful to the Board of the American Friends of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, who assist with fundraising for our activities in the United States of America: William A. Kerr Chairman Xenia Hanusiak Alexandra Jupin Kristina McPhee David Oxenstierna Natalie Pray Noel Kilkenny Hon. Director Victoria Robey OBE Hon. Director Richard Gee, Esq Of Counsel Jenifer L. Keiser, CPA, EisnerAmper LLP Stephanie Yoshida

Corporate Donors Arcadis Christian Dior Couture Fenchurch Advisory Partners Giberg Goldman Sachs Pictet Bank White & Case LLP Corporate Members Gold Sunshine Silver After Digital Berenberg Carter-Ruck French Chamber of Commerce Bronze Accenture Ageas BTO Management Consulting AG Lazard Russo-British Chamber of Commerce Willis Towers Watson Preferred Partners Fevertree Heineken Lindt & Sprüngli Ltd London Orthopaedic Clinic Sipsmith Steinway Villa Maria In-kind Sponsor Google Inc

Trusts and Foundations ABO Trust The Boltini Trust Borletti-Buitoni Trust Boshier-Hinton Foundation The Candide Trust The Ernest Cook Trust Diaphonique, Franco-British Fund for contemporary music The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust Dunard Fund The Foyle Foundation Lucille Graham Trust Help Musicians UK John Horniman’s Children’s Trust The Idlewild Trust Embassy of the State of Israel to the United Kingdom Kirby Laing Foundation The Leverhulme Trust Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation London Stock Exchange Group Foundation Marsh Christian Trust The Mercers’ Company Adam Mickiewicz Institute Newcomen Collett Foundation The Stanley Picker Trust The Austin & Hope Pilkington Trust PRS For Music Foundation Rivers Foundation Romanian Cultural Institute The R K Charitable Trust The Sampimon Trust Schroder Charity Trust Serge Rachmaninoff Foundation The David Solomons Charitable Trust Souter Charitable Trust The Steel Charitable Trust Spears-Stutz Charitable Trust The John Thaw Foundation

UK Friends of the FelixMendelssohn-BartholdyFoundation Garfield Weston Foundation The Barbara Whatmore Charitable Trust and all others who wish to remain anonymous.

London Philharmonic Orchestra | 15

Administration

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

General Administration

Education and Community

Public Relations

Timothy Walker AM Chief Executive and Artistic Director

Isabella Kernot Education and Community Director

Albion Media (Tel: 020 3077 4930)

David Burke General Manager and Finance Director

Talia Lash Education and Community Project Manager