London Symphony Orchestra Living Music
For over 40 years, my relationship with the LSO has been a joy and an inspiration. Michael Tilson Thomas, LSO Principal Guest Conductor, who celebrates his 70th birthday season in 2014/15
London’s Symphony Orchestra lso.co.uk
LSO Season 2014/15 Concert Guide
Breaking the boundaries From 2013/14 … Last season the LSO continued its pioneering ambitions …
Music for everyone in Trafalgar Square … … as LSO BMW Open Air Classics 3 is on the horizon, bringing thousands of visitors to Trafalgar Square to experience the Orchestra live and for free in one of the most iconic locations on earth. The concert will, as in previous years, focus on a single composer, thus delivering on the LSO and BMW’s mission to bring classical music out of the concert hall and into the wider public domain.
262,000 visitors to LSO Play … Two LSO-commissioned world premieres … … from British composers Sir Peter Maxwell Davies – whose Tenth Symphony saw a sold-out hall, was broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 and featured on BBC News – and Huw Watkins, with a new concerto written for LSO Principal Flute Adam Walker. The LSO also kick-started the global Andrzej Panufnik centenary celebrations (a Polish composer who made Britain his home) and continued to put the best emerging UK talent centre stage via the Panufnik Composers Scheme and LSO Soundhub.
2
Breaking the boundaries ~ lso.co.uk
… an interactive online experience increasing reach and access and offering unprecedented insight into the Orchestra via stunning HD video footage and multiple camera angles. Also featuring masterclasses by LSO musicians, contextual information on repertoire and resource packs for teachers, LSO Play is set to expand dramatically as part of the LSO’s digital ambitions supported by the Moving Music campaign.
A triumphant summer at the Aix-en-Provence Festival … … where the LSO was resident from 2010–13. The Orchestra’s performances of Rigoletto under Gianandrea Noseda were universally acclaimed, while the accompanying education and outreach work has left an indelible mark on local music educators looking to LSO Discovery for models of best practice. The relationship continues in the form of concerts and Jonathan Dove’s The Monster in the Maze, to be premiered by the LSO and LSO Discovery participants at the Barbican in July 2015 before being toured to Aix and performed with French community groups.
… To 2014/15
Landmarks on LSO Live … … which celebrated its 100th release in April 2014 with the limited edition Sir Colin Davis Anthology, a must-have for any admirer of the LSO’s late President. LSO Live also added to its contemporary collection with Mark-Anthony Turnage’s Speranza (an LSO commission) and began a new stream of chamber recordings.
Our insatiable determination to do better is in evidence again in 2014/15. The year ahead will see the conclusion of a £9 million fundraising campaign – Moving Music – and the LSO broadcast to cinemas, an International Violin Festival featuring twelve of the most talented string players from around the globe, two premieres – one remembering World War I, the second a new community opera – and much more. We hope you can join us in 2014/15, and help us to continue being a pioneer.
To find out more about the LSO’s events this year visit lso.co.uk Talk to us on Twitter @londonsymphony, follow us on Facebook – search ‘London Symphony Orchestra’, join us on Google+, or watch us on YouTube
3
LSO HIGHLIGHTS
p8
LSO on tour Touring the globe with Russian music, from Balakirev to Rachmaninov
p16
Britis Cond
Home-grown co
LSO International p12 Violin Festival Twelve violin superstars Twelve amazing concerts
4
p40
LSO Discovery The LSO’s world-leading education and community programme
p28
sh ductors
onducting talent
LSO p20 Sing
Ones to Watch Up-and-coming conductors
Two choral commissions and your chance to get singing
72 London concerts 43 Guest artists 28 Conductors 35 Tour destinations 5
London’s Symphony Orchestra Arriving back from a concert in Paris on the Eurostar – one of 70 concerts performed
We travel the world to share this incredible Orchestra. Londoners can hear it any time they like. Valery Gergiev, LSO Principal Conductor
abroad every year
LSO on tour ‘Everywhere we go we get a wonderful reception. Giving people all around the world the chance to hear the Orchestra perform live is so special.’ Roman Simovic, LSO Leader
8
ON TOUR WITH the LSO Performing overseas forms an essential part of the LSO’s activities and history – tours can take the shape of anything from recurring residencies to once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for those in distant corners of the globe to hear the Orchestra perform in their local concert hall. Falling firmly into the latter category is a tour to Singapore and Australia’s major cities in November 2014. For this, the LSO’s first visit to Australia since 1983, Valery Gergiev and the Orchestra will be joined by pianist Denis Matsuev for concerts in Brisbane, Melbourne and at the iconic Sydney Opera House. There are more landmark visits in September 2014, with the Orchestra’s first performances in Bratislava in Slovakia and Yerevan in Armenia, once again delving into music by Russian masters Prokofiev, Stravinsky and Tchaikovsky which launches the London season (see overleaf). Closer to home, May 2015 sees a mini-tour to Germany, while in February 2015 the Orchestra will perform in the newly opened Philharmonie de Paris. The LSO will be the first international Orchestra to perform in the French capital’s major new music complex, designed by French architects Ateliers Jean Nouvel.
Slovakia, Armenia and Greece Wed 24 to Sun 28 Sep 2014 Singapore and Australia Wed 19 to Sat 29 Nov 2014 Read the LSO On Tour blog blog.lso.co.uk
9
‘It felt for all the world as if the music were being emitted directly by the mysterious shimmering of the conductor’s fingertips.’ The Guardian on Valery Gergiev with the LSO
Revolutionary RuSSIANS After densely packed explorations of Berlioz and Szymanowski, Valery Gergiev returns to the Russian repertoire that made his name. David Nice explains the series … This season, Gergiev runs the gamut from the beginnings of a coherent nationalist school represented by its leader, Mily Balakirev. His tone poem Russia was a seminal work in the 1860s when the master had finally gathered around him the now better-known names of Rimsky-Korsakov, Mussorgsky and Borodin. Balakirev’s pioneering exploration of Russian orientalism is represented by the racy Islamey, headiest of virtuoso piano pieces, as orchestrated by Lyapunov. From here up to the last work chronologically speaking – Boris Tishchenko’s First Symphony, unknown to most listeners but a fine example of his individual voice in Soviet times – we are on more familiar territory. The three soloists include Denis Matsuev, a heavyweight well-suited to master the colossal spans of Tchaikovsky’s glittering Second Piano Concerto; Nikolaj Znaider, who will find freshness in the lyric flow of the more familiar Violin Concerto; while LSO Leader Roman Simovic has the pleasure of Glazunov’s more compressed but equally melodic Violin Concerto. The symphonic line begins with Tchaikovsky’s natural successor Rachmaninov, ranging from his gripping, obsessive First Symphony of 1895 to the Third’s thoughts of home composed from abroad in the mid-1930s. Prokofiev’s two symphonic specimens are his breezy exercise in Haydnesque style circa 1917, the ‘Classical’, and the Fifth of 1944, his first attempt at an epic Soviet symphony with a sarcastic tone undermining any grandeur. 10
Revolutionary Russians ~ lso.co.uk
Shostakovich had something to celebrate by the time he completed his Tenth Symphony in 1953: Stalin was gone and the composer rampages triumphantly in a genuinely exuberant finale. There is so much tragedy along the way, though: Gergiev has long been a master of the long, dark opening movement paragraphs. He ends with enigma: the 15th Symphony of 1971, quoting Rossini and Wagner before eternity beckons in a supernatural array of whirrings and clickings.
David Nice writes, lectures and broadcasts on music, notably for BBC Radio 3 and BBC Music Magazine. His books include short studies of Richard Strauss, Elgar, Tchaikovsky and Stravinsky, and a Prokofiev biography, From Russia to the West 1891–1935.
Hear Gergiev conduct other composers from his homeland on LSO Live
MOVING MUSIC – LSO PLay LSO Play gives you a chance to see what music-making is like from within the Orchestra itself. Watch Gergiev conduct Ravel’s Boléro as the players see it, learn about the sections that make up an orchestra, watch masterclasses with LSO players, and more. Future works you’ll be able to explore will include music by Berlioz and Szymanowski. play.lso.co.uk lso.co.uk/movingmusic
Tchaikovsky Symphonies Nos 1–3 The Guardian
Rachmaninov Symphonic Dances Grammy nominated, Best Orchestral Performance
Prokofiev Romeo & Juliet Disc of the Year BBC Music Magazine
Turn to page 38 to find out more
RevOLutionary Russians Sun 21 Sep 2014 7.30pm UBS Soundscapes: LSO Artist Portrait
Denis Matsuev
Tishchenko Dante Symphony No 1 (‘Among the Living’) Prokofiev Piano Concerto No 3 Shostakovich Symphony No 10 Valery Gergiev conductor Denis Matsuev piano
‘Matsuev made something bright and brilliant of the symphony’s remarkably Bartókian first movement, and brought a coltish energy to the tumultuous finale.’ The Independent on Denis Matsuev with the LSO
Live broadcast on BBC Radio 3
Tue 23 Sep 2014 7.30pm UBS Soundscapes: LSO Artist Portrait
Denis Matsuev
Prokofiev Symphony No 1 (‘Classical’) Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No 2 Prokofiev Symphony No 5 Valery Gergiev conductor Denis Matsuev piano
Tue 11 and Thu 13 Nov 2014 7.30pm
Denis Matsuev LSO Artist Portrait Hailed by the New York Times as ‘the successor to Russian keyboard lions like Evgeny Kissin, Arcadi Volodos and … Vladimir Horowitz’, Denis Matsuev is a pianist to be reckoned with. Having shot to prominence winning the 1998 International Tchaikovsky Competition, this powerhouse Siberian pianist has wowed audiences across the globe with his fiery-hearted interpretations and steel-fingered virtuosity. A close collaborator with the LSO, Matsuev returns to the Barbican this autumn to star in the new season’s UBS Soundscapes: LSO Artist Portrait series. Choosing to focus on iconic homeland repertoire for this career landmark, Matsuev will perform Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No 3, Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No 2 and Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No 2, each forming part of three all-Russian programmes. With a true stalwart of Russian pianism at the keyboard and Russia’s pre-eminent conductor on the podium, few performances could promise to be so definitive. For anyone with a taste for Russian drama, Matsuev’s Artist Portrait series is unmissable.
UBS Soundscapes: LSO Artist Portrait
Denis Matsuev
Balakirev Russia Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No 2 Rachmaninov Symphony No 3 Valery Gergiev conductor Denis Matsuev piano
Thu 19 Feb 2015 7.30pm Balakirev Tamara Glazunov Violin Concerto Rachmaninov Symphony No 1 Valery Gergiev conductor Roman Simovic violin Tue 12 May 2015 7.30pm Balakirev (arr Lyapunov) Islamey Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto Shostakovich Symphony No 15 Valery Gergiev conductor Nikolaj Znaider violin Part of the LSO International Violin Festival generously supported by Jonathan Moulds
full Concert LIstings pages 44 to 49 ~ Booking Details Page 51
11
LSO International Violin Festival
12
12
Twelve violin superstars, twelve amazing concerts The LSO’s International Violin Festival, which runs from April to June 2015, features twelve global superstars playing a cross-section of the world’s greatest violin concertos, writes Wendy Thompson. The cornerstones of the Romantic violin repertoire are there – Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Sibelius – but the 20th Century is also well represented with works by Szymanowski, Korngold, Bartók and Shostakovich.
Photos from left to right: top row Anne-Sophie Mutter, Christian Tetzlaff, Nikolaj Znaider, Joshua Bell; middle row Janine Jansen, James Ehnes, Midori, Isabelle Faust, Alina Ibragimova, Gil Shaham; bottom row Leonidas Kavakos, Nicola Benedetti. 13
Many of the violinists featured are well-known to LSO audiences, beginning with Greek virtuoso Leonidas Kavakos, who kick-starts the Festival with Shostakovich’s pithy First Concerto, written for David Oistrakh. Nicola Benedetti, another perennial favourite at the Barbican, brings her phenomenal technique to bear on the Szymanowski concerto with which she won the 2004 BBC Young Musician of the Year competition, aged just 16, while Nikolaj Znaider, trained in the great Russian tradition, tackles the virtuosic heights of the Tchaikovsky, and Christian Tetzlaff, whose Beethoven recordings have been critically acclaimed, brings his intimate understanding of the German master to the concerto which stands at the head of the Romantic repertoire. Anne-Sophie Mutter, another great German virtuoso and LSO favourite, partners André Previn in a concerto he wrote for her. Two sensational young players, both former BBC New Generation Artists, feature in this cornucopia of violin-playing: Dutch artist Janine Jansen applies her nimble fingers to Mendelssohn’s masterpiece, while Alina Ibragimova has opted for Mozart’s charmingly quirky ‘Strassburg’ Concerto No 3. Several artists are making a welcome return to the LSO: Gil Shaham, who is currently engaged in a project to record concertos from the 1930s, plays the Britten, premiered in 1940, while Japanese-American star Midori plays another concerto from the same period, Bartók’s Second, and Joshua Bell provides a fitting finale to the Festival with Sibelius. Two other international stars in this Festival are Canadian sensation James Ehnes, hailed as the ‘Heifetz of our day’, who plays the Korngold Concerto (originally written for Heifetz himself), while Isabelle Faust has chosen Brahms’ masterpiece, perhaps the supreme exemplar of the entire repertoire.
Jonathan Moulds: Supporting the LSO International Violin Festival I am delighted to be supporting the LSO International Violin Festival. My interest in the violin goes back many years – initially as a player and now as a collector. During this Festival you will hear the world’s top violinists and hear some of the world’s top instruments. The quality of the workmanship underpinning the great instruments is extraordinary. In fact, many of the most exceptional Italian instruments are now 300 or more years old with each instrument having its own character and personality. I feel proud that a number of my instruments are now on loan to some of today’s finest violinists, such as Nicola Benedetti and LSO Leader Roman Simovic. Through individuals like these, exquisite craftsmanship, illustrious history and supreme musicality can be brought together in the most breathtaking fashion. I do hope you enjoy the collection of violinists – and violins – that the LSO has brought together for this Festival. I don’t think you will be disappointed.
Jonathan Moulds is Chairman of the LSO Advisory Council, LSO Moving Music Campaign and LSO Development Board. He also sits on the LSO Board of Directors. The LSO is extremely grateful for Jonathan Moulds’ continued support.
Wendy Thompson is Executive Director of Classic Arts Productions, a major supplier of independent programmes to BBC Radio 3.
ADditional Festival Events Sun 12 Apr, 3 May, 28 Jun 2015
Dates and times to be announced
The Strad Sundays
LSO Discovery
The Strad is 125 in 2015 and to celebrate this milestone will be the media partner for the LSO Violin International Festival. In addition, it is running violin-making workshops 3–5pm and pre-concert talks 6–6.45pm on three ‘The Strad Sundays’.
Fri 1 & 22 May, 12 & 26 Jun 2015 12.30–1.15pm, LSO St Luke’s
Thu 21 May; 11, 18 & 25 Jun 2015 1pm, LSO St Luke’s
Artist Conversations
LSO Discovery
BBC Radio 3 Lunchtime Concerts
Online artist conversations give you the chance to ask questions over Facebook and YouTube of some of the violinists in the Festival. Gil Shaham, Nicola Benedetti, Christian Tetzlaff, Alina Ibragimova and Joshua Bell have been invited to participate.
Join regular presenter Rachel Leach in these free LSO Discovery lunchtime concerts focusing on violinists and all things strings.
The Festival extends to LSO St Luke’s and on to BBC Radio 3 with four lunchtime recitals featuring violinists in the Barbican series: Christian Tetzlaff, James Ehnes and Nicola Benedetti. We also welcome back Veronika Eberle.
LUNCHTIME CONCERTS
Free entry, no ticket required Supported by the Rothschild Charities Committee
Festival REcitals
Programmes include: Bach Partita No 2, Sonata No 3 in C major Beethoven Violin Sonatas Nos 3, 9 & 10 Brahms Violin Sonata No 3 in D minor Schumann Sonata No 2 in D minor See page 31 for details
14
LSO International Violin Festival ~ lso.co.uk
Wed 8 Apr 2015 7.30pm
Leonidas Kavakos Shostakovich Violin Concerto No 1 Sun 12 Apr 2015 7.30pm
Gil Shaham Britten Violin Concerto Part of The Strad Sundays
Sun 26 Apr 2015 7.30pm
Roman Simovic & LSO String Ensemble Schubert arr Mahler Death and the Maiden (arr for String Orchestra) Shostakovich arr Pushkarev Sonata for Violin, Percussion and String Orchestra Shostakovich Chamber Symphony Roman Simovic director Thu 30 Apr 2015 7.30pm
Midori Bartók Violin Concerto No 2
Sun 3 May 2015 7.30pm
Nicola Benedetti Szymanowski Violin Concerto No 1 Recomended by Classic FM Part of The Strad Sundays
Thu 7 May 2015 7.30pm
Isabelle Faust Brahms Violin Concerto
Lots of instruments just don’t suit the person playing them. I was incredibly lucky that we suited each other so well. It’s like falling in love.
Tue 12 May 2015 7.30pm
Nicola Benedetti on playing her Stradivarius violin, kindly loaned by Jonathan Moulds
Janine Jansen
Nikolaj Znaider Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto Sun 24 May 2015 7.30pm
Christian Tetzlaff Beethoven Violin Concerto Tue 2 Jun 2015 7.30pm Mendelssohn Violin Concerto Sun 7 Jun 2015 7.30pm
James Ehnes Korngold Violin Concerto Wed 10 Jun 2015 7.30pm
Anne-Sophie Mutter André Previn Violin Concerto Sun 14 Jun 2015 7.30pm
Alina Ibragimova Mozart Violin Concerto No 3 Sun 28 Jun 2015 7.30pm
Joshua Bell Sibelius Violin Concerto Recomended by Classic FM Part of The Strad Sundays
full Concert LIstings pages 44 to 49 ~ Booking Details Page 51
15
‘Daniel Harding conducted with total conviction and a deep understanding of the work’s coruscating energies. [His] searching direction ensured … edge-of-the-seat performances.’ Hilary Finch, The Times on Daniel Harding
British conductors … 16
Home-grown conducting talent In 2014/15 the LSO will be welcoming the best in British conducting talent to the podium, with visits from six of Britain’s finest and most inspiring maestros. The diverse line-up spans multiple generations, and will bring a mix of repertoire to the Barbican stage.
Staying a step ahead of the LSO is like trying to stay in front of Usain Bolt. Daniel Harding, LSO Principal Guest Conductor on working with the LSO
What is striking about this particular gathering of British talent is that each of them are leaders, not just in the field of conducting, but also in ways of bringing orchestral and classical music to wider audiences and advancing the genre. Under the leadership of these figures the world now has new concert halls, both online and physical, thriving record labels and new places in which to experience the music. Daniel Harding, already well-known to LSO audiences in his role of Principal Guest Conductor, made his mark early on when he was appointed as Sir Simon Rattle’s assistant at the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra at just 18 years old. Mentored by Rattle (‘sometimes you meet someone and realise, ‘I’ve either got to help this person or kill them!’ I decided to help him.’), and later by the LSO’s former Principal Conductor Claudio Abbado at the Berlin Philharmonic, Harding quickly built an impressive reputation in both opera and the orchestral repertoire, picking up an array of accolades (he was the youngest conductor to appear at the BBC Proms) and awards that venerate him in the countries he has recently called home – France, Germany and Sweden. Sir Simon Rattle, arguably Britain’s most famous classical music export, has achieved much with his current orchestra, the Berlin Philharmonic, not least the pioneering Digital Concert Hall which he initiated in 2009.
17
… ahead of the curve Responding to criticism at the time that it would cannibalise the concert hall audience, Rattle said, ‘I think that all this new technology will deliver more to more people. I’m optimistic for the future’. With the Digital Concert Hall now supporting itself financially, Rattle’s visionary gamble has led the Berlin Philharmonic into the 21st Century.
The London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus [were] on superlative form and the conductor Antonio Pappano [was] at his most inspirational. Financial Times on Sir Antonio Pappano and the LSO
18
British Conductors ~ lso.co.uk
In Manchester, Sir Mark Elder has similarly been revolutionising the Hallé. Among his many achievements is the newest venue in the north west, Hallé St Peters. Just like LSO St Luke’s, the renovation of this disused church has meant the Hallé has a permanent base from which to build its education and community work and a home for the Orchestra in which to rehearse and record – a stability that the LSO has relished. And it’s not just in bricks and mortar that our British talent has been securing the future audiences for our art form. In his position of Music Director at the Royal Opera House, Sir Antonio Pappano has, in the words of The Independent, ‘already done more as a populariser of his art than any media maestro since Leonard Bernstein’. His series on opera for the BBC was acclaimed for its passionate yet straightforward explorations of what is for some a genre with huge barriers. And with the Opera House’s outdoor BP Big Screens relaying live productions to thousands of people around the country, for free, Pappano certainly has brought opera to the masses. The fourth Knight of the Realm in our list of British talent is Sir John Eliot Gardiner. Long known as a conductor with an interest in exploring performance technique (not least for requesting that the LSO’s violins and violas stand up to play Mendelssohn), it’s through large-scale projects that Gardiner has brought about a revolution. In 2000 Gardiner and his Monteverdi Choir and Orchestra set out to perform and record all of J S Bach’s surviving church cantatas in the 250th anniversary year
of his death, a project never before attempted – it spanned 59 concerts in 50 cities. The concerts were recorded for the record label Soli Deo Gloria, specially created for the purpose of preserving this unique set of performances. And what of the younger generation? Britain has never before had such a wealth of young conducting talent on the world’s stage, and the LSO is privileged to welcome two of the most dynamic to the 2014/15 season – both having benefitted from the support and guidance of their fellow countrymen. At 32, Robin Ticciati is eight years younger than Harding, yet is already in his fifth season as Principal Conductor of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and this season takes on the role of Music Director of Glyndebourne. As a 13-year-old violinist in the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, Ticciati was inspired to try conducting by the LSO’s late President Sir Colin Davis. Mentored by Davis and Sir Simon Rattle through his early career, like Daniel Harding, Ticciati has never formally studied conducting but possesses a natural talent that has taken him all the way to the top. With such pioneering spirit and support for the younger generation, it is clear that the survival of classical music and orchestras themselves is safe in the hands of Britain’s brilliant conductors. Jo Johnson
British Conductors Paving the Way Sir Simon Rattle Berlin Philharmonic Digital Concert Hall digitalconcerthall.com/en Sir Antonio Pappano Royal Opera House Big Screens roh.org.uk/about/bp-big-screens Sir John Eliot Gardiner Soli Deo Gloria monteverdi.co.uk/sdg Sir Mark Elder Hallé St Peter’s halle.co.uk/halle-st-peters.aspx
MOVING MUSIC – Digital Digital work is at the heart of the Moving Music campaign – a large proportion of the funds raised will be used to bring digital broadcasts and recordings of live LSO performances to an extra one million people every year. Turn to page 38 to find out more
Thu 2 Oct 2014 7.30pm
Thu 15 Jan 2015 7.30pm
Mendelssohn Overture: Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage Schumann Cello Concerto in A minor Mendelssohn Symphony No 5 (‘The Reformation’)
Webern Six Pieces Berg Three Fragments from ‘Wozzeck’ Ligeti Mysteries of the Macabre Stravinsky The Rite of Spring
Sir John Eliot Gardiner conductor Gautier Capuçon cello
Sun 25 Jan 2015 7.30pm
Bartók Violin Concerto No 1 Tchaikovsky The Nutcracker – Suite from Act Two
Toshio Hosokawa Blossoming II Ravel Piano Concerto in G major Mahler Symphony No 4
Sir Antonio Pappano conductor Janine Jansen violin
Robin Ticciati conductor Simon Trpcˇeski piano Karen Cargill mezzo-soprano
Sun 19 Oct 2014 7.30pm Panufnik Symphony No 10 Schumann Piano Concerto Strauss Ein Heldenleben Sir Antonio Pappano conductor Piotr Anderszewski piano
The Arts Desk on Robin Ticciati and the LSO
Supported by LSO Patrons
Thu 16 Oct 2014 7.30pm
See Sir Antonio Pappano in an Orchestral Artistry Masterclass on 13 Oct. See page 44 for details.
Robin Ticciati, with a generosity and wisdom beyond his years, raised this orchestral masterpiece to the universal level it deserves.
Sir Simon Rattle conductor Barbara Hannigan soprano
Join Sir Antonio Pappano at a morning Barbican rehearsal, then see guest lectures and chamber music at LSO St Luke’s in an LSO Discovery Day on Andrzej Panufnik. See page 44 for details. Sun 26 Oct 2014 7.30pm Mahler Symphony No 9
Thu 5 Feb 2015 7.30pm Berlioz Les nuits d’été Tchaikovsky Symphony No 6 (‘Pathétique’) Sir Mark Elder conductor Susan Graham mezzo-soprano This concert also includes the world premiere of a new work by Patrick Brennan as part of the Panufnik Composers Scheme, supported by the Helen Hamlyn Trust.
Sun 24 May 2015 7.30pm Beethoven Violin Concerto Brahms German Requiem Daniel Harding conductor Christian Tetzlaff violin London Symphony Chorus
Daniel Harding conductor
Part of the LSO International Violin Festival generously supported by Jonathan Moulds
Sun 7 Dec 2014 7.30pm
Tue 2 Jun 2015 7.30pm
Brahms Symphony No 3 Brahms Piano Concerto No 2
Edward Rushton New work Mendelssohn Violin Concerto Mahler Symphony No 5
Daniel Harding conductor Emanuel Ax piano Sun 11 Jan 2015 7.30pm
Daniel Harding conductor Janine Jansen violin Part of the LSO International Violin Festival generously supported by Jonathan Moulds
Schumann Das Paradies und die Peri Sir Simon Rattle conductor Sally Matthews Peri Mark Padmore narrator Kate Royal soprano Bernarda Fink alto Andrew Staples tenor Florian Boesch bass London Symphony Chorus Simon Halsey chorus director
Thu 2 Jul 2015 7.30pm
Take part in an LSO Singing Day on 19th-century oratorios (22 Nov), or discover more in an LSO Discovery Day on Schumann (11 Jan). See pages 45 and 46 for details.
Jonathan Dove The Monster in the Maze (UK premiere) Walton Symphony No 1
Brahms Piano Concerto No 1 Dvorˇák The Wild Dove Dvorˇák The Golden Spinning Wheel Sir Simon Rattle conductor Krystian Zimerman piano Sun 5 Jul 2015 7.30pm
Sir Simon Rattle conductor LSO Youth Choir LSO Community Choir
Images from left to right: Sir Antonio Pappano, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Sir Simon Rattle, Sir Mark Elder, Robin Ticciati
full Concert LIstings pages 44 to 49 ~ Booking Details Page 51
19
LSO SING LSO Sing, the Orchestra’s singing programme led by LSO Choral Director Simon Halsey, gets into its stride in its second year in 2014/15.
LSO Sing
With five Singing Days at LSO St Luke’s, choral concerts conducted by Sir Simon Rattle and Gianandrea Noseda among others, and two premieres by Sally Beamish and Jonathan Dove, plus the London Symphony Chorus (LSC) performing without orchestra, it looks set to be an inspiring season of singing.
LSO Sing is generously supported by the J Paul Getty Jnr Charitable Trust and The John S Cohen Foundation
20
LSO Sing ~ lso.co.uk
‘The opportunity to create this work with Andrew Motion, the LSO, LSC and two fabulous soloists, is tremendously exciting and inspirational.’ Sally Beamish
Remembering World War I Sally Beamish’s Equal Voices is a new 45-minute piece for chorus, orchestra and two soloists co-commissioned by the LSO and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. The idea for Equal Voices came from Sir Andrew Motion, whose powerful collection Laurels and Donkeys reflects on many aspects of war. Sally Beamish has selected the poem ‘An Equal Voice’ which draws on the tragedy of shell shock and war-induced post-traumatic stress, from the Somme to Afghanistan. The poem uses the voices of patients and doctors, most of which are taken from A War of Nerves by Ben Shephard, and Beamish has juxtaposed the poem with some of the most beautiful passages in the Old Testament from the ‘Song of Songs’, thereby contrasting Motion’s dark and devastating imagery with this remarkable Middle-Eastern love idyll. Sally Beamish has travelled widely to give seminars and talks about her music, and both she and Andrew Motion will take part in a one-day conference exploring music and trauma at LSO St Luke’s, prior to the evening concert. The world premiere marks the start of the LSO’s own four-year exploration of World War I, during which it will delve into its own archives. The LSO was the only current London orchestra in existence during the War, and LSO members lived, fought and died during 1914–18. The Orchestra is in a unique position to recount their stories in a vibrant combination of events and online resources. How did the LSO Board deal with the fact that their Principal Horn was a German national? How did they cope with one of their number, trumpeter Sidney Moxon, being killed in action on the Somme in 1917? How did the ban on
performing ‘unpatriotic’ German repertoire such as Brahms and Beethoven inform the creation of a new body of orchestral repertoire? Answers will be provided on a groundbreaking new website.
Left page photos: Simon Halsey conducting, participants in an LSO Singing Day, Lso Community Choir, composer Jonathan Dove (bottom right)
The profession and the community on one stage Sir Simon Rattle had the idea of a commission for young people, the local community and the LSO; Jonathan Dove’s The Monster in the Maze is the first in a number of co-commissions between the LSO and the Berlin Philharmonic in coming years. Dove has written more than 25 operas of different shapes and sizes, including works for television and operas for a family audience. In 2008 he joined the Cape Farewell voyage to the Arctic, and has subsequently been developing opera projects related to climate change. This year he is composing an hour-long community opera to be performed by the LSO, its Community and Youth Choirs, Guildhall School students, an actor and soloists. Telling the story of the rescue from the Labyrinth by Theseus of young Athenians sent to Crete as a sacrifice to the Minotaur – setting a text by Alasdair Middleton – it has been specially written so that students from the Guildhall School can sit side-by-side with LSO professionals. Jonathan Dove has a history of firsts with the LSO, having been commissioned to write Stargazer, ‘an opera for solo trombone’ and The Passing of the Year was commissioned by the LSC. Like all of Dove’s music, which is hugely approachable, varied and exciting, we can expect works charged with intensity and beauty. Karen Cardy
full Concert LIstings pages 44 to 49 ~ Booking Details Page 51
21
LSO Choral Singing Days Suitable for experienced singers
Join LSO Choral Director Simon Halsey in workshops on masterpieces being performed by the LSO’s professional choral team at the Barbican. Sat 22 Nov 2014 11am–4.30pm LSO Choral Singing Day
19th-Century oratorios Sat 7 Feb 2015 11am–4.30pm LSO Choral Singing Day
Duruflé Requiem Sat 9 May 2015 11am–4.30pm LSO Choral Singing Day
Brahms Connections
‘The London Symphony Chorus and the soloists seemed fired by Noseda’s electrifying conducting.’ The Sunday Times on Gianandrea Noseda with the LSO & LSC
IN CONVERSATION WITH GIANANDREA NOSEDA
LSO Community Singing Days Suitable for all
David Lawrence, conductor of the LSO Community Choir, explores music from all sorts of genres and backgrounds. Open to all, why not join in and experience the power and magic of singing in a large group. Sat 20 Sep 2014 10.30am–4.30pm LSO Community Singing Day
From Bach to Beatles Sat 20 Jun 2015 10.30am–4.30pm LSO Community Singing Day
African/American Journey For details on all the LSO’s Singing Days, turn to the listings section on pages 44 to 49
22
LSO Sing ~ lso.co.uk
Sun 2 Nov 2014 10am–5.30pm, LSO St Luke’s
Sun 11 Jan 2015 7.30pm
Conference
Sir Simon Rattle conductor Sally Matthews Peri Mark Padmore narrator Kate Royal soprano Bernarda Fink alto Andrew Staples tenor Florian Boesch bass London Symphony Chorus Simon Halsey chorus director
Music, poetry and The Trauma of War Ian Ritchie directs a one-day conference with guest speakers Stephen Johnson, Hugh McManners, Lord John Alderdice, Lt Col Bob Meldrum, Andrew Motion and Sally Beamish, followed by a panel discussion and open forum.
Thoughts on singing … The most natural instrument in the world is the human voice: anyone can sing. Of course I’m not saying everyone has the potential to be the next big opera singer, but singing together in a choir and feeling part of a bigger performance is such a joy and everyone can do it. You put your talent, your voice, to the service of your colleagues in the chorus to make the audience enjoy the performance. Music is about this: sharing everyone’s talents – it’s a mutual exchange of energy that results in something much more magnificent. Thoughts on the LSO … With the LSO, it doesn’t matter if you perform X composer, Y composer or Z composer. I think, in my experience, they never step back. The LSO has virtuosity, limitless virtuosity, flexibility, much attention to detail and care about the production of sound. These are among some of the best qualities for a modern orchestra – to be consistent, to be flexible, and to be so committed to sound and style. Like many professional British orchestras, the LSO is quick – like myself, they don’t like to waste time. They are able to act like a chameleon, to change styles without losing that precision, technique, intonation and flexibility.
Performing Britten’s War Requiem with the LSO and LSC, both in New York and at the Barbican, was one of the highlights of my concert activity. Thoughts on London as a cultural hub … I love London as a city and more so as a cultural city because so many things are going on. Because of that I consider London, along with New York, a capital for music. It’s an exciting place to be! Of course London is in my future plans, it’s one of the cities I want to spend more time in. So many things happen here. If you stay in London for two weeks, it’s easy to see so many artists, many directors or soloists, and because one or the other is playing with a different orchestra you can go and meet with them too. It’s like being sat in the canteen of the Metropolitan Opera House: you sit there for one hour and you see all the major singers and conductors. On a much bigger scale, that happens here.
Gianandrea Noseda conducts the world premiere of Sally Beamish’s Equal Voices, and was interviewed by Edward Appleyard
Schumann Das Paradies und die Peri
Sun 1 Mar 2015 7.30pm Sun 2 Nov 2014 7.30pm Elgar Carillon Beethoven Piano Concerto No 5 (‘Emperor’) Sally Beamish Equal Voices (world premiere, LSO co-commission) Gianandrea Noseda conductor Nelson Freire piano Shuna Sendall soprano Marcus Farnsworth baritone London Symphony Chorus LSO commission supported by Susie Thomson
Wed 26 Nov 2014 7.30pm London Symphony Chorus
Rachmaninov Vespers Jonathan Dove The Passing of the Year Rachmaninov All-Night Vigil (‘Vespers’) Simon Halsey conductor London Symphony Chorus Sun 14 Dec 2014 7.30pm LSO Brass Ensemble & London Symphony Chorus
Christmas Concert
Simon Halsey conductor London Symphony Chorus LSO Community Choir LSO Youth Choir A selection of choral Christmas works accompanied by the LSO Brass Ensemble, including carols to join in with.
Debussy La damoiselle élue Debussy La mer Duruflé Requiem Donald Runnicles conductor London Symphony Chorus Simon Halsey chorus director Recommended by Classic FM
Sun 24 May 2015 7.30pm Beethoven Violin Concerto Brahms German Requiem Daniel Harding conductor Christian Tetzlaff violin London Symphony Chorus Simon Halsey chorus director Part of the LSO International Violin Festival generously supported by Jonathan Moulds
Sun 21 Jun 2015 7.30pm Beethoven Overture: Leonore No 2 Beethoven Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage Beethoven Symphony No 9 (‘Choral’) Bernard Haitink conductor Erin Wall soprano Karen Cargill mezzo-soprano Steve Davislim tenor Hanno Müller-Brachmann bass-baritone London Symphony Chorus Sun 5 Jul 2015 7.30pm Jonathan Dove The Monster in the Maze (UK premiere, LSO co-commission) Walton Symphony No 1 Sir Simon Rattle conductor LSO Youth Choir LSO Community Choir Recommended by Classic FM
full Concert LIstings pages 44 to 49 ~ Booking Details Page 51
23
Musical alchemists ‘This was big … with the dynamics dramatically well disciplined and the climaxes allowed to build steadily to an almost unbearable tension. The LSO, as so often with Tilson Thomas, were on their best form.’ The Guardian on Michael Tilson Thomas with the LSO
24
MUSICAL ALCHEMISTS: MICHAEL TILSON THOMAS Prodigious artistic talent runs deep in Michael Tilson Thomas’ family, writes Andrew Stewart. The conductor, born in Los Angeles in December 1944, received lasting lessons in creativity from his paternal grandparents, Boris and Bessie Thomashefsky, stars of New York’s famous Yiddish Theater, while his parents encouraged their son’s childhood studies on piano and oboe. Nature and nurture prepared the young musician for studies in piano, composition and conducting at the University of Southern California. His remarkable dynamism, as vital today as ever, and extraordinary musicianship flourished at the Monday Evening Concerts in Los Angeles, where he directed world premieres of works by Boulez, Copland, Stockhausen and Stravinsky. News of Tilson Thomas’ skyrocketing successes in the United States soon reached the London Symphony Orchestra. He made his London debut with the LSO in 1970 and returned two years later for his first BBC Prom. The partnership between Orchestra and conductor matured over the next 15 years in concert and in the recording studio. In 1988 Michael Tilson Thomas became the LSO’s 13th Principal Conductor. The revitalising effects of his leadership were recognised in 1989 when the LSO received the Royal Philharmonic Society’s inaugural Orchestra Award. On the world stage Tilson Thomas and the LSO scored critical hits on tours to Austria, Germany, Japan and the United States, and attracted acclaim for their many recordings, including a Gramophone Award-winning performance of Bernstein’s On the Town. Michael Tilson Thomas stood down as the LSO’s Principal Conductor in August 1995. The Orchestra had gained in refinement and tonal nuance under his care without losing its renowned panache and collective passion. His work over the past two decades as Principal Guest Conductor has reinforced his place among the LSO’s family of musicians and strengthened the ties of affection binding one of the most important creative relationships in the Orchestra’s history.
25
It is business as usual, except that ‘usual’ inevitably means superb, definitive. The Sunday Times on Bernard Haitink with the LSO
Bernard Haitink Britain’s musical life has been enriched over the past half century by Bernard Haitink’s work, not least with the LSO. The Dutch conductor, who celebrated his 85th birthday in March 2014, forged a close and lasting friendship with the Orchestra in the 1990s. His interpretations of 19th- and 20th-century masterworks have taken the LSO on revelatory journeys of discovery in everything from Haydn and Beethoven to Brahms and Bruckner. Musical integration, crystal clear focus and spellbinding intensity are among the hallmarks of their artistic relationship. Haitink’s recent recordings for LSO Live confirm the special chemistry that arises whenever he appears with the Orchestra’s musicians.
André Previn The Swinging Sixties were in full swing when André Previn made his debut with the LSO. The famously versatile musician, a multiple Oscar winner for his film scores, became the Orchestra’s Principal Conductor in 1968. He remained in post for the next eleven and a half years. Previn championed works by British composers, honed the LSO’s famous virtuosity with performances of Messiaen and Stravinsky, and inspired a generation of future musicians and concertgoers with his primetime BBC television series André Previn’s Music Night and legendary ‘Mr Preview’ sketch with Morecambe and Wise. His long LSO legacy continues to grow thanks to his work as the Orchestra’s Conductor Laureate.
It is rarely ‘conductors and players’, it’s trying to make music together. And that’s hard to come by. André Previn on working with the LSO
26
Musical Alchemists ~ lso.co.uk
Thu 23 Oct 2014 7.30pm Bruckner Symphony No 8 Bernard Haitink conductor Thu 30 Oct 2014 7.30pm Debussy Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune Mozart Piano Concerto No 22 Brahms Symphony No 4 Bernard Haitink conductor Mitsuko Uchida piano Sun 11 Jan 2015 7.30pm Schumann Das Paradies und die Peri
Rattle was absolutely on top of the piece, directing with a Boulez-like tension and severity, and the LSO playing was top notch. The Guardian on Sir Simon Rattle with the LSO
Sir Simon Rattle Profound thinking, decades of study, scrupulous attention to detail and visceral energy flow into the spontaneously combustible mix that makes Sir Simon Rattle’s performances so unforgettable. The Liverpool-born musician, who became Principal Conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic in 1999, made his mark with the LSO the following year in concert performances of Richard Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos and with an interpretation of Mahler’s Ninth Symphony that left its audience – and the LSO’s players – uplifted by the experience. Billions of viewers worldwide were glued to their television sets when Sir Simon and the LSO, abetted if not necessarily aided by the keyboard artistry of Mr Bean, appeared in the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Andrew Stewart is a freelance music journalist and writer. He is the author of The LSO at 90, and contributes to a wide variety of specialist classical music publications.
MOVING MUSIC GALA
Sir Simon Rattle conductor Sally Matthews Peri Mark Padmore narrator Kate Royal soprano Bernarda Fink alto Andrew Staples tenor Florian Boesch bass London Symphony Chorus Simon Halsey chorus director Why not take part in an LSO Singing Day including choruses from Schumann’s work? Or find out more about Schumann in an LSO Discovery Day. See page 46. Thu 15 Jan 2015 7.30pm Webern Six Pieces Berg Three Fragments from ‘Wozzeck’ Ligeti Mysteries of the Macabre Stravinsky The Rite of Spring Sir Simon Rattle conductor Barbara Hannigan soprano Supported by LSO Patrons
Thu 12 Mar 2015 7.30pm
Michael Tilson Thomas 70th Birthday Gala Colin Matthews Hidden Variables Gershwin Piano Concerto in F major Shostakovich Symphony No 5 Michael Tilson Thomas conductor Yuja Wang piano
Wed 18 Mar to Wed 1 Apr 2015, United States West Coast
MTT’s 70th Birthday Tour 18 Mar New York Avery Fisher Hall 21 Mar Davis Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts 22 & 23 Mar San Francisco Davies Symphony Hall 24 Mar Los Angeles Walt Disney Concert Hall 25 Mar Santa Barbara Granada Theater 26 Mar Palm Desert McCallum Theater 28 Mar Costa Mesa Segerstrom Concert Hall 29 Mar San Diego Copley Symphony Hall 30 Mar Las Vegas Smith Center 1 Apr Seattle Benaroya Hall Wed 10 Jun 2015 7.30pm André Previn Violin Concerto Rachmaninov Symphony No 2 André Previn conductor Anne-Sophie Mutter violin Part of the LSO International Violin Festival generously supported by Jonathan Moulds
Sun 14 Jun 2015 7.30pm Mozart Violin Concerto No 3 Mahler Symphony No 1 (‘Titan’) Bernard Haitink conductor Alina Ibragimova violin Part of the LSO International Violin Festival generously supported by Jonathan Moulds
Sun 21 Jun 2015 7.30pm Beethoven Overture: Leonore No 2 Beethoven Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage Beethoven Symphony No 9 (‘Choral’) Bernard Haitink conductor Erin Wall soprano Karen Cargill mezzo-soprano Steve Davislim tenor Hanno Müller-Brachmann bass-baritone London Symphony Chorus Learn more about Beethoven in an LSO Discovery Day. See page 49 for details.
Sun 15 Mar 2015 7.30pm Britten Four Sea Interludes Shostakovich Concerto No 1 for Piano, Trumpet and Strings Sibelius Symphony No 2
Thu 2 Jul 2015 7.30pm
Michael Tilson Thomas conductor Yuja Wang piano
Sir Simon Rattle conductor Krystian Zimerman piano
To find out more about Sibelius and his music, attend an LSO Discovery Day. See page 47.
Sun 5 Jul 2015 7.30pm
Brahms Piano Concerto No 1 Dvorˇák The Wild Dove Dvorˇák The Golden Spinning Wheel
Jonathan Dove The Monster in the Maze (UK premiere, LSO co-commission) Walton Symphony No 1 Sir Simon Rattle conductor LSO Youth Choir LSO Community Choir
Michael Tilson Thomas’ concert on Thursday 12 March marks not only his own 70th birthday celebration, but also a special gala performance in aid of the LSO Moving Music campaign.
Turn to page 38 to find out more
full Concert LIstings pages 44 to 49 ~ Booking Details Page 51
27
Nikolaj Znaider
Ones to watch
I am excited to be back with Verdi’s Force of Destiny overture, the piece with which I made my LSO debut in 2004. A wonderful memory. Xian Zhang (below)
I am very much looking forward to making music again with this wonderful orchestra. I shared some of my earliest professional experiences with these fantastic musicians. David Afkham
RECOMMENDED BY CLASSIC FM Classic FM is the nation’s classical station, broadcasting to 5.6 million listeners every week. It is the only UK radio station dedicated to playing classical music 24 hours a day, and works with orchestras around the UK to support live music. The LSO is Classic FM’s Orchestra in the City of London and we share the station’s commitment to bringing classical music to the widest possible audience, through ground-breaking new initiatives and partnerships. For over 11 years the LSO has been proud of this association with Classic FM, which this year will also include an exclusive broadcast of the Donatella Flick LSO Conducting Competition and Krzysztof Urbanski’s debut with the LSO alongside Nicola Benedetti on 3 May.
Messiaen’s work paired with the Bartók Concerto makes for a powerful first half. Tchaikovsky’s Fourth is a very special symphony to me and one that I revisit with renewed enthusiasm each and every time I open the score. Tugan Sokhiev (left)
Tune in 100–102 FM, classicfm.com, Sky 0106, Virgin 922 and Digital Radio
28
Ones to watch ~ lso.co.uk
ONES TO WATCH
up-and-coming conductors They may be young (or young-ish – it’s all relative if you’re a conductor, given that you can still be a new kid on the block in your late 30s) but the LSO’s debutants and returning younger maestros this season all have well-established careers and experiences behind them. Tom Service introduces these youthful conductors that should give the sumptuous repertoire they’re conducting a fresh twist of insight and interpretation.
Symphonie fantastique is a monumental work and it is a special honour to have the opportunity to conduct it with the LSO. It is also a privilege to work again with Joshua Bell in the masterpiece that is Sibelius’ Violin Concerto. Pablo Heras-Casado
Nikolaj Znaider is familiar to Barbican audiences as multi-talented violinist and conductor; he returns to lead Mahler’s pantheistic First Symphony, and works in partnership with Rudolf Buchbinder in Beethoven’s Fourth Piano Concerto. David Afkham won the Donatella Flick Conducting Competition in 2008, and came back to lead the Orchestra in 2010. In 2015, Afkham undertakes one of the orchestral repertoire’s most intimidatingly beloved masterpieces, Brahms’ Second Symphony. Xian Zhang will be a jury member for this year’s Donatella Flick LSO Conducting Competition. She also joins the LSO to conduct more Prokofiev – her Ivan the Terrible gained five stars in The Guardian with the LSO in 2011. Venezuelan protégé Rafael Payare makes his debut with the colouristic glories of Dukas and Rimsky-Korsakov surrounding Beethoven’s Second Piano Concerto, while the irrepressibly energetic Spanish conductor Pablo Heras-Casado works with Joshua Bell on Sibelius’ Violin Concerto. Two ever-vivacious Russian war-horses dominate the programmes of the Ossetian Tugan Sokhiev (who as well as running orchestras in Toulouse and Berlin has just been appointed Music Director of the Bolshoi Theatre) and the Polish Krzysztof Urban´ski, who’s currently Music Director of the Indianapolis Symphony: Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony and Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. Individually, all of these conductors represent seven different visions of what it means to be a younger conductor today; together, they show how richly and fascinatingly diverse the musical future should be.
Thu 9 Oct 2014 7.30pm
Rafael Payare Dukas The Sorcerer’s Apprentice Beethoven Piano Concerto No 2 Rimsky-Korsakov Scheherazade Rafael Payare conductor Elisabeth Leonskaja piano Mon 8 Dec 2014 7pm Donatella Flick LSO Conducting Competition
The Final
Beethoven Overture: Egmont Stravinsky Symphony in Three Movements Rimsky-Korsakov Scheherazade Thu 18 Dec 2014 7.30pm
Nikolaj Znaider Beethoven Piano Concerto No 4 Mahler Symphony No 1 (‘Titan’) Nikolaj Znaider conductor Rudolf Buchbinder piano Supported by LSO Friends
Sun 18 Jan 2015 7.30pm
Xian Zhang Verdi Overture: The Force of Destiny Prokofiev Piano Concerto No 2 Falla The Three-Cornered Hat Rimsky-Korsakov Capriccio Espagnol Xian Zhang conductor Valentina Lisitsa piano Sun 1 Feb 2015 7.30pm
David Afkham Webern Passacaglia Beethoven Piano Concerto No 3 Brahms Symphony No 2 David Afkham conductor Nicholas Angelich piano
Tom Service writes about music for The Guardian, and contributes regularly to BBC Music, Opera and Tempo magazines. He also presents Music Matters on BBC Radio 3 and published a book ‘Music as Alchemy: Journeys with Great Conductors and their Orchestras’.
Thu 30 Apr 2015 7.30pm
Tugan Sokhiev Messiaen Les offrandes oubliées Bartók Violin Concerto No 2 Tchaikovsky Symphony No 4
Krzysztof Urban´ski
DONATELLA FLICK LSO CONDUCTING COMPETITION Founded in 1990, the biennial Donatella Flick LSO Conducting Competition aims to bridge the gap between conservatoire training and the professional world for young, emerging conductors. Following an intense few days of preliminary rounds with the Guildhall School Symphony Orchestra, the last three through to the grand final battle it out on stage at the Barbican with the LSO in front of an esteemed panel of judges, this year including Pierre Boulez and LSO Principal Guest Conductor Daniel Harding. See the action up-close, and perhaps witness the crowning of one or more of the major conductors of tomorrow. lso.co.uk/conductingcompetition
Rafael Payare
Tugan Sokhiev conductor Midori violin Sun 3 May 2015 7.30pm
KrZysztof Urban´ski Glinka Overture: Ruslan and Lyudmila Szymanowski Violin Concerto No 1 Mussorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition Krzysztof Urban´ski conductor Nicola Benedetti violin Sun 28 Jun 2015 7.30pm
Pablo Heras-Casado Sibelius Violin Concerto Berlioz Symphonie fantastique Pablo Heras-Casado conductor Joshua Bell violin
full Concert LIstings pages 44 to 49 ~ Booking Details Page 51
29
BBC Radio 3 & the LSO Discover Classical Music in BBC Radio 3 Dimensions BBC Radio 3 invests in high-quality, distinctive classical music and cultural programming, presented by experts. The station is the biggest commissioner of classical music in the UK and broadcasts over 600 full concerts a year; over half are live. The long-standing relationship with the LSO plays a vital role in delivering audiences world-class classical music experiences, whether that’s through live broadcasts from the Barbican (at least ten with the LSO every season) or recorded lunchtime concerts at LSO St Luke’s. BBC Radio 3 is the only radio station to broadcast live classical music concerts every day of the week, alongside 90 full-length operas a year and over 25 original drama commissions alongside regular jazz, world, arts and ideas programming.
Tune in 91–93 FM, Sky 0103, Freeview 703, Virgin 903 and Digital Radio bbc.co.uk/radio3 30
BBC Radio 3 & the LSO ~ lso.co.uk
Thu 2 Oct; 6, 13 & 20 Nov 2014 1pm, LSO St Luke’s BBC Radio 3 Lunchtime Concerts
Young Pianists
BBC Radio 3 Lunchtime Concerts
Programmes include: Beethoven Piano Sonatas in A-flat major (Op 26) and D minor (Op 31) Brahms Theme and Variations in D minor; Two Rhapsodies Liszt Paganini Études Mussorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition Ravel Gaspard de la nuit Schubert Four Impromptus Khatia Buniatishvili, Federico Colli, Alice Sara Ott, Lise de la Salle Thu 9, 16, 23 & 30 Oct 2014 1pm, LSO St Luke’s BBC Radio 3 Lunchtime Concerts
Nash Ensemble Residency: At Fives and Sixes
Working with LSO St Luke’s on our regular series of BBC Radio 3 Lunchtime Concerts is a special pleasure. Planning five separate mini-series has its challenges, but the chance to explore an interesting theme and match the finest performers to masterpieces of the chamber repertoire can also be immensely rewarding. Nothing beats the feeling of sitting in this remarkable building when all those things have come together! We start our 12th season with two contrasting series. Young Pianists gives you the opportunity to hear some of the brightest new talents around – artists who, despite still being in their 20s, have been making a mark on concert halls throughout the world. They include the most recent winner of the Leeds Competition, a former BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist, and two star pianists who already have several high-profile recordings behind them, so we’re confident you’re going to like them. Their recitals sandwich a residency from the Nash Ensemble, who in their numerous appearances at LSO St Luke’s have always demonstrated the highest levels of musicianship; this time they will be luxuriating in the richness and depth of the repertoire for string quintet and sextet, from Beethoven and Borodin to Dvorˇák to Tchaikovsky. In the spring we’ll be welcoming cellist Natalie Clein, who will be showing off her versatility and range in another of our curated ‘And Friends’ series with a special emphasis on Bach. After that, Haydn Plus takes three genres for which Haydn was a seminal figure – the piano sonata, the piano trio and the string quartet – and places them alongside complementary masterpieces in those genres by later composers. And we end in May with our contribution to the LSO International Violin Festival: four top-name violinists, three of whom are also appearing in concertos with the LSO this year. Please join us.
Programmes include: Beethoven String Quintet in C major Borodin String Sextet in D minor Brahms String Sextet No 1 in B-flat major Bruckner Adagio from String Quintet in F major Dvorˇák String Sextet in A major Martinu˚ String Sextet Tchaikovsky Souvenir de Florence Thu 5, 12, 19 & 26 Feb 2015 1pm, LSO St Luke’s BBC Radio 3 Lunchtime Concerts
Natalie Clein & Friends Programmes include: Bach Suite No 3 in C major; Gamba Sonatas Nos 1, 2 & 3 Bach arr Sitkovetsky Goldberg Variations for string trio Chopin Preludes Nos 4, 8 & 16 Mendelssohn Cello Sonata No 2 in D major Kurtág Selection from ‘Signs, Games and Messages’ Ravel Sonata for violin and cello Natalie Clein cello Henning Kraggerud, Anthony Marwood violin Krzysztof Chorzelski viola Mahan Esfahani harpsichord Sergio Tiempo piano Thu 5, 12, 19 & 26 Mar 2015 1pm, LSO St Luke’s BBC Radio 3 Lunchtime Concerts
Haydn PLus
Programmes include: Haydn String Quartets in B minor and F minor; Piano Sonatas in G major, C major & E major; Fantasia in C major Bartók String Quartet No 5 Beethoven Piano Sonata in F minor Brahms Piano Trio No 1 in B major Shostakovich String Quartet No 2 in A major ATOS Trio, Cuarteto Casals, Meta4 Ronald Brautigam fortepiano Thu 21 May; 11, 18 & 25 Jun 2015 1pm, LSO St Luke’s BBC Radio 3 Lunchtime Concerts
LSO International Violin Festival: REcitals Programmes include: Bach Partita No 2 in D minor, Sonata No 3 in C major Beethoven Violin Sonatas Nos 3, 9 & 10 Brahms Violin Sonata No 3 in D minor Schumann Volin Sonata No 2 in D minor Christian Tetzlaff violin James Ehnes violin, Steven Osborne piano Veronika Eberle violin, Michail Lifits piano Nicola Benedetti violin, Alexei Grynyuk piano
Lindsay Kemp Lead Producer, BBC Radio 3 Lunchtime Concerts
full Concert LIstings pages 44 to 49 ~ Booking Details Page 51
31
MOVING MUSIC – Inspire a generation
Family events
Moving Music aims to put an extra 100,000 young people into contact with the LSO by rolling out LSO Play to classrooms across the country and running school cinema broadcasts with specially re-edited footage of the Orchestra. LSO Play is an invaluable resource for parents too, who can learn more about music alongside their children. Turn to page 38 to find out more
For all generations At the LSO, our ambitions for families are no different from those for all potential audiences: we want to share the joy of great music with the biggest and most diverse range of people, making accessibility as important as quality. And we want to challenge preconceptions about classical music – who it’s for, what its purpose is – encouraging it to be viewed as a viable, go-to leisure option, up there with the cinema, museums and sporting events. So why are we seeking to attract families in particular? We believe that to positively influence the musicians and music-lovers of tomorrow, we must actively engage with the families of today. The LSO has for the last 23 years led the field in terms of music education and outreach, with its wide-reaching LSO Discovery programme. Connecting with families is an important part of LSO Discovery – we operate workshops and story-telling concerts for under-5s and their parents at LSO St Luke’s, host full orchestral performances for 7- to 12-year-olds and their relatives at the Barbican, and enable LSO players to make family hospital visits around 60 times a year. A recent national collaborative project – the Family Arts Campaign – has been a catalyst for the LSO to raise its game yet further. The campaign, led by the visual and performing arts sectors, seeks to boost levels of arts engagement across generations by increasing the amount and range of content available, raising the quality of experience, and improving marketing. Through sharing of best practice, the LSO has been able to hone its communications to ensure families feel welcome long before they attend an event. For example, a young family may well be as concerned about parking and baby changing facilities as with which composers are on the bill. Providing practical, relevant information, adopting an inclusive and reassuring tone, and allowing plenty of space
32
Family Events ~ lso.co.uk
for feedback is now an integrated part of the LSO’s service. The campaign also prompted the LSO to join with community partners the Barbican, Museum of London and others to form a local family arts steering group. In October half term 2013, the campaign presented a united public front in the form of a fortnight-long Family Arts Festival. It was a great success and will be repeated in autumn 2014 with the LSO presenting a flagship event. LSO in Wartime: Create an Opera in a Day is an interactive project for families, tied to the Orchestra’s wider World War I centenary commemorative activity. ‘Family’ is a catch-all term and no two are alike, particularly in an age of increasingly non-nuclear set-ups. From local single parent families who may have never phoned a box office before, to ‘Culture Vultures’ who adore theatre but haven’t tried music, the LSO strives to be flexible enough to provide entry points for all variations of families. Because ultimately, all families have one thing in common: the need to bond over shared extraordinary experiences. Fabienne Morris
To find out more about LSO family events visit lso.co.uk/bringyourfamily
Fri 5 Sep; 17 & 31 Oct; 21 Nov 2014 30 Jan; 13 & 27 Feb; 13 Mar; 1 & 22 May; 12 & 26 Jun 2015 12.30pm, LSO St Luke’s
Sun 26 Apr 2015 2.30pm
LSO Discovery
Recommended by Classic FM
Suitable for Over 5s
Thu 25 Jun 2015 7.30pm
LSO Discovery
Family concert
Suitable for 7- to 12-year-olds
Free Lunchtime Concerts Sat 1 Nov 2014 10am–4pm, LSO St Luke’s LSO Discovery FAMILY DAY
LSO IN WARTIME Create an Opera in a Day Suitable for 8- to 11-year-olds
As the LSO plays its part in World War I commemorations with a Sally Beamish world premiere, join us the day before for a creative day for families with children aged 8 to 11. Take part in workshops exploring London in wartime and discover what happened to the LSO (founded in 1904) between 1914 and 1918, all the while working towards creating a mini-opera with LSO musicians and special guests. Sun 9 Nov 2014 2.30pm LSO Discovery
Family concert Suitable for 7- to 12-year-olds
LSO Discovery
Rites of Passage Suitable for Over 7s
Celebrate the incredibly journey of which music can take you, both audience and performer alike. Rites of Passage gets to the core of what makes witnessing a live orchestra so exciting. The LSO will be joined by groups from across LSO Discovery in a programme that is sure to inspire all. Sun 5 Jul 2015 7.30pm
MONSTER IN THE MAZE Youth & Community Opera Suitable for Over 11s
Jonathan Dove The Monster in the Maze (UK premiere, LSO co-commission) Walton Symphony No 1 Sir Simon Rattle conductor LSO Youth Choir LSO Community Choir Recommended by Classic FM
Sun 8 Feb 2015 2.30pm LSO Discovery
Family concert
Suitable for 7- to 12-year-olds Recommended by Classic FM
full Concert LIstings pages 44 to 49 ~ Booking Details Page 51
33
A genuinely historic Orchestra – in its element right here and now. London should be very proud. Fiona Woolf CBE The Right Honourable the Lord Mayor of the City of London (2013/14)
London’s Symphony Orchestra at the heart of the City of London
The cultural hub in the City
Whitecross Street leading to LSO St Luke’s The new Barbican cinema building has transformed the Whitecross Street corner of Beech Street, including the welcoming and attractive Cinema Café and Côte Restaurant. Along Whitecross Street there are lunchtime food stalls encompassing every type of cuisine and street food, all the way up to the LSO St Luke’s crossing on Old Street. There you will find 90 public events each year, including LSO Discovery masterclasses and workshops, BBC Radio 3 Lunchtime Concerts and a diverse evening concert programme including the ‘New Moves’ series from Associate Ensemble the Aurora Orchestra.
THE ORCHESTRA’S HOME The LSO is proud to be the Resident Orchestra at the Barbican, the Orchestra’s home since the Centre opened 32 years ago. The area around the Barbican is fast changing and attracting cutting-edge and exciting organisations, from the tech start-ups of the Silicon Roundabout on Old Street to the creative professionals of Clerkenwell and the businesses of the City. The LSO is working with the City of London and our artistic partners nearby to develop the area into a world-class arts and learning hub. With fresh venues such as the Barbican’s new cinemas on Beech Street, and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama’s Milton Court, alongside LSO St Luke’s and the Museum of London, the arts and learning destinations on offer in the area will be unrivalled. And with Crossrail set to arrive in 2018, we will witness a further significant boost to the development of the Barbican area as a major cultural destination.
36
The Cultural Hub IN THE CITY ~ lso.co.uk
The Guildhall School & Milton Court The Guildhall School’s Milton Court opened in time for the 2013/14 academic year, including a state-of-the-art concert hall and two theatres alongside rehearsal rooms and studio spaces. The Barbican programmes 40 classical and contemporary music concerts in the new venue each season, including regular performances from two Barbican associate ensembles – the Academy of Ancient Music and the Britten Sinfonia – plus lunchtime concerts in the ECHO Rising Stars series.
The Barbican
Family Arts Festival
Orchestral Artistry In autumn 2013, the London Symphony Orchestra and the Guildhall School launched the new Orchestral Artistry Masters degree specialism for post-graduate student instrumentalists. The degree is a highly distinctive and ground-breaking course, designed to attract the very finest music students from around the world to work alongside the LSO and its roster of visiting artists. The aim is to produce fully rounded, excellent professional musicians who have assimilated the ‘LSO characteristics’ of craft, brilliance, speed, curiosity and flexibility.
The London Symphony Orchestra has joined forces with the Museum of London, Barbican Children’s Library, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Barbican and local primary schools, in order to improve what’s on offer for families in the City and to take part in the annual UK Family Arts Festival. Supported by Arts Council England, the Festival unites music, theatre, circus, dance and visual arts, enabling generations of families across the country to get involved.
Joint artistic highlights at the Barbican in 2014/15 include Boulez at 90, which sees the LSO, BBC Symphony Orchestra and Ensemble Intercontemporain – founded by Boulez himself in 1976 – celebrate the French composer’s tenth decade. Exciting Vocal premieres include a stunning new production of Unsuk Chin’s exhilarating Alice in Wonderland; Sentences, a new work by Nico Muhly inspired by the life and tragic death of war-time code-breaker Alan Turing; and LSO commissions from Sally Beamish, its own World War I tribute, and a community opera by Jonathan Dove conducted by Sir Simon Rattle with a cast and orchestra made up of professional and community singers and musicians. The Barbican is the place to enjoy the very best of contemporary music in London.
BARBICAN HIGHLIGHTS Boulez at 90 21 Mar (BBC SO) 23 Apr (LSO) 28 Apr (Ensemble Intercontemporain)
NEW VOCAL WORKS 2 Nov Sally Beamish (LSO) Equal Voices 8 Mar Unsuk Chin (BBC SO) Alice in Wonderland 6 Jun Nico Muhly (Britten Sinfonia) Sentences 5 Jul Jonathan Dove (LSO) The Monster in the Maze
Family ARTS FESTIVAL 17 Oct to 2 Nov 2014 For details of more contemporary music, early music, recitals with international artists and visiting international orchestras at the Barbican visit barbican.org.uk
Food & Drink To book a table at one of the restaurants: Gin Joint by Searcys 020 7588 3008 Barbican Lounge 020 7382 6180 Côte Brasserie Barbican 020 7628 5724
full Concert LIstings pages 44 to 49 ~ Booking Details Page 51
37
Moving Music Bringing the Joy of Music to millions The LSO performs to over 200,000 people every year, but many more miss out on the opportunity to experience the Orchestra’s inspirational music-making. This is why we have launched Moving Music – to build on the latest advances in digital technology to take the Orchestra’s music out beyond the concert hall to millions around the world.
‘Conducting the LSO at the Olympic Games was an honour; I was thrilled that four billion people worldwide had the opportunity to hear this magnificent group. By supporting Moving Music, you will enable the LSO to share its extraordinary sound with many more.’ Sir Simon Rattle
38
Moving Music ~ lso.co.uk
With support from Arts Council England, the LSO has been challenged to raise £6 million in order to release £3 million of matched funding. This fund will empower us to capture the Orchestra’s performances in high definition and broadcast them across the digital sphere. This provides an unprecedented opportunity for the London Symphony Orchestra to reach a new global audience and to open up the Orchestra to those who have yet to be inspired by the thrill of a live symphony orchestra. The recordings we capture from live concerts at the Barbican will also be re-edited for use with young people, enabling the LSO to inspire the next generation of music-lovers and possibly tomorrow’s musicians too. Our ground-breaking music education and community programme, LSO Discovery, currently reaches over 60,000
It is an honour to make music with these LSO musicians. Please support Moving Music to help them take this amazing sound out to millions and inspire a future generation of musicians and music lovers. Daniel Harding
LSO PLAY – Get inside the Orchestra These screenshots are from LSO Play – a free, online platform that allows you to experience what music-making is like from within the Orchestra itself. This is just one way in which LSO digital innovations are bringing music to a much wider audience. The future of innovations like LSO Play is entirely dependent on the success of the Moving Music campaign. Visit play.lso.co.uk
participants every year and offers opportunities for people of all ages to get involved in music-making. For many, this experience is truly life changing, and we have been planning on how to extend this opportunity to others. Through the creation of sophisticated online resources, we will be able to take the excitement of live music out of the concert hall and into classrooms worldwide. But our plans are not just limited to the classroom; in the future we will go as widely as possible – via the internet, mobile services, TV and cinema. To achieve this, we need your help. In order to release the Arts Council England funding, we need to raise £6 million by May 2015. We have raised £4 million so far; we still have £2 million to go. The funds will have a transformational impact on the Orchestra, underpinning innovations in the LSO’s digital strategy and supporting the expansion of the LSO’s reach. Since its beginnings in 1904, the LSO has been a pioneer in carving out ways to reach new audiences, but in order to continue, the Orchestra needs to remain at the forefront of the digital world. This is a crucial step,
and a remarkable opportunity to share the LSO’s music far and wide for years to come. Thank you for your generous support so far; we have made excellent progress. But we still have a way to go. Help us to secure the brightest possible future for the London Symphony Orchestra and to bring the joy of music to millions worldwide. Kathryn McDowell LSO Managing Director Jonathan Moulds LSO Moving Music Chairman
Donate to the LSO Moving Music campaign For all details, and to watch a video about the campaign, visit lso.co.uk/movingmusic or contact Jessica Blackstone 020 7382 2514 or movingmusic@lso.co.uk Remember that your gift will be 50% match-funded by Arts Council England, and if you are eligible for gift aid, that can increase your donation by 25%, a potential total of 75% on top of your gift.
LSO ReaCH around the Globe YouTube views 9,337,249 views 22,995 subscribers Facebook 217,361 followers Twitter 172,035 followers Google+ 135,060 followers 1,783,670 views Visits to LSO Play 262,847 LSO website visits 650,000 per year LSO Live downloads over 1 million annually Figures correct at time of going to press in April 2014
full Concert LIstings pages 44 to 49 ~ Booking Details Page 51
39
LSO Discovery … … is the London Symphony Orchestra’s Education and Community programme. Founded in the late 1980s and now reaching over 60,000 participants a year, LSO Discovery is recognised as one of the world’s leading music education programmes. Here are just a few of our stories.
SPECIAL SCHOOLS with LSO On Track The LSO On Track Special Schools project was launched in 2009. Each year, LSO players and workshop leaders work with 15 schools in East London to encourage creative music-making and to nurture the talents of teachers and young people, delivering a programme designed specifically for students with special educational needs and disabilities. LSO Principal Bass Trombone Paul Milner talks through his experiences.
Adults with learning disabilities can join LSO Create where participants and their carers take part in interactive workshops that introduce them to creative music-making. Contact isabel.bedford@lso.co.uk for more details. LSO Create is supported by David and Alexandra Scholey and LSO Friends LSO On Track Special Schools is supported by Marsh, The Saddlers’ Company Charitable Fund and Youth Music
40
LSO Discovery ~ lso.co.uk
‘I find taking part in special schools projects very rewarding. We let the students touch the instruments, feel them, play them, experiment with them … and they can hear that sound they’ve made all by themselves. In some cases, I’ll just play a note on my trombone and let them hold the bell of the instrument so that they can feel the vibration, so hearing and visually impaired children can experience it. I can’t use words to describe how satisfying that is. I enjoy playing to an audience of people who have paid to come and hear us, but I quite often think that their appreciation isn’t half as much as a child from a special school. It is beyond music. It’s not the end result that’s important, it’s the journey, and that journey can help the students with social skills – listening, interacting. I’m sure they can take these skills into all walks of life.’
In the on-going struggle to turn his life around, this will be remembered as a pivotal moment. The project was important to him – he sought to control his feelings and automatic behaviour. Teacher on a pupil at Stormont House School, 2013
Children’s Hospitals LSO Discovery’s Children’s Hospitals programme works with infants and children aged 0 to 18 in hospitals across London, many of whom suffer from chronic, life-threatening or terminal illness. LSO players and workshop leaders engage in one-to-one bedside visits and small group sessions, as well as working in pre-existing hospital school units. Vanessa King, LSO Discovery Early Years workshop leader, explains what that can mean for the people involved. ‘Together with LSO players, I make around 15 hospital visits a year – that’s out of a total of over 60 visits to a range of London hospitals, involving approximately 700 children and families. I work with young children under five and babies. We currently visit the Royal London Hospital with one simple aim: to improve the daily lives of ill children. Hospitals can be extremely stressful environments, especially for young children. ‘Our sessions are gentle, private and spontaneous and we tailor them to each individual. We see so many positive results: an escape from their clinical surrounds; access to important, unrealised emotions; catharsis. It’s about expressing yourself without words, having suffering eased without medicine by the undeniably powerful effects of music, whether it be stimulating or soothing. Families, nurses and play workers feel the benefit too. Our sessions are a stabilising, hopeful force in a so often unknown and challenging environment. I believe that music can lead to the kind of mental states that can enable quicker physical recovery. I feel so privileged and enriched to be able to offer such profound, effective and valuable complementary work.’
[Our son] was in a lot of pain and doesn’t interact freely. However, he absolutely loved the music sessions, becoming animated and interacting in ways that he hasn’t done for a long time. Being so close to the music and gently and gradually encouraged to take part has been the best form of therapy for him. Seeing his reaction, and really enjoying the sessions ourselves, has really helped us through some difficult times. Parents of a four-year-old hospital patient
full Concert LIstings pages 44 to 49 ~ Booking Details Page 51
41
LSO Platforms: Guildhall Artists’ Recitals Free pre-concert recitals on stage at the Barbican with Guildhall School musicians Eleven concerts in the season have free pre-concert recitals from Guildhall School chamber ensembles and soloists. Linked to the repertoire for that evening, they provide an unrivalled opportunity for the young musicians, and enhance your concert-going experience.
Masterclasses Free daytime masterclasses with international artists As part of the Guildhall School’s postgraduate course in Orchestral Artistry in association with the LSO, student musicians get the opportunity to work with some of the LSO’s leading soloists and Principal players. Recent visiting artists include pianist Yuja Wang and violinist Leonidas Kavakos as part of their UBS Soundscapes: LSO Artist Portrait series and pianist Emanuel Ax; recent LSO Principals have included Adam Walker (flute), Paul Silverthorne (viola), Lorenzo Iosco (bass clarinet) and LSO Leader Roman Simovic (violin). Many of these masterclasses are open to the public, either at LSO St Luke’s or at the Guildhall School, so you too can witness this unique teaching environment at close quarters.
Orchestral Artistry Masterclass with Sir Antonio Pappano and the Guildhall Symphony Orchestra Mon 13 Oct 2014 2.30–5.30pm lso.co.uk/orchestralartistry
LSO Platforms: Guildhall Artists’ Recital dates: 2, 16 & 23 Oct 2014; 19 Feb, 1 Mar, 8 & 30 Apr, 7, 12 & 24 May, 7 Jun 2015 lso.co.uk/whatson
Such a rare chance to hear your music played in the best possible conditions by performers who are really dedicated professionals. Richard Bullen, LSO Soundhub member
Having won the Guildhall Gold Medal in the Barbican shortly after my pre-LSO recital, I feel very close to this experience. The recital series offers young musicians like me the exciting opportunity to perform on one of the world’s most prestigious stages. Ashley Fripp Guildhall School musician
Composing Your chance to witness composing in the making Each year, six emerging composers have their music played in workshops by the Orchestra as part of the Panufnik Composers Scheme. Two composers are then commissioned to produce orchestral pieces which are performed in the main LSO Barbican season.
Soundhub members give cutting-edge performances at LSO St Luke’s LSO Soundhub, launched two years ago, is a pioneering scheme giving young composers across a range of musical genres access to resources at LSO St Luke’s – a place to try out new ideas, work with other composers, and receive mentorship from industry professionals and advice from LSO players.
5 Feb 2015 The world premiere of the 2014/15 Panufnik Composers Commission by Patrick Brennan (supported by The Helen Hamlyn Trust) 5 Jun 2015 Panufnik Composers Workshop at LSO St Luke’s with the London Symphony Orchestra and François-Xavier Roth lso.co.uk/composers
42
LSO Discovery ~ lso.co.uk
LSO Discovery Lunchtime Concerts Community MUSIC-Making Whether you like singing or trying something completely new … The LSO Community Choir is in its eleventh year and consists of 100+ local residents and workers in the area who love to sing. Rehearsals are weekly on a Monday and the group gives termly concerts. The LSO Youth Choir is a fantastic way for young people to hone their singing talents, make friends and be part of something bigger, with regular chances to perform at diverse venues, including the Barbican. Especially for teenagers looking to make the most of high-tech studio equipment at LSO St Luke’s, why not join the Digital Technology Group? Or if you’d like to try something new (and you don’t need any musical experience) why not join the LSO Community Gamelan Group? Explore the hypnotic and dynamic world of Balinese music and its instruments. Beginners and experienced musicians alike come together to play gongs, metallophones, drums and bamboo flutes.
Informal bite-size concerts on Friday lunchtimes at LSO St Luke’s LSO Discovery Friday Lunchtime Concerts are the perfect way to find out more about the instruments of the orchestra and the music written for them. Given by LSO players and musicians from the Guildhall School together with presenter Rachel Leach, these friendly, informal performances take place in the Jerwood Hall at LSO St Luke’s and last for 45 minutes, making them the ideal way to spend a lunch break.
2014/15 LSO Discovery Lunchtime Concerts dates: Autumn – 5 Sep; 17 & 31 Oct; 21 Nov Spring – 30 Jan; 13 & 27 Feb; 13 Mar Summer – 1 & 22 May; 12 & 26 Jun lso.co.uk/fridaylunchtimeconcerts
LSO Community and Youth Choirs are part of LSO Sing which is generously supported by The J Paul Getty Jnr Charitable Trust and The John S Cohen Foundation; the LSO Youth Choir is supported by The Slaughter and May Charitable Trust. LSO Discovery Lunchtime Concerts are supported by LSO Patrons and The Rothschild Charities Committee. The Panufnik Composers Scheme is supported by The Helen Hamlyn Trust. LSO Soundhub is supported by the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and The Hinrichsen Foundation.
Contact andra.east@lso.co.uk for more details on the LSO Community and Youth Choirs, isabel.bedford@lso.co.uk for more details on the LSO Community Gamelan Group, and chris.rogers@lso.co.uk for more details on the LSO Digital Technology Group
full Concert LIstings pages 44 to 49 ~ Booking Details Page 51
43
2014/15 Listings
OCTOBER
Thu 16 Oct 2014 7.30pm
Thu 2 Oct 2014 1pm, LSO St Luke’s
Sir Antonio Pappano conductor Janine Jansen violin
Bartók Violin Concerto No 1 Tchaikovsky The Nutcracker – Suite from Act Two
BBC RADIO 3
Lunchtime Concert Brahms Theme and Variations in D minor Brahms Two Rhapsodies Ravel Gaspard de la nuit
LSO Discovery
Thu 2 Oct 2014 7.30pm
Vocal works performed by postgraduate musicians from the Guildhall School, presented by Rachel Leach.
FREE Lunchtime Concert
Sir John Eliot Gardiner conductor Gautier Capuçon cello 6pm LSO Platforms: Guildhall Artists’ Recital Piano works by Schumann
SEPTEMBER
Thu 9 Oct 2014 1pm, LSO St Luke’s BBC Radio 3
Lunchtime Concert
Fri 5 Sep 2014 12.30–1.15pm, LSO St Luke’s
Borodin String Sextet in D minor Stravinsky Three Pieces for String Quartet Tchaikovsky Souvenir de Florence
LSO Discovery
Nash Ensemble
Rachel Leach presents Schumann’s Konzertstück for four horn players.
Thu 9 Oct 2014 7.30pm
Free Lunchtime Concert
Sat 20 Sep 2014 10.30am–4.30pm, LSO St Luke’s LSO Community Singing Day
From Bach to Beatles
Fri 17 Oct 2014 12.30–1.15pm, LSO St Luke’s
Lise de la Salle piano
Mendelssohn Overture: Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage Schumann Cello Concerto in A minor Mendelssohn Symphony No 5 (‘The Reformation’)
GAUTIER CAPUçON (2 OCT)
6pm LSO Platforms: Guildhall Artists’ Recital Piano works by Bartók and Tchaikovsky
Sun 19 Oct 2014 10am–5.30pm, Barbican and LSO St Luke’s LSO Discovery Day
Andrzej Panufnik Sun 19 Oct 2014 7.30pm Panufnik Symphony No 10 Schumann Piano Concerto Strauss Ein Heldenleben Sir Antonio Pappano conductor Piotr Anderszewski piano The LSO’s celebrations of Andrzej Panufnik’s centenary year are supported by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute as part of the Polska Music programme.
Thu 23 Oct 2014 1pm, LSO St Luke’s BBC Radio 3
Lunchtime Concert
Dukas The Sorcerer’s Apprentice Beethoven Piano Concerto No 2 Rimsky-Korsakov Scheherazade
Martinu˚ String Sextet Krása Tanec for String Trio Dvorˇák String Sextet in A major
Rafael Payare conductor Elisabeth Leonskaja piano
Nash Ensemble
David Lawrence conductor Join a string quartet from the LSO and sing music by one of the greatest composers, and perhaps the greatest pop group, the world has ever known.
Mon 13 Oct 2014 2.30–5.30pm, Milton Court
Thu 23 Oct 2014 7.30pm
OrchestraL Artistry
Bruckner Symphony No 8
Sun 21 Sep 2014 7.30pm
Guildhall Symphony Orchestra
FREE Masterclass: Sir Antonio Pappano
Bernard Haitink conductor 6pm LSO Platforms: Guildhall Artists’ Recital Songs by Schubert and Wagner
UBS Soundscapes: LSO Artist Portrait
Denis Matsuev
Thu 16 Oct 2014 1pm, LSO St Luke’s
Tishchenko Dante Symphony No 1 (‘Among the Living’) Prokofiev Piano Concerto No 3 Shostakovich Symphony No 10
BBC Radio 3
Valery Gergiev conductor Denis Matsuev piano
Sun 26 Oct 2014 7.30pm Mahler Symphony No 9
Lunchtime Concert Bruckner Adagio from String Quintet in F major Brahms String Sextet No 1 in B-flat major Nash Ensemble
Daniel Harding conductor Thu 30 Oct 2014 1pm, LSO St Luke’s BBC Radio 3
Broadcast live on BBC Radio 3
Lunchtime Concert
Tue 23 Sep 2014 7.30pm
Bruch String Quintet in E-flat major Beethoven String Quintet in C major
UBS Soundscapes: LSO Artist Portrait
Nash Ensemble
Prokofiev Symphony No 1 (‘Classical’) Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No 2 Prokofiev Symphony No 5
Thu 30 Oct 2014 7.30pm
Denis Matsuev
Debussy Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune Mozart Piano Concerto No 22 Brahms Symphony No 4
Valery Gergiev conductor Denis Matsuev piano
Bernard Haitink conductor Mitsuko Uchida piano Janine Jansen (16 OCT)
44
2014/15 Listings ~ lso.co.uk
Thu 6 Nov 2014 1pm, LSO St Luke’s BBC Radio 3
Lunchtime Concert Mussorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition plus works by Bach, Arvo Pärt and others
DECEMBER Sun 7 Dec 2014 7.30pm
Khatia Buniatishvili piano
Brahms Symphony No 3 Brahms Piano Concerto No 2
Sun 9 Nov 2014 2.30pm
Daniel Harding conductor Emanuel Ax piano
LSO Discovery
Family Concert for 7- to 12-year-olds Mitsuko Uchida (30 OCT)
Fri 31 Oct 2014 12.30–1.15pm, LSO St Luke’s LSO Discovery
FREE Family-Friendly Lunchtime Concert Part of Family Arts Festival fortnight, featuring works for voice performed by Guildhall School artists.
Paul Rissmann presenter Tue 11 and Thu 13 Nov 2014 7.30pm UBS Soundscapes: LSO Artist Portrait
Denis Matsuev
Balakirev Russia Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No 2 Rachmaninov Symphony No 3 Valery Gergiev conductor Denis Matsuev piano
NOVEMBER
Thu 13 Nov 2014 1pm, LSO St Luke’s
Sat 1 Nov 2014 10am–4pm, LSO St Luke’s
Lunchtime Concert
LSO Discovery Family Day
LSO in Wartime Create an Opera in a Day
BBC Radio 3
Mon 8 Dec 2014 7pm
Federico Colli piano
Donatella Flick LSO Conducting Competition
for 8- to 11-year-olds See page 33
Thu 20 Nov 2014 1pm, LSO St Luke’s BBC Radio 3
Sun 2 Nov 2014 10am–5.30pm, LSO St Luke’s LSO/THE MUSICAL BRAIN ONE-Day Conference
Music, Poetry and the Trauma of War Sessions include: Hugh McManners The Cognitive Neuroscience of the Effects of War Lord John Alderdice Psychotherapy in Response to Conflict Lt Col Bob Meldrum Military Music in Operational Theatres Stephen Johnson The Drums of War Andrew Motion War, Poetry and Music Sally Beamish Composing ‘Equal Voices’ Ian Ritchie director/chair This study day complements the LSO evening premiere of Equal Voices, commemorating World War I. The day ticket includes admission to the evening concert.
Lunchtime Concert
Alice Sara Ott piano
Thu 11 Dec 2014 7.30pm LSO ON FILM
Fri 21 Nov 2014 12.30–1.15pm, LSO St Luke’s LSO Discovery
Free Lunchtime Concert Vocal works performed by postgraduate musicians from the Guildhall School, presented by Rachel Leach. Sat 22 Nov 2014 11am–4.30pm, LSO St Luke’s LSO Choral Singing Day
19th-Century Oratorios
Sun 2 Nov 2014 7.30pm
Your chance to sing with the LSO’s professional choral team, working on choruses from Schumann’s Das Paradies und die Peri, Mendelssohn’s Elijah and more.
Elgar Carillon Beethoven Piano Concerto No 5 (‘Emperor’) Sally Beamish Equal Voices (world premiere, LSO co-commission) Gianandrea Noseda conductor Nelson Freire piano Shuna Sendall soprano Marcus Farnsworth baritone London Symphony Chorus LSO commission supported by Susie Thomson
Beethoven Overture: Egmont Stravinsky Symphony in Three Movements Rimsky-Korsakov Scheherazade See page 29, please note start time
Simon Halsey conductor
Equal Voices PREMIERE
The Final
Beethoven Piano Sonata in D minor (‘The Tempest’) Liszt Paganini Études
Full details at lso.co.uk/firstworldwar
LSO SEASON HIGHLIGHT
Emanuel ax (7 DEC)
Beethoven Piano Sonata in A-flat major Op 26 Schubert Four Impromptus D935
Wed 26 Nov 2014 7.30pm
The Magic and Majesty of Alexandre Desplat From The King’s Speech to the final adventures of Harry Potter, the LSO celebrates the music of one of Hollywood’s most sought-after film composers with a selection of his favourite scores. Sun 14 Dec 2014 7.30pm LSO Brass Ensemble & London Symphony Chorus
Christmas Concert Simon Halsey conductor LSO Brass Ensemble London Symphony Chorus LSO Community Choir LSO Youth Choir
London Symphony Chorus
Join the LSO’s massed voices and Brass Ensemble in this celebration of Christmas, including traditional carols.
Jonathan Dove The Passing of the Year Rachmaninov All-Night Vigil (‘Vespers‘)
Thu 18 Dec 2014 7.30pm
Simon Halsey conductor London Symphony Chorus
Beethoven Piano Concerto No 4 Mahler Symphony No 1 (‘Titan’) Nikolaj Znaider conductor Rudolf Buchbinder piano Supported by LSO Friends
Events take place in Barbican Hall unless otherwise stated ~ Booking Details page 51
45
2014/15 Listings
January
Thu 12 Feb 2015 1pm
Sun 4 Jan 2015 7pm
Bach arr Sitkovetsky Goldberg Variations for String Trio
BBC Radio 3
Lunchtime Concert
National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain
Natalie Clein cello Henning Kraggerud violin Krzysztof Chorzelski viola
Ravel Rapsodie Espagnole Elgar Symphony No 1 John Wilson conductor National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain
Fri 13 Feb 2015 12.30–1.15pm, LSO St Luke’s
Please note start time
Free Lunchtime Concert
LSO Discovery
Sun 11 Jan 2015 10am–5.30pm, Barbican and LSO St Luke’s
Sun 15 Feb 2015 7.30pm Liszt Piano Concerto No 2 Mahler Symphony No 6
LSO Discovery DAY
Robert Schumann
Gianandrea Noseda conductor Alice Sara Ott piano
Sun 11 Jan 2015 7.30pm
Simon Trpcˇeski (25 Jan)
Schumann Das Paradies und die Peri Sir Simon Rattle conductor Sally Matthews Peri Mark Padmore narrator Kate Royal soprano Bernarda Fink alto Andrew Staples tenor Florian Boesch bass London Symphony Chorus Simon Halsey chorus director
February Sun 1 Feb 2015 7.30pm Webern Passacaglia Beethoven Piano Concerto No 3 Brahms Symphony No 2 David Afkham conductor Nicholas Angelich piano
Thu 15 Jan 2015 7.30pm Webern Six Pieces Berg Three Fragments from ‘Wozzeck’ Ligeti Mysteries of the Macabre Stravinsky The Rite of Spring Sir Simon Rattle conductor Barbara Hannigan soprano Supported by LSO Patrons
Thu 5 Feb 2015 1pm, LSO St Luke’s BBC Radio 3
Lunchtime Concert Bach Suite No 3 in C major for solo cello Chopin Three Preludes from Op 28 Mendelssohn Cello Sonata No 2 in D major Natalie Clein cello Sergio Tiempo piano
Sun 18 Jan 2015 7.30pm Verdi Overture: The Force of Destiny Prokofiev Piano Concerto No 2 Falla The Three-Cornered Hat Rimsky-Korsakov Capriccio Espagnol Xian Zhang conductor Valentina Lisitsa piano Sun 25 Jan 2015 7.30pm Toshio Hosokawa Blossoming II Ravel Piano Concerto in G major Mahler Symphony No 4 Robin Ticciati conductor Simon Trpcˇeski piano Karen Cargill mezzo-soprano
Thu 5 Feb 2015 7.30pm Berlioz Les nuits d’été Tchaikovsky Symphony No 6 (‘Pathétique’) Sir Mark Elder conductor Susan Graham mezzo-soprano This concert also includes the world premiere of a new work by Patrick Brennan as part of the Panufnik Composers Scheme, supported by The Helen Hamlyn Trust.
Sat 7 Feb 2015 11am–4.30pm, LSO St Luke’s LSO CHORAL Singing Day
Duruflé Requiem Simon Halsey conductor Prior to its performance on 1 March, gain fresh insights into this much-loved choral work with Simon Halsey.
Fri 30 Jan 2015 12.30–1.15pm, LSO St Luke’s LSO Discovery
Sun 8 Feb 2015 2.30pm, Barbican
AlicE Sara Ott (15 FEB)
Thu 19 Feb 2015 1pm, LSO St Luke’s BBC Radio 3
Lunchtime Concert Bach Two-Part Inventions Kodály Duo Ravel Sonata for Violin and Cello Natalie Clein cello Anthony Marwood violin Thu 19 Feb 2015 7.30pm Balakirev Tamara Glazunov Violin Concerto Rachmaninov Symphony No 1
Free Lunchtime Concert
LSO Discovery
Valery Gergiev conductor Roman Simovic violin
Vocal works performed by postgraduate musicians from the Guildhall School, presented by Rachel Leach.
for 7- to 12-year-olds
6pm LSO Platforms: Guildhall Artists’ Recital Piano works by Rachmaninov
Family Concert Rachel Leach presenter
46
2014/15 Listings ~ lso.co.uk
Thu 5 Mar 2015 7.30pm
Thu 26 Mar 2015 1pm, LSO St Luke’s
Eclectica at the Barbican
BBC Radio 3
Programme includes: Brahms Rondo alla zingarese Brahms Selected Hungarian Dances Kodály Háry János – Suite Sarasate Zigeunerweisen
Haydn Piano Trio in E major Brahms Piano Trio No 1 in B major
Dance of the Gypsy Violin
Kristjan Järvi conductor Roby Lakatos violin Roby Lakatos Ensemble
Lunchtime Concert
ATOS Trio
APRIL
Explore the violin’s wilder side with a dazzling evening of Hungarian dances and Gypsy-inspired tunes. Thu 12 Mar 2015 1pm, LSO St Luke’s BBC Radio 3
Lunchtime Concert Haydn Fantasia in C major Haydn Piano Sonata in G major Beethoven Piano Sonata in F minor Haydn Piano Sonata in C major Ronald Brautigam fortepiano NATALIE CLEIN (5, 12, 19 & 26 FEB)
Thu 26 Feb 2015 1pm, LSO St Luke’s BBC Radio 3
Lunchtime Concert Bach Gamba Sonata No 1 in G major Ligeti Sonata for Solo Cello Kurtág Signs, Games and Messages for Solo Cello Bach Gamba Sonata No 3 in G minor Natalie Clein cello Mahan Esfahani harpsichord Fri 27 Feb 2015 12.30–1.15pm, LSO St Luke’s
Thu 12 Mar 2015 7.30pm LSO SEASON HIGHLIGHT
Michael Tilson Thomas 70th Birthday Gala Colin Matthews Hidden Variables Gershwin Piano Concerto in F major Shostakovich Symphony No 5 Michael Tilson Thomas conductor Yuja Wang piano Fri 13 Mar 2015 12.30–1.15pm, LSO St Luke’s LSO Discovery
Free Lunchtime Concert
Sun 15 Mar 2015 10am–5.30pm, Barbican and LSO St Luke’s LSO Discovery Day
March Sun 1 Mar 2015 7.30pm Debussy La damoiselle élue Debussy La mer Duruflé Requiem Donald Runnicles conductor Nicole Cabell soprano Kelley O’Connor mezzo-soprano Duncan Rock baritone London Symphony Chorus Simon Halsey chorus director 6pm LSO Platforms: Guildhall Artists’ Recital Songs by Debussy
Leonidas Kavakos (8 Apr)
Free Lunchtime Concert
LSO Discovery
Wed 8 Apr 2015 7.30pm Shostakovich Violin Concerto No 1 Liszt A Faust Symphony
Jean Sibelius
Gianandrea Noseda conductor Leonidas Kavakos violin
Sun 15 Mar 2015 7.30pm
Part of the LSO International Violin Festival generously supported by Jonathan Moulds
Britten Four Sea Interludes Shostakovich Concerto No 1 for Piano, Trumpet and Strings Sibelius Symphony No 2 Michael Tilson Thomas conductor Yuja Wang piano Thu 19 Mar 2015 1pm, LSO St Luke’s BBC Radio 3
Lunchtime Concert Haydn String Quartet in F minor Op 20 No 5 Shostakovich String Quartet No 2 in A major Op 68 Cuarteto Casals
6pm LSO Platforms: Guildhall Artists’ Recital String music by Shostakovich Sun 12 Apr 2015 7.30pm Arvo Pärt Cantus in memoriam Benjamin Britten Britten Violin Concerto Shostakovich Symphony No 6 Osmo Vänskä conductor Gil Shaham violin Part of the LSO International Violin Festival generously supported by Jonathan Moulds Part of The Strad Sundays
Thu 5 Mar 2013 1pm, LSO St Luke’s BBC Radio 3
Lunchtime Concert Haydn String Quartet in B minor Bartók String Quartet No 5 Meta4 String Quartet
Events take place in Barbican Hall unless otherwise stated ~ Booking Details page 51
47
2014/15 Listings
MAY
Thu 21 May 2015 1pm, LSO St Luke’s
Fri 1 May 2015 12.30–1.15pm, LSO St Luke’s
Bach Partita in D minor Bach Sonata No 3 in C major
BBC Radio 3
Lunchtime Concert
LSO Discovery
FREE Lunchtime Concert
Christian Tetzlaff violin
Sun 3 May 2015 7.30pm
Fri 22 May 2015 12.30–1.15pm, LSO St Luke’s
Glinka Overture: Ruslan and Lyudmila Szymanowski Violin Concerto No 1 Mussorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition
LSO Discovery
Krzysztof Urban´ski conductor Nicola Benedetti violin
Sun 24 May 2015 7.30pm
Part of the LSO International Violin Festival generously supported by Jonathan Moulds
Thu 7 May 2015 7.30pm Brahms Violin Concerto Tchaikovsky Symphony No 5
Part of the LSO International Violin Festival generously supported by Jonathan Moulds
Semyon Bychkov conductor Isabelle Faust violin
6pm LSO Platforms: Guildhall Artists’ Recital Chamber music for strings by Beethoven
Broadcast on Classic FM on Fri 7 May
Thu 23 Apr 2015 7.30pm
Beethoven Violin Concerto Brahms German Requiem Daniel Harding conductor Christian Tetzlaff violin Dorothea Röschmann soprano Matthias Goerne baritone London Symphony Chorus
Part of The Strad Sundays
Pierre BOULEZ (23 APR)
Free Lunchtime Concert
Part of the LSO International Violin Festival generously supported by Jonathan Moulds
6pm LSO Platforms: Guildhall Artists’ Recital String chamber music by Brahms
JUNE
LSO SEASON HIGHLIGHT
PIERRE BOULEZ: 90th BIRTHDAY FESTIVAL
Tue 2 Jun 2015 7.30pm Edward Rushton New work Mendelssohn Violin Concerto Mahler Symphony No 5
Pierre Boulez Livre pour cordes Stravinsky The Rite of Spring Pierre Boulez Rituel: in memoriam Bruno Maderna
Daniel Harding conductor Janine Jansen violin
Peter Eötvös conductor
Part of the LSO International Violin Festival generously supported by Jonathan Moulds
Sun 26 Apr 2015 2.30pm LSO Discovery
Family Concert
Fri 5 Jun 2015 10am–1pm & 2–6pm, LSO St Luke’s
for 7- to 12-year-olds
LSO DISCOVERY
PanuFnik Composers Workshop François-Xavier Roth conductor
Sun 26 Apr 2015 7.30pm ISABELLE FAUST (7 MAY)
LSO String Ensemble Schubert arr Mahler Death and the Maiden Shostakovich arr Pushkarev Sonata for Violin, Percussion and String Orchestra Shostakovich Chamber Symphony in C minor
Sat 9 May 2015 11am–4.30pm, LSO St Luke’s
Brahms Connections
Witness a pivotal point in the process of putting together a new orchestral piece as the LSO works with the latest set of Panufnik Composers, under the guidance of composer Colin Matthews and conductor François-Xavier Roth.
Roman Simovic director
Simon Halsey director
Free entry, booking essential
In the run-up to the performance of Brahms’ Requiem on 24 May, the LSO’s choral director runs a workshop on the music that inspired it, including a Schütz setting of one of the Brahms Requiem texts, a Handel fugue, a Bach chorale and an early Brahms motet.
Supported by The Helen Hamlyn Trust
Part of the LSO International Violin Festival generously supported by Jonathan Moulds
Thu 30 Apr 2015 7.30pm Messiaen Les offrandes oubliées Bartók Violin Concerto No 2 Tchaikovsky Symphony No 4 Tugan Sokhiev conductor Midori violin Part of the LSO International Violin Festival generously supported by Jonathan Moulds
6pm LSO Platforms: Guildhall Artists’ Recital String chamber music by Bartók
LSO Choral Singing Day
Tue 12 May 2015 7.30pm Balakirev (arr Lyapunov) Islamey Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto Shostakovich Symphony No 15 Valery Gergiev conductor Nikolaj Znaider violin Part of the LSO International Violin Festival generously supported by Jonathan Moulds
6pm LSO Platforms: Guildhall Artists’ Recital Songs by Shostakovich and Tchaikovsky
48
2014/15 Listings ~ lso.co.uk
François-Xavier Roth (5 Jun)
Sun 14 Jun 2015 7.30pm
Thu 25 Jun 2015 7.30pm
Mozart Violin Concerto No 3 Mahler Symphony No 1 (‘Titan’)
LSO Discovery Concert
Bernard Haitink conductor Alina Ibragimova violin
Celebrate the incredible journey on which music can take you as the LSO is joined by groups from across LSO Discovery in a concert to inspire all.
Rites of Passage
Part of the LSO International Violin Festival generously supported by Jonathan Moulds
Thu 18 Jun 2015 1pm, LSO St Luke’s BBC Radio 3
Lunchtime Concert Beethoven Sonata No 3 in E-flat major Schumann Sonata No 2 in D minor
MARIN ALSOP (7 JUN)
Veronika Eberle violin Michail Lifits piano Sat 20 Jun 2015 10.30am–4.30pm, LSO St Luke’s
Sun 7 Jun 2015 7.30pm Bartók Divertimento for Strings Korngold Violin Concerto Rachmaninov Symphonic Dances
LSO Community Singing Day
Marin Alsop conductor James Ehnes violin
Come and explore how early traditional gospel music evolved from African spirituals and European hymnody. We’ll sing our way through American soul and end up with the contemporary gospel sounds of today.
Part of the LSO International Violin Festival generously supported by Jonathan Moulds
African/American Journey David Lawrence conductor Rites of Passage (25 Jun)
Fri 26 Jun 2015 12.30–1.15pm, LSO St Luke’s LSO Discovery
Free Lunchtime Concert
Part of The Strad Sundays
6pm LSO Platforms: Guildhall Artists’ Recital Chamber music for strings by Korngold
Sun 21 Jun 10am–5.30pm, Barbican and LSO St Luke’s Sun 28 Jun 2015 7.30pm
LSO DISCOVERY DAY
Ludwig van Beethoven Wed 10 Jun 2015 7.30pm
Sibelius Violin Concerto Berlioz Symphonie fantastique
André Previn Violin Concerto Rachmaninov Symphony No 2
Pablo Heras-Casado conductor Joshua Bell violin
André Previn conductor Anne-Sophie Mutter violin
Part of the LSO International Violin Festival generously supported by Jonathan Moulds
Part of the LSO International Violin Festival generously supported by Jonathan Moulds
JULY Thu 2 Jul 2015 7.30pm
KAREN CARGILL (21 JUN)
ANNE-SOPHIE MUTTER (10 JUN)
Thu 11 Jun 2015 1pm, LSO St Luke’s BBC Radio 3
Lunchtime Concert
Sun 21 Jun 2015 7.30pm
Sir Simon Rattle conductor Krystian Zimerman piano
Beethoven Overture: Leonore No 2 Beethoven Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage Beethoven Symphony No 9 (‘Choral’)
Sun 5 Jul 2015 7.30pm
Bernard Haitink conductor Erin Wall soprano Karen Cargill mezzo-soprano Steve Davislim tenor Hanno Müller-Brachmann bass-baritone London Symphony Chorus
Beethoven Violin Sonata No 10 in G major Brahms Violin Sonata No 3 in D minor
Thu 25 Jun 2015 1pm, LSO St Luke’s
James Ehnes violin Steven Osborne piano
Lunchtime Concert
Fri 12 Jun 2015 12.30–1.15pm, LSO St Luke’s LSO Discovery
Free Lunchtime Concert
Brahms Piano Concerto No 1 Dvorˇák The Wild Dove Dvorˇák The Golden Spinning Wheel
Jonathan Dove The Monster in the Maze (UK premiere, LSO co-commission) Walton Symphony No 1 Sir Simon Rattle conductor LSO Youth Choir LSO Community Choir
BBC Radio 3
Mozart Violin Sonata in E minor Beethoven Violin Sonata No 9 in A major (‘Kreutzer’) Nicola Benedetti violin Alexei Grynyuk piano
Events take place in Barbican Hall unless otherwise stated ~ Booking Details page 51
49
LSO Tours in Season 2014/15 Mon 3 & Tue 4 Nov 2014
Sun 22 Feb 2015
Spain
France
Programmes include: Bruckner Symphony No 8 Debussy Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune Schubert Symphony No 5 Brahms Symphony No 4
Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No 2 Rachmaninov Symphony No 1
Haitink
Bernard Haitink conductor 3 & 4 Nov Madrid Auditorio Nacional de Música Supported by Canon Europe plc
GERGIEV
Valery Gergiev conductor Denis Matsuev piano 22 Feb Paris Philharmonie Wed 18 Mar to Wed 1 Apr 2015 United States
MTT’s 70th Birthday Tour Wed 19 to Sat 29 Nov 2014 Singapore & Australia
Gergiev LSO On Tour
Sat 6 to Sun 14 Sep 2014 Germany & Luxembourg
Sir John Eliot Gardiner’s Mendelssohn Programmes include: Mendelssohn Overture: Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage Mendelssohn Symphony No 5 (‘The Reformation’) Schumann Cello Concerto Schumann Konzertstück Sir John Eliot Gardiner conductor Gautier Capuçon cello 6 Sep Bonn Beethovenhalle 7 Sep Freiburg Konzerthaus 10 Sep Luxembourg Philharmonie 11 Sep Wiesbaden Kurhaus 13 Sep Essen Philharmonie 14 Sep Berlin Philharmonie Thu 25 to Sun 28 Sep 2014 Slovakia, Armenia & Greece
Gergiev
Programmes include: Prokofiev Symphony No 1 (‘Classical’) Prokofiev Symphony No 5 Shostakovich Festive Overture Stravinsky Petrushka Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No 2 Valery Gergiev conductor Denis Matsuev piano 25 Sep Bratislava Slovak Philharmonic Concert Hall 27 Sep Yerevan Aram Khachaturian Concert Hall 28 Sep Athens Megaron Concert Hall Sat 18 Oct 2014 Poland
Panufnik Centenary Panufnik Symphony No 10 Schumann Piano Concerto Strauss Ein Heldenleben Sir Antonio Pappano conductor Piotr Anderszewski piano 18 Oct Katowice Forum NOSPR Hall
50
2014/15 Tours ~ lso.co.uk
Programmes include: Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No 2 Rachmaninov Symphony No 3 Prokofiev Symphony No 1 (‘Classical’) Prokofiev Symphony No 5 Prokofiev Piano Concerto No 3 Shostakovich Festive Overture Shostakovich Symphony No 10 Stravinsky Petrushka Valery Gergiev conductor Denis Matsuev piano 19 & 20 Sep Singapore Esplanade 22 Nov Brisbane Queensland Performing Arts Centre 24–26 Nov Sydney Opera House 28 Nov Melbourne Hamer Hall Mon 12 Jan 2015 Luxembourg
Das Paradies und die peri Schumann Das Paradies und die Peri Sir Simon Rattle conductor Sally Matthews Peri Mark Padmore narrator Kate Royal soprano Bernarda Fink alto Andrew Staples tenor Florian Boesch bass London Symphony Chorus 12 Jan Luxembourg Philharmonie
Programmes include: Britten Four Sea Interludes Gershwin Piano Concerto Sibelius Symphony No 2 Shostakovich Concerto No 1 for Piano, Trumpet and Strings Shostakovich Symphony No 5 Colin Matthews Hidden Variables Michael Tilson Thomas conductor Yuja Wang piano 18 Mar New York Avery Fisher Hall 21 Mar Davis Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts 22 & 23 Mar San Francisco Davies Symphony Hall 24 Mar Los Angeles Walt Disney Concert Hall 25 Mar Santa Barbara Granada Theater 26 Mar Palm Desert McCallum Theater 28 Mar Costa Mesa Segerstrom Concert Hall 29 Mar San Diego Copley Symphony Hall 30 Mar Las Vegas Smith Center 1 Apr Seattle Benaroya Hall Mon 20 Apr 2015 France
Boulez at 90
Pierre Boulez Livre pour cordes Stravinsky The Rite of Spring Pierre Boulez Rituel: in memoriam Bruno Maderna Peter Eötvös conductor 20 Apr Paris Philharmonie Wed 27 to Sun 31 May 2015 Germany & Switzerland
Daniel Harding Thu 22 & Fri 23 Jan 2015 Austria
Mahler Symphony No 4 Toshio Hosokawa Blossoming II Ravel Piano Concerto in G Mahler Symphony No 4 Robin Ticciati conductor Simon Trpcˇeski piano Karen Cargill mezzo-soprano 22 Jan Vienna Konzerthaus 23 Jan Linz Brucknerhaus
Edward Rushton New work Mendelssohn Violin Concerto Mahler Symphony No 5 Daniel Harding conductor Janine Jansen violin 27 May Frankfurt Alte Oper 28 May Lucerne Kultur und Kongresszentrum 29 May Zürich Tonhalle 30 May Geneva Victoria Hall 31 May Bern Kultur-Casino The London Symphony Orchestra’s tours go on sale at various times throughout the year and may be subject to change. Visit the local venue’s website for details and up-to-date programmes. The LSO is extremely grateful to international corporate sponsors and individuals who support the LSO’s activities abroad.
Booking Information
Tickets
Bath Street
St Luke’s Close
Helmet Row
Barbican Concert Tickets £10 £16 £22 £28 £38 + booking fee per transaction of £3 online or £4 by phone Book 3–4 concerts save 15% Book 5+ save 20% Book 8+ save 20%
Bunhill Row
Whitecross Street
Golden Lane
Special Barbican Concerts Rachmaninov Vespers (26 Nov) Donatella Flick LSO Conducting Competition (8 Dec) LSO String Ensemble (26 Apr) Rites of Passage (25 Jun) £10 £16 £22 + fees as above Christmas Concert (14 Dec) £10 £16 £22 £28 + fees as above LSO Family Concerts £5 under-18s, £10 adults + fees as above Suitable for families with 7- to 12-year-olds
Beech Street
Chiswell Street
lso.co.uk/yourvisit
Barbican Centre Silk Street, EC2Y 8DS LSO St Luke’s UBS and LSO Music Education Centre 161 Old Street, EC1V 9NG The Barbican is in the heart of the City of London with LSO St Luke’s just a short walk away. Underground/Train stations The Barbican is closest to Moorgate and Barbican, with Liverpool Street, Bank and Farringdon nearby. For LSO St Luke’s use Old Street (Exit 7). Bus routes 153 Beech Street; 21, 43, 76, 141, 205, 214 City Road; 55 and 243 Old Street. Parking The Barbican’s on-site car parks, also convenient for LSO St Luke’s, cost £8 from 5pm on weekdays (£7.50 if pre-booked) and £8 per day at weekends.
Extras
Moor Lane
Silk Street
FIND US
LSO Singing Days Full day tickets £17 Includes music hire (£13.50 concessions) + booking fee per transaction of £0.60 online or £0.70 by phone LSO Discovery Days Full day tickets £17 (£13.50 concessions) £12 afternoon only (from 2.30pm) + fees as LSO Singing Days
barbican.org.uk
Relaxing with food, drink and friends Foyer Bars and Cafés: The ideal place to meet and catch up ahead of the concert or to enjoy a drink at the interval. Martini Bar (Level 1): Enjoy a touch of glamour at the start of your evening at the Barbican’s stylish bar. Choose from a selection of classic and modern martinis, or a glass of bubbly. Barbican Foodhall (Level G): The lively informality of the Barbican Foodhall offers mouthwatering hot dishes and salads from a counter-top service as well as a wide range of homemade cakes, teas and coffees. Barbican Lounge (Level 1): The award-winning Barbican Lounge gives a more relaxed ambience to enjoy a pre-concert drink or seasonal small plates from the tapas-style menu. Reservations 020 7382 6180. Gin Joint by Searcys (Level 2): Offering brasserie dining and the most extensive gin list in the City, all enhanced by stunning views across the Barbican lakeside. Both full dining and bar menus are available. Reservations 020 7588 3008. Keeping you up-to-date We’ll send you an email a day before your selected concert with the latest travel details and links to other useful information.
BBC Radio 3 Lunchtime Concerts £10 (£9 concessions) + fees as LSO Singing Days Book any four concerts for £8 each Special LSO St Luke’s Events Family Day: LSO in Wartime – Create an Opera in a Day (1 Nov) £5 children, £7 adults + fees as LSO Singing Days Suitable for families with 8- to 11-year-olds
Music, Poetry and the Trauma of War (2 Nov) £80 + fees as LSO Singing Day (includes ticket for evening concert) Groups of 10 or more Receive a 20% discount Call 020 7382 7211 (10am–5pm Mon-Fri) or visit lso.co.uk/groups Disabled visitors Join the Barbican Access Membership scheme to inform us of your access requirements. Members may be eligible for reductions on tickets, limited in number and subject to availability. Full details are available online at barbican.org.uk/access and at the Box Office. Tickets can be exchanged for another LSO concert or credit vouchers valid for six months, provided that you return them to the Box Office at least 24 hours before the performance (two weeks for group bookings). Administration fee applies. Calls may be monitored or recorded for quality assurance or training purposes. All discounts are subject to availability and may not be combined. Information correct at time of going to print. The LSO reserves the right to change artists or programmes if necessary. Refunds will only be given in the event of a concert being cancelled.
51
You can get this guide in large print, audio and electronic formats. Contact 020 7588 1116 or email access@lso.co.uk
The LSO is funded by Arts Council England in partnership with the City of London Corporation, which also provides the Orchestra’s permanent home at the Barbican. LSO is a Registered Charity No 232391 London Symphony Orchestra Barbican, Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8DS lso.co.uk
Feature photography Igor Emmerich Other photographs Sussie Ahlburg, Pavel Antonov, Barbican, Marco Borggreve, Nicolas Brodard, Chris Christodoulou, Noël Doumont, Benjamin Ealovega, Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, Rhys Frampton, Kevin Leighton, Alexander Newton, Patrice Nin, Miguel Peñalver, Jim Rakene, Bill Robinson, Nora Roitburg, Kiyotaka Saito, Greenfield Sanders, Hannah Taylor, Alberto Venzago, Agnes Weber, Amy Zielinski
Print Tradewinds | Design PIN Creative Editor Edward Appleyard