RESIDENT ORCHESTRA AT CADOGAN HALL
SEPTEMBER 2015–APRIL 2016
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AT A GLANCE SEPTEMBER 2015–APRIL 2016 SEPTEMBER
FEBRUARY
Tuesday 22nd Top Brass 2015 with Allen Vizzutti
Sunday 14th The Music of Burt Bacharach
OCTOBER
Tuesday 23rd Natasha Paremski performs Rachmaninov
Tuesday 6th Mark Bebbington performs Gershwin
MARCH
Tuesday 27th Alessandro Taverna performs Grieg
Wednesday 9th Matthew Trusler performs Sibelius
NOVEMBER
Tuesday 15th Alexandra Soumm performs Prokofiev From Paris to New York series
Monday 2nd City of London Choir performs Haydn’s Nelson Mass Tuesday 10th Boris Giltburg performs Prokofiev and Gershwin From Paris to New York series Thursday 26th Laura van der Heijden performs Tchaikovsky
APRIL Tuesday 12th City of London Choir performs Haydn’s Paukenmesse Tuesday 26th Peter Jablonski performs Ravel and Gershwin From Paris to New York series
DECEMBER Sunday 6th The Magic of Christmas In aid of Breast Cancer Now Saturday 19th Christmas Cracker
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WELCOME The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is thrilled to announce its 2015–2016 season at Cadogan Hall, one of London’s most intimate and acoustically exceptional concert venues and home to the Orchestra since 2004. This season features a trio of concerts curated by Principal Associate Conductor Alexander Shelley, entitled From Paris to New York, that includes works by Gershwin, Ravel and Cole Porter. Two of Haydn’s choral masterpieces will take centre stage this autumn and spring as the City of London Choir returns to fill Cadogan Hall with grand choral spirit. The Orchestra also continues its tradition of featuring world-renowned pianists, with performances by Mark Bebbington, Alessandro Taverna, Natasha Paremski and Peter Jablonski, covering a range of works from Gershwin to Grieg. With the start of 2016 marking the 70th Anniversary of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, we look forward to celebrating this special concert season with you.
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OCTOBER OCTOBER – NOVEMBER AUGUST
CORPORATE PARTNERSHIPS Corporate Hospitality • Networking Marketing • Corporate Social Responsibility
To find out how you and your company can benefit, please contact Huw Davies (Deputy Managing Director) on 020 7608 8825 or daviesh@rpo.co.uk
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra gratefully acknowledges the support and enthusiasm of its Corporate Partners
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SEPTEMBER
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with ALLEN
VIZZUTTI
TUESDAY 22ND SEPTEMBER 2015, 7.30PM Tom Watson J.S. Bach
O.B.1. Fanfare Toccata and Fugue in D Minor Henri Tomasi Fanfares Liturgiques Allen Vizzutti Quarks (World premiere) Bernstein Presto Barbaro from On the Waterfront Michael Daugherty Motown Metal Edward Gregson Symphony in two movements (UK premiere of new version) Allen Vizzutti Rising sun Philip Harper Allen Vizzutti
Conductor Trumpet
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Brass and Percussion sections
The RPO’s exceptional brass and percussion sections are sure to astound in Top Brass 2015, performing the world premiere of Quarks with composer and trumpet superstar Allen Vizzutti,who has appeared onstage with music industry greats such as Dizzy Gillespie and Chick Corea.We are also proud to announce the UK premiere of a new version of Edward Gregson’s greatly anticipated Symphony in two movements. This dazzling programme features a variety of works,including O.B.1 Fanfare and Motown Metal.
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OCTOBER
TUESDAY 6TH OCTOBER 2015, 7.30PM Bernstein Gershwin Dvorˇák
Three Dance Episodes from On the Town Piano Concerto in F Symphony No.9, ‘From the New World’
Leon Botstein Mark Bebbington
Conductor Piano
Bursting with energetic jazz rhythms and harmonies, the first half of this programme features works by Bernstein and Gershwin, composers who seamlessly blended classical traditions with exciting new elements of jazz, thus creating an iconic twentieth-century American sound. Tonight, British pianist Mark Bebbington performs Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F, sometimes referred to as the ‘jazz concerto’. Dvorˇák’s Symphony No.9, ‘From the New World’, was written in New York City in 1893, when the rich, lush sounds of Romanticism were still the fashion. His inspiration came not only from the Native American and African-American music he had heard, but the ‘wide open spaces’ he could see in America.
TUESDAY 27TH OCTOBER 2015, 7.30PM Weber Grieg Beethoven
Oberon Overture Piano Concerto Symphony No.6, ‘Pastoral’
Eduardo Portal Alessandro Taverna
Conductor Piano
Medieval tales of Oberon, king of the fairies, sparked the imagination of many artistic geniuses including Carl Maria von Weber, whose opera Oberon unfolds dreamily with a ‘magic horn call’. Another composer influenced by mythology and Scandinavian legend is Grieg, whose only piano concerto ranks among the most popular works ever written, performed tonight by the exhilarating pianist Alessandro Taverna. Beethoven’s Symphony No.6, ‘Pastoral’, is the only symphony for which the composer wrote descriptive notes for each movement, such as ‘Merry Gathering of Country Folk’ and ‘Thunderstorm’. It was originally titled ‘Recollections of Country Life’.
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OCTOBER-NOVEMBER
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ONSTAGE TO ONLINE
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra’s digi-platform
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Join us and keep in touch online with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra wherever you are. Listen to the radio, or find out what’s happening on RPO TV.
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NOVEMBER
MONDAY 2ND NOVEMBER 2015, 7.30PM Mozart Mozart Mozart Haydn Hilary Davan Wetton Tom Poster Rachel Nicholls Catherine Hopper Jeffrey Lloyd-Roberts Darren Jeffery City of London Choir
Regina coeli, K.276 Ch’io mi scordi di te?...Non temer, amato bene Piano Concerto No.23 Nelson Mass Conductor Piano Soprano Mezzo-soprano Tenor Baritone
Led by distinguished conductor Hilary Davan Wetton, the RPO This concert is promoted is joined by the City of London Choir in a concert celebrating in association with City of London Choir two of the Classical era’s greatest geniuses, Haydn and Mozart. This impressive and varied programme includes Mozart’s jubilant Regina coeli, K.276, his sparkling Piano Concerto No.23, and Haydn’s Nelson Mass, a magnificent work that contrasts dramatic and radiant writing.
THURSDAY 26TH NOVEMBER 2015, 7.30PM Schubert Tchaikovsky Dvorˇák
Symphony No.8, ‘Unfinished’ Variations on a Rococo Theme Symphony No.7
Christoph Koenig Conductor Laura van der Heijden Cello
Intrigue and mystery envelope Schubert’s Symphony No.8, ‘Unfinished’, for which only two movements were completed. It stretches beyond elegant, balanced Classicism and opens with a ghostly pianissimo in the low strings. Although the name Tchaikovsky prompts memories of alluring romantic melodies and powerful orchestral works, he was a composer who revered Mozart above all others. This love influenced Tchaikovsky to write Variations on a Rococo Theme, performed tonight by enchanting British cellist Laura van der Heijden. Dvorˇák hoped that his impassioned Symphony No.7, inspired by past sorrows and love for his Czech homeland, would be ‘capable of stirring the world’.
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PARIS TO NEWYORK FROM
TUESDAY 10TH NOVEMBER 2015, 7.30PM
Featuring Alexander Shelley Gershwin
Gershwin
Strike Up the Band Overture Piano Concerto No.3 Variations on ‘I Got Rhythm’ Symphonic Dances from West Side Story Suite No.2 for Small Orchestra An American in Paris
Alexander Shelley Boris Giltburg
Conductor Piano
Prokofiev Gershwin Bernstein Stravinsky
Writing masterpieces from opposite sides of the world, the composers featured in tonight’s programme were inspired by two great cities, Paris and New York. Although each composer is known for their distinct, unmistakable styles, their music has one unifying characteristic in common: thrilling, irresistible rhythm. Prokofiev’s fiendishly difficult Piano Concerto No.3 was premiered by the composer himself in 1921 and reaches heights of almost frightening brilliance, juxtaposed against earthy lyricism. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra’s Principal Associate Conductor, Alexander Shelley, leads a programme that balances driving intensity with playful comedy in equal proportions. Also in this series: 15 March 2016, Alexandra Soumm performs Prokofiev, Page 14; 26 April 2016, Peter Jablonski performs Ravel and Gershwin, Page 17
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OCTOBER
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DECEMBER
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SUNDAY 6TH DECEMBER 2015, 3.30PM THE MAGIC OF CHRISTMAS Debbie Wiseman Simon Bates George Layton James Loynes
Conductor Presenter Narrator Vocalist
Start the festivities with The Magic of Christmas. Conducted by Debbie Wiseman, one of the UK’s finest female musical ambassadors, this concert features traditional Christmas numbers, including Winter Wonderland and Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas, classical favourites such as Strauss’ Blue Danube Waltz and Fauré’s Pavane, and several of Debbie Wiseman’s own compositions, including her Father Brown Concert Suite and Wolf Hall. With Simon Bates as presenter, George Layton as narrator, and heartfelt singing by the talented James Loynes, this concert promises to herald in all the cheer of Christmas.
This concert is given in aid of Breast Cancer Now
SATURDAY 19TH DECEMBER 2015, 3PM & 7.30PM CHRISTMAS CRACKER Nick Davies Anna-Jane Casey Graham Bickley
Conductor Vocalist Vocalist
Back by popular demand and featuring two brand new vocalists – it’s the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra’s Christmas Cracker show! The Orchestra is delighted to be joined by West End and television stars Anna-Jane Casey (Chicago) and Graham Bickley (Ragtime, Bread) for this magical festive concert of Christmas songs, joyful sing-along carols and Yuletide pieces, including Mary’s Boy Child, Santa Baby, Sleigh Ride, Bugler’s Holiday and Let it Snow. As the beautiful Christmas tree illuminates Cadogan Hall’s stage and mulled wine is served to complement the wintry weather, there will be no doubt in your minds that Christmas has well and truly begun!
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FEBRUARY
SUNDAY 14TH FEBRUARY 2016, 7PM
A SPECIAL VALENTINE’S TREAT
David Firman Conductor Mary Carewe, Alison Jiear, Sarah Lark, Graham Bickley Vocalists A fantastic Valentine’s Day concert celebrating the music of Oscar-winning popular composer and performer Burt Bacharach: a towering figure in songwriting whose career is a roll call of the greatest popular artists of our time, including Tom Jones, The Carpenters, Dionne Warwick and Dusty Springfield. His unbelievable talent has provided the soundtrack to the twentieth-century music charts. Featuring melodic gems including: Alfie, Reach Out, Magic Moments, Close to You, Walk on By, Delilah, Do You Know the Way to San Jose, What’s New Pussycat?, Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on my Head...and many more!
Presented in association with GRB Concerts
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FEBRUARY
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TUESDAY 23RD FEBRUARY 2016, 7.30PM Wagner Rachmaninov Mussorgsky arr. Ravel
The Flying Dutchman Overture Piano Concerto No.3 Pictures at an Exhibition
Alan Buribayev Natasha Paremski
Conductor Piano
The storm-tossed Overture that opens tonight’s concert raises the curtain on one of Wagner’s most searingly dramatic creations from a composer, described either as a ‘megalomaniac’ or ‘the Master’, whose revolutionary style took the world by storm. Performing Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No.3 will be the outstanding pianist and audience favourite, Natasha Paremski. Throughout the work, Rachmaninov maintains an extraordinary degree of melodic and structural spontaneity, fully reflecting the blistering speed at which it was composed. Having created fully visualised sound-pictures, Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition will have audiences imagining they are strolling through a gallery, with each picture telling its own story.
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MARCH
WEDNESDAY 9TH MARCH 2016, 7.30PM Glinka Sibelius Barber Beethoven
Ruslan and Lyudmila Overture Violin Concerto Adagio for Strings Symphony No.7
Eduardo Portal Matthew Trusler
Conductor Violin
In no other violin concerto is the soloist’s first note, so delicately dissonant and offbeat, more beautiful than in Sibelius’ Violin Concerto. Performed by one of Britain’s leading violinists, Mathew Trusler, this piece demonstrates Sibelius’ passion for the violin and complete understanding of the sound of the instrument. Led by Spanish maestro Eduardo Portal, the Orchestra will open the concert with layers of lively, fast-paced strings in the Overture to Glinka’s Ruslan and Lyudmila. With its long, expressive lines and elegiac mood, Barber’s Adagio for Strings has been described as the American anthem of mourning, having been played at notable figure’s funerals. Closing the concert will be Beethoven’s stirring Symphony No.7, a wonderful blend of orchestral gravitas and swelling tunes, recently used to great effect in the film The King’s Speech.
TUESDAY 15TH MARCH 2016, 7.30PM FROM PARIS TO NEW YORK Bernstein Ibert Prokofiev Porter Prokofiev
Candide Overture Divertissement Violin Concerto No.1 Selections from Cole Porter The Love for Three Oranges: Symphonic Suite
Alexander Shelley Alexandra Soumm Kim Criswell
Conductor Violin Vocalist
Brimming with humour and sprinkled with wit, this concert brings together pieces such as the Suite from Prokofiev’s absurd fantasy-opera The Love for Three Oranges, the Overture to Bernstein’s comic operetta Candide and Ibert’s cheekily fast and furious Divertissement. Joined by Alexandra Soumm, ’who delivers playing of astonishing power from a slight frame in a way that seems to defy nature,’ the Orchestra will perform Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No.1. Coloured by a magical, fairytale-like quality, the piece is notable for its constraint and lyricism. Rounding out the concert will be a delightful selection from the father of the Broadway stage, Cole Porter.
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Sponsored by Calderwood Wealth Management Ltd A member of
OCTOBER-NOVEMBER
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APRIL
TUESDAY 12TH APRIL 2016, 7.30PM Mozart Mozart Haydn Mozart
The Marriage of Figaro Overture Laudate Dominum Paukenmesse (Mass in Time of War) Piano Concerto No.21
Hilary Davan Wetton Conductor Leon McCawley Piano City of London Choir Soloists to be announced
The City of London Choir and the RPO return to the stage in the second of a series of concerts featuring two of the great composers, Mozart and Haydn. The ever-adored and lyrical Piano Concerto No.21, performed by the exceptional Leon McCawley, opens the evening with a journey from liveliness to suffering, eventually ending in release. This sublime, muted work is strongly associated with the 1967 film Elvira Madigan. In Haydn’s well-known Paukenmesse, or Mass in Time of War, the insistent and foreboding timpani reflect the troubled time of war in Austria, and underscore an otherwise spirited and sacred choral score.
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This concert is promoted in association with City of London Choir
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APRIL
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TUESDAY 26TH APRIL 2016, 7.30PM FROM PARIS TO NEW YORK Weill Ravel Gershwin Debussy Ravel
The Threepenny Opera: Suite Piano Concerto in G major Rhapsody in Blue Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune Le tombeau de Couperin
Alexander Shelley Peter Jablonski
Conductor Piano
This exciting spring concert opens with Weill’s Suite from The Threepenny Opera, which is filled with the jazz-infused zeal of the 1920s. The jazz influence extends to both sides of the Atlantic in Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, performed by exceptional pianist Peter Jablonski. Led by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra’s Principal Associate Conductor, Alexander Shelley, the Orchestra will explore Debussy’s unique musical language in his Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune before closing with Ravel’s delicate and subtle Le tombeau de Couperin, which is poignantly tinged with the sadness of World War I.
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friends
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OCTOBER
Support London’s most versatile orchestra and receive a host of exclusive benefits! Exclusive benefits and discounts for RPO friends
forte friends Just £50 per year
10% off tickets to ALL concerts (all seating areas, up to two tickets per concert)
Membership to RPO Rewards plus 50 loyalty points
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Double forte friends Just £90 per year
25% off tickets to ALL concerts (all seating areas, up to two tickets per concert)
Personal acknowledgement in RPO concert programmes
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TWO complimentary top-price tickets A complimentary concert programme for every concert you attend
Regular updates and news about the Orchestra
Exclusive special offers on RPO tickets and CDs
FREE rehearsal passes Discounted RPO CDs 10% off selected drinks at Cadogan Hall
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50% off tickets to ALL concerts (all seating areas, up to two tickets per concert)
Priority ticket allocation and dedicated booking line
Triple forte friends Just £150 per year
To join (or re-join) RPO friends and book tickets from our priority allocation, please visit www.rpo.co.uk/friends, email friends@rpo.co.uk or phone 020 7608 8855 (Mon-Fri, 10am-6pm)
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RPO friends’ benefits andRPO discounts apply toand RPO ‘own-promotion’ Rewards points friends discounts applyconcerts in London only.
OCTOBER-NOVEMBER
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BOOKING INFORMATION £15
The Magic of Christmas, Christmas Cracker, The Music of Burt Bacharach £48 £38 £28 £18 Booking fees apply.
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Subscription discounts Generous discounts are available for booking multiple concerts from the RPO’s Resident Season. Please ask the Box Office when booking. 2 or 3 concerts – 15% discount 4 or 5 concerts – 25% discount 6 or more concerts – 30% discount
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Ticket prices £40 £32.50
SEATING PLAN
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The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra gratefully acknowledges the generous support of Arts Council England All details correct at the time of going to press