ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA Resident Orchestra at Cadogan Hall MAY 2010 – NOVEMBER 2010
www.rpo.co.uk
Resident Orchestra at Cadogan Hall JANUARY – JULY 2011
Orchestral excellence in London’s award-winning venue
Welcome
January-March Grzegorz Nowak Roustem Saitkoulov Josep Caballé-Domenech Mario Galeani
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra welcomes you to its new season at Cadogan Hall. Matching the elegant surroundings of this venue, the RPO presents a series of concerts boasting some of the most exquisite classical music in the repertoire.
Opening the season are three concerts themed by composer: two showcasing the melodic flair and intense emotional language of Tchaikovsky, and another offering us a portrait of Beethoven, culminating in his glorious ‘Pastoral’ Symphony. Later in the season, we are also treated to Beethoven’s majestic Egmont Overture and his Eighth Symphony, framing not one but two piano concertos: Concerto No.1 by Shostakovich and the world première of Fribbins’ dynamic new Piano Concerto, with Diana Brekalo as soloist. Another première featured during this season, and exclusive to the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, is the London début of Ryu’s powerful Sinfonia da Requiem ‘Ju-yung Chung’, hailed by Polish composer Penderecki as ‘a masterpiece’. The Requiem is heard alongside two thrilling Russian works: the glittering Festive Overture by Shostakovich and Prokofiev’s enigmatic Second Violin Concerto. Our season concludes with two concerts full of joie de vivre: a tour of America (with a quick stop-off in Paris) courtesy of Bernstein, Gershwin and Copland, and a pair of moving works for cello and orchestra contrasted with the sparkling wit of Beethoven and Mozart. Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is very grateful to Cadogan Estates for their generous support of this concert series. Notes supplied by Jo Wyld
Meet the artists: Edward Seckerson (Chief Critic, Independent, and BBC presenter) chats informally to the artists in his free pre-concert talks. From 6.30pm in the main auditorium, Edward can be heard enlightening audiences with interesting facts about the evening’s programme, and engaging in discussion with the artists themselves.
March-April Alessandro Fabrizi Francesco Manara Robertas Šervenikas Diana Brekalo
April-May Grzegorz Nowak Chloë Hanslip Dmitry Yablonsky Farhad Badalbeyli
See individual concerts for details: Tuesday 8th March 2011 Tuesday 12th April 2011
July Fabien Gabel Natalie Clein
“The vibrant, grainy weight of the RPO strings was a wonder to hear...the ensuing applause confirmed that the message had come over� The Independent
RPO friends’ discounts apply
Tuesday 8th March 2011 7.30pm A Beethoven Portrait Beethoven Coriolan Overture Beethoven Piano Concerto No.1 Beethoven Symphony No.6, ‘Pastoral’ Josep Caballé-Domenech Conductor Mario Galeani Piano RPO friends’ discounts apply
Few introductions are as imposing as that which opens Beethoven’s majestic Coriolan Overture. Written to precede a tragedy, Beethoven’s Overture captures the play’s theme of noble sacrifice by ratcheting up the tension by degrees – with thrillingly dramatic results. The graceful Piano Concerto No.1 could not be more different, combining a refinement inherited from Mozart and Haydn with Beethoven’s own harmonic twists. Finally we travel to the countryside to revel in the glorious musical landscape of Beethoven’s ‘Pastoral’ Symphony.
Meet the artists: Free pre-concert talk from 6.30pm presented by Edward Seckerson.
JAN-MAR
Tonight we are treated to a trio of Tchaikovsky: three of his finest works, each of them showcasing different sides of his personality. The Waltz of Tchaikovsky the Flowers from The Nutcracker is, justly, one of The Nutcracker: Waltz of the Flowers his most celebrated pieces, a gem sparkling with Tchaikovsky melodic grace and orchestral colour. Piano Concerto No.1 Can there be any opening bars more famous Tchaikovsky Symphony No.3, ‘Polish’ than those of Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto? They herald a sweeping main theme, delicate Grzegorz Nowak Conductor slow movement and passionate finale. The ‘Polish’ Roustem Saitkoulov Piano Symphony is unique: it is the only one Tchaikovsky wrote in a major key, and in five movements. Its nickname comes from the Polish dances used in the finale – a wonderful fusion of elegance and energy.
Friday 28th January 2011 7.30pm
“With the rich-toned Royal Philharmonic Orchestra going for broke, there were some roofraising performances� Financial Times
Tchaikovsky Capriccio Italien Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto in D major Tchaikovsky Symphony No.4 Alessandro Fabrizi Conductor Francesco Manara Violin
Inspired by a trip to Rome, Tchaikovsky’s Capriccio Italien is one of those irresistible pieces that draws the listener in with spine-tingling grandeur, sensual, exotic melody and a parade of tunes which simply radiate Italian sunshine. It is almost impossible to believe that Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto was panned by some of the most prominent critics of the age. It bursts with infectious melody and stunning virtuosity, becoming one of the composer’s best loved works. The Fourth Symphony is fiendishly difficult to play but thrilling to hear. More than any other piece, this shows us Tchaikovsky the man: a complex mixture of intensely held feelings, expressed through music of heartfelt passion.
RPO friends’ discounts apply
Saturday 9th April 2011 7.30pm Beethoven Egmont Overture Fribbins Piano Concerto (World Première) Shostakovich Piano Concerto No.1 Beethoven Symphony No.8 Robertas Šervenikas Conductor Diana Brekalo Piano Angela Whelan Trumpet RPO friends’ discounts apply
A concert featuring Beethoven’s famous Egmont Overture, composed for Goethe’s play of the same name, his joyous Eighth Symphony of 1812, and not one but two piano concertos. Rising star Diana Brekalo will be joined by trumpeter Angela Whelan in Shostakovich’s entertaining First Concerto from the 1930s, which is preceded by the eagerly awaited première of the Piano Concerto by British composer Peter Fribbins, well known for his dramatic and memorably melodic musical style. Promoted by Music Haven London under the auspices of the United Kingdom Embassy of the Republic of Croatia and with the support of Middlesex University.
MAR-APR
Tuesday 29th March 2011 7.30pm
“The opening shimmered with mysterious delights: slithering harmonics from the strings; the bubbling mud of winds and brass� The Times
Shostakovich Festive Overture Prokofiev Violin Concerto No.2 Ryu Sinfonia da Requiem ‘Ju-yung Chung’ (London première) Grzegorz Nowak Conductor Chloë Hanslip Violin In-Hye Kim Soprano Philharmonia Chorus
Written in just three days, Shostakovich’s Festive Overture is full of bombast and glittering orchestral sounds, from its blazing fanfare to the sparkling melodies dashing across the orchestra. Another Russian classic, but in an entirely different mood, is Prokofiev’s Second Violin Concerto, full of enigmatic twists and turns. Composed to commemorate the late Ju-yung Chung, Jeajoon Ryu’s intense and powerful Sinfonia da Requiem was hailed by fellow-composer Penderecki as ‘a masterpiece’.
RPO friends’ discounts apply
Meet the artists: Free pre-concert talk from 6.30pm presented by Edward Seckerson.
Tuesday 24th May 2011 7.30pm American Classics
The glittering Overture to his operetta Candide is among Bernstein’s most accomplished orchestral movements, bursting with a contagious joie de vivre. English composer William Walton expressed admiration for Gershwin’s superb Piano Concerto in F, the perfect marriage of jazz and classical techniques carried off with his customary panache. From the urbane America of Bernstein and Gershwin we travel to the Wild West, to the spacious prairies of Copland’s Billy the Kid ballet suite, which bristles with American folk song and cowboy tunes. Then Gershwin whisks us off to Paris, with his witty depiction of an American traveller absorbing the sights and sounds of that buzzing, bustling metropolis.
Bernstein Candide Overture Gershwin Piano Concerto in F major Copland Billy the Kid: Suite Gershwin An American in Paris Dmitry Yablonsky Conductor Farhad Badalbeyli Piano RPO friends’ discounts apply
APR-MAY
Tuesday 12th April 2011 7.30pm
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After one of Mozart’s most flamboyant Overtures, we are treated to the more rarelyheard Cello Concerto No.1 of Saint-Saëns, Mozart a tour de force of dramatic flourishes and The Marriage of Figaro Overture exquisite melodies. An ideal companion piece Saint-Saëns to Saint-Saëns’ work, Fauré’s brooding Élégie Cello Concerto No.1 is a mournful cello soliloquy supported by Fauré an orchestral cushion of sound. The famous Élégie second movement of Beethoven’s Seventh Beethoven Symphony grows from its whispering opening to Symphony No.7 a dramatic conclusion, and the work ends with Fabien Gabel Conductor an irrepressibly boisterous finale. Natalie Clein Cello RPO friends’ discounts apply
(Booking fees apply)
Telephone bookings 020 7730 4500 Online bookings www.cadoganhall.com
2 or 3 concerts – 15% discount 4 or 5 concerts – 25% discount 6 or more concerts – 30% discount Cadogan Hall 5 Sloane Terrace, London SW1X 9DQ 2 minutes’ walk from Sloane Square Underground
JULY
Ticket prices £37.50, £30, £22, £12.50
Subscription discounts Generous discounts are available for booking multiple concerts from the RPO’s Resident Season. Please ask at the Box Office when booking.
Booking INfo
CADOGAN HALL BOOKING INFORMATION
photo credit - Sussie Ahlburg
Tuesday 5th July 2011 7.30pm
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, 16 Clerkenwell Green, London EC1R 0QT
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra gratefully acknowledges the generous support of Arts Council England
Design and print: www.graphicimpressions.co.uk
www.rpo.co.uk