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Beijing Symphony Orchestra & London Philharmonic Orchestra Gala Concert Sunday 29 July 2012 | 7.30pm Royal Festival Hall Programme £3

GUO WENJING ‘Lotus’ Overture TANG JIANPING Sacred Fire 2008: concerto for percussion and orchestra BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 9 (Choral) Tan Lihua conductor Li Biao percussion Rebecca Evans soprano Ning Liang mezzo soprano Andrew Kennedy tenor Matthew Rose bass London Philharmonic Choir

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Beijing Symphony Orchestra

Beijing Symphony Orchestra & London Philharmonic Orchestra Gala Concert

SOUTHBANK CENTRE’S ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL Sunday 29 July 2012 | 7.30pm

GUO WENJING ‘Lotus’ Overture (14’) TANG JIANPING Sacred Fire 2008: concerto for percussion and orchestra (26’) Interval BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 9 (Choral) (67’) Tan Lihua conductor Li Biao percussion Rebecca Evans soprano Ning Liang mezzo soprano Andrew Kennedy tenor Matthew Rose bass London Philharmonic Choir The timings shown are not precise and are given only as a guide.

CONTENTS 2 Southbank Centre 3 Welcome 4 Tonight’s performers 5 London Philharmonic Orchestra 6 Beijing Symphony Orchestra 7 London Philharmonic Choir 8 Tan Lihua 9 Pieter Schoeman / Li Biao 10 Rebecca Evans / Ning Liang 11 Andrew Kennedy / Matthew Rose 12 Programme notes 16 ‘Ode to Joy’ text 18 LPO & BSO administration 19 LPO Supporters

southbank centre

WELCOME TO SOUTHBANK CENTRE We hope you enjoy your visit. We have a Duty Manager available at all times. If you have any queries please ask any member of staff for assistance.

We look forward to seeing you again soon. A few points to note for your comfort and enjoyment:

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welcome

Welcome to tonight’s concert at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, the result of an earlier collaboration between the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Beijing Symphony Orchestra, when we performed together in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People in a memorable gala concert on New Year’s Eve 2003. Alexander Briger conducted two of those concerts but a third, with both orchestras, was conducted by Maestro Tan Lihua, who is conducting this evening. As all the world’s eyes turn to our city for this summer of unparalleled sporting spectacle, we are proud to host this very special evening. Players from our two great orchestras sit side-by-side to perform two works by renowned Chinese composers together with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with its magnificant finale celebrating the brotherhood and unity of mankind, the Ode to Joy. The London Philharmonic Orchestra first visited China in 1973, becoming the first Western orchestra to perform in the country following the Cultural Revolution. We returned three decades later, and then again in January 2008 to become the first international orchestra to appear in Beijing’s magnificent National Centre for the Performing Arts. Kurt Masur was the conductor. Since then we have returned to the city twice, in 2010 with Christoph Eschenbach, and earlier this year with Yan Pascal Tortelier. Our tours have also included Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Wuhan and Changsha. The London Philharmonic Orchestra was chosen to record all 205 of the world’s national anthems for the opening and closing ceremonies of this year’s Games, as well as the victory medal ceremonies when the winners take to the podium as their nation’s flag is raised. I am delighted that the Orchestra is contributing to what will surely be many emotional and atmospheric moments over the next six weeks. This is a summer that none of us will forget, and I hope tonight’s concert is an evening that will remain in the memory for years to come.

Timothy Walker AM Chief Executive & Artistic Director, London Philharmonic Orchestra

TONIGHTâ€™s performers

First Violins Liang Danan Concertmaster, BSO Pieter Schoeman Leader, LPO Liu Zheng Assistant Principal, BSO Zhang Qin Deputy Concertmaster, BSO Fu Yihui Chen Jie Xiong Zhouyi Xu Yang Qi Zhixin Liu Yanhong Shen Xuan Pang Haiying Lei Di Liu Qin Kang Lu Ilyoung Chae Katalin Varnagy Geoffrey Lynn Yang Zhang Caroline Frenkel Catherine Van de Geest Francesca Smith Second Violins Ma Mansheng Principal, BSO Liu Yanfa Deputy Principal, BSO Ai Xin Jue Luo-Wei Yang Du Xing Feng Ye Shi Mingzhuan Zhang Yun Wei Yanru Jin Jing Zheng Wenjie Liu Ying Jia Peng Joseph Maher Amanda Lake Elizabeth Baldey Sarah Buchan Stephen Dinwoodie Dafydd Williams

Violas Li Hui Principal, BSO Zang Lei Deputy Principal, BSO Zhang Yi Guo Zhenyu Bai Hao He Hui Zhang Ge Zhao Zhengyu Zhang Bin Dong Linsong Gregory Aronovich Susanne Martens Sarah Malcolm Martin Fenn Cellos Hu Bo Deputy Principal, BSO Yang Zhongzhi Li Ajing Dong Feng Cui Xiaoyan Chen Xuegang Liu Huiping Zong Qing Gregory Walmsley Santiago Carvalho Tom Roff Tae-Mi Song Double Basses Alexey Manakov Principal, BSO Zhou Yijun Acting Principal, BSO Mei Zihua Shen Daqing Dong Zhixue Liang Xiaoke Song Xiaoliang Qiao Huan Kenneth Knussen Helen Rowlands Flutes Nikola Atanasov Principal, BSO Lin Wei Deputy Principal, BSO Celia Chambers

Piccolos Cui Zhengang Katie Bicknell Oboes Jin Jingchun Principal, BSO Zhang Hongtao Deputy Principal, BSO Steve Hudson Fraser MacAulay Cor Anglais Li Chenguang Principal, BSO Clarinets Keith Lipson Principal, BSO Liu Ming Principal, BSO Su Meng Deputy Principal, BSO Thomas Watmough James Burke Bass Clarinet Yang Yu Bassoons Liu Ke Principal, BSO Zhu Guangyu Deputy Principal, BSO Paul Boyes Simon Estell Contra-bassoons Simon Estell Principal, LPO Yang Pan Horns Reynald Parent Principal, BSO Yu Bin Principal, BSO John Ryan Principal, LPO Zhao Ruihua Kang Zhi Jin Renxue Stephen Nicholls

Trumpets Zhao Honggen Deputy Principal, BSO Paul Beniston Principal, LPO Nicholas Betts Co-Principal, LPO Zhu Yumo Feng Jiyang Anne McAneney LPO chair supported by Geoff & Meg Mann

Trombones Lu Jianhua Principal, BSO Mark Templeton Principal, LPO Ye Zheng Zhang Jing David Whitehouse Bass Trombone Simon Minshall Tubas Micky Wrobleski Principal, BSO Lee Tsarmaklis Principal, LPO Timpani William Lockhart Guest Principal, LPO Percussion Johannes Hierluksch Principal, BSO Li Gang Assistant Principal, BSO Chen Lianna Deputy Principal, BSO Wang Xiangrong Su Fei Keith Millar Ignacio Molins Eddy Hackett Harp Tao Jing Principal, BSO

Chair Supporters The London Philharmonic Orchestra also acknowledges the following chair supporters whose players are not present at this concert: Andrew Davenport | David & Victoria Graham Fuller | Moya Greene | John & Angela Kessler | The Sharp Family Caroline, Jamie & Zander Sharp | Julian & Gill Simmonds

LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

The London Philharmonic Orchestra is one of the world’s finest orchestras, balancing a long and distinguished history with a reputation as one of the UK’s most adventurous and forward-looking orchestras. As well as giving classical concerts, the Orchestra also records film and video game soundtracks, has its own record label, and reaches thousands of Londoners every year through activities for schools and local communities. The Orchestra was founded by Sir Thomas Beecham in 1932, and since then its Principal Conductors have included Sir Adrian Boult, Bernard Haitink, Sir Georg Solti, Klaus Tennstedt and Kurt Masur. The current Principal Conductor is Vladimir Jurowski, appointed in 2007, and Yannick Nézet-Séguin is Principal Guest Conductor. The Orchestra is Resident Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall in London’s Southbank Centre, where it has performed since it opened in 1951, giving around 40 concerts there each season. 2012/13 highlights include three concerts with Vladimir Jurowski based around the theme of War and Peace in collaboration with the Russian National Orchestra; Kurt Weill’s The Threepenny Opera, also conducted by Jurowski; 20th-century American works with Marin Alsop; and the UK première of Carl Vine’s Second Piano Concerto with pianist Piers Lane under Vassily Sinaisky. Throughout 2013 the Orchestra will collaborate with the Southbank Centre on The Rest is Noise festival, based on Alex Ross’s book of the same name and charting the 20th century’s key musical works.

established its own record label. There are now over 60 releases available on CD and to download. Recent additions include Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis conducted by Christoph Eschenbach; Dvořák’s Stabat Mater under Neeme Järvi; Ravel’s Daphnis and Chloé under Bernard Haitink; and the world première of Ravi Shankar’s First Symphony conducted by David Murphy. In summer 2012 the London Philharmonic Orchestra performed as part of The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Pageant on the River Thames, and was also chosen to record all the world’s national anthems for the London 2012 Olympics. The London Philharmonic Orchestra maintains an energetic programme of activities for young people and local communities. Highlights include the Deutsche Bank BrightSparks schools’ concerts; the Leverhulme Young Composers project; and the Foyle Future Firsts orchestral training programe for outstanding young players. Over recent years, developments in technology and social networks have enabled the Orchestra to reach even more people worldwide: all its recordings are available to download from iTunes and, as well as a YouTube channel, news blog, iPhone app and regular podcasts, the Orchestra has a lively presence on Facebook and Twitter. Find out more and get involved! lpo.org.uk facebook.com/londonphilharmonicorchestra

The Orchestra has flourishing residencies in Brighton and Eastbourne, and performs regularly around the UK. Every summer, the Orchestra leaves London for four months and takes up its annual residency accompanying the famous Glyndebourne Festival Opera, where it has been Resident Symphony Orchestra since 1964. The Orchestra also tours internationally, performing concerts to sell-out audiences worldwide. Tours in 2012/13 include visits to Spain, Germany, France, Switzerland, the USA and Austria.

twitter.com/LPOrchestra

The London Philharmonic Orchestra has recorded many blockbuster scores, from The Lord of the Rings trilogy to Lawrence of Arabia, The Mission, East is East, Hugo, and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. It also broadcasts regularly on television and radio, and in 2005 5

beijing symphony ORCHESTRA

The Beijing Symphony Orchestra (BSO) was founded in October 1977 and has flourished under the batons of the ‘first generation’ of Chinese conductors including Li Delun and Huang Feili. Maestro Tan Lihua is its current Principal Conductor and Music Director. As the symphony orchestra of the nation’s capital, the Beijing Symphony Orchestra attracts players of the highest standard and has gained acclaim and praise from audiences around the world for its high artistic standards, wide-ranging repertoire and uniquely Chinese articulation. The BSO is an orchestra that is unsurpassed within China.

Each year the Beijing Symphony Orchestra presents over 80 concerts, encompassing repertoire representative of every period, major composer and national origin. The Orchestra gave the Chinese premières of Dvořák’s Symphonies Nos. 6 and 7, as well as Bruckner’s Symphony No. 5. In addition, the Beijing Symphony Orchestra has taken part in countless international cultural exchanges on behalf of both the nation of China and its capital city. In 2001, 2003, 2006 and 2009, the Beijing Symphony Orchestra toured to Europe and received critical acclaim for its brilliant performances under the baton of Maestro Tan Lihua.

The Beijing Symphony Orchestra performs a wide range of concerts each season. In addition to the regular concerts conducted by its Music Director, the BSO enjoys working with many of the most esteemed artists from across the globe including Vadim Repin, Lang Lang, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Lazar Berman, José Carreras, Andrea Bocelli, Sarah Brightman, Yundi Li, Li Biao, Fou Ts’ong, Cho-Liang Lin, Evgeny Svetlanov, James Judd and Tang Muhai.

In July 2008, the Beijing Symphony Orchestra completed recording newly updated versions of the Chinese National Anthems and new Olympic Hymn (for the Beijing 2008 Olympics, the Games of the XXIX Olympiad). These recordings included 212 anthems and the Olympic Hymn.

www.bjso.cn/en

london philharmonic choir PATRON HRH Princess Alexandra | PRESIDENT Sir Roger Norrington | ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Neville Creed ACCOMPANIST Jonathan Beatty | CHAIRMAN Mary Moore | CHOIR MANAGER Kevin Darnell

Prometheus, Poem of Fire, Prokofiev’s Ivan the Terrible, Szymanowski’s Symphony No. 3 and Zemlinsky’s Psalm 23 under Vladimir Jurowski; Rossini’s Stabat Mater and Bruckner’s Te Deum under Jannick NézetSéguin; and Delius’s Sea Drift under Sir Mark Elder.

Regularly appearing at the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, the Choir performed Verdi’s Requiem, Liszt’s A Faust Symphony and Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis in 2011, and this season it will perform Elgar’s The Apostles and Howells’s Hymnus Paradisi.

Founded in 1947, the London Philharmonic Choir is widely regarded as one of Britain’s finest choirs, consistently achieving great critical acclaim. It has performed under leading international conductors throughout the last 65 years and made numerous recordings for CD, radio and television. Enjoying a close relationship with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Choir joins it regularly for concerts in the UK and abroad. In 2011/12, engagements with the LPO included Scriabin’s Sopranos Annette Argent, Tessa Bartley, Clare Brady, Julia Chan, Gemma Chance, Paula Chessell, Sally Cottam, Sarah Deane-Cutler, Philippa Drinkwater, Rosha Fitzhowle, Alison Flood, Claudie Gheno, Rachel Gibbon, Francesca Harris, Catrin Harrison, Sally Harrison, Carolyn Hayman, Elizabeth Hicks, Jessica May Hislop, Mai Kikkawa, Jenni Kilvert, Ilona Kratochvilova, Frances Lake, Suzannah Lipmann, Clare Lovett, Natasha Maslava, Sophie Mearing-Smith, Katie Milton, Eileen Morgan, Linda Park, Susan Powell, Diana Richards, Rebecca Schendal, Christine Scholes, Tania Stanier, Louisa Sullivan, Isobel Timms

Altos Joanna Arnold, Deirdre Ashton, Bisi Bajomo, Phye Bell, Susannah Bellingham, Sally Brien, Andrei Caracoti, Lara Carim, Isabelle Cheetham, Noel Chow, Helen Clough, Yvonne Cohen, Liz Cole, Margaret de Valois Rowney, Margaret Driver, Moira Duckworth, Lynn Eaton, Carmel Edmonds, Regina Frank, Claire Lawrence, Belinda Liao, Lisa MacDonald, Mary Moore, Sophie Morrison, Raluca Negriuc, Jenny Newman,

The Choir has visited many countries in Europe and travelled as far afield as Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong and Perth, Australia. It has most recently appeared at the Touquet International Music Masters Festival in France. The Choir prides itself on achieving first-class performances from its members, who are volunteers from all walks of life. For more information, please visit www.lpc.org.uk

Angela Pascoe, Helene Richards, Sheila Rowland, Jenny Ryall, Carolyn Saunders, Muriel Swijghuisen Reigersberg, Catherine Travers, Susi Underwood, Darta Valtere, Agnes Vigh, Jenny Watson

Tenors Geir Andreassen, Chris Beynon, Lorne Cuthbert, Kevin Darnell, Michael Delany, Aloysius Fekete, Colin Fleming, Lucas Souza Gomes, Robbie Gordy, Josh Haley, Iain Handyside, Stephen Hodges, Rob Home, Patrick Hughes, Andrew Mackie, Tony Masters, Rhydian Peters, Luke Phillips, Filipe Salvador, Owen Toller, Brad Warburton, Peter Whelan

Basses Jonathon Bird, David Booth, Gordon Buky-Webster, Geoff Clare, David Clark, Phillip Dangerfield, Marcus Daniels, Ian Frost, Robert Garbolinski, Paul Gittens, Nigel Grieve, Martin Harvey, Mark Hillier, Stephen Hines, Rylan Holey, Martin Hudson, Aidan Jones, Steve Kirby, Georges Leaver, John Luff, Ashley Morrison, Will Parsons, David Regan, Andrew Ridal, Fraser Riddell, Chris Short, Daniel Snowman, Alex Thomas, Hin-Yan Wong

TAN LIHUA Music Director & Principal Conductor, Beijing Symphony Orchestra

In 2001, 2003, 2006 and 2009, Tan Lihua led the Beijing Symphony Orchestra in highly successful and critically acclaimed European tours. In 1997 he established Beijing’s New Year Concerts, now an integral feature of the city’s cultural calendar, and over a ten-year period has been a key figure in the planning and promotion of these concerts as both music consultant and conductor. He is also a leading proponent of developing younger classical music audiences in China, and annually conducts more accessible symphonies and orchestral works in many universities and high schools.

As one of the most highly sought-after and widely respected conductors on the Chinese music scene, Maestro Tan Lihua is in great demand both at home and abroad. He has conducted the Russian State Academic Symphony, London Philharmonic, Israel Philharmonic and Royal Philharmonic orchestras. As a guest conductor, Tan Lihua has held numerous engagements with orchestras in the United States, Russia, Germany, France, Italy, Canada, Switzerland, Israel, Spain, Australia, Argentina, Mexico, Colombia and Panama. In 2000/01, Maestro Tan Lihua held the position of Guest Conductor of the Russian State Academic Symphony Orchestra. Enthusiastic about making music in his own country, Maestro Tan has also conducted the China National Symphony, China Philharmonic and Shanghai Symphony orchestras, among others. He is the Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Beijing Symphony Orchestra, as well as holding prestigious positions with the Chinese Musicians Association, the Beijing Musicians Association and the Performance Art Committee of the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing. Maestro Tan has conducted premières of hundreds of new works by Chinese composers both in China and throughout the world. In addition to introducing new Chinese works, he has also been responsible for the Chinese premières of several major European works including Dvořák’s Symphony No. 7, Respighi’s Pines of Rome and Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5.

In July 2008, Tan Lihua conducted the Beijing Symphony Orchestra in recording newly updated versions of the National Anthems and Olympic Hymn for the Beijing 2008 Olympics – the Games of the XXIX Olympiad. These landmark recordings will be preserved as part of the cultural heritage of the Olympic Games.

pieter schoeman

LI BIAO

Leader, london philharmonic orchestra

percussion

Pieter Schoeman joined the London Philharmonic Orchestra as Co-Leader in 2002, and was appointed Leader in 2008. Born in South Africa, he made his solo début aged 10 with the Cape Town Symphony Orchestra. He studied with Jack de Wet in South Africa, winning numerous competitions including the 1984 World Youth Concerto Competition in the US. In 1987 he was offered the Heifetz Chair of Music scholarship to study with Eduard Schmieder in Los Angeles and in 1991 his talent was spotted by Pinchas Zukerman, who recommended that he move to New York to study with Sylvia Rosenberg. In 1994 he became her teaching assistant at Indiana University, Bloomington. Pieter has performed worldwide as a soloist and recitalist in such famous halls as the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Moscow’s Rachmaninov Hall, Capella Hall in St Petersburg, Staatsbibliothek in Berlin, Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles and Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall in London. As a chamber musician he regularly performs at London’s prestigious Wigmore Hall. As a soloist with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Pieter has performed Arvo Pärt’s Double Concerto with Boris Garlitsky, Brahms’s Double Concerto with Kristina Blaumane, and Britten’s Double Concerto with Alexander Zemtsov, which was recorded and released on the Orchestra’s own record label to great critical acclaim. He has recorded numerous violin solos with the London Philharmonic Orchestra for Chandos, Opera Rara, Naxos, X5, the BBC and for American film and television, and led the Orchestra in its soundtrack recordings for The Lord of the Rings trilogy. In 1995 Pieter became Co-Leader of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Nice. Since then he has performed frequently as Guest Leader with the symphony orchestras of Barcelona, Bordeaux, Lyon and Baltimore, as well as with the BBC Symphony Orchestra.

Li Biao is one of the outstanding solo percussionists on today’s international stage, and has won worldwide acclaim as an exceptional soloist. During his studies, he won awards in many international competitions including the Debrecen Percussion Competition (1993) and the Alimata Music Competition (1995). In 2008, Li Biao and his percussion ensemble were invited to perform at the closing ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and to record all the percussion music for the closing ceremony. In 2008/09, Li Biao led his percussion ensemble in a series of concerts in 14 cities throughout China under the sponsorship of Mercedes-Benz. During April–May 2009, he gave 22 concerts as part of a tour of eight European countries. Li Biao has given solo recitals at music festivals including the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, Festival der National, Fuji Music Festival, Béla Bartók Festival, Bad Kissingen Music Festival, Music Biennale Zagreb, Night of Percussion with the Berlin Philharmonic, and Musica Viva, amongst others. He has performed in over 70 countries, including appearances with the Bavarian Radio Symphony and China Philharmonic orchestras, and many others around the world. In 2010, Li Biao was appointed Music Director of the Mercedes-Benz International Music Festival and of the International Percussion Festival at the China National Centre for the Performance Arts. In 2011, Li Biao began appearing on the stage as a conductor, working with symphony orchestras throughout Europe and China. In 2012 the Beijing Symphony Orchestra named Li Biao Artist in Residence and Conductor, a position established for the first time in the Orchestra’s history. Li Biao has recorded percussion albums with labels including EMI and Teldec. He is a Professor of Percussion at the Hans Eisner Musik Hochschule in Berlin, and a Professor at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing.

Pieter is a Professor of Violin at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. 9

REBECCA EVANS

NING LIANG

soprano

mezzo soprano

Rebecca Evans was born in South Wales and studied at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama. At the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, she has sung Mimi (La bohème), Pamina (The Magic Flute), Zerlina (Don Giovanni), Despina (Così fan tutte), and Johanna (Sweeney Todd). At the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, her roles have included Ginevra (Ariodante), Ilia (Idomeneo), Susanna (The Marriage of Figaro), Sophie (Der Rosenkavalier) and Zdenka (Arabella). Elsewhere she has appeared at the Deutsche Staatsoper, Berlin; the Netherlands Opera; Opera de Lausanne; Scottish Opera; and English National Opera. A regular guest at Welsh National Opera, her roles there have included Liu (Turandot), Mimi and Countess Almaviva (The Marriage of Figaro), Pamina, Ilia and Marzelline (Fidelio), Norina (Don Pasquale), and Gretel (Hansel and Gretel). She has also established a major operatic career in America where she has appeared at the Metropolitan Opera, New York; Santa Fe Opera; Lyric Opera of Chicago; and San Francisco Opera. Her forthcoming engagements include Countess Almaviva at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden; Donna Elvira at English National Opera; and the title role in Rodelinda at the Bolshoi. Highlights on the concert platform this season include Elgar’s The Apostles with the Hallé Orchestra and Sir Mark Elder; and Tippett’s A Child of Our Time with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg and Carlo Rizzi. Rebecca has appeared at the Salzburg, Edinburgh, Tanglewood and Ravinia festivals, and is a regular guest at the BBC Proms. Other appearances include the San Francisco Symphony with Michael Tilson Thomas; the Boston Symphony Orchestra with Jeffrey Tate; the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and Scottish Chamber Orchestra with Sir Charles Mackerras; the Monteverdi Choir and Orchestra with Sir John Eliot Gardiner; and the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia with Antonio Pappano. In recital, she has sung at Wigmore Hall, London; and the Barcelona, Ravinia, Buxton, Belfast and Beaulieu-sur-Mer festivals. 10

One of the brightest artists on the current opera scene, Chinese mezzo soprano Ning Liang has appeared at many of the world’s leading opera houses including the Metropolitan Opera, New York; La Scala, Milan; Bologna Opera; Vienna State Opera; Hamburg State Opera; Berlin State Opera; Deutsche Oper, Berlin; Munich Opera; Dresden Semperopera; and Amsterdam State Opera. She has worked with leading conductors including Riccardo Muti, Sir Colin Davis, Christian Thielemann, Giuseppe Sinopoli, James Conlon, Gary Bertini, Michel Plasson and Eliahu Inbal. Her operatic roles have included Dorabella (Così fan tutte), Rosina (The Barber of Seville), Romeo (I Capuleti e i Montecchi), Charlotte (Werther), Ottavia (L’incoronazione di Poppea), Sesto (La clemenza di Tito), Adalgisa (Norma), Magarita (The Damnation of Faust), Preziosilla (La forza del destino), Jenny (Mahagonny) and the Composer (Ariadne auf Naxos). Ning Liang made her Metropolitan Opera début in 1993 as Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier. There she also performed in the world première of Tan Dun’s opera The First Emperor in 2006. She also appeared in the première of Stewart Wallace’s opera The Bonesetter’s Daughter (based on Amy Tan’s bestselling novel) at San Francisco Opera in 2008. Ning Liang’s recent performances include Ligeti’s Le Grand Macabre and Semele at various venues including the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, Brussels, and the Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona. She is a winner of the Metropolitan National Council Competition, the Rosa Ponselle International Vocal Competition, the Luciano Pavarotti Competition and the Mirjam Helin Competition. A frequent performer of Mahler, she has recorded the composer’s Second and Eighth Symphonies as well as Das Lied von der Erde.

ANDREW KENNEDY

MATTHEW ROSE

TENOR

bass

His operatic roles have included Tamino (The Magic Flute) at English National Opera; Flute (A Midsummer Night’s Dream) at the Royal Opera House; Jacquino (Fidelio) at Glyndebourne Festival Opera; Ferrando (Così fan tutte) with Glyndebourne Touring Opera; Nemorino (L’elisir d’amore) with Opera North; Tom Rakewell (The Rake’s Progress) at La Scala, La Monnaie and Opéra de Lyon, and released on DVD; Vere (Billy Budd) and Peter Quint (The Turn of the Screw) at Houston Grand Opera; Tito (La clemenza di Tito) and Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni) at Opéra de Lyon; Belmonte (Die Entführung aus dem Serail) at Welsh National Opera; Flamand (Capriccio) at Grange Park Opera; and Max (Der Freischutz) at Opéra Comique, Paris, under Sir John Eliot Gardiner. Concert engagements include Mozart’s Requiem and Francesco (Benvenuto Cellini) with the London Symphony Orchestra and Sir Colin Davis; Tom Rakewell (The Rake’s Progress) at the Stresa Festival under Gianandrea Noseda; Orfeo in Haydn’s Orfeo ed Euridice with the Boston Handel and Haydn Society and Sir Roger Norrington; Finzi’s Intimations of Immortality with the BBCSO and Paul Daniel; and Bach’s St Matthew Passion with the Netherlands Philharmonic and Sir Colin Davis. Performances of Britten include Nocturne with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales; Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings with the CBSO, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, and at the BBC Proms with the Nash Ensemble and Edward Gardner; and Les Illuminations at the Edinburgh Festival. Other recent and future engagements include Count Almaviva in The Barber of Seville for English National Opera and Welsh National Opera; Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra; Richard Strauss’s Intermezzo at the Buxton Festival; Handel’s Messiah with Opéra de Lyon; and Peter Quint in concert performances of The Turn of the Screw with the London Symphony Orchestra.

Andrew Kennedy studied at King’s College, Cambridge, and the Royal College of Music in London.

British bass Matthew Rose studied at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia before becoming a member of the Young Artists Programme at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. At the Royal Opera his roles have included Polyphemus (Acis and Galatea), Masetto (Don Giovanni), Harašta (The Cunning Little Vixen) and Colline (La bohème). In 2006 he made his Glyndebourne Festival Opera début as Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream – for which he received the John Christie Award – and he has since sung the role at La Scala, Milan; the Royal Opera; Opéra National de Lyon; and Houston Grand Opera. Other roles include Nick Shadow (The Rake’s Progress) at Glyndebourne and for the Gothenburg Opera; Leporello (Don Giovanni) at the Glyndebourne Festival and in Santa Fe; and Mozart’s Figaro for Welsh National Opera, Opéra de Lille, and the Bayerische Staatsoper, Munich. Engagements this season include his début at New York’s Metropolitan Opera as Colline; Sparafucile in Rigoletto for the Royal Opera; and Claggart (Billy Budd) at English National Opera. His future engagements include returns to the Metropolitan Opera and the Royal Opera, and his début at the Deutsche Oper, Berlin. In concert, Matthew has appeared at the Edinburgh Festival, the BBC Proms and the Mostly Mozart Festival in New York. Recent engagements have included the London Symphony Orchestra with Sir Colin Davis, Daniel Harding and Michael Tilson Thomas; the Los Angeles Philharmonic with Gustavo Dudamel; the Dresden Staatskapelle, Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Philharmonia Orchestra with Sir Charles Mackerras; the Monteverdi Choir with Sir John Eliot Gardiner; the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich with Charles Dutoit; the BBC Symphony Orchestra with Jiří Bělohlávek and Marc Minkowski; and the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia with Antonio Pappano. His recital appearances include the Brighton, Chester and Cheltenham international festivals; the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam; and London’s Wigmore Hall.

PROGRAMME NOTES

GUO WENJING ‘LOTUS’ (LIANHUA) OVERTURE The lotus flower (Lianhua in Chinese) is frequently used to represent sanctity, chastity, resurrection, gracefulness and the sun. Many early civilisations, from ancient Egypt to ancient China, regarded the lotus as a holy symbol, and used the image of the plant in their art and architecture. Lotus blossoms open and close following the sun: in ancient Egypt, many people believed that the sun rose from a lotus in the east at dawn and set into a lotus in the west at nightfall. In Asia, the lotus is one of the four great auspicious flowers and eight treasures, as well as one of nine great symbols in Buddhism. Buddhas and Bodhisattvas frequently appear sitting or standing on lotuses, holding lotuses, making lotus gestures, or casting lotuses to the human world. Spirits are often represented sitting or standing with great dignity on lotus seats, reflecting their divine origins.

In China, the cultural meaning of the lotus is a kind of ‘ideal personality’: ‘Born in mud, but not stained; washed by clear ripples, but not capricious’ (from the essay On the Love of the Lotus by Zhou Dunyi, a famous Chinese neo-Confucian philosopher and cosmologist of the Song Dynasty). In numerous Chinese poems, songs and essays, the lotus is also a symbol of friendship, as well as a messenger. This Overture is a message of best wishes to the London 2012 Olympic Games from Maestro Tan Lihua, all the musicians of the Beijing Symphony Orchestra, and myself, and it is for this reason that I have named my piece of music after the sacred, auspicious lotus. Guo Wenjing

TANG JIANPING Sacred Fire 2008: concerto for percussion and orchestra Sacred Fire 2008: concerto for percussion and orchestra was written by the Chinese composer Tang Jianping between December 2005 and February 2006. It was premièred on 25 February 2006 by the distinguished percussionist Li Biao and the Beijing Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Tan Lihua at the Forbidden City Concert Hall, Beijing. On the one hand, Sacred Fire 2008 follows the principles of the Classical concerto tradition in highlighting the solo instrument and allowing the soloist to demonstrate his virtuosity. On the other hand, it also combines the symphonic ideals of rational logic and the motivic development of ideas within a larger structural framework. The work’s powerful musical themes recur throughout, and are constantly developed in the everexpanding context of the whole work. The Concerto is comprised of three continuous movements. In the first movement, the music is led by drumbeats evoking the suffering and pain of Prometheus, the figure who stole fire from the gods, even at the cost of his own life, in order to save mankind. These heavy drumbeats are echoed in the orchestra, creating a growing sense of tension. Musical images of clarions, fire and rolling rocks represent humanity shouldering the mission of progress and forging ahead to achieve the sublime ideals.

In the first part of the second movement, the prominent solo instrument is the vibraphone. Intermittent figures gradually emerge from the tranquility, and a solo violin utters softly in the background. Then a muted trumpet is heard, symbolising an angel’s message of hope. In the second part of the movement, a theme of passion and fire is introduced by the cellos and then gradually taken up by the whole string section, deepening the emotional impact. This is followed by the interruption of dissonant rhythmic figures in the brass, and in the midst of these two conflicting ideas a musical theme representing the flame of hope enters quietly, beginning the third part of the movement. The last movement of the Concerto is dominated by the marimba, which leads the orchestra in a dazzling display of virtuosity. The turbulent yet unified music represents emotional cohesion, and fire, light, peace and philanthropy. In the coda, the clarion theme representing light, and the theme from the third movement, are combined, driving the music to an exultant finish.

INTERVAL – 20 minutes An announcement will be made five minutes before the end of the interval. 13

PROGRAMME NOTES

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN SYMPHONY no. 9 IN D MINOR, Op. 125 (CHORAL) Rebecca Evans soprano Ning Liang mezzo soprano Andrew Kennedy tenor Matthew Rose bass London Philharmonic Choir 1 Allegro, ma non troppo, un poco maestoso 2 Molto vivace – Presto – Molto vivace 3 Adagio molto e cantabile 4 Finale The finale’s ‘Ode to Joy’ text is overleaf. The last of Beethoven’s nine symphonies – and his last completed orchestral work – was first performed at a benefit concert for the composer in the Kärtnertor Theatre in Vienna on 7 May 1824. The occasion was one of Beethoven’s greatest public successes. A large audience assembled not only to hear the music, but also to pay homage to a celebrated figure who was now rarely seen in public. Beethoven stood on the platform, turning the pages of the score and beating time; but the conductor had warned the performers to take no notice of him. By now he was so deaf that he could not even hear the enthusiastic applause: a famous story tells how he had to be turned round gently by one of the soloists to acknowledge it. Beethoven had composed the Symphony in response to a commission he received from the Philharmonic Society of London at the end of 1822. It took him little more than a year to complete the score, which was ready by March 1824. But in another sense it was the fruit of a lifetime’s work. Ideas for it can be traced back to notebooks of the mid-1810s, while the strong and simple main theme of the finale is anticipated in a little song called Gegenliebe, composed as early as the mid-1790s. And it was in the same decade that he first conceived the idea of setting the Ode to Joy (‘An die Freude’) by Friedrich Schiller, which had been published in 1786. In fact, the notion of using portions of Schiller’s celebration of the brotherhood of mankind in a largescale work seems to have run in parallel with the plan

for a symphony in D minor for some years; it was only at a late stage that Beethoven merged the two projects, to create the first choral symphony. The overwhelming impression made by the Symphony is of its vast scale. This is obvious right at the start, where fragments of arpeggios are gradually assembled against a sustained background, as if out of a mist, in a gradual crescendo from pianissimo to the fortissimo statement of the first subject. This opening movement, a sonata structure with an expansive coda as well as a full-scale development section, establishes the three tonal centres of the whole work: D minor, the home key of the movement; B-flat major, the (unconventional) key in which the second subject is introduced; and D major, which here is glimpsed only occasionally, notably in a brief blaze of light heralding the start of the recapitulation – a moment which clearly inspired Mahler as much as the opening did Bruckner. The second movement is a scherzo on a comparably large scale, its D minor outer sections in a sonata form of their own, its Trio a self-contained section in a contrasting tempo (Presto), key (D major) and even time signature (2/2). This sense of opposition between sections of the same movement also extends to the slow movement, which alternates between a serene 4/4 Adagio in B flat major and a more expressive 3/4 Andante in (initially) D major, in a plan which resembles a massively expanded version of one of Haydn’s sets of double variations. Thus far, in fact, the Viennese audience of 1824 would have acknowledged all three movements as belonging to recognisable symphonic types – albeit on an unprecedented scale, in an unconventional order, and with many unusual features of orchestration. Among the instrumental innovations are, in the scherzo, the melodic use of the timpani, tuned not to the tonic and dominant, D and A, but to two Fs an octave apart; and, in the slow movement, the extended and wide-ranging solo for the fourth horn at the second return of the Adagio, which may have been intended for an early model of the valve-horn.

The finale, though, would have seemed to its first audiences something altogether new – and not only because of the introduction of voices. To start with, there is the blazingly discordant opening (on a D minor triad with an added B flat). This leads to a review of the main themes of the previous movements, linked by passages of instrumental recitative on cellos and basses, and then to the quiet first statement and gradual blossoming of the main hymn-like tune in D major. Only after a return of the opening cacophony, now even more strident than before, does the solo baritone enter, putting words of Beethoven’s own to the recitative: an invitation to abandon all these instrumental sounds in favour of joyful singing together.

‘Beethoven … in the most striking manner astonished everyone who feared that after ten years of deafness only dry, abstract, unimaginative works could be produced. His new symphony for the most part breathes such a fresh, lively, indeed youthful spirit; so much power, innovation and beauty as ever [came] from the head of this original man, although he certainly sometimes led the old wigs to shake their heads.’ Carl Czerny, former piano pupil of Beethoven, on the first performance of the Ninth (quoted from Barry Cooper’s ‘Beethoven’).

Engraving by N. Hanhart after painting by Stieler. © Royal College of Music, London.

So begins the choral finale proper, a highly original combination of free variation and rondo forms. Its wide range encompasses an extended episode in 6/8 march time (in B-flat major, and including the percussion instruments known at the time as ‘Turkish music’), followed by a fierce fugato (leading back to D major); then later a solemn treatment of the more visionary verses which Beethoven selected from Schiller’s Ode; and finally an irresistible affirmation of joy. Programme note by Anthony Burton

beethoven: ode to joy

O Freunde, nicht diese Töne! sondern lasst uns angenehmere anstimmen, und freudenvollere!

O friends, not these sounds! Rather let us strike up something more pleasing and joyful!

Freude, schöne Götterfunken, Tochter aus Elysium, Wir betreten feuertrunken, Himmlische, dein Heiligtum! Deine Zauber binden wieder Was die Mode streng geteilt; Alle Menschen werden Brüder Wo dein sanfter Flügel weilt.

Joy, lovely spark of the divine, Daughter from Elysium, Drunk with fire, we approach, Heavenly one, thy shrine! Thy spells reunite What convention has torn apart; All humanity becomes brothers Where thy gentle wings rest.

Wem der grosse Wurf gelungen Eines Freundes Freund zu sein, Wer ein holdes Weib errungen Mische seinen Jubel ein! Ja, wer auch nur eine Seele Sein nennt auf dem Erdenrund! Und wer’s nie gekonnt, der stehle Weinend sich aus diesem Bund.

Let him who has that great good fortune A friend’s friend to be, Let him who has gained a charming wife Join in rejoicing! Yes, and whoever calls even one soul Upon the earth his own! And he who never could, let him steal weeping away.

Freude trinken alle Wesen An den Brüsten der Natur, Alle Guten, alle Bösen Folgen ihrer Rosenspur. Küsse gab sie uns und Reben, Einen Freund geprüft im Tod, Wollust ward dem Wurm gegeben, Und der Cherub steht vor Gott!

All creatures drink joy At Nature’s breast, All the good, all the evil Follow her rosy trail. She gave us kisses and the vine, A proven friend to the death, The worm was given sensual feelings, And the cherub stands before God!

Froh, wie seine Sonnen fliegen Durch des Himmels prächt’gen Plan, Laufet, Brüder, eure Bahn, Freudig, wie ein Held zum Siegen.

Glad, as his suns race Through the heavens’ glorious design, Run your course, brothers, Joyful, like a hero to the victory.

Seid umschlungen, Millionen, Diesen Kuss der ganzen Welt! Brüder, überm Sternenzelt Muss ein lieber Vater wohnen.

Be embraced, you millions, This kiss for all the world! Brothers, above the starry firmament A loving father must dwell.

Ihr stürzt nieder, Millionen? Ahnest du den Schöpfer, Welt? Such’ ihn überm Sternenzelt! Über Sternen muss er wohnen.

Do you fall to your knees, you millions? Do you feel the Creator’s presence, world? Seek him above the starry firmament! Above the stars he must dwell.

From Ode an die Freude by Friedrich Schiller (1759–1805), with additions by Beethoven.

Music in the Courtyard London Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Academy of Arts Supported by

Saturday 1 September 2012 Royal Academy of Arts 7.30pm Fabien Gabel conductor Danielle de Niese soprano Simone Lamsma violin Ravel Rapsodie espagnole Chausson Poème pour violon Ravel Une barque sur l’océan Duparc Mélodies Dukas La Péri Ravel La valse

‘Opera’s coolest soprano’ New York Times Magazine on Danielle de Niese

A unique al fresco musical evening in a glorious courtyard setting at the Royal Academy of Arts. Taking place during the Royal Academy’s exhibition From Paris, A Taste for Impressionism: Paintings from the Clark*, the concert will showcase the expansive melodies, intense colours and subtly shifting harmonies displayed in the music of the great Impressionist composers. *Exhibition organised by the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, Massachusetts, in association with the Royal Academy of Arts.

Tickets £12 (Limited availability) Apply for tickets at lpo.org.uk/ra

Administration

LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA Board of Directors Victoria Sharp Chair Desmond Cecil CMG Vesselin Gellev* Jonathan Harris CBE FRICS Dr Catherine C. Høgel Martin Höhmann* Angela Kessler Stewart McIlwham* Gareth Newman* George Peniston* Sir Bernard Rix* Kevin Rundell* Julian Simmonds Mark Templeton* Sir Philip Thomas Natasha Tsukanova Timothy Walker AM† Laurence Watt Dr Manon Williams * Player-Director

Advisory Council Lord Currie Jonathan Dawson Martin Höhmann Clive Marks OBE FCA Victoria Sharp Timothy Walker AM† American Friends of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Inc. Victoria Sharp Margot Astrachan Chairman David E. R. Dangoor Vice Chair/Treasurer Kyung-Wha Chung Director Alexandra Jupin Director Dr. Felisa B. Kaplan Director William A. Kerr Director Jill Fine Mainelli Director Kristina McPhee Director Dr. Joseph Mulvehill Director Harvey M. Spear, Esq. Director Danny Lopez Honorary Chairman Noel Kilkenny Honorary Director Richard Gee, Esq Of Counsel Robert Kuchner, CPA

General Administration Timothy Walker AM† Chief Executive and Artistic Director †Supported by Macquarie Group

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