London Philharmonic Orchestra 26 September concert programme

Concert programme 2015/16 London Season lpo.org.uk

Winner of the RPS Music Award for Ensemble Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor VLADIMIR JUROWSKI* Leader PIETER SCHOEMAN† Composer in Residence MAGNUS LINDBERG Patron HRH THE DUKE OF KENT KG Chief Executive and Artistic Director TIMOTHY WALKER AM

Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall Saturday 26 September 2015 | 7.30pm

Taneyev St John of Damascus, Op. 1 (24’) Tchaikovsky Francesca da Rimini (Fantasy after Dante) (24’) Interval Sibelius Symphony No. 2 in D, Op. 43 (44’) Vladimir Jurowski conductor London Philharmonic Choir

* supported by the Tsukanov Family Foundation † supported by Neil Westreich CONCERT PRESENTED BY THE LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

Contents 2 Welcome 3 On stage tonight 4 About the Orchestra 5 Leader: Pieter Schoeman 6 Vladimir Jurowski 7 London Philharmonic Choir 8 Programme notes 13 Future LPO concerts at RFH 14 Sound Futures donors 15 Supporters 16 LPO administration

The timings shown are not precise and are given only as a guide.

Welcome

Welcome to Southbank Centre We hope you enjoy your visit. We have a Duty Manager available at all times. If you have any queries please ask any member of staff for assistance.

Eating, drinking and shopping? Southbank Centre shops and restaurants include Foyles, EAT, Giraffe, Strada, YO! Sushi, wagamama, Le Pain Quotidien, Las Iguanas, ping pong, Canteen, Caffè Vergnano 1882, Skylon, Concrete, Feng Sushi and Topolski, as well as cafes, restaurants and shops inside Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall and Hayward Gallery.

If you wish to get in touch with us following your visit please contact the Visitor Experience Team at Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London SE1 8XX, phone 020 7960 4250, or email customer@southbankcentre.co.uk We look forward to seeing you again soon.

A few points to note for your comfort and enjoyment: PHOTOGRAPHY is not allowed in the auditorium.

LATECOMERS will only be admitted to the auditorium if there is a suitable break in the performance.

RECORDING is not permitted in the auditorium without the prior consent of Southbank Centre.

Southbank Centre reserves the right to confiscate video or sound equipment and hold it in safekeeping until the performance has ended.

MOBILES, PAGERS AND WATCHES should be switched off before the performance begins.

London Philharmonic Orchestra 2015/16 season Welcome to the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall for the second concert of our 2015/16 London series.

This season we present a huge range of works from epic symphonies by Mahler, Beethoven and Bruckner to choral masterpieces including Szymanowski's Stabat Mater and Brahms's A German Requiem. In 2016 we showcase the diverse range of classical works inspired

by Shakespeare as part of Shakespeare400, the festival marking the 400th anniversary of the great wordsmith's death. This evening, the LPO's Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor Vladimir Jurowski and the Orchestra are accompanied by the full force of the London Philharmonic Choir for the rarely heard Taneyev cantata, St. John of Damascus.

For more details of our season, visit our website at lpo.org.uk/performances or call 0207 840 4242 to request a copy of our 2015/16 brochure. You can find a taster of some highlights here: lpo.org.uk/whats-on/season15-16 Tune In and latest LPO label release Tune In is the London Philharmonic Orchestra's free magazine published twice yearly that aims to keep you up-to-date with news and reflects on highlights of the year so far. The Autumn/Winter 2015 edition is now available. Articles include Mahler the Teacher, in which the three conductors performing Mahler symphonies this season discuss conducting the Austrian's music, and two LPO players tell us about their joyous experience in supporting an LPO Education initiative. You can also find out about our latest CD release, The Genius of Film Music: Hollywood Blockbusters 1960s to 1980s – the LPO's recording and performing of film scores continues!

Tune In is available from the Information Desk in the foyer on concert nights or phone the LPO office on 020 7840 4200 to receive one in the post. Also available digitally: lpo.org.uk/explore/news The Genius of Film Music: Hollywood Blockbusters 1960s to 1980s LPO-0086 | £10.99 (2 CDs) lpo.org.uk/recordings

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On stage tonight

First Violins Pieter Schoeman* Leader Chair supported by Neil Westreich

Eugene Tichindeleanu Vesselin Gellev Sub-Leader Ilyoung Chae Chair supported by an anonymous donor

Ji-Hyun Lee Chair supported by Eric Tomsett

Catherine Craig Thomas Eisner Martin Höhmann Chair supported by The Jeniffer and Jonathan Harris Charitable Trust

Geoffrey Lynn Chair supported by Caroline, Jamie & Zander Sharp

Yang Zhang Grace Lee Rebecca Shorrock Galina Tanney Caroline Frenkel Caroline Sharp Kate Cole Second Violins Victoria Sayles Guest Principal Kate Birchall Chair supported by David & Victoria Graham Fuller

Nancy Elan Lorenzo Gentili-Tedeschi Fiona Higham Nynke Hijlkema Joseph Maher Marie-Anne Mairesse Ashley Stevens Dean Williamson Harry Kerr

Nilufar Alimaksumova Sheila Law John Dickinson Floortje Gerritsen Alison Strange Violas Cyrille Mercier Principal Robert Duncan Gregory Aronovich Katharine Leek Susanne Martens Benedetto Pollani Laura Vallejo Naomi Holt Claudio Cavaletti Sarah Malcolm Richard Cookson Martin Fenn Cellos Kristina Blaumane Principal Chair supported by Bianca and Stuart Roden

Pei-Jee Ng Co-Principal Francis Bucknall Santiago Carvalho† David Lale Gregory Walmsley Elisabeth Wiklander Chair supported by The Viney Family

Sue Sutherley Susanna Riddell Helen Rathbone Laura Donoghue Tom Roff Double Basses Kevin Rundell* Principal Laurence Lovelle George Peniston Sebastian Pennar Thomas Walley

Kenneth Knussen Lowri Morgan Charlotte Kerbegian

Trumpets Nicholas Betts Principal Anne McAneney* Chair supported by Geoff & Meg Mann

Flutes Mattia Petrilli Guest Principal Sue Thomas*

Tony Cross Cornets Paul Beniston Tony Cross

Chair supported by Victoria Robey OBE

Stewart McIlwham* Trombones Mark Templeton* Principal

Piccolo Stewart McIlwham* Principal

Chair supported by William & Alex de Winton

David Whitehouse

Chair supported by Friends of the Orchestra

Bass Trombone Lyndon Meredith Principal

Oboes Ian Hardwick* Principal Alice Munday

Tuba Lee Tsarmaklis* Principal

Cor Anglais Sue Böhling* Principal

Timpani Simon Carrington* Principal

Clarinets Thomas Watmough Principal Paul Richards

Percussion Andrew Barclay* Principal Chair supported by Andrew Davenport

Bassoons Gareth Newman Principal Simon Estell

Henry Baldwin Co-Principal

Horns David Pyatt* Principal

Harp Rachel Masters* Principal

Chair supported by Simon Robey

Martin Hobbs Mark Vines Co-Principal Gareth Mollison James Pillai

Chair Supporters: The London Philharmonic Orchestra also acknowledges the following chair supporters whose players are not present at this concert: Sonja Drexler; Laurence Watt

Chair supported by Jon Claydon

Keith Millar

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

London Philharmonic Orchestra | 3

London Philharmonic Orchestra

‘It was one of those unforgettable evenings where everything and everyone performed beautifully [with] an extraordinary performance by the London Philharmonic ... The ovation should have been standing.’

Andrew Collins, The News, March 2015 Recognised today as one of the finest orchestras on the international stage, the London Philharmonic Orchestra balances a long and distinguished history with a reputation as one of the UK’s most forwardlooking ensembles. As well as its performances in the concert hall, the Orchestra also records film and video game soundtracks, releases CDs on its own record label, and reaches thousands of people every year through activities for families, schools and community groups.

The Orchestra was founded by Sir Thomas Beecham in 1932. It has since been headed by many of the world’s greatest conductors including Sir Adrian Boult, Bernard Haitink, Sir Georg Solti, Klaus Tennstedt and Kurt Masur.

Vladimir Jurowski is currently the Orchestra’s Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor, appointed in 2007.

Andrés Orozco-Estrada took up the position of Principal Guest Conductor in September 2015. Magnus Lindberg is the Orchestra’s current Composer in Residence.

The Orchestra is resident at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall in London, where it gives over 30 concerts each season. Throughout 2014/15 the Orchestra gave a series of concerts entitled Rachmaninoff: Inside Out, a festival exploring the composer’s major orchestral

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masterpieces. 2015/16 is a strong year for singers, with performances by Toby Spence and Anne Sofie von Otter amongst others; Sibelius enjoys 150th anniversary celebrations; distinguished visiting conductors include Stanisław Skrowaczewski, Jukka-Pekka Saraste and Vasily Petrenko, with Robin Ticciati returning after his debut in 2015; and in 2016 the LPO joins many of London’s other leading cultural institutions in Shakespeare400, celebrating the Bard’s legacy 400 years since his death. The Orchestra continues its commitment to new music with premieres of commissions including Magnus Lindberg’s Second Violin Concerto, and works by Alexander Raskatov and Marc-André Dalbavie.

Outside London, the Orchestra has flourishing residencies in Brighton and Eastbourne, and performs regularly around the UK. Each summer the Orchestra takes up its annual residency at Glyndebourne Festival Opera in the Sussex countryside, where it has been Resident Symphony Orchestra for over 50 years. The Orchestra also tours internationally, performing to sell-out audiences worldwide. In 1956 it became the first British orchestra to appear in Soviet Russia and in 1973 made the first ever visit to China by a

Pieter Schoeman leader

Pieter Schoeman was appointed Leader of the LPO in 2008, having previously been Co-Leader since 2002.

The London Philharmonic Orchestra has recorded the soundtracks to numerous blockbuster films, from The Lord of the Rings trilogy to Lawrence of Arabia, East is East, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and Thor: The Dark World. It also broadcasts regularly on television and radio, and in 2005 established its own record label.

There are now over 80 releases available on CD and to download. Recent additions include Vaughan Williams’s Symphonies Nos. 4 and 6, Bruckner’s Symphony No. 3 conducted by Stanisław Skrowaczewski and Messiaen’s Des Canyons Aux Étoiles.

In summer 2012 the London Philharmonic Orchestra performed as part of The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Pageant on the River Thames, and was also chosen to record all the world’s national anthems for the London 2012 Olympics. In 2013 it was the winner of the RPS Music Award for Ensemble.

The London Philharmonic Orchestra is committed to inspiring the next generation of musicians through an energetic programme of activities for young people.

Highlights include the BrightSparks schools’ concerts and FUNharmonics family concerts; the Young Composers Programme; and the Foyle Future Firsts orchestral training programme for outstanding young players. Its work at the forefront of digital engagement and social media has enabled the Orchestra to reach even more people worldwide: all its recordings are available to download from iTunes and, as well as a YouTube channel and regular podcast series, the Orchestra has a lively presence on Facebook and Twitter.

Find out more and get involved! lpo.org.uk facebook.com/londonphilharmonicorchestra twitter.com/LPOrchestra

© Benjamin Ealovega

Western orchestra. Touring remains a large part of the Orchestra’s life: highlights of the 2015/16 season include visits to Mexico City as part of the UK Mexico Year of Culture, Spain, Germany, Canary Islands, Belgium, a return to the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam and the Orchestra’s premiere at La Scala, Milan.

Born in South Africa, he made his solo debut 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 appeared frequently as Guest Leader with the Barcelona, Bordeaux, Lyon, Baltimore and BBC symphony orchestras, and the Rotterdam and BBC Philharmonic orchestras. He is a Professor of Violin at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London. Pieter’s chair in the London Philharmonic Orchestra is supported by Neil Westreich.

youtube.com/londonphilharmonic7

London Philharmonic Orchestra | 5

Vladimir Jurowski conductor

Jurowski seems to have reached the magic state when he can summon a packed house to hear anything he conducts with the LPO, however unfamiliar

© Drew Kelley

Geoff Brown, The Arts Desk, February 2015

One of today’s most sought-after conductors, acclaimed worldwide for his incisive musicianship and adventurous artistic commitment, Vladimir Jurowski was born in Moscow and studied at the Music Academies of Dresden and Berlin. In 1995 he made his international debut at the Wexford Festival conducting Rimsky-Korsakov’s May Night, and the same year saw his debut at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, with Nabucco.

Vladimir Jurowski was appointed Principal Guest Conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra in 2003, becoming Principal Conductor in 2007. He also holds the titles of Principal Artist of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and Artistic Director of the Russian State Academic Symphony Orchestra. He has previously held the positions of First Kapellmeister of the Komische Oper Berlin (1997–2001), Principal Guest Conductor of the Teatro Comunale di Bologna (2000–03), Principal Guest Conductor of the Russian National Orchestra (2005–09), and Music Director of Glyndebourne Festival Opera (2001–13).

He is a regular guest with many leading orchestras in both Europe and North America, including the Berlin Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic and Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester Berlin; the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra; The Philadelphia Orchestra; The Cleveland Orchestra; the Boston, San Francisco and Chicago symphony orchestras; and the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Leipzig Gewandhausorchester, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Staatskapelle Dresden and Chamber Orchestra of Europe.

His opera engagements have included Rigoletto, Jenůfa, The Queen of Spades, Hansel and Gretel and Die Frau ohne Schatten at the Metropolitan Opera, New York;

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Parsifal and Wozzeck at Welsh National Opera; War and Peace at the Opéra national de Paris; Eugene Onegin at the Teatro alla Scala, Milan; Ruslan and Ludmila at the Bolshoi Theatre; Moses und Aron at Komische and Iolanta and Die Teufel von Loudun at Semperoper Dresden, and numerous operas at Glyndebourne including Otello, Macbeth, Falstaff, Tristan und Isolde, Don Giovanni, The Cunning Little Vixen, Peter Eötvös’s Love and Other Demons, and Ariadne auf Naxos. The Glyndebourne production of Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, led by Vladimir Jurowski with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Glyndebourne Chorus won the 2015 BBC Music Magazine Opera Award. Future highlights include his Bayerische Staatsoper debut with Prokofiev's The Fiery Angel.

During the performance we are all 'in the same boat' so since conductors are meant to be silent during the concert, a friendly encouraging look in the right moment is very helpful, almost as helpful as good conducting technique (the latter being rather obligatory).

Vladimir Jurowski on engaging players during a performance

As well as return visits to leading US orchestras and his debut at the Salzburg Easter Festival at the helm of the Staatskapelle Dresden, 2015/16 season highlights also include bringing together the London Philharmonic Orchestra and State Academic Symphony of Russia to perform Schoenberg's Gurrelieder at the Moscow Rostropovich Festival.

In 2007 Vladimir was a guest on BBC Radio 4's flagship programme Desert Island Discs.

Discover his eight records of choice here: bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007w97r

London Philharmonic Choir Patron HRH Princess Alexandra | President Sir Mark Elder | Artistic Director Neville Creed Accompanist Jonathan Beatty | Chairman Ian Frost | Choir Manager Tessa Bartley

Founded in 1947, the London Philharmonic Choir is widely regarded as one of Britain's finest choirs, consistently meeting with great critical acclaim. It has performed under leading international conductors for more than 65 years and made numerous recordings for CD, radio and television.

Enjoying a close relationship with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Choir frequently joins it for concerts in the UK and abroad. The Choir had a busy last season performing Mahler's Symphony No. 2 under the Orchestra's new Principal Guest Conductor Andrés Orozco-Estrada, Rachmaninoff's The Bells with Vasily Petrenko and three performances with the Orchestra's Principal Conductor and Artistic Adviser, Vladimir Jurowiski, including works by Verdi, Stravinsky, Rachmaninoff, Enescu and Ravel. The Choir looks forward to performing works by Taneyev, Szymanowski and Brahms this season.

The Choir appears regularly at the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, and performances have included the UK premières of Mark-Anthony Turnage's A Relic of Memory and Goldie's Sine Tempore in the Evolution!

Prom. The Choir has been engaged by the BBC for all the Doctor Who Proms and, in recent years, has

Sopranos Catherine Allum; Annette Argent; Jane Awdry; Hilary Bates; Anisoara Brinzei; Laura Buntine; Olivia Carter; Paula Chessell; Emily Clarke; Sally Cottam; Emma Craven; Harriet Crawford; Sarah Deane-Cutler; Rachel Gibbon; Lydia Grant; Emma Hancox; Jane Hanson; Sally Harrison ; Carolyn Hayman; Junelle Kwon; Katie Leggett; Ilona Lynch; Martha MacBean; Meg McClure Tynan; Mariana Nina; Linda Park; Danielle Reece-Greenhalgh; Vikki Sutcliffe; Susan Thomas; Jessica Watson; Susan Watts; Joanna Webster; Marie Zaccarini; Altos Deirdre Ashton; Phye Bell; Sally Brien; Andrei Caracoti; Noel Chow; Liz Cole; Sheila Cox; Andrea Easey; Kristi Jagodin; Ayla Mansur; Marj McDaid; Sophie Morrison; Rachel Murray; Carolyn Saunders; Rima Sereikiene; Muriel Swijghuisen Reigersberg; Susi Underwood; Snezhana Valcheva; Jenny Watson; Emma Windle

given performances of Verdi's Requiem, Liszt's A Faust Symphony, Beethoven's Missa Solemnis, Elgar's The Apostles, Howells's Hymnus Paradisi and Walton's Henry V, the latter under the baton of Sir Neville Marriner who now holds the record at 90 years old as the oldest conductor to lead a Prom concert. This year, the Choir performed Sancta Civitas by Vaughan Williams with the Hallé Orchestra and Choir, under the London Philharmonic Choir's President, Sir Mark Elder, as well as Orff's Carmina Burana alongside the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus.

A well-travelled choir, it has visited numerous European countries and performed in Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong and Perth, Australia. Members of the choir performed Weill's The Threepenny Opera in Paris, with a repeat performance in London. In 2012 and 2014, it appeared at the Touquet International Music Masters Festival in France, performing Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 and Mozart's Requiem.

The Choir prides itself on achieving first-class performances from its members, who are volunteers from all walks of life. For more information, including details about how to join, please visit lpc.org.uk.

Tenors Scott Addison; David Aldred; Geir Andreassen; Chris Beynon; Fred Fisher; Anton Fraser; Alan Glover; Peter Goves; Josh Haley; Stephen Hodges; Patrick Hughes; Andrew Mackie; Tony Masters; Knut Olav Rygnestad; Keith Saunders; Owen Toller; Claudio Tonini; Tony Wren; Martin Yates Basses Martyn Atkins; Jonathon Bird; Peter Blamire; Gordon Buky-Webster; Geoff Clare; Phillip Dangerfield; Marcus Daniels; Halldor Fosså; Ian Frost; Christopher Gadd; Nicholas Hennell-Foley; Mark Hillier; Stephen Hines; David Hodgson; Ashley Jacobs; John D Morris; John G Morris; Will Parsons; Johan Pieters; Mike Probert; John Salmon; Ed Smith; Peter Sollich; Philip Tait; Alex Thomas; Trevor Watson; John Wood

London Philharmonic Orchestra | 7

Programme notes

Speedread Though Taneyev and Tchaikovsky were contemporaries and close musical friends, spiritually they were worlds apart. While Taneyev’s St John of Damascus is recognizably Russian in its rich dark colours and intense expression, it has the noble, otherworldly restraint of a Byzantine icon. St John of Damascus tells of the last thoughts of the great Orthodox saint as he prepares ‘between fear and hope’ to meet his God, its poignancy enhanced by Taneyev’s dignified use of ancient Russian chants.

Then Tchaikovsky’s Francesca da Rimini plunges us straight into the depths of Hell, for an impassioned, vivid retelling in music of one of the most famous episodes of Dante’s Inferno. Here the poet meets the

Sergei Taneyev 1856–1915

In many ways Sergei Taneyev is a mysterious exception amongst 19th-century Russian composers. Where the nationalists idealised ‘the melody of life, not of classicism’ (in the words of Mussorgsky), and even the more cosmopolitan Tchaikovsky strove to escape gloomy introspection by immersing himself in the life and music of his people, Taneyev turned inwards, seeking salvation in the more abstract delights of Bachian counterpoint – to his friend and mentor Tchaikovsky’s astonishment and exasperation. All of this is strangely in keeping with the man himself. Taneyev never married, nor is there any evidence of either a serious long-term attachment or any passing physical dalliance. He was highly secretive about his compositional efforts too, this apparently stemming from an almost pathological lack of confidence. For most of his 20s he seems to have composed solely for his desk drawer. It wasn’t until 1884 when, after having written more than 40 works,

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doomed adulterous lovers Francesca and Paulo and is consumed with pity for their fate.

In later years Sibelius came to be viewed as the austere Titan of Nordic music, whose symphonies offered the world ‘cold spring water’. Yet in his youth Sibelius strongly identified with the glamorously self-revealing Tchaikovsky, and echoes of the Russian master’s soaring lyricism can be heard in his own Second Symphony. At the same time his native Finland’s struggles to emerge from Russian domination find powerful echo, particularly in the stirring finale, which earned this work the nickname ‘Symphony of Liberation’.

St John of Damascus, Op. 1 London Philharmonic Choir 1. Adagio ma non troppo 2. Andante sostenuto – 3. Fuga. Allegro – Moderato

the 28 year-old Taneyev allowed the world to hear his official ‘Opus 1’, the cantata St John of Damascus, composed to the memory of his teacher, composer and pianist Nikolai Rubinstein.

There is nothing quite like St John of Damascus in Russian music. On the one hand, its Russian musical ‘accent’ is unmistakable. The opening dark woodwind and string colours recall Tchaikovsky, while the sustained use of a well-known Russian funeral chant, ‘May you rest among the saints’ (also quoted by Tchaikovsky in his 'Pathétique' Symphony), seems to set the seal on the music’s ‘national’ tone. Yet there is also something uniquely contained about this music: it is dignified, objective, as well as highly charged – we are a long way from Tchaikovskian self-revelation. Russian liturgical elements (later on strings and winds imitate the chanted responses of priest and choir) are fused

Programme notes

skilfully with noble, elegant Bachian counterpoint in which each vocal part is truly first amongst equals.

This suits the words of the text admirably. Taneyev bases his music on the eighth section of the poem St John of Damascus by Alexei Tolstoy, second cousin of the famous novelist, which tells of the saint’s last thoughts. The premiere, at a memorial concert for Rubinstein, was a well-deserved success, and after it even Taneyev appears to have accepted that he might have something valuable to offer the world after all.

‘In the matter of counterpoint I now deem myself the victor and you vanquished’, he wrote to Tchaikovsky, who accepted his defeat delightedly.

St John of Damascus Text 1.

Eedoo v nevyedamyi mnye poot,' Eedoo myesh straha ee nadyezhdy; Moy vzor oogas, astylla groot'; Nye vnyemlyet slooh, samknooty vyezhdy; Lyezhoo byezgllasyen, nyedveezhym, Nye slyshoo bratskava rydan'ya, Ee at kadeella seeneey dym nye mnye strooeet bllagaoohan'ye

I begin a journey into the unknown I travel between fear and hope; My sight is extinguished, my breast has grown cold, I cannot hear, my eyes are closed.

I am lying silent and still I do not hear my brothers sobbing, And the blue smoke of the incense Does not exude its aroma for me.

2.

No vyechnym snom paka ya splyu, Maya lyubof' nye oomeerayet, Ee yeyu, brat'ya, vas malyu, Da kazhdyi k Gospadoo vzyvayet: Gaspot'!

But while I sleep with the eternal sleep, My love lives on, And I implore you, brothers, Each one of you to call thus to the Lord: Oh Lord!

3.

V tot dyen', kagda trooba vastroobeet meera pryestavlyen'ye, Preeymee oosopsheva raba v tvaee nyebyesnyye syelyen'ya.

On the day when a trumpet Shall signal the end of the world, Accept Thy departed servant Into Thy heavenly abode.

Transliteration © Irina Rozhdestvina

From the poem St John of Damascus by Alexei Tolstoy

London Philharmonic Orchestra | 9

Programme notes continued

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Francesca da Rimini (Fantasy after Dante)

1840–93

Throughout his life, Tchaikovsky was prone to feelings of guilt and foreboding. Arguments have raged about whether his homosexuality was wholly or partly the cause of this; but it is almost certain that Tchaikovsky was also bi-polar – or, to use the older, more familiar label, manic-depressive. Feelings of guilt, sometimes inexplicable, and of dread for some indefinable fate, are common symptoms of the depressive phase. In Tchaikovsky’s case however he was able to channel these feelings into some of his most remarkable music, and there were times when this may well have saved his sanity.

No doubt the presence of such powerful emotions, so memorably expressed in the poetry of Dante’s Inferno, was one reason for Tchaikovsky’s attraction to the subject of Francesca da Rimini. In the poem, Francesca’s punishment for her adulterous affair is to be blown ceaselessly through dark space by whirlwinds. Almost certainly the theme of forbidden love added another strand of fascination for Tchaikovsky, in which case he would have been strongly moved by Dante’s description of his own reaction to Francesca’s fate: hearing her story from her lips Dante is so struck with compassion that he faints, ‘falling like a corpse to the ground’. Francesca’s narrative begins with one of the most famous remarks in the whole of Inferno: ‘There is no greater grief than to remember happy times in the midst of misery’ – words Tchaikovsky clearly took to heart.

Initially Tchaikovsky thought of turning the story of Francesca into an opera. A libretto was provided for him by the Russian critic and composer Hermann Laroche early in 1876. But for a variety of reasons Tchaikovsky turned against the idea. When his brother Modest suggested an orchestral work, Tchaikovsky knew he had found the solution, and the resulting ‘Fantasy after Dante’ was composed quickly. Tchaikovsky’s estimation of his own works often swung as widely as his own moods, but this time his pride in his musical achievement lasted: ‘I wrote it with love and that lover, it seems, has come out rather well.’ In fact Francesca da Rimini is not only one of his most stirring works, but as a whole it reconciles musical form and feeling triumphantly. The grim introduction is compact and tense, leading seamlessly into the music of the whirlwind, which gathers momentum, then falls back into the grim introductory music. Now the storm builds to full fury. As it abates, a solo clarinet introduces the love theme – we can imagine Francesca recalling those lost ‘happy times’. But then, inevitably, the storm returns, now rising to a devastating conclusion.

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

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Jean Sibelius 1865–1957

Sibelius once told his fellow composer Gustav Mahler that, for him, writing symphonies was about finding ‘the profound logic that establishes a connection between all the motifs’. True, no 20th-century composer is more profoundly logical than Sibelius at his best: following the development of a whole movement from a tiny thematic ‘germ’ can be like watching a speededup film of a plant growing from a seed to full flower.

But it’s also clear that there is much more to a work like the Second Symphony than abstract development.

In fact the slow second movement began life as a tone poem about the final struggle between Don Juan and Death – it’s still possible to trace the outlines of the story in the music – while the triumphant emergence of the majestic Finale theme from the stormy ending of the third movement is much more than a clever piece of musical engineering. For many of Sibelius’s fellow Finns, listening to the symphony’s first performance in 1902, this passage in particular expressed the nation’s growing hope of independence after a century of Russian domination. In fact the Second Symphony soon came to be known as the ‘Symphony of Liberation’.

For his part, Sibelius never completely confirmed or denied this interpretation, but it’s hard to believe that the fate of his oppressed but heroically defiant native country didn’t leave a deep imprint on this music – and especially on its blazingly positive conclusion.

In the first movement profound logic and mounting optimism work hand in hand. The opening string chords outline a three-note rising figure, moving upwards in simple steps. This is the seed from which almost everything in this music grows. But at first the growth is hesitant, broken by pauses and expectant silences.

Eventually the pace and excitement mount, but this too

Symphony No. 2 in D, Op. 43 1 Allegretto 2 Tempo Andante, ma rubato 3 Vivacissimo – Lento e suave – Tempo primo – Lento e suave – 4 Finale: Allegro moderato

seems to run out of steam, and a nervous oboe figure, with murmuring string accompaniment initiates a long, striving build up. At the height of this long crescendo triumphant brass fanfares burst through, culminating in a grand restatement of the opening material, now without its earlier hesitancy. A brief recapitulation leads to a calmer coda, the opening rising string figures now falling to rest.

You mention interconnections between themes and other such matters, all of which are quite subconscious on my part. Only afterwards can one discern this or that relationship but for the most part one is merely the vessel. That miraculous logic (let us call it God) which governs a work of art, that is the important thing.’

Jean Sibelius to his friend Axel Carpelan

Eerie pizzicato (plucked) figures for basses and cellos, followed by a lugubrious bassoon solo, set a more sombre tone for the slow movement. In his sketches for the original Don Juan tone poem Sibelius sketched out a programme for this first section: ‘Sitting in the twilight in my castle. A stranger comes in. I ask him more than once who he is. Finally he strikes up a song. Then Don Juan sees who it is – Death.’ It’s not hard to match this closely to the music. The sense of struggle grows darker, more painful, but a warmer, major key theme for full strings (in the sketches labelled ‘Christus’) brings welcome contrast. In this movement it is the darker music – ‘Death’ according to Sibelius’s abandoned programme – that wins.

London Philharmonic Orchestra | 11

Programme notes continued

However that only makes the rushing vitality of the following Vivacissimo third movement all the more exhilarating. Twice this music is interrupted by a chant-like theme (led by oboe) in a slower tempo, but the second time this leads into a stormy transition, with scraps of a new theme heard first on bass instruments – Sibelius’s model here is clearly the thrilling ScherzoFinale transition in Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony.

Eventually the clouds part, and the scraps fuse into the superbly confident Finale theme, striding forward in three beats to the bar. This movement too has its darker episodes – Sibelius’s widow revealed that the plaintive oboe theme (above murmuring low strings) was composed in memory of her sister, who committed suicide – Death in another guise.

But eventually the Finale theme returns with renewed vigour. Finally the tempo broadens and trumpets extend the theme into a radiant song of victory.

Recommended recordings of tonight’s works Taneyev: St. John of Damascus Moscow State Choir | Russian National Orchestra Mikhail Pletnev | [DG] (Coupled with Rachmaninoff The Bells) Tchaikovsky: Francesca da Rimini New York Stadium Orchestra* | Klaus Tennstedt [Everest] (*AKA New York Philharmonic) London Philharmonic Orchestra | Valery Gergiev [Philips B005Y-OSG7Q] Sibelius: Symphony No. 2 London Philharmonic Orchestra | Paavo Berglund [LPO-0005] (Coupled with Symphony No. 7)

Programme notes © Stephen Johnson

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12 | London Philharmonic Orchestra

at Royal Festival Hall Saturday 3 October | 7.30pm

Friday 23 October | 7.30pm

Oliver Knussen Scriabin Settings Sibelius Violin Concerto Scriabin Symphony No. 3 (The Divine Poem)

Bizet Symphony in C Ravel Piano Concerto in G major Saint-Saëns Symphony No. 3 (Organ)

Vladimir Jurowski conductor Leonidas Kavakos violin

Thierry Fischer conductor Benjamin Grosvenor piano James Sherlock organ*

Generously supported by Victoria Robey OBE

* Please note change to the originally advertised artist

JTI FRIDAY SERIES

Wednesday 14 October | 7.30pm Krzysztof Penderecki Adagio for Strings (UK premiere) Krzysztof Penderecki Horn Concerto ‘Winterreise’ (UK premiere)* Krzysztof Penderecki Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima Shostakovich Symphony No. 6 Krzysztof Penderecki conductor Radovan Vlatković horn* Supported by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute as part of the Polska Music Programme * Please note change to the originally advertised repertoire and artist

Wednesday 28 October | 7.30pm Beethoven Symphony No. 1 Thomas Larcher Violin Concerto Stravinsky The Rite of Spring Markus Stenz conductor Patricia Kopatchinskaja violin

Saturday 31 October | 7.30pm Bruckner Symphony No. 5 (1878 Nowak edition) Stanisław Skrowaczewski conductor

Wednesday 4 November | 7.30pm Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3 Mahler Symphony No. 5 Jukka-Pekka Saraste conductor Paul Lewis piano

Tickets £9–£39 (premium seats £65) London Philharmonic Orchestra Ticket Office: 020 7840 4242 Monday–Friday 10.00am–5.00pm lpo.org.uk Transaction fees: £1.75 online, £2.75 telephone.

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

Masur Circle Arts Council England Dunard Fund Victoria Robey OBE Emmanuel & Barrie Roman The Underwood Trust

The Rothschild Foundation Tom & Phillis Sharpe The Viney Family

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

14 | London Philharmonic Orchestra

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

We would like to acknowledge the generous support of the following Thomas Beecham Group Patrons, Principal Benefactors and Benefactors: Thomas Beecham Group The Tsukanov Family Foundation Neil Westreich William and Alex de Winton Mrs Philip Kan* Simon Robey Victoria Robey OBE Bianca & Stuart Roden Laurence Watt Anonymous Jon Claydon Garf & Gill Collins* Andrew Davenport Mrs Sonja Drexler David & Victoria Graham Fuller The Jeniffer and Jonathan Harris Charitable Trust Mr & Mrs Makharinsky Geoff & Meg Mann Caroline, Jamie & Zander Sharp Julian & Gill Simmonds* Eric Tomsett The Viney Family John & Manon Antoniazzi Jane Attias John & Angela Kessler Guy & Utti Whittaker * BrightSparks Patrons: instead of supporting a chair in the Orchestra, these donors have chosen to support our series of schools’ concerts.

Principal Benefactors Mark & Elizabeth Adams David & Yi Yao Buckley Desmond & Ruth Cecil Mr John H Cook David Ellen Mr Daniel Goldstein Drs Frank & Gek Lim Peter MacDonald Eggers Dr Eva Lotta & Mr Thierry Sciard Mr & Mrs David Malpas Mr & Mrs G Stein Mr & Mrs John C Tucker Mr & Mrs John & Susi Underwood Lady Marina Vaizey Grenville & Krysia Williams Mr Anthony Yolland Benefactors Mr Geoffrey Bateman Mrs A Beare Ms Molly Borthwick David & Patricia Buck Mrs Alan Carrington Mr & Mrs Stewart Cohen Mr Alistair Corbett Mr Bruno de Kegel Mr David Edgecombe Mr Timothy Fancourt QC Mr Richard Fernyhough Wim and Jackie Hautekiet-Clare Tony & Susan Hayes Michael & Christine Henry

Malcolm Herring J. Douglas Home Ivan Hurry Mr Glenn Hurstfield Per Jonsson Mr Gerald Levin Wg. Cdr. & Mrs M T Liddiard OBE JP RAF Paul & Brigitta Lock Mr Peter Mace Ms Ulrike Mansel Mr Brian Marsh Andrew T Mills Dr Karen Morton Mr & Mrs Andrew Neill Mr Michael Posen Alexey & Anastasia Reznikovich Mr Konstantin Sorokin Martin and Cheryl Southgate Mr Peter Tausig Simon and Charlotte Warshaw Howard & Sheelagh Watson Des & Maggie Whitelock Christopher Williams Bill Yoe and others who wish to remain anonymous Hon. Benefactor Elliott Bernerd Hon. Life Members Kenneth Goode Carol Colburn Grigor CBE Pehr G Gyllenhammar Mrs Jackie Rosenfeld OBE

The generosity of our Sponsors, Corporate Members, supporters and donors is gratefully acknowledged: Corporate Members Silver: Accenture Berenberg Carter-Ruck We are AD Bronze: Appleyard & Trew LLP BTO Management Consulting AG Charles Russell Speechlys Lazard Leventis Overseas Preferred Partners Corinthia Hotel London Heineken Sipsmith Steinway Villa Maria In-kind Sponsors Google Inc Sela / Tilley’s Sweets

Trusts and Foundations Angus Allnatt Charitable Foundation The Bernarr Rainbow Trust The Boltini Trust Borletti-Buitoni Trust The Candide Trust Cockayne – Grants for the Arts The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust Dunard Fund The Equitable Charitable Trust The Foyle Foundation Lucille Graham Trust The Jeniffer and Jonathan Harris Charitable Trust Help Musicians UK The Idlewild Trust Kirby Laing Foundation The Leche Trust The London Community Foundation London Stock Exchange Group Foundation Lord and Lady Lurgan Trust Marsh Christian Trust Adam Mickiewicz Institute The Peter Minet Trust

The Ann and Frederick O’Brien Charitable Trust Office for Cultural and Scientific Affairs of the Embassy of Spain in London The Austin and Hope Pilkington Trust The Stanley Picker Trust The Radcliffe Trust Rivers Foundation The R K Charitable Trust RVW Trust Serge Rachmaninoff Foundation The David Solomons Charitable Trust Souter Charitable Trust The John Thaw Foundation The Tillett Trust UK Friends of the Felix-MendelssohnBartholdy-Foundation The Viney Family Garfield Weston Foundation The Barbara Whatmore Charitable Trust and all others who wish to remain anonymous

London Philharmonic Orchestra | 15

Administration Board of Directors Victoria Robey OBE Chairman Stewart McIlwham* President Gareth Newman* Vice-President Dr Manon Antoniazzi Roger Barron Richard Brass Desmond Cecil CMG Jonathan Harris CBE FRICS Amanda Hill Dr Catherine C. Høgel Rachel Masters* George Peniston* Kevin Rundell* Natasha Tsukanova Mark Vines* Timothy Walker AM Laurence Watt Neil Westreich David Whitehouse* * Player-Director Advisory Council Victoria Robey OBE Chairman Christopher Aldren Richard Brass David Buckley Sir Alan Collins KCVO CMG Andrew Davenport Jonathan Dawson William de Winton Edward Dolman Christopher Fraser OBE Lord Hall of Birkenhead CBE Rehmet Kassim-Lakha Jamie Korner Clive Marks OBE FCA Stewart McIlwham Sir Bernard Rix Baroness Shackleton Lord Sharman of Redlynch OBE Thomas Sharpe QC Julian Simmonds Martin Southgate Sir Philip Thomas Sir John Tooley Chris Viney Timothy Walker AM Elizabeth Winter American Friends of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Inc. Jenny Ireland Co-Chairman William A. Kerr Co-Chairman Kyung-Wha Chung Alexandra Jupin Dr. Felisa B. Kaplan Jill Fine Mainelli Kristina McPhee Dr. Joseph Mulvehill Harvey M. Spear, Esq. Danny Lopez Hon. Chairman Noel Kilkenny Hon. Director Victoria Robey OBE Hon. Director Richard Gee, Esq Of Counsel Jenifer L. Keiser, CPA, EisnerAmper LLP Stephanie Yoshida

Chief Executive

Education and Community

Digital Projects

Timothy Walker AM Chief Executive and Artistic Director

Isabella Kernot Education Director (maternity leave)

Alison Atkinson Digital Projects Director

Amy Sugarman PA to the Chief Executive / Administrative Assistant

Clare Lovett Education Director (maternity cover)

Finance

Talia Lash Education and Community Project Manager

Albion Media (Tel: 020 3077 4930)

Lucy Duffy Education and Community Project Manager

Philip Stuart Discographer

David Burke General Manager and Finance Director David Greenslade Finance and IT Manager Dayse Guilherme Finance Officer

Richard Mallett Education and Community Producer

Concert Management

Development

Roanna Gibson Concerts Director

Nick Jackman Development Director

Graham Wood Concerts and Recordings Manager

Catherine Faulkner Development Events Manager

Jenny Chadwick Tours Manager Tamzin Aitken Glyndebourne and UK Engagements Manager Alison Jones Concerts and Recordings Co-ordinator

Kathryn Hageman Individual Giving Manager Laura Luckhurst Corporate Relations Manager Anna Quillin Trusts and Foundations Manager Rebecca Fogg Development Co-ordinator

Jo Cotter Tours Co-ordinator

Helen Etheridge Development Assistant

Orchestra Personnel

Kirstin Peltonen Development Associate

Andrew Chenery Orchestra Personnel Manager Sarah Holmes Sarah Thomas Librarians (job-share) Christopher Alderton Stage Manager

Marketing Kath Trout Marketing Director Libby Northcote-Green Marketing Manager

Damian Davis Transport Manager

Rachel Williams Publications Manager (maternity leave)

Madeleine Ridout Assistant Orchestra Personnel Manager

Sarah Breeden Publications Manager (maternity cover)

16 | London Philharmonic Orchestra

Samantha Cleverley Box Office Manager (Tel: 020 7840 4242) Anna O’Connor Marketing Co-ordinator Natasha Berg Marketing Intern

Matthew Freeman Recordings Consultant Public Relations

Archives

Gillian Pole Recordings Archive Professional Services Charles Russell Speechlys Solicitors Crowe Clark Whitehill LLP Auditors Dr Louise Miller Honorary Doctor London Philharmonic Orchestra 89 Albert Embankment London SE1 7TP Tel: 020 7840 4200 Box Office: 020 7840 4242 Email: admin@lpo.org.uk lpo.org.uk The London Philharmonic Orchestra Limited is a registered charity No. 238045.

Composer photographs courtesy of the Royal College of Music, London.

Front cover photograph: Ilyoung Chae, First Violin © Benjamin Ealovega. Cover design/ art direction: Ross Shaw @ JMG Studio.

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