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Concert programme 2013/14 season Part of Southbank Centreâ€™s

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Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor VLADIMIR JUROWSKI* Principal Guest Conductor YANNICK NÉZET-SÉGUIN Leader pieter schoeman Composer in Residence JULIAN ANDERSON Patron HRH THE DUKE OF KENT KG Chief Executive and Artistic Director TIMOTHY WALKER AM

Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall Saturday 2 November 2013 | 7.30pm

Messiaen Des canyons aux étoiles (1hr 42min)

Christoph Eschenbach conductor Tzimon Barto piano John Ryan horn Andrew Barclay percussion Erika Öhman percussion There will be no interval during this performance. The timing shown is not precise and is given only as a guide.

This event forms part of the Royal Philharmonic Society Bicentenary Celebrations, 1813–2013.

Free pre-concert talk 6.00–6.45pm | Royal Festival Hall Exploring the rich sound world of Olivier Messiaen, this talk delves into his musical language, where birdsong, faith and colour collide to produce one of the most original musical voices in the 20th century. A new piano miniature inspired by Des canyons aux étoiles will also be performed.

* supported by the Tsukanov Family Foundation and one anonymous donor CONCERT PRESENTED BY THE LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

Programme £3 Contents 2 Welcome 3 Tonight’s work in context 4 About the Orchestra 5 Leader 6 On stage tonight 7 Christoph Eschenbach 8 Tzimon Barto / John Ryan 9 Andrew Barclay / Erika Öhman 10 Programme notes 12 Next concert 13 Royal Philharmonic Society 1813–2013 14 Catalyst: Double Your Donation 15 Supporters 16 LPO administration

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 and Feng Sushi, 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.

Southbank Centre’s The Rest Is Noise, inspired by Alex Ross’s book The Rest Is Noise Presented by Southbank Centre in partnership with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. southbankcentre.co.uk/therestisnoise The Rest Is Noise is a year-long festival that digs deep into 20th-century history to reveal the influences on art in general and classical music in particular. Inspired by Alex Ross’s book The Rest Is Noise, we use film, debate, talks and a vast range of concerts to reveal the fascinating stories behind the century’s wonderful and often controversial music. We have brought together the world’s finest orchestras and soloists to perform many of the most significant works of the 20th century. We reveal why these pieces were written and how they transformed the musical language of the modern world. Over the year, The Rest Is Noise focuses on 12 different parts. The music is set in context with talks from a fascinating team of historians, scientists, philosophers, political theorists and musical experts as well as films, online content and other special programmes. If you’re new to 20th-century music, then this is your time to start exploring with us as your tour guide. There has never been a festival like this. Jude Kelly Artistic Director, Southbank Centre

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Tonight’s work in context

1908 Olivier Messiaen born in Avignon, France

1910

1912 Sinking of the RMS Titanic. Premiere of Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire in Berlin 1914 Outbreak of World War I

1920

1918 End of World War I 1919 Messiaen entered the Paris Conservatoire aged 11 1922 Creation of the Soviet Union (USSR) 1928 Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin

1930

1929 Wall Street Crash 1932 London Philharmonic Orchestra founded by Sir Thomas Beecham 1936 Abdication of King Edward VIII

1940

1939 Outbreak of World War II: Messiaen drafted into the French army as a medical auxiliary 1940 Messiaen captured at Verdun and held in a prisoner-of-war camp at Görlitz 1941 Messiaen released, and appointed Professor of Harmony at the Paris Conservatoire 1945 End of World War II

1950

1949 Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four published 1953 Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II 1954 Roger Bannister breaks the four-minute mile in Oxford

1960

1959 Death of Messiaen’s first wife, Claire Delbos 1960 Alfred Hitchcock’s film Psycho released 1961 Messiaen married his fomer pupil, pianist Yvonne Loriod 1963 John F. Kennedy assassinated in Dallas, Texas

1970

1967 Homosexuality decriminalised in the UK 1969 Neil Armstrong became the first man on the Moon. Stonewall riots in New York 1974 Premiere of Des canyons aux étoiles in New York 1975 UK premiere of Des canyons aux étoiles at London’s Royal Festival Hall

1980

1978 Messiaen retired from teaching at the Paris Conservatoire 1984 First Apple Macintosh personal computer on sale in the USA

1990

1988 London Philharmonic Orchestra gave the UK premiere of Messiaen’s opera Saint François d’Assise in the presence of the composer to celebrate his 80th birthday 1989 Fall of the Berlin Wall 1991 Collapse of the Soviet Union 1992 Death of Messiaen in Paris

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London Philharmonic Orchestra

After playing so perfectly prepared and beautifully detailed as this, the rest is noise indeed. The Guardian 2 October 2013, Royal Festival Hall: Vladimir Jurowski conducts Britten

The London Philharmonic Orchestra is one of the world’s finest orchestras, balancing a long and distinguished history with its present-day position as one of the most dynamic and forward-looking orchestras in the UK. As well as its performances in the concert hall, the Orchestra also records film and video game soundtracks, has its own successful CD label, and enhances the lives of thousands of people every year through activities for schools and local communities. The Orchestra was founded by Sir Thomas Beecham in 1932. It has since been headed by many of the greatest names in the conducting world, 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, and Yannick Nézet-Séguin is Principal Guest Conductor. Julian Anderson is the Orchestra’s current Composer in Residence. The Orchestra is based at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall in London, where it has performed since 1951 and been Resident Orchestra since 1992. It gives around 40 concerts there each season with many of the

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world’s top conductors and soloists. 2013/14 highlights include a Britten centenary celebration with Vladimir Jurowski; world premieres of James MacMillan’s Viola Concerto and Górecki’s Fourth Symphony; French repertoire with Yannick Nézet-Séguin including Poulenc, Dutilleux, Berlioz, and Saint-Saëns’s ‘Organ’ Symphony; and two concerts of epic film scores. We welcome soloists including Evelyn Glennie, Mitsuko Uchida, Leif Ove Andsnes, Miloš Karadaglić, Renaud Capuçon, Emanuel Ax, Leonidas Kavakos, Julia Fischer and Simon Trpčeski, and a distinguished line-up of conductors including Christoph Eschenbach, Osmo Vänskä, Vasily Petrenko, Jukka-Pekka Saraste and Stanisław Skrowaczewski. Throughout the second half of 2013 the Orchestra continues its year-long collaboration with Southbank Centre in The Rest Is Noise festival, exploring the influential works of the 20th century. 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 50 years.

Pieter Schoeman leader

The London Philharmonic Orchestra has recorded the soundtracks to numerous blockbuster films, from Lawrence of Arabia, The Mission and East is East to Hugo, The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. It also broadcasts regularly on television and radio, and in 2005 established its own record label. There are now over 70 releases available on CD and to download. Recent additions include Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 with Vladimir Jurowski; Vaughan Williams’s Symphonies Nos. 5 & 7 with Bernard Haitink; and Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde with Yannick NézetSéguin, Sarah Connolly and Toby Spence. In summer 2012 the Orchestra was invited to take part in The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Pageant on the River Thames, as well as being chosen to record all the world’s national anthems for the London 2012 Olympics. The London Philharmonic Orchestra is committed to inspiring the next generation of musicians and audiences through an energetic programme of activities for young people. Highlights include the BrightSparks schools’ concerts and FUNharmonics family concerts; fusion ensemble The Band; the Leverhulme Young Composers project; and the Foyle Future Firsts orchestral training programme for outstanding young players. Over recent years, digital advances and social media have enabled the Orchestra to reach even more people across the globe: all its recordings are available to download from iTunes and, as well as a YouTube channel, iPhone app 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

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

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 Western orchestra. Touring remains a large and vital part of the Orchestra’s life: highlights of the 2013/14 season include visits to the USA, Romania, Austria, Germany, Slovenia, Belgium, France and Spain.

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. Pieter is a Professor of Violin at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. London Philharmonic Orchestra | 5

On stage tonight

Violins Pieter Schoeman* Leader Vesselin Gellev Sub-Leader Chair supported by John & Angela Kessler

Ji-Hyun Lee Chair supported by Eric Tomsett

Katalin Varnagy Chair supported by Sonja Drexler

Annabelle Meare Jeongmin Kim Violas Cyrille Mercier Principal Robert Duncan Emmanuella Reiter Cellos Kristina Blaumane Principal Francis Bucknall Laura Donoghue Double Bass Tim Gibbs Principal

Flutes Emily Skala Guest Principal Clare Robson Piccolo Stewart McIlwham* Principal Alto Flute Sue Thomas Chair supported by the Sharp Family

Oboes Ian Hardwick Principal Rosie Staniforth Cor Anglais Sue Bรถhling Principal Chair supported by Julian & Gill Simmonds

Clarinets Robert Hill* Principal Emily Meredith

E-flat Clarinet Nicholas Carpenter* Principal Bass Clarinet Paul Richards Principal Bassoons Gareth Newman* Principal Connie Tanner Contrabassoon Simon Estell Principal Horns John Ryan* Solo David Pyatt* Principal Chair supported by Simon Robey

Piccolo Trumpet Nicholas Betts Trombones Mark Templeton* Principal Andrew Connington Bass Trombone Lyndon Meredith Principal Percussion Andrew Barclay* Solo Chair supported by Andrew Davenport

Erika ร hman Solo Keith Millar Principal Simon Carrington* Jeremy Cornes Sarah Mason Joe Cooper

Martin Hobbs Trumpets Paul Beniston* Principal Anne McAneney* Chair supported by Geoff & Meg Mann

The London Philharmonic Orchestra also acknowledges the following chair supporters whose players are not present at this concert: David & Victoria Graham Fuller Caroline, Jamie & Zander Sharp

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Christoph Eschenbach

conductor

In demand as a distinguished guest conductor with the finest orchestras and opera houses throughout the world, in September 2010 Christoph Eschenbach began his tenure as Music Director of the National Symphony Orchestra (USA), as well as Music Director of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC. In June 2012 he led the National Symphony Orchestra on tour in South America, and last season he again led the Orchestra on a tour of Europe and Oman. Highlights of this season include engagements in the USA with the Chicago Symphony, Boston Symphony and Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestras. Throughout the season he will appear as Music Director of the National Symphony Orchestra, conducting a variety of programmes at the Kennedy Center including Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier with Renée Fleming in March. He will also return to the Houston Symphony for a performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 8. In Europe he will appear with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, the Munich Philharmonic, the Dresden Staatskapelle at Salzburg Easter Festival, and the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin. The Orchestre de Paris, North German Radio Symphony Orchestra, Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne and Spanish National Orchestra will also welcome Christoph Eschenbach this season. In addition he will tour Europe with the Vienna Philharmonic and Gustav Mahler Youth orchestras, and appear at the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival. He will conduct the Vienna Philharmonic for its famous Schönbrunn Summer Night concert, as well as the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra’s New Year concert in Shanghai. Last season saw performances in Europe with the North German Radio Symphony Orchestra, Munich Philharmonic and Orchestre de Paris; a tour of Germany with the London Philharmonic Orchestra; concerts in Israel with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra; and a tour of Australia and Europe with the Australian Youth Orchestra. He also returned to the Vienna State Opera to conduct performances of Strauss’s Capriccio. In the

USA he returned to the Los Angeles Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony and San Francisco Symphony orchestras. As a pianist, Christoph Eschenbach continues his fruitful collaboration with baritone Matthias Goerne, with whom he has recorded Schubert’s three song-cycles – Die schöne Müllerin, Winterreise and Schwanengesang – for the Harmonia Mundi label. This season the duo will appear in recital at Symphony Center in Chicago, the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, and Carnegie Hall in New York, as well as in Baden-Baden and Hamburg. Christoph Eschenbach has an extensive discography as both conductor and pianist, including recordings with the Orchestre de Paris (Ondine and Deutsche Grammophon), London Symphony Orchestra (Sony/ BMG), Vienna Philharmonic (Decca), North German Radio Symphony Orchestra (BMG/Sony and Warner) and Houston Symphony (Koch), among many others. Over the past five years Ondine has released 16 critically acclaimed recordings featuring Eschenbach with the Orchestre de Paris and The Philadelphia Orchestra, a number of which have received prestigious honours including BBC Music Magazine’s Disc of the Month, Gramophone Editor’s Choice and the German Record Critics’ Award. With the London Philharmonic Orchestra Christoph Eschenbach has recorded Bruckner’s Symphony No. 6 and Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis, both released on the LPO Label. Mentored by George Szell and Herbert von Karajan, Christoph Eschenbach held the posts of Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Tonhalle Orchestra from 1982–86; Music Director of the Houston Symphony from 1988–99; Music Director of the Ravinia Festival from 1994–2003; and Artistic Director of the SchleswigHolstein Music Festival from 1999–2002. His many honours include the Légion d’Honneur; Commandeur dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres; Officer’s Cross with Star and Ribbon of the German Order of Merit; and Commander’s Cross of the German Order of Merit for outstanding achievements as pianist and conductor.

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John Ryan

piano

horn

Recognised as one of the foremost American pianists of his generation, Tzimon Barto has given exciting and highly acclaimed performances on both sides of the Atlantic. Born and raised in Florida, he attended The Juilliard School and was a conducting fellow and coach at the American Opera Center. At the Tanglewood Institute he received the ‘Most Outstanding Student Award’ for his achievements as a young conductor.

John began playing the horn with Pádraig Diggin and the Rathfarnham Concert Band in Dublin. He graduated from London’s Guildhall School of Music & Drama in 2001, where he studied with Jeff Bryant and Richard Bissill. He was appointed Co-Principal Horn with the London Symphony Orchestra in the same year. John has played as Guest Principal with the Philharmonia Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and BBC National Orchestra of Wales, and was appointed Principal Horn of the London Philharmonic Orchestra in 2009.

Tzimon’s international breakthrough followed in the mid-1980s, when he appeared at the Vienna Musikverein and the Salzburg Festival at the invitation of Herbert von Karajan. He has since performed with major international orchestras including the New York Philharmonic, Cleveland and Philadelphia orchestras; the Chicago, Houston, National and San Francisco symphony orchestras; the Orchestre de Paris; and the Mariinsky, Berlin Philharmonic, Dresden Staatskapelle, Leipzig Gewandhaus, North German Radio Symphony, Vienna Symphony, Spanish National and NHK Symphony orchestras. He is a frequent guest at major festivals including Ravinia in the USA and White Nights in St Petersburg. For 25 years he has enjoyed a close musical collaboration with conductor Christoph Eschenbach. Recent recordings include keyboard works by Rameau and piano works by Ravel. Other releases feature concertos by Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff, Liszt, de Falla, Saint-Saëns, Chopin, Bartók, Ravel and Gershwin; sonatas by Haydn; solo recitals of works by Chopin, Schumann, and Liszt; and popular encores ranging from Bach to Joplin. A Schumann recording features Tzimon Barto as soloist with the North German Radio Symphony Orchestra performing concert pieces and the ‘Ghost’ Variations, and on his latest recording Tzimon Barto presents Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto. In addition to his career as a pianist, Tzimon is also a writer. His first book, A Lady of Greek Origin, was published in 2001. He speaks five languages fluently, reads ancient Greek, Latin and Hebrew, and is studying Mandarin Chinese. 8 | London Philharmonic Orchestra

Tzimon Barto

As a soloist John has performed both of Strauss’s horn concertos, the Mozart concertos, and Britten’s Serenade for tenor, horn and strings. He has recorded Mozart’s Second Horn Concerto on the Lyric label with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra. His TV appearances include ‘The Late Late Show’ and ‘The Mozart Sessions’ on RTÉ, the Irish national broadcaster. As a chamber musician John has appeared as a featured artist at festivals in Ireland, the UK, Europe and the USA. He also enjoys playing in big bands and has appeared with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra at Ronnie Scott’s in London. Other ensembles with which he has performed include London Brass, London Winds, the London Chamber Orchestra and the Vogler Quartet.

Andrew Barclay

Erika Öhman

percussion

Andrew has performed in West End shows including The Lion King and Les Misérables; on film soundtracks including The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter; and on other film and TV projects. He has also appeared as Guest Principal with the Philharmonia, London Symphony and Royal Opera House orchestras, among others. In 2010 he performed with London Brass at the Papal Mass in Westminster Cathedral to celebrate the visit of Pope Benedict XVI. As a teacher, Andrew is much in demand: he is a Professor of Percussion at the Royal Academy of Music and is regularly invited to give masterclasses at home and abroad. He recently became the percussion coach at the Britten-Pears School, and was appointed to a similar role with the Aldeburgh World Orchestra in 2012.

Erika Öhman studied at the Royal Academy of Music, London, as well as in her native Sweden at the Royal College of Music, Stockholm. © Ian Cape

Andrew Barclay is the London Philharmonic Orchestra’s Principal Percussionist and has been a member of the Orchestra for 18 years. After studying at the Royal College of Music, he embarked on a wide-ranging freelance career with London and regional orchestras, chamber ensembles and contemporary music groups. In 1990 he joined the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and spent five years there before being appointed to the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

Within a year of graduating, Erika joined the Hallé Orchestra as assistant timpanist and percussionist, a position she has held for the last five years. She freelances with various orchestras in the UK and Sweden, including appearances as Guest Principal with the London Philharmonic, Philharmonia and City of Birmingham Symphony orchestras. Together with her sister Karolina, Erika plays throughout Europe in the award-winning cello/percussion duo UmeDuo. In 2011 they were selected to perform as part of the Park Lane Group series at Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall and St Martin-in-the-Fields. More recently the duo won first prize in the prestigious Swedish ‘Ung & Lovande’ competition, resulting in a forthcoming tour of Sweden in 2014. Erika is also a member of the London-based contemporary music group Ensemble Amorpha, which specialises in performing innovative modern chamber music in a variety of performance formats, collaborating with artists from all creative fields. In May this year, Erika was honoured to be made an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music.

Andrew has worked extensively in the field of music education and can often be found at the front of the Orchestra presenting its highly acclaimed BrightSparks schools’ concerts at Royal Festival Hall. On a recent London Philharmonic Orchestra tour to Australia, he presented a family concert at the Sydney Opera House. Andrew’s chair in the London Philharmonic Orchestra is supported by Andrew Davenport.

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Programme notes

Olivier Messiaen 1908–1992

Part One 1 Le désert (The Desert) 2 Les Orioles (The Orioles) 3 Ce qui est écrit sur les étoiles… (What is Written in the Stars...) 4 Le Cossyphe d’Heuglin (The White-browed Robin) 5 Cedar Breaks et le Don de Crainte (Cedar Breaks and the Gift of Awe) Part Two 6 Appel interstellaire (Interstellar Call) 7 Bryce Canyon et les rochers rouge-orange (Bryce Canyon and the Red-Orange Rocks) Part Three 8 Les ressuscités et le chant de l’étoile Aldébaran (The Resurrected and the Song of the Star Aldebaran) 9 Le moqueur polyglotte (The Mockingbird) 10 La grive des bois (The Wood Thrush) 11 Omao, Leiothrix, Elepaio, Shama 12 Zion Park et la Cité Céleste (Zion Park and the Celestial City)

The Turangalîla-Symphonie in 1949 marked the start of Messiaen’s long and happy relationship with American musicians and audiences. In the autumn of 1970, Messiaen and his wife Yvonne Loriod embarked on a six-week concert tour of the USA and Canada, and it was during this visit that a commission from Mrs Alice Tully was confirmed: a work for her Musica Aeterna Orchestra, to be performed in the concert hall at New York’s Lincoln Center that carries Mrs Tully’s name. For Messiaen, the commission was an opportunity to explore some of the continent’s wildest and most elemental landscapes. These turned out to be a marvellous inspiration.

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Des canyons aux étoiles (From the Canyons to the Stars) for piano, horn, xylorimba, glockenspiel and orchestra Tzimon Barto piano John Ryan horn Andrew Barclay percussion Erika Öhman percussion

The specific locations mentioned in Des canyons aux étoiles include the astonishing Bryce Canyon with its orange rock formations. Messiaen and Yvonne Loriod visited this natural wonder in 1972, and the composer was photographed by his wife walking, awe-struck, among the rocks, and notating the birdsongs he heard there. The musical results (in the seventh movement) have a sheer majesty, notably the brass refrain, that seems an ideal musical transformation of a breathtaking natural phenomenon. As will be clear, this is no musical tourism. Though Zion Park was partly the inspiration for the work’s radiant final chorale, Messiaen was also looking beyond: the work’s title takes us upwards, from the depths of the canyons, to the songs of birds, to outer space, and ultimately to the Celestial City. The composer described his broad conception of the work as follows: ‘From the Canyons to the Stars … that is to say, ascending from the canyons to the stars – and higher, to the resurrected in Paradise – in order to glorify God in all His creation. The beauties of the earth (its rocks and birdsong), and the beauties of the physical sky and the spiritual sky. Consequently, it is above all a religious work, a work of praise and contemplation. It is also a geological and astronomical work. The sound-colours include all the hues of the rainbow and revolve around the blue of Steller’s Jay and the red of Bryce Canyon. The majority of the birds are from Utah and the Hawaiian islands. Heaven is symbolised by Zion Park and the star Aldebaran.’ In terms of instrumentation, Des canyons is unusual – the highly inventive scoring is more like chamber music on a grand scale than conventional orchestral writing. As well as solo piano and horn, Messiaen includes 13

string instruments, each with its own individual part (with no doubling), as well as quadruple woodwind, triple brass, tuned and untuned percussion, including éoliphone – wind machine – and géophone – sand machine. Messiaen included these last two instruments in order to evoke the sounds of nature: of wind and of the earth. (The géophone was specially made to his instructions, and carefully guarded by the composer himself between performances – after the premiere Messiaen returned it to his hotel room for safe-keeping before going on to a celebratory meal).

geographical versatility), comes Cedar Breaks and the Gift of Awe. Messiaen described Cedar Breaks in Utah as having a ‘wild and colourful beauty … a vast natural amphitheatre plunging into a deep gorge’. So struck was the composer by this place, that he was forcibly reminded of one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit – the Gift of Awe. Again he uses the alphabet of sounds employed in the third movement, but this time as part of a musical canvas populated by the birds that are native to Cedar Breaks (Clark’s Nutcracker, robins and hawks).

The movement for solo horn, the Interstellar Call, was the first to be written and was originally intended to stand alone: a short memorial piece for Jean-Pierre Guézec, one of Messiaen’s pupils, who died in 1971 at the age of 36. The rest of the work was composed between 1971 and 1974, mostly after a visit to Utah and Arizona in May 1972.

Des Canyons is divided into three parts:

Part Two The Interstellar Call for solo horn exploits the possibilities of the instrument to the full, including stopped trills and flutter-tongue, in music that seems to call across vast spaces and makes immensely telling use of silences. Messiaen’s superscription for this movement is a quotation from Psalm 147: ‘He healeth the broken in heart and bindeth up their wounds. He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.’ This is followed by Bryce Canyon and the Red-Orange Rocks, an astonishing evocation of natural wonder – the longest movement in Des canyons and a pivotal one. Here the majestic red-orange of the rocks meets the blue of Steller’s Jay, a spectacular bird that flies over the canyon, and several other birds. The result is a movement of dazzling brilliance, alternating piano solos, elaborate percussion writing and chorale-like ideas, ending in a glorious fortissimo.

Part One According to the composer, The Desert represents the emptiness that is needed if the soul is to be receptive to the message of the Holy Spirit, while The Orioles represents some of Messiaen’s favourite American birds (the Baltimore oriole had already taken a starring role in Oiseaux exotiques). What is Written in the Stars… is headed by a quotation from the Book of Daniel (also used in Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast): ‘And this is the writing that was written: Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin. Mene: numbered; Tekel: weighed; Upharsin: divided’. Messiaen commented that he ‘applied the idea of number, weight and division to the patterning of the stars. Musically, these fateful words are conveyed by an alphabet of sonorities and durations of fixed harmonies.’ After The White-browed Robin, a piano solo that evokes ‘a prodigious songster’ (from southeast Africa – a characteristic example of Messiaen’s

Part Three In The Resurrected and the Song of the Star Aldebaran, Messiaen makes the stars sing. Scored mainly for strings, this rapturous slow movement is punctuated by fragments of birdsong and ‘droplets of water and silken rustlings’. Written for piano solo, The Mockingbird is a portrait of one of Messiaen’s favourite birds, described by him as ‘America’s most celebrated songster’. This is followed by another of the American birds Messiaen had known for at least two decades: the Wood Thrush – the sun-drenched poet of Oiseaux exotiques – is now heard at its most cheerful and joyous, celebrating lines from the theologian Blessed John of Ruysbroeck: ‘When we enter the state of grace, we receive from the Holy Spirit a new name, which shall be eternal.’ In Omao, Leiothrix, Elepaio, Shama Messiaen again evokes the sound-world of Oiseaux exotiques, with the triumphant Shama (heard on brass instruments here). The final

Des canyons expresses Messiaen’s sense of sheer wonder at the natural world – at the marvels of Creation itself – more completely than any of his previous works. Several of the American birds in the work, notably the Wood Thrush, the Mockingbird and the Baltimore Oriole, had been explored two decades earlier in Oiseaux exotiques (1955–6), but here they reappear in a much larger and more far-reaching work.

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Programme notes continued

movement, Zion Park and the Celestial City, is a vision of glory, of Paradise, and of hope. A luminous chorale is punctuated by ecstatic birdsong choruses until, finally, a radiant A major chord is heard on the strings, and, as Messiaen himself put it, ‘the bells ring out heralding the ultimate joy.’ The first performance of Des canyons aux étoiles took place in Alice Tully Hall in New York on 20 November 1974, with Yvonne Loriod as the solo pianist, Sharon Moe as the horn soloist, and the Musica Aeterna Orchestra conducted by Frederic Waldman. It was almost a year later before the work was heard for the first time in Europe: in Paris on 29 October 1975, conducted by Marius Constant. A fortnight later, the British premiere was given here at Royal Festival Hall on 12 November: Pierre Boulez conducted the BBC Symphony Orchestra, with Yvonne Loriod and Alan Civil as the soloists. On stage after the performance, Pierre Boulez presented Messiaen – his former teacher – with the Gold Medal of the Royal Philharmonic Society.

New for 2013/14 – LPO mini film guides This season we’ve produced a series of short films introducing the pieces we’re performing. We’ve picked one work from each concert and created a bite-sized introduction to the music and its historical background. Watch our Education & Community Director Patrick Bailey introduce Des canyons aux étoiles: lpo.org.uk/explore/videos.html

Next LPO concert at Royal Festival Hall Wednesday 6 November 2013 | 7.30pm Sofia Gubaidulina Offertorium Arvo Pärt Magnificat Arvo Pärt Cantus in memoriam Benjamin Britten Arvo Pärt Berlin Mass Tõnu Kaljuste conductor Sergej Krylov violin London Philharmonic Choir Supported by the Estonian Embassy in London and the Ambache Charitable Trust.

Free pre-concert performance 6.00–6.45pm | Royal Festival Hall LPO Foyle Future Firsts, conducted by Ben Gernon, present a programme including Galina Ustvolskaya’s final work – Symphony No. 5 (Amen), a haunting setting of The Lord’s Prayer.

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Booking details 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

Southbank Centre Ticket Office 0844 847 9920 Daily 9.00am–8.00pm southbankcentre.co.uk Transaction fees: £1.75 online, £2.75 telephone No transaction fee for bookings made in person

Royal Philharmonic Society 1813–2013

‘For centuries the RPS has been the beating heart and conscience of British musical life.’ Richard Morrison, The Times The UK’s orchestral tradition started in 1813 when the Philharmonic Society of London mounted the first public season of concerts. 200 years on and this unique organisation is still at the heart of music: supporting and working creatively with talented young performers and composers, championing excellence, and encouraging audiences to listen to – and talk about – great music. New music has always been central to the RPS, and tonight’s concert reminds us that Messiaen’s Des canyons aux étoiles was first introduced to the UK at a Philharmonic Society concert on 12 November 1975. The concert took place at Royal Festival Hall, with the BBC Symphony Orchestra under Pierre Boulez, with soloists Yvonne Loriod and Alan Civil. Schaller’s iconic bust of Beethoven was given to the RPS in 1870 by Fanny Linzbauer in recognition of the Society’s kindness to Beethoven during the last years of his life. The Bust was displayed at every Society concert until its regular concert season came to an end in the 1980s; a tradition that has been revived this year as part of the RPS’s Bicentenary celebrations. The Royal Philharmonic Society is for people who love music and live music making. Find out more about our extraordinary 200 years of musical history and join us at www.rps200.org

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Catalyst: Double Your Donation

The London Philharmonic Orchestra is building its first ever endowment fund, which will support the most exciting artistic collaborations with its partner venues here in London and around the country. Thanks to a generous grant pledge from Arts Council England’s Catalyst programme, the Orchestra is able to double the value of all gifts from new donors up to a maximum value of £1 million. Any additional gifts from existing generous donors will also be matched. By the end of the campaign we aim to have created an endowment with a value of £2 million which will help us work with partners to provide a funding injection for activities across the many areas of the Orchestra’s work, including: • More visionary artistic projects like The Rest Is Noise at Southbank Centre • Educational and outreach activities for young Londoners like this year’s Noye’s Fludde performance project • Increased touring to venues around the UK that might not otherwise have access to great orchestral music To give, call Development Director Nick Jackman on 020 7840 4211, email support@lpo.org.uk or visit www.lpo.org.uk/support/double-your-donation.html

Catalyst Endowment Donors Masur Circle Arts Council England Emmanuel & Barrie Roman The Sharp Family The Underwood Trust Welser-Möst Circle John Ireland Charitable Trust Tennstedt Circle Simon Robey The late Mr K Twyman Solti Patrons Anonymous Suzanne Goodman The Rothschild Foundation Manon Williams & John Antoniazzi Haitink Patrons Moya Greene Tony and Susie Hayes Lady Roslyn Marion Lyons Diana and Allan Morgenthau Charitable Trust Sir Bernard Rix TFS Loans Limited The Tsukanov Family Foundation Guy & Utti Whittaker

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Pritchard Donors Anonymous Lady Jane Berrill Linda Blackstone Michael Blackstone Jan Bonduelle Richard Brass Britten-Pears Foundation Lady June Chichester Lindka Cierach Mr Alistair Corbett Mark Damazer David Dennis Bill & Lisa Dodd Mr David Edgecombe David Ellen Mr Daniel Goldstein Ffion Hague Rebecca Halford Harrison Michael & Christine Henry Honeymead Arts Trust John Hunter Ivan Hurry Tanya Kornilova Howard & Marilyn Levene Mr Gerald Levin Geoff & Meg Mann

Ulrike Mansel Marsh Christian Trust John Montgomery Rosemary Morgan John Owen Edmund Pirouet Mr Michael Posen John Priestland Ruth Rattenbury Tim Slorick Howard Snell Stanley Stecker Lady Marina Vaizey Helen Walker Laurence Watt Des & Maggie Whitelock Victoria Yanakova Mr Anthony Yolland

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 Anonymous Simon Robey The Sharp Family Julian & Gill Simmonds Garf & Gill Collins Andrew Davenport Mrs Sonja Drexler David & Victoria Graham Fuller John & Angela Kessler Mr & Mrs Makharinsky Geoff & Meg Mann Caroline, Jamie & Zander Sharp Eric Tomsett Guy & Utti Whittaker Manon Williams & John Antoniazzi Principal Benefactors Mark & Elizabeth Adams Jane Attias Lady Jane Berrill Desmond & Ruth Cecil Mr John H Cook David Ellen

Commander Vincent Evans Mr Daniel Goldstein Don Kelly & Ann Wood Peter MacDonald Eggers Mr & Mrs David Malpas Mr Maxwell Morrison Mr Michael Posen Mr & Mrs Thierry Sciard Mr & Mrs G Stein Mr & Mrs John C Tucker Mr & Mrs John & Susi Underwood Lady Marina Vaizey Howard & Sheelagh Watson Mr Anthony Yolland Benefactors Mrs A Beare Mrs Alan Carrington Mr & Mrs Stewart Cohen Mr Alistair Corbett William and Alex de Winton Mr David Edgecombe Mr Richard Fernyhough Ken Follett Michael & Christine Henry Malcolm Herring Ivan Hurry Mr Glenn Hurstfield

Mr R K Jeha Mr Gerald Levin Sheila Ashley Lewis Wg. Cdr. & Mrs M T Liddiard OBE JP RAF Mr Frank Lim Paul & Brigitta Lock Mr Brian Marsh Andrew T Mills John Montgomery Mr & Mrs Andrew Neill Edmund Pirouet Professor John Studd Mr Peter Tausig Mrs Kazue Turner Mr Laurie Watt Des & Maggie Whitelock Christopher Williams Bill Yoe Hon. Benefactor Elliott Bernerd Hon. Life Members Kenneth Goode Carol Colburn Grigor CBE Pehr G Gyllenhammar Edmund Pirouet Mrs Jackie Rosenfeld OBE

The generosity of our Sponsors, Corporate Members, supporters and donors is gratefully acknowledged: Corporate Members

Trusts and Foundations

Silver: AREVA UK British American Business Carter Ruck Thomas Eggar LLP

Angus Allnatt Charitable Foundation Ambache Charitable Trust Ruth Berkowitz Charitable Trust The Boltini Trust Borletti-Buitoni Trust Britten-Pears Foundation The Candide Trust The Ernest Cook Trust The Coutts Charitable Trust The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust Dunard Fund Embassy of Spain, Office for Cultural and Scientific Affairs The Equitable Charitable Trust Fidelio Charitable Trust The Foyle Foundation J Paul Getty Junior Charitable Trust The Jeniffer and Jonathan Harris Charitable Trust The Hobson Charity The Idlewild Trust Kirby Laing Foundation The Leverhulme Trust Marsh Christian Trust

Bronze: Lisa Bolgar Smith and Felix Appelbe of Ambrose Appelbe Appleyard & Trew LLP Berkeley Law Charles Russell Leventis Overseas Preferred Partners Corinthia Hotel London Heineken Lindt & Sprüngli Ltd Sipsmith Steinway Villa Maria In-kind Sponsors Google Inc Sela / Tilley’s Sweets

The Mayor of London’s Fund for Young Musicians Adam Mickiewicz Institute The Peter Minet Trust Maxwell Morrison Charitable Trust Musicians Benevolent Fund The Ann and Frederick O’Brien Charitable Trust PRS for Music Foundation The R K Charitable Trust Serge Rachmaninoff Foundation The Samuel Sebba Charitable Trust The David Solomons Charitable Trust The Bernard Sunley Charitable Foundation John Thaw Foundation The Tillett Trust Sir Siegmund Warburg’s Voluntary Settlement Garfield Weston Foundation Youth Music and others who wish to remain anonymous

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Administration

Board of Directors Victoria Sharp Chairman Stewart McIlwham* President Gareth Newman* Vice-President Richard Brass Desmond Cecil CMG Vesselin Gellev* Jonathan Harris CBE FRICS Dr Catherine C. Høgel Martin Höhmann* George Peniston* Sir Bernard Rix Kevin Rundell* Julian Simmonds Mark Templeton* Natasha Tsukanova Timothy Walker AM Laurence Watt Dr Manon Williams * Player-Director Advisory Council Victoria Sharp Chairman Christopher Aldren Richard Brass Sir Alan Collins KCVO CMG Lord David Curry Andrew Davenport Jonathan Dawson Christopher Fraser OBE Lord Hall of Birkenhead CBE Clive Marks OBE FCA Stewart McIlwham Baroness Shackleton Lord Sharman of Redlynch OBE Martin Southgate Sir Philip Thomas 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 Peter M. Felix CBE 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 Sharp Hon. Director

Richard Gee, Esq Of Counsel Jenifer L. Keiser, CPA, EisnerAmper LLP

Orchestra Personnel

Public Relations

Andrew Chenery Orchestra Personnel Manager

Albion Media (Tel: 020 3077 4930)

Chief Executive

Sarah Thomas Librarian (maternity leave)