TUNE IN – SPRING / SUMMER 2020 –
LPO PEOPLE
BACKSTAGE
When you became Principal Trumpet of the Royal Ballet Orchestra in 1985, you were the first female trumpeter in the UK to hold a Principal position. Why have orchestral brass sections historically been so heavily male-dominated? Orchestras in general were historically male-dominated, and remained so for many years. I suppose with the great British brass band tradition being predominantly male (other than a few pioneering females) due to its mining and mill connections, it was inevitable that orchestral brass instruments were also regarded as masculine. I still meet people outside my musical circle who express surprise that I play the trumpet. I’m happy to say that many orchestras now have female members in all sections, and in some cases they even outnumber males. There is an everincreasing representation of women enjoying successful careers as brass players. What have been your most memorable moments with the LPO? When I first joined, Kurt Masur was our Principal Conductor and I just loved the way he made the Orchestra sound – especially in Brahms and Bruckner. He brought out a rich quality of tone from the strings and full resonance from the brass. During his tenure
distinctive sound that the LPO is renowned for. It has to be said we also enjoy socialising together, and with some lively characters in our midst there’s no shortage of good humour and laughter.
– ANNE MCANENEY – Anne has been the London Philharmonic Orchestra’s 2nd Trumpet since 2000. We caught up with her as she prepared to celebrate her 20th anniversary with the LPO. we had a very special UK tour of Wynton Marsalis’s All Rise with Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. The memory of LPO players (even timpani) joining in with solo improvisations in the encore, ‘C Jam Blues’, still brings a wide grin to my face! With our current Principal Conductor Vladimir Jurowski, one memorable project that combined both orchestral and opera aspects was our pair of semi-staged Peter Grimes performances at Royal Festival Hall and Birmingham Symphony Hall in 2013. The staging really made us feel part of the action, and as a result I found these performances incredibly powerful. By the time Stuart Skelton sang his final words I was quite overwhelmed; they were truly emotional performances. How would you describe the atmosphere in the LPO brass section? We’re a warm, friendly bunch of people who are immensely supportive and aware of one another, and work together to retain the Newsletter published by the London Philharmonic Orchestra 89 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7TP Tel: 020 7840 4200 Fax: 020 7840 4201 Ticket Office: 020 7840 4242 lpo.org.uk
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You’ve taken part in many of the LPO’s Education & Community projects over the last 20 years. Why do you enjoy this area? I think it is very important to share music with as many people as possible, and I love to see the sheer pleasure on someone’s face who is taking part in music-making for the first time. For the last few years I’ve taken part in projects for people with special needs and disabilities. In the OrchLab* project we work together with Drake Music, who have developed instruments using technology such as iPads, soundbeams and switches with pre-recorded musical clips. We make music, sing and compose together, telling stories through the music. To see someone who is quadriplegic gain confidence in using the technology and by using just their chin or head movement find a means to express their inner music and feelings is indeed very rewarding. How do you relax when you’re not working? I’m a bit of a workaholic, so between the orchestral schedule, Education & Community work and my teaching at the Guildhall, I don’t have an abundance of free time. When I do, I enjoy fine food and wine, especially entertaining friends. I’m also studying Latin, currently attempting to translate the poetry of Catullus. Time spent in front of the TV with a glass of wine or my knitting is a joy. I have an adventurous nature and given the chance to have a holiday (arthritic joints permitting), have enjoyed activities in the Arctic Circle: I’ve slept in a glass igloo, driven a husky sled and snowmobile, and spent many nights trying to experience a full-blown Aurora Borealis. Activities elsewhere have included walking in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains, going to the great heights of Machu Picchu and Mont Blanc, and hotair ballooning over Teotihuacan in Mexico. I occasionally launch myself from great heights and have been hang-gliding and sky-diving. I think that’s called relaxing... * ORCHLAB IS A JTI-SUPPORTED PROJECT FOR DISABLED ADULTS DELIVERED BY THE LPO IN PARTNERSHIP WITH DRAKE MUSIC.
Photo © Benjamin Ealovega
What was your first encounter with orchestral music? I was born and brought up in Belfast, and it was there that I was introduced to the wonderful world of music. My parents hadn’t had the opportunity to learn an instrument and so felt that it would be a good idea to send me to piano lessons when I was eight years old. I then struggled with the violin for many years, until the school brass band offered me a cornet to join their ranks. I found this considerably easier to play and really enjoyed being in the band, but ultimately changed to the trumpet in order to play orchestral music. This change of heart came about after hearing the Ulster Orchestra perform Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast at the Ulster Hall in Belfast, with two brass bands joining the already enormous orchestral and choral forces. I was completely knocked out by the exciting sound produced by the full orchestra, how loudly and quietly they could play, and the contrasting colours.