LPO programme: 31 Mar 2023 - Heroes and Heroines (Dima Slobodeniouk/Beatrice Rana)

Concert programme

A place to call home 2022/23 concert season at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall

Concert programme

Principal Conductor Edward Gardner supported by Aud Jebsen Principal Guest Conductor Karina Canellakis Conductor Emeritus Vladimir Jurowski Patron HRH The Duke of Kent KG Artistic Director Elena Dubinets Chief Executive David Burke Leader Pieter Schoeman supported by Neil Westreich

Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall Friday 31 March 2023 | 7.30pm Brighton Dome Concert Hall Saturday 1 April 2023 | 7.30pm A place to call home

Heroes and Heroines Tania León Stride (UK premiere) (15’)

Contents 2 3 4

Welcome On stage tonight London Philharmonic Orchestra 5 Leader: Pieter Schoeman 6 Dima Slobodeniouk 7 Beatrice Rana 8 Introducing Tania León: New Composer-in-Residence 9 Programme notes 12 Recommended recordings Next LPO concerts at the Royal Festival Hall 13 Sound Futures donors 14 Thank you 16 LPO administration

Mendelssohn Piano Concerto No. 1 in G minor (20’) Interval (20’) Sibelius Symphony No. 2 in D major* (44’) Dima Slobodeniouk conductor Beatrice Rana piano * Please note change from the originally advertised programme.

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

Concerts presented by the London Philharmonic Orchestra in association with Brighton Dome.

The Steinway concert piano chosen and hired by the London Philharmonic Orchestra for the 1 April performance is supplied and maintained by Steinway & Sons, London.

London Philharmonic Orchestra • 31 March & 1 April 2023 • Heroes and Heroines

Friday 31 March 2023

Saturday 1 April 2023

Welcome to the Southbank Centre

Welcome to Brighton Dome

We’re the largest arts centre in the UK and one of the nation’s top visitor attractions, showcasing the world’s most exciting artists at our venues in the heart of London. We’re here to present great cultural experiences that bring people together, and open up the arts to everyone.

Chief Executive Andrew Comben Welcome to the final concert of the London Philharmonic Orchestra’s 2022/23 season at Brighton Dome. We hope you enjoy the performance and your visit here. For your comfort and safety, please note the following: thank you for your co-operation.

The Southbank Centre is made up of the Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Room, Hayward Gallery, National Poetry Library and Arts Council Collection. We’re one of London’s favourite meeting spots, with lots of free events and places to relax, eat and shop next to the Thames.

Latecomers may not be admitted until a suitable break in the performance. Some performances may contain no suitable breaks.

Smoking Brighton Dome is a no-smoking venue.

Interval drinks may be ordered in advance at the bar to avoid queues.

We hope you enjoy your visit. If you need any information or help, please ask a member of staff.

You can also write to us at Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London SE1 8XX, or email hello@southbankcentre.co.uk

Photography is not allowed in the auditorium.

Recording is not allowed in the auditorium.

Mobiles and watches should be switched off before entering the auditorium.

Subscribers to our email updates are the first to hear about new events, offers and competitions. Just head to our website to sign up.

The concert at Brighton Dome on 1 April 2023 is presented by the London Philharmonic Orchestra in association with Brighton Dome.

Brighton Dome gratefully acknowledges the support of Brighton & Hove City Council and Arts Council England.

Drinks You are welcome to bring drinks from the venue’s bars and cafés into the Royal Festival Hall to enjoy during tonight’s concert. Please be considerate to fellow audience members by keeping noise during the concert to a minimum, and please take your glasses with you for recycling afterwards.

Thank you.

Brighton Dome is managed by Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival, which also runs the annual threeweek Brighton Festival in May. brightondome.org | brightonfestival.org

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London Philharmonic Orchestra • 31 March & 1 April 2023 • Heroes and Heroines

On stage tonight First Violins

Pieter Schoeman* Leader

Chair supported by Neil Westreich

Alice Ivy-Pemberton Co-Leader Kate Oswin Chair supported by Eric Tomsett

Elizaveta Tyun Lasma Taimina

Chair supported by Irina Gofman & Mr Rodrik V. G. Cave

Minn Majoe Martin Höhmann Thomas Eisner Yang Zhang Catherine Craig Katalin Varnagy

Chair supported by Sonja Drexler

Sophie Phillips Amanda Smith Chu-Yu Yang

Second Violins

Tania Mazzetti Principal Emma Oldfield Co-Principal June Lee Fiona Higham

Chair supported by David & Yi Buckley

Cellos

Kristina Blaumane Principal

Chair supported by Bianca & Stuart Roden

Nina Kiva Francis Bucknall Tom Roff Helen Thomas Sibylle Hentschel Susanna Riddell Iain Ward

Paul Beniston* Principal Anne McAneney* David Hilton

Double Basses

Kevin Rundell* Principal Hugh Kluger George Peniston Tom Walley

Trombones

Laura Murphy Adam Wynter Charlotte Kerbegian†

Bass Trombone

Chair supported by William & Alex de Winton

Fiona Kelly Guest Principal Camilla Marchant Stewart McIlwham*

Lyndon Meredith Principal

Lee Tsarmaklis* Principal

Chair supported by Friends of the Orchestra

Timpani

Simon Carrington* Principal

Violas

Sue Böhling* Principal

Laura Vallejo Martin Wray Benedetto Pollani Katharine Leek Stanislav Popov Shiry Rashkovsky Raquel López Bolívar Daniel Cornford Mark Gibbs

David Whitehouse Principal Merin Rhyd

Tuba

Flutes

Piccolo

Chair supported by Caroline, Jamie & Zander Sharp

John Ryan* Principal Annemarie Federle Principal Martin Hobbs Mark Vines Co-Principal Gareth Mollison

Trumpets

Kate Birchall Ashley Stevens Nancy Elan Sioni Williams Joseph Maher Sheila Law Harry Kerr Emma Crossley

Richard Waters Principal

Horns

Stewart McIlwham* Principal

Chair supported by Victoria Robey OBE

Percussion

Oboes

Ian Hardwick* Principal Alice Munday

Cor Anglais

Chair supported by Dr Barry Grimaldi

Clarinets

Benjamin Mellefont Principal Thomas Watmough

Chair supported by Roger Greenwood

Andrew Barclay* Principal

Chair supported by Gill & Garf Collins

Karen Hutt Ignacio Molins

Harp

Rachel Masters Principal * Holds a professorial appointment in London † 31 March concert only

Paul Richards*

Bassoons

Paul Boyes Guest Principal Guylaine Eckersley

Contrabassoon

Simon Estell* Principal

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The LPO also acknowledges the following chair supporter whose player is not present at this concert: Sir Simon Robey

London Philharmonic Orchestra • 31 March & 1 April 2023 • Heroes and Heroines

© Mark Allan

London Philharmonic Orchestra

Our conductors

Uniquely groundbreaking and exhilarating to watch and hear, the London Philharmonic Orchestra has been celebrated as one of the world’s great orchestras since Sir Thomas Beecham founded it in 1932. With every performance we aim to bring wonder to the modern world and cement our position as a leading orchestra for the 21st century.

Our Principal Conductors have included some of the greatest historic names like Sir Adrian Boult, Bernard Haitink, Sir Georg Solti, Klaus Tennstedt and Kurt Masur.

In 2021 Edward Gardner became our 13th Principal Conductor, taking the Orchestra into its tenth decade.

Vladimir Jurowski became Conductor Emeritus in recognition of his impact as Principal Conductor from 2007–21. Karina Canellakis is our current Principal Guest Conductor and Brett Dean our Composer-in-Residence, to be succeeded by Tania León in September 2023.

Our home is at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, where we’re at the beating heart of London’s cultural life. You’ll also find us at our resident venues in Brighton, Eastbourne and Saffron Walden, and on tour throughout the UK and internationally, performing to sell-out audiences worldwide. Each summer we’re resident at Glyndebourne Festival Opera, combining the magic of opera with Glyndebourne’s glorious setting in the Sussex countryside.

Soundtrack to key moments Everyone will have heard the London Philharmonic Orchestra, whether it’s playing the world’s National Anthems at every medal ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics, our iconic recording with Pavarotti that made Nessun Dorma a global football anthem, or closing the flotilla at The Queen’s Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant. And you’ll almost certainly have heard us on the soundtracks for major films including The Lord of the Rings.

Sharing the wonder You’ll find us online, on streaming platforms, on social media and through our broadcast partnership with Marquee TV. During the pandemic period we launched ‘LPOnline’: over 100 videos of performances, insights and introductions to playlists, which led to us being named runner-up in the Digital Classical Music Awards 2020.

During 2022/23 we’re once again working with Marquee TV to broadcast selected live concerts, so you can share or relive the wonder from your own living room.

We also release live, studio and archive recordings on our own label, and are the world’s most-streamed orchestra, with over 15 million plays of our content each month. Recent releases include the first volume of a Stravinsky series with Vladimir Jurowski; Tippett’s complete opera The Midsummer Marriage under

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London Philharmonic Orchestra • 31 March & 1 April 2023 • Heroes and Heroines

Pieter Schoeman Leader

Edward Gardner, captured in his first concert as LPO Principal Conductor in September 2021; and James MacMillan’s Christmas Oratorio, recorded at the work’s UK premiere performance in December 2021.

We’re committed to inspiring the next generation of musicians and music-lovers: there’s nothing we love more than seeing the joy of children and families enjoying their first musical moments, and we’re passionate about equipping schools and teachers through schools’ concerts, resources and training.

Reflecting our values of collaboration and inclusivity, our OrchLab and Open Sound Ensemble projects offer music-making opportunities for adults and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.

© Benjamin Ealovega

Next generations

Today’s young instrumentalists are the orchestral members of the future, so we have a number of opportunities to support their progression. Our LPO Junior Artists programme is leading the way in creating pathways into the profession for young artists from under-represented communities, and our LPO Young Composers and Foyle Future Firsts schemes support the next generation of professional musicians, bridging the transition from education to professional careers.

We have also recently launched the LPO Conducting Fellowship, supporting the development of two outstanding early-career conductors from backgrounds currently under-represented in the profession.

Pieter Schoeman was appointed Leader of the London Philharmonic Orchestra in 2008, having previously been Co-Leader since 2002. He is also a Professor of Violin at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music & Dance.

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 the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall. As a chamber musician he regularly appears at London’s prestigious Wigmore Hall. His chamber music partners have included Anne-Sophie Mutter, Veronika Eberle, Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Boris Garlitsky, Jean-Guihen Queyras, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Martin Helmchen and Julia Fischer.

2022/23 and beyond We believe in the relevance of our music, and that our programmes must reflect the narratives of modern times. This season we’re exploring themes of belonging and displacement in our series ‘A place to call home’, delving into music by composers including Austrians Erich Korngold and Paul Hindemith, Hungarian Béla Bartók, Cuban Tania León, Ukrainian Victoria Vita Polevá and Syrian Kinan Azmeh. As we celebrate our 90th anniversary we perform works premiered by the Orchestra during its illustrious history. This season also marks Vaughan Williams’s 150th anniversary and we’ll be celebrating with four of his works, as well as both symphonies by Elgar and music by Tippett and Thomas Adès. Our commitment to everything new and creative includes premieres by Brett Dean and Heiner Goebbels, as well as new commissions from composers from around the world including Agata Zubel, Elena Langer and Vijay Iyer.

Pieter has performed numerous times as a soloist with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Highlights have included an appearance as both conductor and soloist in Vivaldi’s Four Seasons at the Royal Festival Hall, the Brahms Double Concerto with Kristina Blaumane, and the Britten Double Concerto with Alexander Zemtsov, which was recorded and released on the LPO Label to great critical acclaim.

Pieter has appeared as Guest Leader with the BBC, Barcelona, Bordeaux, Lyon and Baltimore symphony orchestras; the Rotterdam and BBC Philharmonic orchestras; and the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra.

Pieter’s chair in the LPO is generously supported by Neil Westreich.

lpo.org.uk

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London Philharmonic Orchestra • 31 March & 1 April 2023 • Heroes and Heroines

Dima Slobodeniouk conductor

© Marco Borggreve

Known for his musical expertise and interpretive depth, Dima is also an acclaimed recording artist. Recent notable recordings include Esa-Pekka Salonen’s Cello Concerto with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra and Nicolas Altstaedt on Alpha, and an album of music inspired by the Finnish folk epic, the Kalevala, on BIS. Other releases on the BIS label include works by Kalevi Aho with the Lahti Symphony Orchestra, which won a 2018 BBC Music Magazine Award; a later disc of Aho’s Sieidi and his Fifth Symphony; and concert suites from Prokofiev’s opera The Gambler and ballet The Tale of the Stone Flower, again with the Lahti Symphony Orchestra. For the Ondine label, Dima has recorded works by Perttu Haapanen and Lotta Wennäkoski with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra.

Born in Moscow, Dima Slobodeniouk studied violin at the Moscow Central Music School with Zinaida Gilels and Jevgenuia Chugajev. He continued his studies with the Ukrainian violinist Olga Parkhomenko at Helsinki’s Sibelius Academy, from which he graduated in 2001.

It was there that he also took up conducting studies with Leif Segerstam, Jorma Panula, Atso Almila, Ilya Musin and Esa-Pekka Salonen. A passionate believer in widening opportunity, whilst at the Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia Dima started a conducting initiative, giving aspiring conductors podium time with a professional orchestra and the opportunity to work with him on selected repertoire.

Praised for his exhilarating approach and energetic leadership by musicians and audiences alike, Dima Slobodeniouk has become one of the most sought-after conductors of his generation. He works with the world’s foremost orchestras including the Berlin Philharmonic, London Symphony, Bavarian Radio Symphony, Bavarian State, Leipzig Gewandhaus, Royal Concertgebouw and NHK Symphony orchestras. Last season he was praised for ‘one of the most auspicious New York Philharmonic debuts of recent years’ by The New York Times.

Dima Slobodeniouk last appeared with the London Philharmonic Orchestra in February 2020, when he conducted a programme of Beethoven, Ravel and Jörg Widmann at the Royal Festival Hall.

Dima Slobodeniouk was Music Director of the Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia from 2013–22, and Principal Conductor of the Lahti Symphony Orchestra and Artistic Director of its Sibelius Festival from 2016–21.

During the 2022/23 season Dima has been invited to make debuts with the BBC Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Vienna Symphony and Danish National Symphony orchestras. This season also sees returns to the Boston Symphony, Minnesota, SWR Symphony, Swedish Radio Symphony, Netherlands Philharmonic and Helsinki Philharmonic orchestras. Further highlights of the current season include re-invitations to the Oslo Philharmonic and WDR Symphony orchestras, and special returns to the Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia, where he was Music Director until 2022.

Soloists with whom Dima has worked include Leif Ove Andsnes, Khatia Buniatishvili, Seong-Jin Cho, Isabelle Faust, Kirill Gerstein, Barbara Hannigan, Håkan Hardenberger, Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Baiba Skride, Yuja Wang and Frank Peter Zimmermann.

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London Philharmonic Orchestra • 31 March & 1 April 2023 • Heroes and Heroines

Beatrice Rana piano

© Simon Fowler/Warner Classics

Hall for her recording of the Bach. In October 2019 she released a solo album featuring works by Stravinsky and Ravel, which was awarded several top prizes.

A Chopin album was released in September 2021, and also received many awards. In 2023 Beatrice presented her fifth album, featuring Clara and Robert Schumann’s concertos with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and Yannick Nézet-Séguin.

In 2017 Beatrice started her own chamber music festival, ‘Classiche Forme’, in her native town of Lecce, Puglia. The festival has become one of Italy’s major summer events. She also became artistic director of the Orchestra Filarmonica di Benevento in 2020.

In 2013 Beatrice won Silver (Second Prize) and the Audience Award at the prestigious Van Cliburn Competition. She had previously attracted international attention at the age of 18, winning First Prize and all the special prizes at the Montreal International Competition in 2011. She is the recipient of an impressive number of First Prizes in national and international piano competitions including the Muzio Clementi Competition, the International Piano Competition of the Republic of San Marino, and the Bang & Olufsen PianoRAMA Competition

Beatrice Rana has been shaking the international classical music world, arousing interest and admiration from audiences, critics, conductors and concert presenters worldwide. She performs at the world’s most esteemed concert halls and festivals including the Philharmonie in Berlin; the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam; Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York; the Barbican Centre, Wigmore Hall, Royal Albert Hall and Royal Festival Hall in London; the Philharmonie and Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris; and the Konzerthaus and Musikverein in Vienna.

Born in 1993 to a family of musicians, Beatrice Rana made her debut as a soloist with orchestra at the age of nine, performing Bach’s Concerto in F minor. She began her musical studies at four and achieved her piano degree under the guidance of Benedetto Lupo at the Nino Rota Conservatory of Music in Monopoli, where she also studied composition with Marco della Sciucca.

She then studied with Arie Vardi in Hannover and again with Benedetto Lupo at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia.

She is based in Rome.

In the 2023/24 season Beatrice will tour in Europe with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and Antonio Pappano, the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, and the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra. She will make debuts with the Berlin Philharmonic under Yannick Nézet-Séguin and The Cleveland Orchestra under Lahav Shani, and will return to the New York Philharmonic with Manfred Honeck.

Beatrice Rana records exclusively for Warner Classics.

In 2015 her first album, featuring Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 2 and Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with Antonio Pappano and the Accademia Nazionale Santa Cecilia, received international acclaim, including the prestigious Gramophone Magazine’s Editor’s Choice and BBC Music Magazine’s Newcomer of the Year Award. The year 2017 will remain a milestone in Beatrice’s career, with the release of Bach’s Goldberg Variations. The recording was praised by reviewers worldwide and was crowned by two major awards: ‘Young Artist of the Year’ at the Gramophone Awards and ‘Discovery of the Year’ at the Edison Awards.

In 2018 Beatrice was chosen as Female Artist of the Year at the Classic BRIT Awards at the Royal Albert

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London Philharmonic Orchestra • 31 March & 1 April 2023 • Heroes and Heroines

Introducing Tania León Our new Composer-in-Residence from September 2023

Having studied piano since the age of four and earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in music (plus a certification in accounting!), Tania León left Cuba for the United States in 1967. She settled in New York City, where she studied with composer Ursula Mamlok and received Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees again, this time from New York University.

© Gail Hadani

León staked her place in New York’s cultural scene as a founding member and music director of Arthur Mitchell’s Dance Theatre of Harlem in 1969. Five years later, she instituted the Brooklyn Philharmonic Community Concert series. She was New Music Advisor at the New York Philharmonic from 1993–97, and from 1994–2001 she served as Latin American music advisor for the American Composers Orchestra.

She is also the founder and artistic director of Composers Now, dedicated to empowering living composers and celebrating the diversity of their voices.

Recent premieres include Ser for the Los Angeles Philharmonic; Pasajes for the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra and Detroit Symphony; Rítmicas for The Chicago Center for Contemporary Composition’s Grossman Ensemble; Anima for Jennifer Koh’s Alone Together; Mujer, Define Mujer for the Brooklyn Youth Chorus; and Pa’lante for the International Contemporary Ensemble and YOLA (Youth Orchestra Los Angeles). In May 2022, Ensemble Modern performed Happy New Ears, a portrait of the composer. León’s opera Scourge of Hyacinths, based on a play by Wole Soyinka with staging and design by Robert Wilson, has received over 20 performances throughout Europe and Mexico. Commissioned by Hans Werner Henze and the city of Munich for the Fourth Munich Biennale, it took home the coveted BMW Prize, and the aria ‘Oh Yemanja’ was recorded by Dawn Upshaw on her Nonesuch CD The World So Wide.

‘Over the two years, I will be able to really get to know the Orchestra and the personalities of each player; to write specifically for this group of talented musicians will be a joy.’

– Tania León We’re thrilled to welcome Cuban-American composer Tania León to succeed Brett Dean as LPO Composerin-Residence for two seasons from September 2023.

We will perform at least two of Tania’s new works each season, and she will help us develop the next generation of music creators by mentoring our LPO Young Composers.

Tania León’s past commissions include works for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Library of Congress, NDR Symphony Orchestra, American Composers Orchestra, New World Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Koussevitzky Music Foundation, Los Angeles Master Chorale, and Dance Theatre of Harlem.

In December 2022 Tania León received a prestigious Kennedy Center Honor, awarded annually to figures in the performing arts for their contributions to American culture. In addition, León won the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Music for tonight’s work, Stride, and she was recently announced as winner of the 2023 Michael Ludwig Nemmers Prize in Music Composition.

We warmly welcome Tania to the LPO and to tonight’s concert, and look forward to sharing her music with our audiences this and next season.

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London Philharmonic Orchestra • 31 March & 1 April 2023 • Heroes and Heroines

Programme notes Tania León born 1943

Stride 2020 (UK premiere)

When she was invited to write a piece for the New York Philharmonic’s ‘Project 19’, which commissioned 19 women to compose works marking the centenary of the 19th Amendment (which gave American women the right to vote in 1920), León started researching the pioneering feminist Susan B. Anthony. She said: ‘I read her biography, her statements. To me it was tremendous to see the inner force that she had. Then I started looking for a title before starting the piece – not the way I always do it. [It reflected] the way that I imagined her as a person who did not take “no” for an answer. She kept pushing and pushing and moving forward, walking with firm steps until she got the whole thing done. That is precisely what Stride means.

Something that is moving forward.’

In the composer’s words In an interview ahead of the work’s world premiere in 2020, Tania León considered how Stride reflects her engagement with American music: ‘For example, there is a section where you can hear the horns with the wa-wa plunger, because it reminds me of Louis Armstrong, getting that growl. It doesn’t have to be indicative of any particular skin tone. It has to do with the American spirit. When I discovered American music, Louis Armstrong actually was the first sound that struck me. When I came here, the only composers I knew anything about were Leonard Bernstein and George Gershwin. I didn’t know anything else.

The night I arrived at Kennedy [airport], I was picked up by a Cuban couple from the Bronx, who allowed me to stay on their sofa. I looked at the stairs outside of their building, and I started crying “Maria!” They were confused, and I explained that in Cuba I’d heard the song by Bernstein. I later worked with Bernstein, and until he died we were very close. But when I first arrived here I couldn’t speak English ... but I knew how to say “Maria.”’

Stride received its world premiere at David Geffen Hall, Lincoln Center, New York City on 13 February 2020. It was subequently awarded the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Music, awarded for a distinguished musical composition by an American that had its first performance or recording in the United States during the year. The awarding committee praised the work as ‘a musical journey full of surprise, with powerful brass and rhythmic motifs that incorporate Black music traditions from the US and the Caribbean into a Western orchestral fabric.’

Profile and programme note © James Keller

‘Tania has a way of weaving together so many musical traditions with such joy.

She’s just such a wonderful ambassador for music, and her love is infectious.’

Click the QR code to watch Tania’s interview about Stride on the New York Philharmonic’s YouTube channel.

– Composer Ellen Reid, Pulitzer Prize committee member and 2019 winner

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London Philharmonic Orchestra • 31 March & 1 April 2023 • Heroes and Heroines

Programme notes Felix Mendelssohn 1809–47

Piano Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 25 1831

Beatrice Rana piano

1 Molto allegro con fuoco 2 Andante 3 Presto – Molto allegro e vivace Mendelssohn, like many of his peers, harboured intense wanderlust. The Romantic generation was, at its core, investigative, outward-bound and open to experiencing Europe’s wildest landscapes, as depicted in the paintings of Caspar David Friedrich and the poetry of Byron. Following in their footsteps, as well as those of Goethe, Keats, Shelley and Turner, Mendelssohn undertook an extensive tour of Europe, beginning in 1829 by travelling north to the Hebrides and then south, over the Alps, to Italy.

The absence of an introductory orchestral tutti to the first movement may seem to show signs of the work’s hasty composition, yet Mendelssohn uses its absence to brilliant advantage. Seizing the dramatic initiative, the pianist drives a fiery first subject, to which the orchestra responds in kind, with its clipped dotted rhythms and bold interjections, before revealing a wonderfully amorous second subject.

After the predominantly aggressive tone of the first movement, the Andante returns to the more introverted mood of its predecessor’s second subject. Harking back to the aria-like slow movements of Mozart’s piano concertos, it likewise echoes the melodic glories of Mendelssohn’s own Songs without Words. The trumpets and horns that marked the beginning of this heartfelt movement return at its close, triggering the final, dashing Presto. Its ebullient display may have the opening Allegro’s inclination towards diminished harmonies, yet the primacy of the tonic major is surely never in doubt and the movement concludes with giddy élan.

He slowly began to retrace his steps northwards over the course of 1831, travelling from Naples via Rome and Florence and then on to Milan. By July he was back in Switzerland and then in September became resident in Munich, where he performed for royalty and began to compose his G minor Piano Concerto.

With its courtly life and esteemed musical traditions, Munich offered Mendelssohn a perfect platform for his talents. The Concerto, which he personally premiered on 17 October, was destined to impress.

Programme note © Gavin Plumley

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

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London Philharmonic Orchestra • 31 March & 1 April 2023 • Heroes and Heroines

Programme notes Jean Sibelius 1865–1957

Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 43 1901–02

1 Allegretto 2 Tempo andante, ma rubato 3 Vivacissimo 4 Finale In the early months of 1901 Jean Sibelius and his family escaped the harsh Finnish winter in Rapallo, a small town on the west coast of Italy not far from Genoa. Sibelius borrowed a study up in the mountains, surrounded by ‘magnolia, cypresses, vine, palm trees and a manifold variety of flowers.’ In this Mediterranean setting the composer was reminded of the legend of Don Juan, and began to sketch a symphonic poem on the famous narrative entitled ‘Festival.’

to strengthen and inspire the programme of passive resistance that many artists (including Sibelius) had initiated.

You can hear why Kajanus might have reached such a conclusion, but according to Sibelius he was way off the mark. The composer’s annotations and working processes reveal struggles rather more private and personal: the second theme of the Andante was apparently inspired by Ruth’s recovery and the more subdued, lamenting theme of the final movement was dedicated to Elli Järnefelt, Sibelius’s sister-in-law, who had recently died by suicide.

Physically and artistically, Sibelius was indulging in little more than escapism and he knew it; dark clouds remained in his life. His daughter Ruth was recovering from dangerous illness, a tormenting situation for the composer and his wife Aino, who had lost a child the previous year. Meanwhile, Finland’s journey towards freedom from Russian rule had suffered yet another blow: in the wake of the 1899 February Manifesto, the Russians had begun the incorporation of the Finnish army into their own, a huge weakening of Finland’s status.

Technically speaking, the Symphony consolidates some musical practices that would soon become Sibelius hallmarks. Perhaps the most important of these – alongside his particular use of ‘stepping’ string motifs and his fondness for themes based on adjacent notes – is the coherence of those themes, which appear to relate more naturally to one another, as if tributaries to the same river. That’s immediately recognisable in the pastoral opening movement, which is controlled entirely by the three upward-stepping notes that are heard right at the beginning.

It was back home in May 1901 that Sibelius began serious work on the piece he’d conceived amid the flowers of Rapallo – now planned as an abstracted symphony uncontrolled by the Don Juan narrative but cast in the bright, floral key of D major. By the following spring it was complete, the composer conducting four successive performances in Helsinki starting with the premiere on 8 March. Robert Kajanus, director of the Helsinki Philharmonic, concluded that the piece was an ode to Finnish nationalism – a stirring hymn

The residue of the Don Juan tale lurks amid the conflicts of the second movement. Sibelius pits a theme he called ‘death’ (first heard on bassoons playing in unison but an octave apart) against one he called ‘Christus’ (the ‘Ruth’ theme, which emerges from jagged strings). The third movement has been described as

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London Philharmonic Orchestra • 31 March & 1 April 2023 • Heroes and Heroines

Programme notes a ‘call to arms’, and is a stormy dance that eventually – after twice visiting a more saddened trio section – collapses back into the three upward-stepping notes that formed the Symphony’s opening.

Recommended recordings

by Laurie Watt

With this, the Symphony slips inevitably into its final movement and the mustering of a heroic, striving tune soaked in optimism and renewal in its journey from a cautious harmonisation to a brilliantly confident one. The tune, again born of those upwardly-stepping notes, lightens the dark shadows of the troubling Elli Järnefelt theme to suggest the blossoming of life anew, in all its richness and colour.

Mendelssohn: Piano Concerto No. 1 Orchestre de chambre de Paris | Lars Vogt (piano/ conductor) (Ondine) Sibelius: Symphony No. 2 John Barbirolli | Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (Testament) or John Storgårds | BBC Philharmonic (Chandos)

Programme note © Andrew Mellor

Conductor Emeritus Vladimir Jurowski returns to the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall WAR AND PEACE

DON QUIXOTE RIDES AGAIN

Wednesday 19 April 2023 | 7.30pm

Saturday 22 April 2023 | 7.30pm Mozart Symphony No. 40* R Strauss Don Quixote

Ustvolskaya Symphonic Poem No. 1 Hindemith Violin Concerto Prokofiev Symphony No. 6

Vladimir Jurowski conductor Kristina Blaumane cello† Richard Waters viola‡

Vladimir Jurowski conductor Gil Shaham violin

* Please note change of programme from originally advertised † Chair supported by Bianca and Stuart Roden ‡ Chair supported by Caroline, Jamie & Zander Sharp

6.00pm | Free pre-concert event Royal Festival Hall LPO Showcase: Crisis Creates Members of Crisis – adults who have experienced homelessness – perform music they have devised with LPO musicians and a workshop leader during a week-long project.

Free and unticketed – all welcome

LPO.ORG.UK 12

London Philharmonic Orchestra • 31 March & 1 April 2023 • Heroes and Heroines

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

Welser-Möst Circle William & Alex de Winton John Ireland Charitable Trust The Tsukanov Family Foundation Neil Westreich

Tennstedt Circle Valentina & Dmitry Aksenov Richard Buxton The Candide Trust Michael & Elena Kroupeev Kirby Laing Foundation Mr & Mrs Makharinsky Alexey & Anastasia Reznikovich Sir Simon Robey Bianca & Stuart Roden Simon & Vero Turner The late Mr K Twyman

Solti Patrons Ageas John & Manon Antoniazzi Gabor Beyer, through BTO Management Consulting AG Jon Claydon Mrs Mina Goodman & Miss Suzanne Goodman Roddy & April Gow The Jeniffer & Jonathan Harris Charitable Trust Mr James R.D. Korner Christoph Ladanyi & Dr Sophia Ladanyi-Czernin Robert Markwick & Kasia Robinski The Maurice Marks Charitable Trust

Mr Paris Natar The Rothschild Foundation Tom & Phillis Sharpe The Viney Family

Haitink Patrons Mark & Elizabeth Adams Dr Christopher Aldren Mrs Pauline Baumgartner Lady Jane Berrill Mr Frederick Brittenden David & Yi Yao Buckley Mr Clive Butler Gill & Garf Collins Mr John H Cook Mr Alistair Corbett Bruno De Kegel Georgy Djaparidze David Ellen Christopher Fraser OBE David & Victoria Graham Fuller Goldman Sachs International Mr Gavin Graham Moya Greene Mrs Dorothy Hambleton Tony & Susie Hayes Malcolm Herring Catherine Høgel & Ben Mardle Mrs Philip Kan Rehmet Kassim-Lakha de Morixe Rose & Dudley Leigh Lady Roslyn Marion Lyons Miss Jeanette Martin Duncan Matthews KC Diana & Allan Morgenthau Charitable Trust Dr Karen Morton Mr Roger Phillimore Ruth Rattenbury The Reed Foundation The Rind Foundation Sir Bernard Rix David Ross & Line Forestier (Canada)

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Carolina & Martin Schwab Dr Brian Smith Lady Valerie Solti Mr & Mrs G Stein Dr Peter Stephenson Miss Anne Stoddart TFS Loans Limited 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 Querée The Rosalyn & Nicholas Springer Charitable Trust Timothy Walker CBE AM Christopher Williams Peter Wilson Smith Mr Anthony Yolland and all other donors who wish to remain anonymous

London Philharmonic Orchestra • 31 March & 1 April 2023 • Heroes and Heroines

Thank you We are extremely grateful to all donors who have given generously to the LPO over the past year.

Your generosity helps maintain the breadth and depth of the LPO’s activities, as well as supporting the Orchestra both on and off the concert platform.

Artistic Director’s Circle Anonymous donors Mrs Aline Foriel-Destezet Aud Jebsen In memory of Mrs Rita Reay Sir Simon & Lady Robey OBE

Orchestra Circle

William & Alex de Winton Patricia Haitink Mr & Mrs Philip Kan TIOC Foundation Neil Westreich The American Friends of the London Philharmonic Orchestra

Principal Associates

Richard Buxton Gill & Garf Collins In memory of Brenda Lyndoe Casbon In memory of Ann Marguerite Collins Sally Groves MBE George Ramishvili

Associates

Mrs Irina Andreeva In memory of Len & Edna Beech Steven M. Berzin Ms Veronika BorovikKhilchevskaya The Candide Trust Irina Gofman & Mr Rodrik V. G. Cave The Lambert Family Charitable Trust Stuart & Bianca Roden In memory of Hazel Amy Smith The Tsukanov Family The Viney Family

Gold Patrons

An anonymous donor Chris Aldren David & Yi Buckley In memory of Allner Mavis Channing Sonja Drexler Jan & Leni Du Plessis The Vernon Ellis Foundation Peter & Fiona Espenhahn Hamish & Sophie Forsyth Mr Roger Greenwood Malcolm Herring

Mr & Mrs Ralph Kanza Mrs Elena & Mr Oleg Kolobov Rose & Dudley Leigh Wg. Cdr. & Mrs M T Liddiard OBE JP RAF Drs Frank & Gek Lim Mr Nicholas Little Geoff & Meg Mann Mrs Elizabeth Meshkvicheva Andrew T Mills Peter & Lucy Noble Mr Roger Phillimore Mr Michael Posen Mr Anthony Salz Ms Nadia Stasyuk Charlotte Stevenson Joe Mr Joe Topley & Ms Tracey Countryman Mr & Mrs John C Tucker Timothy Walker CBE AM Jenny Watson CBE Grenville & Krysia Williams

John & Angela Kessler Julian & Gill Simmonds Eric Tomsett Andrew & Rosemary Tusa Guy & Utti Whittaker Mr Florian Wunderlich

Silver Patrons

Dame Colette Bowe David Burke & Valerie Graham John & Sam Dawson Bruno De Kegel Ulrike & Benno Engelmann Virginia Gabbertas MBE Dmitry & Ekaterina Gursky The Jeniffer & Jonathan Harris Charitable Trust Catherine Høgel & Ben Mardle Sir George Iacobescu Jamie & Julia Korner Mr & Mrs Makharinsky Mr Nikita Mishin Andrew Neill Tom & Phillis Sharpe Mr & Mrs John & Susi Underwood Laurence Watt

Principal Supporters

Anonymous donors Dr Manon Antoniazzi Julian & Annette Armstrong Mr John D Barnard Mr Geoffrey Bateman Mr Philip Bathard-Smith Mrs A Beare Dr Anthony Buckland Dr Simona Cicero & Mr Mario Altieri Mr Peter Coe Mrs Pearl Cohen David & Liz Conway Mr Alistair Corbett Ms Mary Anne Cordeiro Ms Elena Dubinets Mr Richard Fernyhough Jason George Mr Christian Grobel Prof Emeritus John Gruzelier Mark & Sarah Holford Mrs Maureen Hooft-Graafland Per Jonsson Mr Ian Kapur Ms Kim J Koch Ms Elena Lojevsky Mrs Terry Neale John Nickson & Simon Rew Oliver & Josie Ogg Ms Olga Ovenden Mr James Pickford Filippo Poli Sir Bernard Rix Mr Robert Ross

Bronze Patrons

Anonymous donors Michael Allen Mr Mark Astaire Nicholas & Christine Beale Mikhail Noskov & Vasilina Bindley Mr Anthony Blaiklock Lorna & Christopher Bown Mr Bernard Bradbury Simon Burke & Rupert King Desmond & Ruth Cecil Mr Evgeny Chichvarkin Mr John H Cook Georgy Djaparidze Deborah Dolce Cameron & Kathryn Doley Mariana Eidelkind & Gene Moldavsky David Ellen Ben Fairhall Mr Richard & Helen Gillingwater Mr Daniel Goldstein David & Jane Gosman Mr Gavin Graham Lord & Lady Hall Mrs Dorothy Hambleton Iain & Alicia Hasnip Martin & Katherine Hattrell Michael & Christine Henry Mr Steve Holliday J Douglas Home

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Priscylla Shaw Martin & Cheryl Southgate Mr & Mrs G Stein Dr Peter Stephenson Joanna Williams Christopher Williams Ms Elena Ziskind

Supporters

Anonymous donors Ralph & Elizabeth Aldwinckle Mr & Mrs Robert Auerbach Mrs Julia Beine Harvey Bengen Miss YolanDa Brown OBE Miss Yousun Chae Mr Julien Chilcott-Monk Alison Clarke & Leo Pilkington Mr Joshua Coger Miss Tessa Cowie Mr David Devons Patricia Dreyfus Mr Martin Fodder Christopher Fraser OBE Will Gold Ray Harsant Mr Peter Imhof The Jackman Family Mr David MacFarlane Dame Jane Newell DBE Mr Stephen Olton Mari Payne Mr David Peters Ms Edwina Pitman Mr & Mrs Graham & Jean Pugh Mr Giles Quarme Mr Kenneth Shaw Mr Brian Smith Ms Rika Suzuki Tony & Hilary Vines Dr June Wakefield Mr John Weekes Mr C D Yates

Hon. Benefactor Elliott Bernerd

Hon. Life Members Alfonso Aijón Kenneth Goode Carol Colburn Grigor CBE Pehr G Gyllenhammar Robert Hill Victoria Robey OBE Mrs Jackie Rosenfeld OBE Timothy Walker CBE AM Laurence Watt

London Philharmonic Orchestra • 31 March & 1 April 2023 • Heroes and Heroines

Thank you

Thomas Beecham Group Members

David & Yi Buckley Gill & Garf Collins William & Alex de Winton Sonja Drexler The Friends of the LPO Irina Gofman Roger Greenwood Dr Barry Grimaldi Mr & Mrs Philip Kan John & Angela Kessler Sir Simon Robey Victoria Robey OBE Bianca & Stuart Roden Caroline, Jamie & Zander Sharp Julian & Gill Simmonds Eric Tomsett Neil Westreich Guy & Utti Whittaker

Corporate Donor Barclays

LPO Corporate Circle Principal Bloomberg Carter-Ruck French Chamber of Commerce

Tutti Lazard Natixis Corporate Investment Banking Sciteb Ltd Walpole

Trusts and Foundations

Board of the American Friends of the LPO

ABO Trust BlueSpark Foundation The Boltini Trust Borrows Charitable Trust The Candide Trust Cockayne – Grants for the Arts The London Community Foundation The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust Dunard Fund Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation Foyle Foundation Garrick Charitable Trust John Coates Charitable Trust John Horniman’s Children’s Trust John Thaw Foundation Institute Adam Mickiewicz Kirby Laing Foundation Lord and Lady Lurgan Trust Lucille Graham Trust The Marchus Trust PRS Foundation The Radcliffe Trust Rivers Foundation Rothschild Foundation Scops Arts Trust Sir William Boremans’ Foundation The John S Cohen Foundation The Stanley Picker Trust The Thriplow Charitable Trust TIOC Foundation Vaughan Williams Foundation The Victoria Wood Foundation The Viney Family The Barbara Whatmore Charitable Trust

We are grateful to the Board of the American Friends of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, who assist with fundraising for our activities in the United States of America: Simon Freakley Chairman Kara Boyle Jon Carter Jay Goffman Alexandra Jupin Natalie Pray Damien Vanderwilt Marc Wasserman Elizabeth Winter Catherine Høgel Hon. Director Jenifer L. Keiser, CPA, EisnerAmper LLP

LPO International Board of Governors Natasha Tsukanova Co-Chair Martin Höhmann Co-Chair Mrs Irina Andreeva Steven M. Berzin Shashank Bhagat Veronika Borovik-Khilchevskaya Marie-Laure Favre Gilly de Varennes de Bueil Aline Foriel-Destezet Irina Gofman Countess Dominique Loredan Olivia Ma George Ramishvili Sophie Schÿler-Thierry Jay Stein Florian Wunderlich

and all others who wish to remain anonymous.

Preferred Partners Gusbourne Estate Jeroboams Lindt & Sprüngli Ltd OneWelbeck Steinway

In-kind Sponsor Google Inc

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London Philharmonic Orchestra • 31 March & 1 April 2023 • Heroes and Heroines

London Philharmonic Orchestra Administration Board of Directors

Dr Catherine C. Høgel Chair Lord Hall of Birkenhead CBE Vice-Chair Martin Höhmann* President Mark Vines* Vice-President Kate Birchall* David Buckley David Burke Bruno De Kegel Deborah Dolce Elena Dubinets Tanya Joseph Hugh Kluger* Katherine Leek* Al MacCuish Minn Majoe* Tania Mazzetti* Jamie Njoku-Goodwin Andrew Tusa Neil Westreich Simon Freakley (Ex officio – Chairman of the American Friends of the London Philharmonic Orchestra) *Player-Director

Advisory Council

Martin Höhmann Chairman Christopher Aldren Dr Manon Antoniazzi Roger Barron Richard Brass Helen Brocklebank YolanDa Brown OBE Simon Burke Simon Callow CBE Desmond Cecil CMG Sir Alan Collins KCVO CMG Andrew Davenport Guillaume Descottes Cameron Doley Christopher Fraser OBE Jenny Goldie-Scot Jonathan Harris CBE FRICS Marianna Hay MBE Nicholas Hely-Hutchinson DL Amanda Hill Rehmet Kassim-Lakha Jamie Korner Geoff Mann Clive Marks OBE FCA Stewart McIlwham Andrew Neill Nadya Powell Sir Bernard Rix Victoria Robey OBE

Baroness Shackleton Thomas Sharpe KC Julian Simmonds Barry Smith Martin Southgate Chris Viney Laurence Watt Elizabeth Winter

Finance

General Administration

Education and Community

Frances Slack Finance Director Dayse Guilherme Finance Manager Jean-Paul Ramotar Finance and IT Officer

Elena Dubinets Artistic Director

Talia Lash Education and Community Director

David Burke Chief Executive Chantelle Vircavs PA to the Executive

Harrie Mayhew Website Manager Gavin Miller Sales and Ticketing Manager Ruth Haines Press and PR Manager Greg Felton Digital Creative Hayley Kim Marketing Co-ordinator Alicia Hartley Marketing Assistant

Lowri Davies Hannah Foakes Education and Community Project Managers

Archives

Roanna Gibson Concerts and Planning Director

Hannah Smith Education and Community Co-ordinator

Gillian Pole Recordings Archive

Graham Wood Concerts and Recordings Manager

Development

Concert Management

Laura Willis Development Director

Maddy Clarke Tours Manager

Rosie Morden Individual Giving Manager

Madeleine Ridout Glyndebourne and Projects Manager

Siân Jenkins Corporate Relations Manager

Alison Jones Concerts and Recordings Co-ordinator

Anna Quillin Trusts and Foundations Manager

Robert Winup Concerts and Tours Assistant

Katurah Morrish Development Events Manager

Matthew Freeman Recordings Consultant

Eleanor Conroy Al Levin Development Assistants

Andrew Chenery Orchestra Personnel Manager

Nick Jackman Campaigns and Projects Director

Sarah Thomas Martin Sargeson Librarians

Kirstin Peltonen Development Associate

Laura Kitson Stage and Operations Manager

Marketing

Stephen O’Flaherty Deputy Operations Manager

Kath Trout Marketing and Communications Director

Felix Lo Orchestra and Auditions Manager

Sophie Harvey Marketing Manager Rachel Williams Publications Manager

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Philip Stuart Discographer

Professional Services Charles Russell Speechlys Solicitors Crowe Clark Whitehill LLP Auditors Dr Barry Grimaldi Honorary Doctor Mr Chris Aldren Honorary ENT Surgeon Mr Simon Owen-Johnstone Hon. Orthopaedic Surgeon 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 Cover illustration Simon Pemberton/Heart 2022/23 season identity JMG Studio Printer John Good Ltd