LPO programme: 4 Nov 2023 Brighton - Tchaikovsky’s Fourth (Castillo-Briceño/Baker/Bak)

2023/24 concert season at Brighton Dome

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

Brighton Dome Concert Hall Saturday 4 November 2023 | 7.30pm

Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Dvořák Carnival Overture (9’) Mozart Sinfonia Concertante in E flat major for violin, viola and orchestra, K364 (30’)

Contents 2

Welcome LPO news 3 On stage tonight 4 London Philharmonic Orchestra 5 Leader: Pieter Schoeman 6 Luis Castillo-Briceño 7 Benjamin Baker Jordan Bak 8 Programme notes 13 Next concerts 14 Thank you 16 LPO administration

Interval (20’) Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36 (44’) Luis Castillo-Briceño conductor*

Pre-concert performance 6.45pm | The Foyer

Benjamin Baker violin

Join us for a special free performance in the foyer, given by young musicians from West Sussex Music, the music education hub for West Sussex.

Jordan Bak viola†

*Inaugural participant in the LPO Conducting Fellowship.

The LPO Conducting Fellowship is generously supported by Patricia Haitink with additional support from Gini and Richard Gabbertas. †LPO Alexandra Jupin Award recipient: an annual award for an artist making their debut with the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

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

Concert presented by the London Philharmonic Orchestra in association with Brighton Dome

London Philharmonic Orchestra • 4 November 2023 • Tchaikovsky’s Fourth

Welcome to Brighton Dome

LPO news

Chief Executive Andrew Comben

Tonight we’re thrilled to welcome three artists making their debuts with the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

New Zealand-born violinist Benjamin Baker has been praised by the New York Times for his ‘virtuosity, refinement and youthful exuberance’, while JamaicanAmerican violist Jordan Bak was hailed as ‘a star in the making’ by the Seattle PI. Tonight they join forces for Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante: a heartfelt doubleshowpiece by a young genius at the very peak of his game. Mozart was just 24 when he composed the work, which bursts with the joy of exploring new instrumental sound combinations and possibilities.

Welcome to tonight’s concert by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. 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.

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

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

Tonight’s conductor, Luis Castillo-Briceño, also making his LPO debut, is one of two 2023/24 participants in our LPO Conducting Fellowship – an initiative launched earlier this year to promote diversity and inclusivity in the classical music industry by developing outstanding early-career conductors from backgrounds currently under-represented in the profession. Turn to page 6 to read more about Luis and about the Fellowship.

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.

The concert at Brighton Dome on 4 November 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.

Tonight’s pre-concert performance

by West Sussex Music We are delighted to welcome young musicians from West Sussex Music, who join us tonight. West Sussex Music is the music education hub lead for the county, and offers high-quality and inclusive music education and performance opportunities to more than 25,000 children and young people each year. You will have heard some of these young musicians performing from the mezzanine before tonight’s concert. A larger group of young people from West Sussex Music also met some of our LPO artists earlier today, with a chance to ask questions and find out what it’s like to be a professional musician.

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

We’re delighted to welcome these young musicians, thank them for their brilliant pre-concert performance and look forward to lots more collaborations with the talented young people of Sussex.

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London Philharmonic Orchestra • 4 November 2023 • Tchaikovsky’s Fourth

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

Lasma Taimina

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

Minn Majoe Martin Höhmann Katalin Varnagy

Chair supported by Sonja Drexler

Yang Zhang Elizaveta Tyun Sophie Mather Ruth Schulten Alison Strange Amanda Smith Katherine Waller

Second Violins

Tania Mazzetti Principal Sophie Phillips Helena Smart Nancy Elan Nynke Hijlkema Joseph Maher Marie-Anne Mairesse Ashley Stevens Claudia Tarrant-Matthews

Chair supported by Friends of the Orchestra

Sioni Williams Lyrit Milgram

Violas

Phil Hall Guest Principal Martin Wray Benedetto Pollani Laura Vallejo Shiry Rashkovsky Stanislav Popov Julia Doukakis James Heron Raquel López Bolívar Anita Kurowska

Cellos

Bozidar Vukotic Guest Principal Francis Bucknall Tom Roff Jane Lindsay Leo Melvin Iain Ward Hee Yeon Cho Julia Morneweg

Double Basses

Kevin Rundell* Principal Tom Walley

Chair supported by William & Alex de Winton

Laura Murphy Lowri Morgan Adam Wynter Thea Sayer

Horns

John Ryan* Principal Martin Hobbs Mark Vines Co-Principal Gareth Mollison Millie Lihoreau

Trumpets

Paul Beniston* Principal Tom Nielsen Co-Principal Anne McAneney*

Trombones

Mark Templeton* Principal

Chair supported by William & Alex de Winton

David Whitehouse

Bass Trombone

Lyndon Meredith Principal

Flutes

Fiona Kelly Guest Principal Daniel Shao

Piccolo

Stewart McIlwham* Principal

Tuba

Lee Tsarmaklis* Principal

Timpani

Simon Carrington* Principal

Chair supported by Victoria Robey OBE

Oboes

Ian Hardwick* Principal Alice Munday

Percussion

Cor Anglais

Chair supported by Gill & Garf Collins

Sue Böhling* Principal

Andrew Barclay* Principal Karen Hutt

Chair supported by Mr B C Fairhall

Chair supported by Dr Barry Grimaldi

James Crook

Clarinets

Harp

Thomas Watmough Principal

Chair supported by Roger Greenwood

Harry Cameron-Penny

Bassoons

Simon Estell* Principal Patrick Bolton

Rachel Masters Principal * Holds a professorial appointment in London

The LPO also acknowledges the following chair supporters whose players are not present at this concert: David & Yi Buckley Sir Simon Robey Bianca & Stuart Roden Caroline, Jamie & Zander Sharp

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London Philharmonic Orchestra • 4 November 2023 • Tchaikovsky’s Fourth

© 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 Tania León our Composer-in-Residence.

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 2023/24 we’re once again be 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.

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London Philharmonic Orchestra • 4 November 2023 • Tchaikovsky’s Fourth

Pieter Schoeman Leader

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.

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

© Benjamin Ealovega

Next generations

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.

Looking forward

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.

The centrepiece of our 2023/24 season is our spring 2024 festival The Music in You. Reflecting our adventurous spirit, the festival embraces all kinds of expression – dance, music theatre, and audience participation. We’ll collaborate with artists from across the creative spectrum, and give premieres by composers including Tania León, Julian Joseph, Daniel Kidane, Victoria Vita Polevá, Luís Tinoco and John Williams.

Rising stars making their debuts with us in 2023/24 include conductors Tianyi Lu, Oksana Lyniv, Jonathon Heyward and Natalia Ponomarchuk, accordionist João Barradas and organist Anna Lapwood. We also present the long-awaited conclusion of Conductor Emeritus Vladimir Jurowski’s Wagner Ring Cycle, Götterdämmerung, and, as well as our titled conductors Edward Gardner and Karina Canellakis, we welcome back classical stars including Anne-Sophie Mutter, Robin Ticciati, Christian Tetzlaff and Danielle de Niese.

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.

lpo.org.uk

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

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London Philharmonic Orchestra • 4 November 2023 • Tchaikovsky’s Fourth

Luis Castillo-Briceño conductor

In masterclasses Luis has had the opportunity to work with conductors such as Cristian Măacelaru, Marin Alsop, Nicoláas Pasquet and Jorma Panula, among others.

© Akvilė Šileikaitė

Luis started his musical studies at the age of five, learning the violin at the National Conservatory of Music of Costa Rica. At 11 he started to study the flute at the same institution, becoming principal flautist of the Orquesta Sinfónica Infantil de Costa Rica. He subsequently gained a Bachelor’s degree in piano from the Zürcher Hochschule der Künste (Zürich), where he studied with renowned Professor Eckart Heiligers.

In 2011, at the age of 14, Luis began musical studies with composer Vladislav Soyfer, who sparked his ambitions as a conductor. He has been studying conducting under the guidance of Professors Mark Stringer and Sian Edwards, as well as opera coaching with Andreas Henning at the Universtität für Musik und darstellende Kunst in Vienna. Parallelly, he is also studying Organ at the Konservatorium für Kirchenmusik St. Pölten with Professor Michael Kitzinger. Luis is currently pursuing a Specialised Masters in orchestral conducting at the ZHdK (Zurich) with Professors Christoph-Mathias Mueller and Johannes Schlaefli.

Costa Rican-born Luis Castillo-Briceño is one of the London Philharmonic Orchestra’s two Fellow Conductors for the 2023/24 season. Following his debut with the Orchestra in tonight’s concert, he will conduct the LPO BrightSparks schools’ concerts in Thurrock in December and at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall in February, as well as a pre-concert performance by the LPO Junior Artists at the Royal Festival Hall on 16 February 2024.

Named by BBC Music Magazine as a ‘Rising Star’, Luis has been an Equilibrium Young Artist since 2020, mentored by conductor and singer Barbara Hannigan.

He has acted as her assistant with orchestras including the London Symphony Orchestra, Munich Philharmonic, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Copenhagen Philharmonic Orchestra, Musikkollegium Winterthur and Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne. Future engagements as assistant conductor include with the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia.

As a guest conductor Luis has appeared with orchestras such as the Athens Philharmonia Orchestra and the Orquesta Sinfónica de Heredia (Costa Rica).

The LPO Conducting Fellowship The LPO Conducting Fellowship was launched in 2023 to promote diversity and inclusivity in the classical music industry by developing outstanding early-career conductors from backgrounds currently under-represented in the profession.

Guided by the LPO’s Principal Conductor, Edward Gardner, two successful applicants each season become fully immersed in the life of the LPO, working intensively with the Orchestra over a period of 6–8 non-consecutive weeks. The Fellowship includes opportunities to conduct the Orchestra in various settings including at LPO residencies, educational programmes, and ensembles of its rising talent programmes; opportunities to assist Principal Conductor Edward Gardner, and mentorship sessions with him; and full immersion into the life of the Orchestra, aiming to form the basis of a longer-term professional relationship.

Luis was one of six semi-finalists in the German Conducting Award 2023, in which he worked with the WDR Sinfonieorchester and the Gürzenich-Orchester Köln. He served as Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the Junges Kammerorchester Zürich from 2019–21.

Among other orchestras with whom he has worked are the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, Basel Chamber Orchestra, Südwestdeutsche Philharmonie Konstanz, Kyiv Symphony Orchestra, MÁV Symphony Orchestra (Hungary) and Romanian Chamber Orchestra.

The LPO Conducting Fellowship is generously supported

by Patricia Haitink with additional support from Gini and Richard Gabbertas.

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London Philharmonic Orchestra • 4 November 2023 • Tchaikovsky’s Fourth

Benjamin Baker

Jordan Bak

violin

viola

Described by The New York Times as bringing ‘virtuosity, refinement and youthful exuberance’ to his debut at Merkin Concert Hall, he is much sought-after as soloist and chamber musician. Recent highlights include regular appearances at Wigmore Hall and on BBC Radio 3, his debut with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra at the East Neuk Festival, and solo appearances with the Auckland Philharmonia and Christchurch Symphony orchestras. In 2022 Benjamin returned to North America as soloist with the Charleston Symphony and Bucks County Symphony orchestras, and to Merkin Concert Hall in New York.

© Dario Acosta

© Kaupo Kikkas

Since winning First Prize at the 2016 Young Concert Artists International Auditions in New York and Third Prize at the Michael Hill Competition in New Zealand, Benjamin Baker has established a strong international presence.

Award-winning Jamaican-American violist Jordan Bak is building an exciting international career as a trailblazing artist, praised for his radiant stage presence and robust alto sound. The 2021 Young Classical Artists Trust (YCAT) Robey Artist and a top laureate of the 2020 Sphinx Competition, he was also a prize-winner at the 2019 Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition and the 2019 Tertis International Viola Competition. In addition, he is a featured artist for WQXR’s Artist Propulsion Lab. Recent highlights include recital debuts at Wigmore Hall, Merkin Concert Hall and Baltimore’s Shriver Hall; chamber music tours with Musicians from Marlboro and CAG on Tour; and new commissions from such composers as Tyson Gholston Davis, Shawn Okpebholo and James Ra. During the 2022/23 season Jordan returned to Wigmore Hall and made debuts at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam and the SchleswigHolstein Festival. He gave recitals across the UK, and collaborated with the National Children’s Orchestra and Music Masters pupils.

This autumn he flies back to New Zealand for his festival in Queenstown - ‘At the World’s Edge’, following a hugely successful launch in 2021. Other highlights include solo appearances with the Forth Worth Symphony Orchestra conducted by Dame Jane Glover, the Colorado Ballet Orchestra, and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.

He also continues to gives recitals and takes part in chamber music festivals across Europe.

A proud new music advocate, Jordan gave the world premiere of Kaija Saariaho’s Du gick, flög for viola and mezzo-soprano, and the viola premiere of Jessica Meyer’s Excessive Use of Force. He has appeared at chamber music festivals including the Marlboro Music Festival, and has collaborated with top-level ensembles including Verona Quartet and Merz Trio, and such artists as Jonathan Biss, Lara Downes and Ani Kavafian.

Solo recordings include with the BBC Concert and Royal Philharmonic orchestras, and a criticallyacclaimed CD with pianist Daniel Lebhardt for Delphian in 2021. A further recording with Delphian is due for release later in 2023.

A New York native, Jordan holds degrees from New England Conservatory and The Juilliard School, where he was only the third violist to receive the coveted Artist Diploma. He is Assistant Professor of Viola at Bowling Green State University College of Musical Arts, and returning Viola Faculty for the Classical Music Institute of San Antonio.

Benjamin has undertaken tours of the USA, Colombia, China and Argentina and taken part in the Al Bustan Festival in Lebanon and the Sanguine Estate Music Fesitval in Australia.

He plays on a Giovanni Grancino from 1694 on generous loan from a charitable trust. He was a prize-winner at the Young Classical Artists Trust (YCAT) International Auditions in 2013.

Jordan Bak is the recipient of the 2023/24 LPO Alexandra Jupin Award: an annual award for an artist making their debut with the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

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London Philharmonic Orchestra • 4 November 2023 • Tchaikovsky’s Fourth

Programme notes Antonín Dvořák 1841–1904

Carnival Overture 1891

Courtesy of the Royal College of Music, London

Carnival, the second part of Dvořák’s ‘Nature, Life and Love’ trilogy of concert overtures, was written between 28 July and 12 September 1891. The composer was at the height of his powers, with the Eighth Symphony, the Requiem and the ‘Dumky’ piano trio all dating from this period. He had already been highly praised in London, following the world premieres of The Spectre’s Bride and St Ludmilla, and his works were performed regularly elsewhere in Europe. Sometimes Dvořák’s pursuit of foreign outlets for his music caused consternation – ‘Smetana was a thousand times the more potent artist, since he never sold off his art, in which nationality was a basic element, in return for a little success abroad’, the critic and writer Zdeněk Nejedlý later opined – yet he was soon to be equally honoured at home, by the Prague Artistic Society, the Czech University of Prague and the Czech Academy of Sciences and Arts in turn.

Little wonder Carnival is such a happy, celebratory work.

According to the composer, the Overture depicts ‘a lonely, contemplative wanderer reaching a city at twilight where a festival is in full swing. On every side is heard the clangour of instruments, mingled with shouts of joy and the unrestrained hilarity of the people giving vent to their feelings in songs and dances.’ The festivities have an unmistakably Czech feel, with swinging syncopations not dissimilar to those in the ‘furiants’ of Dvořák’s symphonies or his widely performed Slavonic Dances. And like the particularly famed G minor Slavonic Dance, Carnival constantly sways between major and minor, before revealing a gorgeous evocation of ‘a pair of straying lovers’, led by the cor anglais, at the beginning of the development section. But they, like the ‘lonely, contemplative wanderer’, are soon pulled back into the party.

Programme note © Gavin Plumley

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London Philharmonic Orchestra • 4 November 2023 • Tchaikovsky’s Fourth

Programme notes Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 1756–91

Sinfonia Concertante in E flat major for violin, viola and orchestra, K364 1779

Benjamin Baker violin Jordan Bak viola

1 Allegro maestoso 2 Andante 3 Presto Mozart’s period of devotion to the violin concerto was short. The promise shown by his teenage concertos was not followed up, and the great concertos of his maturer years in Vienna were either for piano or for his new love, the clarinet. After passing the age of 20, his only significant return to the violin as a solo instrument was in the shape of this Sinfonia Concertante for violin and viola, composed when he was a slightly older and wiser man of 24.

The Sinfonia Concertante, then, stands outside the cycle of violin concertos, not just chronologically but in terms of quality and emotional depth as well. We do not know why or for whom it was written, and there is no record of any performance. Neither is the date of composition entirely certain, though it probably dates from some time in the summer or autumn of 1779, a period when Mozart was particularly interested in concertos for more than one soloist, no doubt as a result of his recent visits to Paris and Mannheim, where such works were popular and where he himself had composed a concerto for flute and harp and at least begun one for flute, oboe, horn and bassoon.

But the effects of his travels ran deeper than that: the Paris sojourn had been intended as a new start for him, an opportunity to forge a career in a city with a teeming

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London Philharmonic Orchestra • 4 November 2023 • Tchaikovsky’s Fourth

Programme notes concert life and where musicians were respected as independent professionals rather than court servants.

In the end, however, he failed to make the wished-for impact on the French capital and, worse than that, his mother, who had accompanied him there, died. These misfortunes, together with his humbling return home to the service of the Archbishop of Salzburg in 1779, all seem to have contributed to a new maturity and seriousness in his music, and nowhere is that better shown than in the Sinfonia Concertante, arguably Mozart’s finest instrumental composition before his move from Salzburg to Vienna in 1781.

The first movement is a masterly mixture of noble strength and tender lyricism, the orchestra providing most of the former and the dialoguing soloists most of the latter; their emergence playing in octaves at the end of the opening orchestral section is a typically Mozartian marvel, as are the movement’s frequent turns to the minor. The C minor Andante is again pure Mozart; elegiac and richly beautiful, it is perhaps the single most profound movement he had yet composed, and a hint of the expressive power he would unleash in the great operas of the 1780s. The work ends, however, with a cheerful, suavely dancing and generously tuneful rondo.

Programme note © Lindsay Kemp

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

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Edward Gardner conducts

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Berlioz: The Damnation of Faust

Karen Cargill Marguerite John Irvin Faust Christopher Purves Mephistopheles Jonathan Lemalu Brander London Philharmonic Choir London Symphony Chorus London Youth Choirs

Recorded live at the Royal Festival Hall, 4 Feb 2023

Out now exclusively on Apple Music Classical General release 3 February 2024

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London Philharmonic Orchestra • 4 November 2023 • Tchaikovsky’s Fourth

Programme notes Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky 1840–93

Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36 1877–78

1 Andante sostenuto — Moderato con anima 2 Andantino in modo di canzona 3 Scherzo (Pizzicato ostinato): Allegro 4 Finale: Allegro con fuoco The years 1876 and 1877 were traumatic ones for Tchaikovsky. He was suffering increasingly from feelings of guilt over his homosexuality, and considerable mental torment from the fear of its discovery. As a result he underwent a personal crisis that eventually drove him not just to an ill-advised marriage to a young student (a disastrous affair which lasted only a few weeks in the summer of 1877), but also to near-madness and a pitiable suicide attempt.

Two orchestral works of this time clearly reflect Tchaikovsky’s disturbed state of mind. The first was the tone-poem Francesca da Rimini, composed in the autumn of 1876 and depicting the eternal damnation of Francesca and her lover Paolo, condemned in Dante’s Inferno to the second circle of Hell for their helpless but illicit passion. The second was the Fourth Symphony, composed the following year, which confronted another spectre that had been haunting Tchaikovsky: the destructive nature of Fate. The seeds may well have been sown by a performance of Carmen that the composer saw in Paris in early 1875, but they were undoubtedly brought to fruition by the harrowing events of the following two years. From these Tchaikovsky emerged with a stronger-thanever conviction of the power of ‘the fateful force that prevents the impulse to happiness from achieving its goal ... which hangs over your head like the sword of Damocles’.

Tchaikovsky wrote these words in a letter to his patroness, Nadezhda von Meck, to describe the stark motto theme that opens the Symphony. The letter goes

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London Philharmonic Orchestra • 4 November 2023 • Tchaikovsky’s Fourth

Programme notes on to outline for von Meck the feelings underlying the rest of the work, a useful guide to its comprehension even now, though only after it has been borne in mind that it was written after the music had been completed. Thus we learn that the oppressive waltztune that opens the fast section of the first movement signifies resignation in the face of Fate’s supremacy, and the lilting second theme (announced on clarinet) the desire to ‘turn away from reality and submerge oneself in daydreams’. But though the music strives for happiness, it is Fate that gains the upper hand, with the motto theme returning to dominate the later stages of the movement.

procession’, but in truth a programme is irrelevant in this orchestral tour-de-force in which three themes – for pizzicato strings, woodwind and brass respectively – are first alternated, then wittily combined.

The Finale opens in a brilliant whirl of sounds which the sober Russian folk-tune ‘In the fields there stood a birch’ can only temporarily assuage. ‘If you find no reason for joy within yourself’, wrote Tchaikovsky, ‘go among the people. Observe how they can enjoy themselves, surrendering themselves wholeheartedly to joyful feelings.’ In the midst of the celebrations, however, the Fate theme from the first movement breaks in with an effect so devastating that the movement is brought to a standstill. But this time it cannot win. ‘You have only yourself to blame; do not say that everything in the world is sad. There are simple but strong joys’. The Symphony concludes in a blaze of glory, and the composer, for the time being at least, turns his back on Fate.

For Tchaikovsky the slow movement – with its haunting oboe melody – evoked ‘the melancholy feeling which comes in the evening when, weary from your labour, you are sitting alone. You take a book, but it falls from your hand. A whole host of memories comes ... It’s both sad, yet somehow sweet to immerse yourself in the past.’ The ensuing Scherzo depicts less clearly defined emotions: Tchaikovsky refers vaguely to ‘capricious arabesques’, ‘drunken peasants’ and ‘a military

Programme note © Lindsay Kemp

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Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4 on the LPO Label Tchaikovsky: Symphonies Nos. 4 & 5

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Vladimir Jurowski conductor

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Still to come this season at Brighton Dome FAMILY TIES – THE SCHUMANNS AND THE MENDELSSOHNS Saturday 20 January 2024 | 7.30pm

Fanny Mendelssohn Overture in C major Clara Schumann Piano Concerto Robert Schumann Introduction and Concert Allegro Felix Mendelssohn Symphony No. 3 (Scottish) Natalia Ponomarchuk conductor Alexander Melnikov piano

PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION Saturday 10 February 2024 | 7.30pm Brahms Violin Concerto Mussorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition Kahchun Wong conductor Francesca Dego violin Laura van der Heijden cello

Tickets from £16.50 Under-18s £8 brightondome.org Ticket Office: 01273 709709

London Philharmonic Orchestra • 4 November 2023 • Tchaikovsky’s Fourth

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

The American Friends of the London Philharmonic Orchestra 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 Edward Gardner & Sara Övinge Patricia Haitink Catherine Høgel & Ben Mardle Mr & Mrs Philip Kan Neil Westreich

Principal Associates

Richard Buxton Gill & Garf Collins In memory of Brenda Lyndoe Casbon In memory of Ann Marguerite Collins Irina Gofman & Mr Rodrik V. G. Cave George Ramishvili The Tsukanov Family Mr Florian Wunderlich

Associates

Mrs Irina Andreeva In memory of Len & Edna Beech Steven M. Berzin The Candide Trust John & Sam Dawson HSH Dr Donatus, Prince of Hohenzollern Stuart & Bianca Roden In memory of Hazel Amy Smith

Gold Patrons

Iain & Alicia Hasnip Eugene & Allison Hayes J Douglas Home Molly Jackson Mrs Farrah Jamal Mr & Mrs Jan Mr & Mrs Ralph Kanza Mr Peter King Jamie & Julia Korner Rose & Dudley Leigh Wg. Cdr. & Mrs M T Liddiard OBE JP RAF Drs Frank & Gek Lim Mr & Mrs Makharinsky Mr Gordon McNair Andrew T Mills Denis & Yulia Nagy Andrew Neill Jamie Njoku-Goodwin Peter & Lucy Noble Oliver & Josie Ogg Mr Stephen Olton Simon & Lucy Owen-Johnstone Mr Roger Phillimore Mr Michael Posen Saskia Roberts John Romeo Priscylla Shaw Mr & Mrs John C Tucker Mr & Mrs John & Susi Underwood Karina Varivoda Grenville & Krysia Williams Joanna Williams

David & Yi Buckley In memory of Allner Mavis Channing Sonja Drexler Peter & Fiona Espenhahn Mr B C Fairhall Hamish & Sophie Forsyth Virginia Gabbertas MBE Mr Roger Greenwood Malcolm Herring Julian & Gill Simmonds Eric Tomsett The Viney Family Guy & Utti Whittaker

Silver Patrons

Dame Colette Bowe David Burke & Valerie Graham Cameron & Kathryn Doley Ulrike & Benno Engelmann Dmitry & Ekaterina Gursky The Jeniffer & Jonathan Harris Charitable Trust John & Angela Kessler Mrs Elena & Mr Oleg Kolobov Mrs Elizabeth Meshkvicheva Mikhail Noskov & Vasilina Bindley Tom & Phillis Sharpe Mr Joe Topley & Ms Tracey Countryman Andrew & Rosemary Tusa Jenny Watson CBE Laurence Watt

Principal Supporters

Anonymous donors Ralph & Elizabeth Aldwinckle Mr John D Barnard Roger & Clare Barron Dr Simona Cicero & Mr Mario Altieri Mr Alistair Corbett Guy Davies David Devons Igor & Lyuba Galkin Prof. Erol & Mrs Deniz Gelenbe In memory of Enid Gofton Alexander Greaves Prof. Emeritus John Gruzelier Michael & Christine Henry Mrs Maureen Hooft-Graafland Per Jonsson Mr Ian Kapur Ms Elena Lojevsky Pippa Mistry-Norman Mrs Terry Neale John Nickson & Simon Rew

Bronze Patrons

Anonymous donors Chris Aldren Michael Allen Mrs A Beare Mr Anthony Blaiklock Lorna & Christopher Bown Mr Bernard Bradbury Simon Burke & Rupert King Desmond & Ruth Cecil Mr John H Cook Deborah Dolce Ms Elena Dubinets David Ellen Christopher Fraser OBE Mr Daniel Goldstein David & Jane Gosman Mr Gavin Graham Lord & Lady Hall Mrs Dorothy Hambleton

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Mr James Pickford Filippo Poli Mr Robert Ross Martin & Cheryl Southgate Mr & Mrs G Stein Christopher Williams

Supporters

Anonymous donors Mr Francesco Andronio Julian & Annette Armstrong Mr Philip Bathard-Smith Emily Benn Mr Julien Chilcott-Monk Alison Clarke & Leo Pilkington Mr Peter Coe Mr Joshua Coger Miss Tessa Cowie Caroline Cox-Johnson Mr Simon Edelsten Will Gold Mr Stephen Goldring Mr & Mrs Graham & Jean Pugh Mr Geordie Greig Mr Peter Imhof The Jackman Family Mr David MacFarlane Paul & Suzanne McKeown Nick Merrifield Dame Jane Newell DBE Mr David Peters Nicky Small Mr Brian Smith Mr Michael Timinis Mr & Mrs Anthony Trahar Tony & Hilary Vines Mr John Weekes Mr Roger Woodhouse Mr C D Yates

Hon. Benefactor Elliott Bernerd

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

London Philharmonic Orchestra • 4 November 2023 • Tchaikovsky’s Fourth

Thank you

Thomas Beecham Group Members

David & Yi Buckley Gill & Garf Collins William & Alex de Winton Sonja Drexler Mr B C Fairhall The Friends of the LPO 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 Solicitors French Chamber of Commerce

Tutti

German-British Chamber of Industry & Commerce Lazard Natixis Corporate Investment Banking Sciteb Ltd Walpole

Trusts and Foundations

Board of the American Friends of the LPO

ABO Trust The Barbara Whatmore Charitable Trust BlueSpark Foundation The Boltini Trust Borrows Charitable Trust Cockayne – Grants for the Arts The London Community Foundation Dunard Fund Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation Foyle Foundation Garrick Charitable Trust Idlewild Trust Institute Adam Mickiewicz John Coates Charitable Trust John Horniman’s Children’s Trust John Thaw Foundation Kirby Laing Foundation The Kurt Weill Foundation for Music Lord and Lady Lurgan Trust Lucille Graham Trust The Marchus Trust PRS Foundation The R K Charitable Trust The Radcliffe Trust Rivers Foundation Rothschild Foundation Scops Arts Trust TIOC Foundation The Thriplow Charitable Trust Vaughan Williams Foundation The Victoria Wood Foundation The Viney Family

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 Wassermann 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 HSH Dr Donatus, Prince of Hohenzollern Aline Foriel-Destezet Irina Gofman Olivia Ma George Ramishvili Sophie Schÿler-Thierry Florian Wunderlich

and all others who wish to remain anonymous.

Preferred Partners Jeroboams Lindt & Sprüngli Ltd Neal’s Yard OneWelbeck Sipsmith Steinway

In-kind Sponsor Google Inc

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London Philharmonic Orchestra • 4 November 2023 • Tchaikovsky’s Fourth

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 Emily Benn Kate Birchall* David Burke Deborah Dolce Elena Dubinets Tanya Joseph Hugh Kluger* Katherine Leek* 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 Roger Barron Chairman Christopher Aldren Richard Brass Helen Brocklebank YolanDa Brown OBE David Buckley 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 Dr Catherine C. Høgel Martin Höhmann Rehmet Kassim-Lakha Jamie Korner Geoff Mann Andrew Neill Nadya Powell Sir Bernard Rix Victoria Robey OBE Baroness Shackleton Thomas Sharpe KC Julian Simmonds Barry Smith Martin Southgate

Education and Community

Chris Viney Laurence Watt Elizabeth Winter

Talia Lash Education and Community Director

General Administration Elena Dubinets Artistic Director

Lowri Davies Hannah Foakes Education and Community Project Managers

David Burke Chief Executive Chantelle Vircavs PA to the Executive

Hannah Smith Education and Community Co-ordinator

Concert Management Roanna Gibson Concerts and Planning Director

Claudia Clarkson Regional Partnerships Manager

Graham Wood Concerts and Recordings Manager

Development 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 Co-ordinators

Andrew Chenery Orchestra Personnel Manager Sarah Thomas Martin Sargeson Librarians

Nick Jackman Campaigns and Projects Director

Laura Kitson Stage and Operations Manager

Kirstin Peltonen Development Associate

Marketing

Stephen O’Flaherty Deputy Operations Manager

Kath Trout Marketing and Communications Director

Benjamin Wakley Assistant Stage Manager Felix Lo Orchestra and Auditions Manager

Sophie Harvey Marketing Manager Rachel Williams Publications Manager

Finance

Gavin Miller Sales and Ticketing Manager

Frances Slack Finance Director

Ruth Haines Press and PR Manager

Dayse Guilherme Finance Manager

Hayley Kim Residencies and Projects Marketing Manager

Jean-Paul Ramotar Finance and IT Officer

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Greg Felton Digital Creative Alicia Hartley Digital and Marketing Co-ordinator Isobel Jones Marketing Assistant

Archives Philip Stuart Discographer Gillian Pole Recordings Archive

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 Selman Hoşgör 2023/24 season identity JMG Studio Printer John Good Ltd