LPO Tune In newsletter – Spring/Summer 2013

– ISSUE FOUR – – SPRING / SUMMER 2013 –

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The birth of a new star rs i

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Th r e e p e n

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seismic music for seismic times

a day in the life

Backstage

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Gavin Plumley introduces Southbank Centre's 2013 festival, The Rest Is Noise

We spend a day in London with Principal Guest Conductor, Yannick Nézet-Séguin

Meet Susanne Beer, the Orchestra's Co-Principal Cello

Principal Partners

New releases on the LPO Label All recordings available on CD and to download

Principal Supporters

mark-anthony turnage orchestral works vol. 3 vladimir jurowski, marin alsop & MARKUS STENZ conductors Christian TETZLAFF violin michael collins clarinet LAWRENCE POWER viola £9.99 LPO-0066 | October 2012 michael morpurgo's 'the mozart question' Audiobook narrated by the author, interleaved with musical excerpts by the London Philharmonic Orchestra Nicholas Collon conductor Jack Liebeck violin £9.99 LPO-0067 | October 2012

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In these live recordings from the Royal Festival Hall, they respond like musicians possessed.' The Sunday Times

Corporate Members AREVA UK British American Business Hermes Fund Managers Pritchard Englefield

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Browse the full catalogue and sign up for updates at lpo.org.uk/recordings All recordings available from lpo.org.uk/shop, the London Philharmonic Orchestra Box Office (020 7840 4242, Monday–Friday 10am–5pm), all good CD outlets, and the Royal Festival Hall shop.

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tune in – sPRing / summer 2013 –

WELCOME Happy New Year! Welcome to the Spring 2013 edition of the London Philharmonic Orchestra's newsletter, Tune In. Once in a while, a book comes along that changes your thinking forever. Such a book is Alex Ross's The Rest Is Noise, his musical chronicle of the 20th century. Not simply for the huge range of works discussed, or the fascinating background detail, but for the sheer sweep of musical history. The brilliance is in the overarching concept, which sees music reflecting the great movements in political, social and economic history in the 20th century. And what a century it was. From Richard Strauss to John Adams; a rollercoaster ride from Romanticism through nationalism, the Second Viennese School, the Darmstadt School, electronic music, minimalism, to Hollywood, musicals and pop culture.

Throughout 2013, Southbank Centre will bring the book alive with a year-long festival, The Rest Is Noise, encompassing almost 100 concerts, performances, films, talks and debates. As the festival's Principal Partner, we are dedicating every one of our 2013 Royal Festival Hall concerts to celebrating this extraordinary century of music. Between now and December we will give over 30 concerts as part of the festival, beginning with a dramatic all-Strauss programme on Saturday 19 January and concluding with John Adams’s joyful 'Nativity oratorio' El Niño just in time for Christmas on 14 December. Whatever your musical tastes – or your preconceptions of 20th-century music – prepare to be delighted, challenged and inspired by a truly unique year of concerts. In our introductory article overleaf, Gavin Plumley explores some of the highlights in store, and on pages 6–7 some of the players from the Orchestra share the concerts they're most looking forward to.

Elsewhere in this issue, we spend a 'day in the life' of the Orchestra's Principal Guest Conductor, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, as he and the Orchestra prepare for a busy week of

Editor Rachel Williams Publisher London Philharmonic Orchestra Printer Graphic Impressions

Timothy Walker © Patrick Harrison

Cover photo Meow Meow © Harmony Nicholas

– Timothy walker – Chief Executive and Artistic Director

Once in a while, a book comes along that changes your thinking forever. Such a book is Alex Ross's 'The Rest Is Noise'.

2013/14 season launch Booking for our new season opens on Thursday 31 January. To take advantage of priority booking (from 21 January), become a Friend of the London Philharmonic Orchestra for as little as £50 a year. Call Sarah Fletcher on 020 7840 4225 or visit www.lpo.org.uk/support_us/friends.html

Contents the rest is noise 04 players' picks 06 new & noteworthy 08 yannick nézet-séguin 12 spring/summer Concert listings 13 Backstage: susanne beer 16

concerts at Royal Festival Hall (page 12), and in our regular 'Backstage' interview feature we meet the Orchestra's Co-Principal Cello Susanne Beer and find out about her many passions – from Strauss and Berg to travel, fashion and dancing the tango!

We'd love to hear what you think about the format and content of Tune In, as well as anything you'd particularly like to read about in future editions. Email admin@lpo.org.uk, or come and chat to us at the LPO information desk in the Royal Festival Hall foyer on concert nights. Don't forget we also love to receive feedback from our audiences and supporters about concerts, events and anything else to do with the Orchestra through Facebook and Twitter (see below).

If you haven't already got a copy of our current season brochure, do pick one up next time you're at Royal Festival Hall, or give us a call on 020 7840 4200 to request one. In the meantime, turn to page 13 for full listings for the spring both in the UK and abroad, or browse the full season at lpo.org.uk.

Thank you for your support of the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

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While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this publication, we cannot accept liability for any statement or error contained herein. © 2013 London Philharmonic Orchestra.

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Full concert listings and booking information on page 13 – 03 –

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tune in – spRing / summer 2013 –

the rest is noise

Seismic Music for Seismic Times

2013 promises to be a year of inspiration and exploration for conductors, players and audience alike. Gavin Plumley introduces the Orchestra's highlights in 'The Rest Is Noise'.

A

lex Ross’s 2007 book The Rest Is Noise brilliantly harnessed ready knowledge of 20th-century history to a greater

understanding of its music.

Describing a series of revolutionary scores, Ross took ‘the reader inside the labyrinth of modern sound’. As Southbank Centre takes Ross’s book as its programming guide throughout 2013, with the LPO as the festival’s Principal Orchestral Partner, we will be able to experience the events of the 20th century in full sonic action.

The two world wars unsurprisingly dominate our view. Yet even before the first shot was fired in 1914, disturbing energies were at work in Europe. The first LPO concert of 2013, on 19 January, dives head-first into the social, artistic and philosophical fracas left behind by the 19th century. The Bavarianborn composer Richard Strauss was one of the foremost figures in music at the time. His songs embraced the psychosexual poetry of his peers, while his 1896 tone-poem Also sprach Zarathustra was inspired by Nietzsche’s tract on man in a godless world.

Clearly uninhibited by what his music could or should express, Strauss unleashed his opera Salome onto an unsuspecting Europe in 1905.

Setting Oscar Wilde’s sex-thirsty biblical drama, Strauss painted with a defiantly flamboyant brush. The opera was a monster hit, though the subject and the score were so bold – depicting the gory death of John the Baptist – that some cities, including an ever-conservative Vienna, barred it from the stage.

Although Sir Edward Elgar was more religiously orthodox in his oratorio The Dream of Gerontius (26 January 2013), experiencing

his 1900 masterpiece is no less intense. Like Strauss, Elgar turned to Wagner and his opera Parsifal for a lead, thereby creating an auditory whirlwind to echo Elgar’s questions about faith, hope and what was lurking around the corner.

When Gustav Mahler first saw Salome in Graz in 1906 – an event attended by Europe’s musical cognoscenti – he was well embarked on his own musical exploration with crises of faith, unknowingly prophetic of the century that was to follow. His final works, including Das Lied von der Erde (performed by the LPO on 23 January 2013), offer an uncertain retreat into silence.

Sergei Rachmaninoff was more optimistic about what lay ahead. His First Symphony had, like many of Mahler’s, met with confusion and consternation, but his Second offers a more triumphant narrative (15 February 2013). Looking back to the example of his compatriot Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony, Rachmaninoff dared to hope for a better future. Rachmaninoff’s Finnish neighbour Sibelius had similarly embraced Tchaikovsky’s music, but his Fourth Symphony (played by the LPO on 1 February 2013) finds him in the slough of despond. Written in response to being diagnosed with cancer, its bleak aphoristic gestures stood ‘as a protest against present-day music. It has nothing, absolutely nothing of the circus about it.’

As former faiths and optimisms collapsed, new sounds had to be found to communicate these doubts. Arnold Schoenberg had immersed himself in the music of Strauss and Mahler, but through a new language of expressionism Schoenberg aimed to tap ‘the wind from other planets’. His acolytes too kept one foot in the past, including Anton Webern

Gustav Mahler: performed by the LPO on 23 January

in his diaphanous Im Sommerwind – more akin to Ravel’s impressionistic scores with which the LPO concludes its concert on 9 February 2013 – but it was not long before all of these composers provided a more violent soundtrack to the years immediately preceding the First World War. As Schoenberg hurled his generation into the expressionistic vortex, from which his Five Orchestral Pieces emerged in 1912, Russian composer Igor Stravinsky was busy at work on his own radical experiments. His kaleidoscopic scores had already wowed a Paris hungry for eastern exoticism but, with his next ballet, Stravinsky took a more incautious leap into the primeval heart of Russia.

The Rite of Spring depicts the sacrifice of a young maiden to the Slavonic Sun God, which

Full concert listings and booking information on page 13 – 04 –

tune in – sPRing / summer 2013 –

Vladimir Jurowski © Karen Robinson

Vladimir Jurowski, Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor

Stravinsky described with stamping dissonances and whinnying orchestral yawps.

On 29 May 1913 a sell-out crowd of subscribers and ill-informed society gogetters answered Stravinsky’s daring score with a cacophony of their own. The barracking began before even a note had been played.

Stravinsky and Diaghilev’s supporters immediately made matters worse by lobbing retorts. The noise grew to an indescribable racket, punches flew and, soon enough, the dancers were totally unable to hear the orchestra above the din. The choreographer Vaslav Nijinsky barked orders from a chair in the wings, while Stravinsky left his seat in the stalls, puce with anger. You can judge for yourselves on 16 February 2013.

So, soon enough, the age-old propriety, which Strauss had smashed apart with the premiere of Salome, was wavering on its last legs. But what Stravinsky had achieved in exploiting the rhythms and melodies of folk Russia within his new ballet had actually been suggested some 20 years before in another country entirely. During the 1890s, Antonín Dvořák encouraged his pupils at the National Conservatoire in New York to go right to the roots of American culture, namely to the spirituals of the South and to Native American music. The spirit of a nation, Dvořák felt, could be revealed by its folk tunes.

Stravinsky’s fellow Ballet Russes composer Darius Milhaud followed Dvořák’s example with his 1923 ballet La Création du monde, which embraced African folk mythology and jazz. Milhaud heard this exciting new idiom

while in New York in 1922, itself a modern sliding once more towards war. successor to the bluesy harmonies running In response, foreign composers wrote through ‘Negro’ spirituals. But rather than the music of grave apprehension. Vaughan sophisticated and urbane forms we now Williams denied that his Fourth Symphony readily associate with jazz, its sounds are part was a ‘definite picture of anything external and parcel of the feral metropolis in Edgar – e.g. the state of Europe’, yet within it he Varèse’s Amériques, which the LPO plays turned away from pastoralism to a more alongside music by Milhaud and Dvořák, as aggressive language. Fellow Briton Michael well as a selection of spirituals, on 20 February Tippett directly responded to the events 2013. leading up to ‘Kristallnacht’, the pogrom that On 22 February, the Orchestra turns to took place across Germany on 9 November works by composers born and bred in 1938, pouring protest into his ‘oratorio of America. George Gershwin deftly combines contemplation’, which he called A Child of our jazz and classical propriety, while Charles Ives Time (1 May 2013). smashes together jarring motifs, tempos and No less foreboding, however, were the styles. Urgent and reflective in turn, his Three warnings spoken by Russian music at the time.

Places in New England is his ‘deepest Dmitri Shostakovich and Sergei Prokofiev meditation on American myth’, gave voice to the conflicted according to Alex Ross. feelings of their fellow Russians.

‘Rejecting Dvořák’s And, having kowtowed to programme for a NegroStalin and his cronies with his We hope to mine the based American music,’ Ives numinous Fifth Symphony, essential truths that felt that ‘one cannot make Shostakovich told much music from ragtime any darker truths in his Sixth 20th-century composers more than one can make a Symphony, written and communicated through meal of “tomato ketchup premiered in 1939. It is with their music. and horseradish”.’ this menacing but During the 1920s, Kurt ultimately braying symphony Weill and Berthold Brecht that the LPO brings to a close became particularly adept at the first half of The Rest Is Noise mixing disparate but collectively festival on 17 May 2013. potent ingredients. Premiered just before the Across these broad and electrifying Wall Street Crash, Weill and Brecht’s 1928 programmes, we hope to mine the essential musical The Threepenny Opera (performed on truths that 20th-century composers 2 March 2013) depicts the moral plurality and communicated through their music. Whether corruption of the Weimar Republic. it is the existential predicaments Unsurprisingly, there were those around who communicated by Mahler, Sibelius and violently distrusted such a critical and political Shostakovich’s symphonies, the savagery of work.

Strauss, Stravinsky and Orff or the reproving When the Nazi Party came to power in theatrics of Weill and Brecht, these concerts 1933, it had a grave impact on Germanwill convey the extraordinary and epochspeaking culture. Weill and Brecht were changing events of the last century. Music is, considered cultural bolshevists. The former after all, the heartbeat of history. escaped to America, while the latter belligerently stood his ground in Europe. The Gavin Plumley is a writer and musicologist, Nazis likewise vilified Jewish composers, specialising in the music of Central Europe at while the radical modernism of Webern and the turn of the last century. He has spoken on Berg – performed alongside their BBC Radio 3 and recently written articles for contemporaries Martinů and Bartók on 27 The Guardian, Opera Now, Classical Music and April 2013 – was anathema to the new BBC Music Magazine. regime. But when the German composer Carl Orff employed modernist barbarisms within Watch a video of Principal Conductor and his 1935 cantata Carmina Burana, the Nazis Artistic Advisor Vladimir Jurowski turned a blind ear. Contradictorily, they felt introducing The Rest Is Noise: Orff was expressing the nascent spirit of the www.lpo.org.uk/newseason/1213_video.html German Volk (6 April 2013). Things were

Full concert listings and booking information on page 13 – 05 –

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the rest is noise

players’ picks With such a huge range of 20th-century works throughout 'The Rest Is Noise', everyone will find something to enjoy.

A few of the Orchestra's players share their highlights ...

gareth newman, bassoon

francis bucknall, cello

paul beniston, trumpet

I'm particularly looking forward to two pieces.

Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring (16 February) is always especially challenging for a bassoonist.

The opening solo, sitting in the middle of this huge orchestra, and beginning this amazing piece alone, is an experience that is impossible to fully prepare for. The pregnant silence into which you have to launch a solo right at the top of the instrument's range can be quite daunting – but after the opening you can relax (relatively speaking!) and enjoy the unique colours and rhythms of this seminal work.

I'm sure it will be special with Yannick Nézet-Séguin.

Strauss's Also sprach Zarathustra with Vladimir Jurowski (19 January) is a wonderful orchestral showcase and Vladimir's certain to have interesting things to say about it. His preparation is always so meticulous and attention to detail extraordinary. Couple this with a fierce concentration and full commitment to everything he performs, and it's bound to be a wonderful concert!

I'm really looking forward to Elgar's choral work The Dream of Gerontius with Sir Mark Elder and the London Philharmonic Choir on 26 January. I've known this piece since my college days and never tire of playing or listening to it. It's beautifully composed and in my opinion (and Elgar's too), one of his finest achievements.

The other highlight for me this spring is Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde (23 January), also conducted by Sir Mark. A symphony in all but name, this piece holds very special memories for many older members of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, who will still remember Klaus Tennstedt's performances of Mahler's music. Of course we can never replicate the emotions of any performance, but I know that Sir Mark will leave us with new and equally poignant memories, perhaps more applicable to today's world.

Ask a trumpet player what Also sprach Zarathustra (19 January) means to them and they won't mention the famous 2001: A Space Odyssey opening, or the weird, 'unfinished' ending. They will forget the fugue. (Apparently there's a violin solo too.) But they will volunteer a four-note motif: three Cs in the rhythm 'Am-ster-dam' followed by an octave leap into the stratosphere. It's high. It's lonely.

My preparation on Zarathustra day starts a split second before I wake up, more than an hour before my alarm goes off. The next 12 hours or so are spent narrowing my focus, putting my blinkers on. When the moment arrives it feels like the culmination of a rollercoaster ride. A massive C major cadence ends the first section – feeling bold, you buy a ticket! Next the cellos play an agitated passage as you ascend, the point of no return – the adrenaline is flowing ... The flutes signal the moment when you go over the top – a feeling of weightlessness and inevitability!

Then it's your turn. Deep breath. Amsterdam.

Then one of two things happens. You hit it or you miss it ...

Full concert listings and booking information on page 13 – 06 –

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sue bohling, cor anglais

rachel masters, harp

Andrew Barclay, percussion

The Rest Is Noise is an exciting project for the Orchestra to undertake and it will be as much of a journey for us as it is for the audience! As a cor anglais player there are always large amounts of the symphonic repertoire that I'm not needed for, but this series promises plenty of interesting concerts for me as a player.

Stravinsky is a firm favourite of mine and we have a number of concerts featuring this master of orchestration. We perform The Rite of Spring with Yannick Nézet-Séguin on 16 February, the Symphony of Psalms on 6 April, and Jeu de Cartes with Vladimir Jurowski on 17 May. Stravinsky's complex rhythmic and intricate writing are always exciting for every individual player in the orchestra.

Another composer whose style and lush orchestration is so distinctive and another favourite of mine is Respighi. We perform his Fountains of Rome for the first time in many years on 9 February.

These are two fantastic composers with two very different styles. To be in the middle of the huge orchestra required for these pieces when it's firing on all cylinders is one of the most exhilarating experiences you can imagine, and these works will all be great showpieces for the Orchestra.

The Rest Is Noise features music by some of my favourite orchestrators. By the mid-19th century, the modern harp was in general use, and its orchestral repertoire had really begun to develop. The late Romantics such as Strauss and Mahler understood how the harp could enrich their musical textures, whether during a full tutti or within a smaller ensemble section. So it'll be a delight to return to Strauss's Also sprach Zarathustra (19 January) and Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde (23 January) and explore the broad range of contrasts in these works, from their vast soundscapes to the intimacies of the quieter, more reflective moments.

Ottorino Respighi’s music may be less well known, but his evocative music is really original, and Fountains of Rome (9 February) is an imaginative gem. In the same concert we'll also be performing some Ravel (Pavane pour une infante défunte and Rapsodie espagnole), whose lush impressionism is always a joyful indulgence for us harpists.

Later on, when we perform Bartók, Berg and Webern (27 April), the harp will be used more percussively, with some incisive rhythms and syncopations. The unusual scoring of Bartók’s Music for Strings, Percussion and Celeste (and also harp!) displays a wonderful range of colours, and Webern’s minimalistic style demands delicate precision, making it challenging, but none the less rewarding to perform.

On 27 April we have Berg's extraordinary music from his opera Lulu, and the Martinů Concerto for Two String Orchestras, Piano and Timpani, as well as a favourite of mine by Bartók.

What makes Bartók's Music for Strings, Percussion and Celeste special? Well, as they say, the clue's in the title. There are no brass or woodwind players involved, so the timpanist and the percussion section are able to assume a more intimate place in the orchestra, down within the body of the strings, alongside the piano. It's always a strange experience to play from an unusual position on the stage but there's something about this piece that makes it feel perfectly natural to be there and to be more involved in the 'nitty-gritty' of the work.

True, things sound different from normal (and we're uncomfortably close to the conductor so we have to be on our best behaviour), but the piece is so intense and powerful that it's always great to perform.

Bartók writes very perceptively for percussion instruments and even more so the timpani.

This, coupled with Vladimir's attention to the detail and drama of the work, should make for a taut and thrilling evening.

Sue's chair is supported by Julian & Gill Simmonds.

Andrew’s chair is supported by Andrew Davenport.

Rachel's chair is supported by London Philharmonic Orchestra Friends.

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lpo news

new and noteworthy the lpo at heathrow

Over the last year, the Orchestra has been delighted to work with Contact the Elderly, the only national charity solely dedicated to tackling loneliness and social isolation among older people. This work has been made possible by JTI, a Corporate Supporter of both the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Contact the Elderly.

Contact the Elderly organises monthly Sunday afternoon tea parties for small groups of older people (aged 75 and over) who live alone, together with volunteers from their local community. At four of these tea parties over the last year, the London Philharmonic Orchestra has provided string quartets to play to the guests during the afternoon and to chat with them while they enjoy their tea and cake. A volunteer told us that the tea parties have all been thoroughly enjoyed by both the guests and the musicians: ‘Ellen kept telling me how she used to dance and hold her long dress when she was young – she did also try to explain to me different sorts of waltzes! I even heard Joe singing.’

our corporate partners www.lpo.org.uk/support_us/sponsors_corp.html

julian anderson

FIND OUT MORE contact-the-elderly.org.uk

FUNHARMONICS FAMILY CONCERT: sunday 10 February Presented by CBeebies' Chris Jarvis and lasting just an hour, our FUNharmonics family concerts introduce children to the instruments of the orchestra and the stories behind the music in a fast-paced and lively way. The next concert, The Roaring Twenties!

(Sunday 10 February, 12 noon), is packed with music from this exciting decade including Shostakovich's toe-tapping Tea for Two, Gershwin's theatrical Girl Crazy and Honegger's brilliant depiction of a steam train, Pacific 231. Make a day of it with free pre-and post-concert activities for all the family: have a go on an orchestral instrument; become part of the Human Orchestra; or join the festival atmosphere with post-concert performances.

Congratulations to the Orchestra’s Composer in Residence, Julian Anderson, whose work The Discovery of Heaven was shortlisted in the Orchestral category of this year’s British Composer Awards.

The Discovery of Heaven was commissioned by the London Philharmonic and New York Philharmonic orchestras and premiered at the Royal Festival Hall on 24 March 2012 by the London Philharmonic Orchestra under conductor Ryan Wigglesworth. more information britishcomposerawards.com www.lpo.org.uk/about/anderson.html

FIND OUT MORE www.lpo.org.uk/education/family.html

Full concert listings and booking information on page 13 – 08 –

Tea party © Contact the Elderly – Julian Anderson © Maurice Foxall

contact the elderly tea parties

In October 2012 we were delighted to announce Heathrow Airport as the newest Principal Supporter of the London Philharmonic Orchestra. As part of this relationship the Orchestra has been performing in the airport – one of the more unusual venues we've visited!

The first airport performance was back in August, when the Orchestra entertained passengers from all over the world coming in and out of the UK at the end of the Olympics.

A 20-piece wind and brass ensemble performed a rousing selection of British classics from The Sailor’s Hornpipe to Land of Hope and Glory. The next performance took place at the end of October to coincide with the release of the latest James Bond film, Skyfall. The Orchestra took to the Terminal 5 concourse to play a selection of Bond classics including Goldfinger and Diamonds are Forever.

Finally, we presented a special Christmas performance at the beginning of December, featuring a selection of festive songs to warm up the crowds.

tune in – sPRing / summer 2013 –

animate orchestra

The perfect combination

Win with Lindt Excellence & Villa Maria

During October half term the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music & Dance brought their innovative Animate Orchestra to Southwark and Lambeth, expanding on the project’s previous successful work in Greenwich and Lewisham.

Animate Orchestra offers any child aged 9–15 learning a musical instrument the opportunity to play with others and create their own music in a large ensemble. Members come from a wide range of cultural backgrounds and play instruments as varied as bassoon, guitar, ukulele and laptop, drawing upon their individual skills and interests to create their own compositions from scratch. The orchestra takes its inspiration from classical orchestral repertoire, guided by skilled professionals from local music services, Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music & Dance and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. The October courses, directed by Jason Rowlands, took place over four days and involved over 100 young people. The groups used the music of 20th-century American composer John Cage, in his centenary year, as the inspiration for their own compositions.

FIND OUT MORE animateorchestra.org.uk

Animate Orchestra © Benjamin Ealovega

london philharmonic orchestra birthday appeal 2012/13 This season the London Philharmonic Orchestra has reached 80 years on the concert platform. We would love you to help us celebrate by making a donation to our birthday wish list.

We have chosen six presents the Orchestra desperately needs. Whether you’d prefer to contribute towards three tom-toms, hire of musical scores or even some IT equipment, you’ll be safe in the knowledge that all gifts will be greatly appreciated.

Pairing wine and chocolate can create a truly indulgent, relaxing and flavoursome experience if matched in the right way. Lindt Excellence and Villa Maria have combined their expertise, matching wine and chocolate to create sublime combinations of flavours and aromas that beautifully complement one another. Here are two top pairing tips for you to experience and enjoy yourselves: Villa Maria Private Bin Riesling 2011 is a refreshing wine with zesty lime aromas and an intensely flavoured palate with a light citrus finish. It can be delightfully paired with Lindt Excellence Orange Intense; the flavours of the wine mirroring and complementing the zesty citrus notes of the chocolate.

For a deliciously exciting pairing, Villa Maria Private Bin Syrah 2009, a full bodied fruity red wine, with floral and spicy white pepper aromas, can be combined perfectly with the delicate sweet cocoa flavours enhanced by the bite of the sea salt crystals of Lindt Excellence Dark with a touch of Sea Salt.

Lindt and Villa Maria are offering three lucky readers the chance to win these exquisite pairings. To enter please send your name and contact details via email to competitions@lpo.org.uk by 31 March 2013.

Terms and conditions: 3 prizes to the value of £28.80 each, consisting of 1x bottle of Villa Maria Private Bin Riesling, 1x bottle of Villa Maria Private Bin Syrah, 2x 100g bar of Lindt Excellence Orange Intense and 2x 100g bar of Lindt Excellence Dark with a touch of Sea Salt. All entrants must be aged 18 years or over. A full UK mainland address and telephone number must be provided for delivery purposes.

Competition closes on 31 March 2013. Entries must be received by the closing date and no liability is accepted for lost, illegible or incomplete entries. If you do not want to hear from Villa Maria, Lindt or the LPO in the future, please write ‘No database’ in the body of your email. Please see www.lindt.co.uk for full terms and conditions. villamaria.co.nz lindt.co.uk

get involved and FIND OUT MORE www.lpo.org.uk/birthday

Full concert listings and booking information on page 13 – 09 –

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LPO news

new and noteworthy annual fundraising gala 2013 We are delighted to announce that the London Philharmonic Orchestra’s Annual Fundraising Gala will take place at London's Guildhall on 27 June 2013. Guests will enjoy a Champagne Taittinger reception and a special performance of Britten’s A Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra conducted by Vladimir Jurowski in the Great Hall. This will be followed by a formal dinner accompanied by Villa Maria wines, and an exciting auction.

Formal invitations will be sent out shortly.

To find out more, please contact Laura Luckhurst on 020 7840 4209 or email laura.luckhurst@lpo.org.uk

brighTsparks gcse concert On 5 November 2012 we gave a Deutsche Bank BrightSparks concert for GCSE Music students at Royal Festival Hall. The concert was made up of set works from the GCSE syllabus, each analysed by presenter Stuart Stratford before a full performance accompanied by a screen presentation. It was attended by a 2300-strong audience of Year 10 and 11 pupils from schools all over London and the south-east. The Orchestra was joined by 160 choir members from the choirs of Beaumont School, St Albans; Eltham College, Greenwich; and Emanuel School, Wandsworth to perform Handel’s And The Glory Of The Lord and a song from The Lord of the Rings. Students from the Centre for Young Musicians were also invited to sit in among the Orchestra to perform Saint-Saëns’s Danse Macabre.

'Playing with the LPO gave me a really great insight into the world of the Orchestra. It was lots of fun and the LPO members made me feel very welcome.' Vanessa Ritchie-Suarez, CYM trombone 'The pupils, many who had never been to a concert before, were inspired by the event. The information about the set works with the screen was excellent, informative and clear. One parent called me the next morning to say "What have you done to my son? He has been inspired!" To me that is what it is all about, sheer enjoyment and learning from the experience.'

Teacher, Kingsdale Foundation School, Southwark 'Can we do Danse Macabre for GCSE? It was so cool!' School choir member FIND OUT MORE www.lpo.org.uk/education

GLYNDEBOURNE 2013

FIND OUT MORE lpo.org.uk/support_us/gala.html

student pulse With so many concerts, venues and events on offer in London, sometimes it's hard to find out what's going on amid such a wealth of choice – especially if you're new to the city.

That's the feedback we got from students at university freshers' fairs over the last few years. So to try and make it easier for students to plan their concert-going, this season our student scheme, NOISE, joined forces with nine other London orchestras and venues to launch a joint smartphone app – Student Pulse – offering discounted tickets and loyalty points to student bookers, all through one easy-to-navigate platform. Students simply browse by date, venue, performer or composer, buy tickets through the app on their phone, and receive an e-ticket on their phone to show on the night. LPO concert tickets bought through the app are only £4: great value for student budgets! find out more and download the free app studentpulselondon.co.uk www.lpo.org.uk/noise

FIND OUT MORE www.lpo.org.uk/support_us/glyndebourne.html glyndebourne.com

Full concert listings and booking information on page 13 – 10 –

BrightSparks © Benjamin Ealovega

The LPO has been Resident Symphony Orchestra at Glyndebourne Festival Opera since 1964, spending each summer accompanying the opera performances in the Sussex countryside.

Summer 2013 marks Vladimir Jurowski's final season as Music Director of Glyndebourne before he is succeeded by Robin Ticciati in 2014. The season opens on 18 May and will run until 25 August, during which time the Orchestra will give performances of a new production of Strauss's Ariadne auf Naxos with Jurowski; a revival of the 2012 production of Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro with Jérémie Rhorer; Donizetti's Don Pasquale with Enrique Mazzola (a revival of the 2011 Tour production); and a revival of the 2010 production of Britten's Billy Budd with Sir Andrew Davis. Public booking opens on 18 March 2013. Early access to tickets is available for corporate and individual supporters of the LPO.

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Staff & player news andrew barclay Congratulations to Andrew Barclay, who was formally appointed as the Orchestra's Principal Percussionist in October. Andrew joined the LPO in 1995 and previously held the position of Co-Principal Percussionist.

latest releases on the lpo label Autumn 2012 saw several additions to the ever-expanding LPO Label catalogue. In October we released the third disc of orchestral works by the Orchestra's former Composer in Residence Mark-Anthony Turnage (LPO-0066), and an audiobook of The Mozart Question by children's author Michael Morpurgo (LPO-0067). The Turnage disc features five works recorded for the first time between 2007 and 2011, including the world premiere performance of his violin concerto Mambo, Blues and Tarantella with soloist Christian Tetzlaff. The CD also features the viola concerto On Opened Ground with soloist Lawrence Power; the clarinet concerto Riffs and Refrains with Michael Collins; and the orchestral works Texan Tenebrae and Lullaby for Hans (written for the 80th birthday of the composer Hans Werner Henze, who passed away in November 2012). For Turnage fans, there's an extra treat on offer as we're offering a special 3 for 2 deal on the trio of his LPO recordings – visit our website (link below) for more details.

The Mozart Question is based on Michael Morpurgo’s much-loved book, originally presented by the LPO as a live children's concert. The story charts a small boy’s discovery of his love for the violin, and of his parents’ traumatic past in a concentration camp during the Second World War. This CD weaves together the book’s narration (featuring Morpurgo himself) with musical extracts to bring the story alive, featuring pieces by Beethoven, Vivaldi, Bach and Mozart.

In November we released Brahms's Symphonies Nos. 1 & 3 with Klaus Tennstedt (LPO-0068). Tennstedt enjoyed a close and enduring relationship with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and was appointed as the Orchestra’s Principal Conductor and Music Director in 1983. Renowned for his interpretations of the German Romantic repertoire, Tennstedt once said he loved the LPO so much because ‘it is a romantic orchestra’.

jaime martÍN We said goodbye to Principal Flute Jaime Martín, who left the Orchestra in November.

Jaime has been developing his conducting career over the last few years and was recently announced as Music Director of the Gävle Symphony Orchestra in Sweden, as well as Artistic Director of the Santander Festival in Spain. Jaime hopes to return as Guest Principal on occasion, and we look forward to his LPO conducting debut at Eastbourne's Congress Theatre on 27 January 2013.

new arrivals Congratulations to the Orchestra's Stage Manager Michael Pattison and his wife Jenny on the birth of Alma Grace, born 28 September; Concerts Director Roanna Gibson and her husband Steve on the birth of Lucy Rose Dorothy, born 3 October; and Co-Principal Trumpet Nick Betts and his wife Gabbie on the arrival of Leo James on 30 October.

browse all recordings and buy online lpo.org.uk/recordings

many happy returns

greatest video game music 2

glyndebourne dvd: die meistersinger

November 2012 saw the release of The Greatest Video Game Music 2. This was the sequel to 2011's hugely successful first volume, which has sold almost 100,000 copies to date, making it the bestselling video game music album of all time.

The second album looks set to be just as successful, reaching No. 1 in the Amazon chart just one day after its release. It is available on CD and to download from Amazon and iTunes.

September 2012 saw the DVD and Blu-ray release of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, conducted by Vladimir Jurowski with the London Philharmonic Orchestra during the 2011 Festival. The production was directed

by David McVicar and soloists include Gerald Finley, Marco Jentzsch, Topi Lehtipuu, Johannes Martin Kränzle, Anna Gabler, Alastair Miles and Michaela Selinger.

more information

more information

www.lpo.org.uk/heroes

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2012 was an important milestone for the Orchestra as we celebrated our 80th anniversary. For one staff member in particular though, it was an even more special occasion. Our volunteer recordings archivist Gillian Pole also celebrated her 80th birthday on 23 October 2012, making her exactly the same age as the Orchestra! Gillian joined the LPO Publicity department in 1971, helping to produce programmes, leaflets and posters.

She left the LPO in 1983 and in 1997 was invited to rejoin in a voluntary capacity to tackle a mountain of press cuttings. Since then she has progressed into a little proofreading, more press cuttings and, a few years ago, she started the LPO recording archive.

Congratulations, Gillian!

Full concert listings and booking information on page 13 – 11 –

tune in – sPRing / summer 2013 –

a day in the life

yannick nézet-séguin people waiting backstage to talk to me. It’s very important to me that I’m surrounded by people I know. It takes me a while to wind down after a concert so I never go straight home, or to bed. I like to go out for dinner with friends or family – in London I always go to The Northall and quite often have the same meal: grilled Dover sole with lemon on the side. So much in my life is unpredictable that I really enjoy visiting somewhere regularly, where I know what to expect.

Sometimes I'll go for a nightcap before bed.

The Corinthia has a fabulous bar called Bassoon, aptly named for a musician! They have live music there most nights, and there's a lovely atmosphere but it’s still quiet enough to have a conversation. Then it’s time for bed, ready to start again the next day ...

I’m a big fan of room service for breakfast so at 8.45am there’s a knock at the door and there it is.

Breakfast is my favourite meal and I can’t survive without my eggs, so I usually order something like an omelette and maybe a bowl of berries with some granary toast and a cappuccino. Rehearsals are very physical so I like to set myself up for the day with a hearty breakfast.

When I'm in London I stay at the Corinthia Hotel, which I like as it has a real personality – I’ve stayed here many times, and each of the rooms has a unique layout with impressive bathrooms. I usually wear something quite casual, maybe jeans and a polo shirt – something I can move around in and feel comfortable in during rehearsals.

I love to walk across Hungerford Bridge to work, admiring the views from the river. On the way to Royal Festival Hall I see the Houses of Parliament and the London Eye, and on the

way back I see the City and St Paul’s. There’s something incredible about that view – it really reminds you of where you are, and it makes me think back to my debut with the London Philharmonic Orchestra: I remember walking across the river with my parents and thinking how beautiful the city was.

After rehearsal I usually head back to Corinthia London, where I often have a few meetings in the early afternoon. My management are based in London so I might meet with them, or make future plans with colleagues from the London Philharmonic Orchestra, or sometimes people fly in from Europe to meet with me. We’ll either go for lunch in one of the restaurants, or for afternoon tea.

I like to do some exercise in the afternoon.

If it’s not raining I might go for a jog in the Royal Parks or along the Embankment, or spend some time in the gym. After that I like to relax in the spa – ESPA Life at Corinthia is the best city centre spa I’ve ever experienced, so I take my time in there!

At about 5pm I head back to my room to check my email, revise the evening's scores and order more room service. I like something light, like smoked salmon, that will sustain me through the concert but isn't too heavy. I take the same walk across the bridge to Royal Festival Hall, but this time the city is all illuminated. I think there’s something about the view that helps me to focus.

Concerts always pass by so quickly. I might see friends or family in the interval, and then after the concert there are usually lots of

Yannick stayed at Corinthia Hotel London, the preferred hotel partner of the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Corinthia London is perfectly positioned for concerts at Royal Festival Hall, located just across the river next to Charing Cross and a stone's throw from Trafalgar Square and Whitehall. The hotel boasts 294 bedrooms; 7 magnificent penthouse suites; a choice of restaurants with The Northall and Massimo Restaurant & Oyster Bar; a luxury spa, ESPA Life at Corinthia; Bassoon bar; and a grand ballroom.

The London Philharmonic Orchestra is excited to announce a pre-theatre dining package at The Northall where guests can enjoy a two-course dinner and glass of Laurent-Perrier Champagne for £25 per person (5.30–7.00pm Monday–Saturday).

Contact The Northall on 020 7321 3100 for more information and to book.

Yannick Nézet-Séguin returns to the London Philharmonic Orchestra on 15 & 16 February 2013: see page 14 for full details.

Full concert listings and booking information on page 13 – 12 –

Yannick Nézet-Séguin © Marco Borggreve

Y

annick Nézet-Séguin has been the London Philharmonic Orchestra's Principal Guest Conductor since 2008. He is also Music Director of both the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra and The Philadelphia Orchestra, and Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Orchestre Métropolitain (Montreal).

In November 2012 Yannick conducted a pair of concerts featuring Haydn and Strauss with the LPO at Royal Festival Hall. We caught up with him between rehearsals to find out what a typical day in London looks like ...

tune in – sPRing / summer 2013 –

London philharmonic orchestra

concert listings southbank centre Unless otherwise stated, standard prices £9–£39 Premium seats £65 London Philharmonic Orchestra Ticket Office (no booking fee) 020 7840 4242 Mon–Fri 10am–5pm lpo.org.uk Southbank Centre Ticket Office (booking fee applies) 0844 847 9920 Daily 9am–8pm southbankcentre.co.uk

JTI Friday Series is supported by

Saturday 19 January 2013 | 7.30pm R Strauss Also sprach Zarathustra R Strauss Four Early Songs, Op. 33 R Strauss Notturno, Op. 44 No. 1 R Strauss Dance of the Seven Veils and Final Scene from Salome Vladimir Jurowski conductor Karita Mattila soprano Thomas Hampson baritone Generously supported by the Sharp Family

6.15–6.45pm FREE pre-concert event Royal Festival Hall An introductory look at the LPO's focus on The Rest Is Noise.

Wednesday 23 January 2013 | 7.30pm Webern Im Sommerwind Schoenberg Five Orchestral Pieces, Op. 16 Mahler Das Lied von der Erde Sir Mark Elder conductor Lilli Paasikivi mezzo soprano Paul Groves tenor Generously supported by Barrie and Emmanuel Roman

Saturday 26 January 2013 | 7.30pm Elgar The Dream of Gerontius Sir Mark Elder conductor Sarah Connolly mezzo soprano Paul Groves tenor Brindley Sherratt bass London Philharmonic Choir Choir of Clare College, Cambridge Friday 1 February 2013 | 7.30pm Debussy Ibéria (from Images pour orchestre) Sibelius Violin Concerto Sibelius Symphony No. 4 Jukka-Pekka Saraste conductor Henning Kraggerud violin 6.00–6.45pm FREE pre-concert performance Royal Festival Hall Musicians from the London Philharmonic Orchestra join students from London Music Masters’ innovative music education programme, the Bridge Project, for a musical celebration.

Saturday 9 February 2013 | 7.30pm Respighi Fountains of Rome Falla Nights in the Gardens of Spain Respighi Il tramonto Ravel Pavane pour une infante défunte Ravel Rapsodie espagnole Enrique Mazzola conductor Javier Perianes piano Maria Luigia Borsi soprano Sunday 10 February 2013 | 12.00pm 'The Roaring Twenties!'

FUNharmonics Family Concert Janáček Sinfonietta Shostakovich Tea for Two Gershwin Girl Crazy Honegger Pacific 231 Respighi The Pines of Rome Stuart Stratford conductor Chris Jarvis presenter Tickets £10–£18 adults, £5–£9 children

6.00–6.45pm FREE pre-concert event Royal Festival Hall The culmination of our New Horizons GCSE composition project. Students from Greenwich, Lewisham, Southwark and Lambeth will perform their own compositions alongside LPO musicians, based on Schoenberg’s Peripetie.

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Friday 15 February 2013 | 7.30pm Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3 Rachmaninoff Symphony No. 2 Yannick Nézet-Séguin conductor Simon Trpčeski piano In co-operation with the Serge Rachmaninoff Foundation

6.00–6.45pm FREE pre-concert performance Royal Festival Hall Pianist Dimitri Mayboroda performs Rachmaninoff’s Piano Sonata No. 1.

Saturday 16 February 2013 | 7.30pm Ravel Mother Goose Prokofiev Violin Concerto No. 1 Stravinsky The Rite of Spring Yannick Nézet-Séguin conductor Leila Josefowicz violin Wednesday 20 February 2013 | 7.30pm Anon Spirituals – a cappella Dvořák Symphony No. 9 (From the New World) Milhaud La Création du monde (ballet) Varèse Amériques Marin Alsop conductor London Adventist Chorale 6.00–6.45pm FREE pre-concert performance Royal Festival Hall Foyle Future Firsts present Les Maries de la Tour Eiffel by Les Six (orch. Constant) – a rare revival of the score to Cocteau’s nonsensical ballet.

Friday 22 February 2013 | 7.30pm Ives Three Places in New England Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue Copland Piano Concerto Joplin (arr. Schuller) Treemonisha Suite Marin Alsop conductor Garrick Ohlsson piano 6.15–6.45pm FREE pre-concert discussion Royal Festival Hall Pianist Garrick Ohlsson shares his views on performing works by Gershwin and Copland.

tune in – sPRing / summer 2013 –

London philharmonic orchestra

concert listings contd.

Saturday 2 March 2013 | 7.30pm Weill The Threepenny Opera (sung in German with English surtitles)

Wednesday 1 May 2013 | 7.30pm Vaughan Williams Symphony No. 4 Tippett A Child of our Time

Vladimir Jurowski conductor Mark Padmore Macheath Sir John Tomlinson J J Peachum Dame Felicity Palmer Mrs Peachum Allison Bell Polly Peachum Nicholas Folwell Tiger Brown Gabriela Istoc Lucy Brown Meow Meow Jenny Otto Sander narrator Ted Huffman director London Philharmonic Choir

Ryan Wigglesworth conductor Rebecca Evans soprano Pamela Helen Stephen mezzo soprano Ben Johnson tenor Matthew Rose bass London Philharmonic Choir

6.00–6.45pm and 9.45–10.15pm FREE pre and post-concert performances Level 2 The Clore Ballroom at Royal Festival Hall Two chances to hear Foyle Future Firsts present Mahagonny Songspiel – Weill and Brecht’s first collaboration.

Saturday 6 April 2013 | 7.30pm Stravinsky Symphony of Psalms Orff Carmina Burana Hans Graf conductor Sally Matthews soprano Andrew Kennedy tenor Rodion Pogossov baritone London Philharmonic Choir Trinity Boys Choir 6.15–6.45pm FREE pre-concert discussion Royal Festival Hall Hans Graf looks at Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms and the lasting appeal of Carmina Burana.

6.15–6.45pm FREE pre-concert discussion Royal Festival Hall Writer and broadcaster Daniel Snowman takes a look at Tippett's A Child of our Time.

Saturday 11 May 2013 | 12.00pm 'Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid' FUNharmonics Family Concert Programme to include: Prokofiev Peter and the Wolf Vladimir Jurowski conductor Chris Jarvis presenter Tickets £10–£18 adults, £5–£9 children Friday 17 May 2013 | 7.30pm Stravinsky Jeu de Cartes Prokofiev Violin Concerto No. 2 Shostakovich Symphony No. 6 Vladimir Jurowski conductor Patricia Kopatchinskaja violin

around the uk

Saturday 27 April 2013 | 7.30pm Webern Variations, Op. 30 Berg Lulu Suite Martinů Double Concerto for Two String Orchestras, Piano and Timpani Bartók Music for Strings, Percussion and Celeste

Sunday 27 January 2013 | 3.00pm Congress Theatre, Eastbourne Box Office: 01323 412000 www.eastbournetheatres.co.uk Mendelssohn Hebrides Overture Mozart Clarinet Concerto Beethoven Symphony No. 3 (Eroica)

Vladimir Jurowski conductor Barbara Hannigan soprano

Jaime Martín conductor Nicholas Carpenter clarinet Saturday 2 February 2013 | 7.30pm Brighton Dome Box Office: 01273 709709 www.brightondome.org Sibelius Scene with Cranes, Canzonetta and Valse Triste (from Kuolema) Sibelius Violin Concerto Sibelius Symphony No. 4 Jukka-Pekka Saraste conductor Henning Kraggerud violin

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Saturday 23 February 2013 | 7.30pm Brighton Dome Box Office: 01273 709709 www.brightondome.org Copland Fanfare for the Common Man Joan Tower Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman Copland Piano Concerto Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue Dvořák Symphony No. 9 (From the New World) Marin Alsop conductor Garrick Ohlsson piano Saturday 16 March 2013 | 7.30pm Brighton Dome Box Office: 01273 709709 www.brightondome.org Beethoven Symphony No. 5 Schumann Cello Concerto Elgar Enigma Variations David Parry conductor Narek Hakhnazaryan cello Sunday 17 March 2013 | 3.00pm Congress Theatre, Eastbourne Box Office: 01323 412000 www.eastbournetheatres.co.uk Ireland A London Overture Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1 Sibelius Symphony No. 2 Mark Fitz-Gerald conductor Jarosław Nadrzycki violin Sunday 28 April 2013 | 7.30pm Wigmore Hall, London LPO Box Office: 020 7840 4242 Milhaud Wind Quintet, Op. 443 Françaix Wind Quintet MartinŮ Sextet for piano and wind Beethoven Quintet in E flat for piano and wind, Op. 16 Soloists of the London Philharmonic Orchestra Generously supported by Dunard Fund

Sunday 19 May 2013 | 7.30pm Congress Theatre, Eastbourne Box Office: 01323 412000 www.eastbournetheatres.co.uk Wagner Overture, Die Meistersinger Schumann Piano Concerto Wagner Siegfried Idyll Beethoven Symphony No. 5 Nicholas Collon conductor Benjamin Grosvenor piano

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Friday 24 May 2013 | 7.30pm St Nicolas Church, Newbury Box Office: 01635 522733 www.newburyspringfestival.org.uk Programme as 19 May, Eastbourne

Thursday 28 February 2013 | 8.00pm Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Paris www.theatrechampselysees.fr Weill The Threepenny Opera (sung in German with French surtitles) Artists as 2 March, Royal Festival Hall

Sunday 13 June 2013 | 7.30pm Wigmore Hall, London LPO Box Office: 020 7840 4242 Mozart String Quintet in B flat, K174 Ireland Sextet for clarinet, horn and string quartet Brahms String Sextet in G, Op. 36

Monday 4 March 2013 | 8.00pm Auditorium de Lyon www.auditorium-lyon.com Beethoven Fidelio Overture Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 4 Beethoven Symphony No. 5

London Philharmonic Orchestra Foyle Future Firsts and Guests

Vladimir Jurowski conductor Hélène Grimaud piano

Generously supported by Dunard Fund

INTERNATIONAL CONCERTS Friday 11 January 2013 | 8.30pm Auditorio de Tenerife Schumann Piano Concerto Mahler Symphony No. 5 Vladimir Jurowski conductor Ivan Martin piano Saturday 12 January 2013 | 8.30pm Auditorio de Tenerife Brahms Tragic Overture Prokofiev Violin Concerto No. 2 Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5 Vladimir Jurowski conductor Patricia Kopatchinskaja violin Sunday 13 January 2013 | 8.30pm Auditorio Alfredo Kraus, Gran Canaria Programme as 12 January, Tenerife Monday 14 January 2013 | 8.30pm Auditorio Alfredo Kraus, Gran Canaria Programme as 11 January, Tenerife Thursday 14 February 2013 | 7.30pm Auditorio Nacional de Música, Madrid www.auditorionacional.mcu.es Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3 Rachmaninoff Symphony No. 2 Yannick Nézet-Séguin conductor Simon Trpčeski piano In co-operation with the Serge Rachmaninoff Foundation

Tuesday 5 March 2013 | 8.00pm Victoria Hall, Geneva www.ville-ge.ch/culture/victoria_hall Programme as 4 March, Lyon Wednesday 6 March 2013 | 8.00pm Tonhalle, Zurich www.tonhalle-orchester.ch Programme as 4 March, Lyon Friday 8 March 2013 | 8.00pm Symphony Hall, Boston* www.bostonsymphonyhall.org Shostakovich Violin Concerto No. 1 Beethoven Symphony No. 5

Thursday 11 April 2013 | 8.00pm Alte Oper, Frankfurt www.alteoper.de Programme as 10 April, Cologne Friday 12 April 2013 | 8.00pm Konzerthaus, Dortmund www.konzerthaus-dortmund.de Programme as 10 April, Cologne Saturday 13 April 2013 | 8.00pm Philharmonie, Luxembourg www.philharmonie.lu Mussorgsky (orch Rimsky-Korsakov) Prelude to Khovanshchina Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto Prokofiev Symphony No. 5 Yannick Nézet-Séguin conductor Baiba Skride violin Sunday 14 April 2013 | 8.00pm Festspielhaus, Baden Baden www.festspielhaus.de Mussorgsky (orch Rimsky-Korsakov) Prelude to Khovanshchina Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto Prokofiev Symphony No. 5 Yannick Nézet-Séguin conductor Anne-Sophie Mutter violin

Vladimir Jurowski conductor Vadim Repin violin

Monday 15 April 2013 | 8.00pm Gasteig, Munich www.gasteig.de Programme as 14 April, Baden-Baden

Sunday 10 March 2013 | 3.00pm Avery Fisher Hall, New York* www.lincolncenter.org Programme as 8 March, Boston

Tuesday 16 April 2013 | 8.00pm Musikverein, Vienna www.musikverein.at Programme as 10 April, Cologne

Monday 11 March 2013 | 8.00pm Avery Fisher Hall, New York* www.lincolncenter.org Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 4 Mahler Symphony No. 5

Thursday 18 April 2013 | 8.00pm Laeiszhalle, Hamburg www.elbphilharmonie.de Programme as 14 April, Baden-Baden

Vladimir Jurowski conductor Hélène Grimaud piano

Friday 19 April 2013 | 8.00pm Congress Centrum, Hannover www.hcc.de/en Programme as 14 April, Baden-Baden

* US Tour generously supported by Dunard Fund

Wednesday 10 April 2013 | 8.00pm Philharmonie, Cologne www.koelner-philharmonie.de Mussorgsky (orch Rimsky-Korsakov) Prelude to Khovanshchina Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto Shostakovich Symphony No. 5 Yannick Nézet-Séguin conductor Anne-Sophie Mutter violin

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Saturday 20 April 2013 | 8.00pm Tonhalle, Düsseldorf www.tonhalle-duesseldorf.de Programme as 14 April, Baden-Baden

tune in – sPRing / summer 2013 –

LPO people

backstage When did you begin playing the cello? Did you grow up in a musical family?

I grew up in Germany, near the mountains in Bavaria, with one foot in Austria. My family were all musicians and music teachers, so we were a bit like the von Trapp family in The Sound of Music. I grew up wearing traditional dirndl dresses, as everybody did there, and as a student I even lived in Schloss Frohnburg in Salzburg , where The Sound of Music was filmed! At the age of three I decided I wanted to learn the cello like my Viennese grandfather, who had been a cello professor at the Cologne Hochschule before the war and who played for many years in the Camerata Salzburg.

What brought you from Germany to London, and what attracted you to the London Philharmonic Orchestra?

After finishing my studies in Munich, I decided that I had my whole life ahead of me and that it was too early to tie myself down with a job. So I ventured abroad in order to see a bit more of the world, beginning with London. I'd actually planned to move on to a different country after the UK, but soon found myself hooked on the fast-paced London lifestyle, and decided there and then to try and find a job in a London orchestra.

The London Philharmonic Orchestra was top of my list as I loved the sound of the string section. It also had a very friendly atmosphere, and its fantastic base at Southbank Centre was an extra bonus.

What is special to you about the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and what makes it different to other orchestras?

Some people compare the Orchestra to a big family with all its ups and downs. This is true to a certain extent, as we probably see more of each other than we see our husband or wife and children, especially when we're on tour. But like a family, we're there for each other in crises and always support one another too. Whereas other workplaces have so-called 'team-building' activities organised by the management, as an orchestra we're bonding every day by making music together.

The LPO is a very international orchestra with players from at least 17 countries. This makes

lessons I've given up on my ambition to try and communicate with the locals! I also enjoy dancing the Argentinian tango and making movies, which I discovered a while ago thanks to Apple’s brilliant iMovie app. I also love skiing, and go with my family every Christmas.

– susanne beer – Susanne has been Co-Principal Cello of the London Philharmonic Orchestra since 1995. We find out about her role in the Orchestra and her life on and off stage. it exciting and entertaining at times, as the mixture of different outlooks is very refreshing! One of the big attractions for me when I auditioned for the LPO back in 1995 was the chance to work with great conductors like Sir Georg Solti, Zubin Mehta, Bernard Haitink, Mariss Jansons and Kurt Masur. Another of the other great things about the LPO is that it supports its members by giving them enough freedom to play concerts outside the Orchestra's schedule.

This is very important, as the variety keeps your mind fresh and your playing in good shape.

How do you like to spend your time when you're not working?

I love to travel – my next trip will be to Myanmar (formerly Burma), which I want to experience before it becomes too touristy.

However, after a couple of Burmese language

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What are your responsibilities as Co-Principal Cello in the Orchestra?

As Co-Principal, I lead the cello section when the Principal is unavailable. One of the crucial skills for the position is being able to stand back while supporting the Principal: for a strong first desk you should appoint a strong player as No. 2 who is capable of leaving their ego behind! I have to be permanently 'glued' to the Principal and make sure we're completely synchronised. The best thing about being a Co-Principal, of course, is that you have a very fine player as a desk partner.

If you hadn’t become a musician, what other career might you have liked to do instead?

I love fabrics and colours, and I've always regretted not having learnt to sew properly.

As a little girl, one of my dreams was to become a fashion designer with my own label. Another – more realistic – dream of mine is to teach the cello to very young children. I'm currently training to become a Suzuki teacher, starting with children under 2, and I can’t think of anything better than giving those children the very best start in life by introducing them to music.

Which concerts are you most looking forward to in the rest of the 2012/13 season?

I'm looking forward to the Richard Strauss programme on 19 January, as he's one of my favourite composers. Coming from Munich, as he did, I feel very close to his music. I'm also very much looking forward to Berg’s Lulu Suite (27 April). Berg’s Lulu was the first opera I played at Glyndebourne with Sir Andrew Davis and we also performed it in the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, so it holds very special memories for me. meet the lpo players www.lpo.org.uk/about/whos_who.html