LSO Autumn/Winter 2013 Concert Guide

London Symphony Orchestra Living Music

‘The LSO and its Chorus are on cracking form … with a freshness and edge that make you sit up.’

Financial Times on the LSO and London Symphony Chorus

London’s Symphony Orchestra lso.co.uk Box Office 020 7638 8891

LSO Season 2013/14 Autumn/Winter Concert Guide

LSO autumn highlights ‘Anyone who’s heard the London Symphony Orchestra at the Barbican will know the startling brilliance of its sound in that hall, and its sheer physical punch.’

Ivan Hewett, The Times

Gergiev’s Berlioz Principal Conductor Valery Gergiev channels his famously intense, magnetic energy into some of the most powerful music of the 19th century – Hector Berlioz’s dramatic masterpieces.

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LSO Sing From full orchestral and choral concerts to singing days you can take part in, in our recently appointed Choral Director’s words, ‘We want everybody in EC1 to sing!’.

LSO Invites Over the next few years, the LSO is inviting fresh conductors to guest conduct artists and repertoire synonymous with the Orchestra. This autumn sees Robin Ticciati, Nikolaj Znaider and Thomas Dausgaard take to the podium.

Family Arts Festival October half-term has a new flavour to it as the nation-wide Family Arts Festival takes over for a series of dedicated familyfriendly events.

lso.co.uk 020 7638 8891

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INTRODUCING LSO SING The concerts in LSO Sing provide a great way to experience choral music.

This autumn we present three Sunday performances featuring choral masterpieces.

After a summer residency at the Aix-en-Provence Festival featuring ten performances of Verdi’s Rigoletto with Gianandrea Noseda, the Orchestra brings Verdi’s brilliant opera to the Barbican for a concert performance on 15 September. As part of Valery Gergiev’s focus on Berlioz this season, he will be performing the epic ‘dramatic legend’ The Damnation of Faust on 3 and 7 November. To welcome 2014 in, acclaimed period specialist Richard Egarr celebrates the creation of the world with a performance of Haydn’s landmark masterpiece The Creation on 12 January.

Singing can be powerfully spiritual, as the UBS Soundscapes: Eclectica ‘Norwegian Requiem’ concert on 26 November demonstrates. Perfect for anyone who fancies something off the beaten track, this moving Requiem by Andrew Smith is a reflection on the tragic massacre of 22 July 2011 in Utøya, Norway and features

LSO Sing

jazz trumpeter Arve Henriksen with organ, Choralia girls’ choir and the LSO Community Choir. In January, the Eclectica series welcomes the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir.

With concerts as inspiring as these, we hope you’ll want to join in. That’s the idea behind our Singing Day on 4 January (the first of three this season): whether or not you plan to come to the performance of Haydn’s The Creation later that week, come and join LSO Choral Director Simon Halsey in a workshop on selected arias

‘The LSO and the London Symphony Chorus … start on top form and

and choruses from The Creation, followed by an informal performance which friends and family can watch.

There’s no better way to experience the joy of singing.

LSO Sing is supported by the J Paul Getty Jnr Charitable Trust

stay that way.’

The Times on the LSO and LSC conducted by Gianandrea Noseda

TAKE PART Want to sing in one of our choirs?

All are open to new members.

Email andra.east@lso.co.uk for details

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LSO SING – FULL BOOKING INFORMATION ON BACK COVER

Sun 15 Sep 7pm Verdi Rigoletto (concert performance) Gianandrea Noseda conductor Dimitri Platanias Rigoletto Desirée Rancatore Gilda Gábor Bretz Sparafucile Julien Dran Matteo Borsa Jean-Luc Ballestra Marullo Josè Maria Lo Monaco Maddalena Madeleine Shaw Giovanna Matthew Hargreaves Count Ceprano / Usher Valeria Tornatore Countess Ceprano / Page Wojtek Smilek Count Monterone London Symphony Chorus

Sat 4 Jan 11am–4.30pm, LSO St Luke’s LSO DISCOVERY

SINGING DAY Haydn The Creation (sung in English) See page 21 for details Sun 12 Jan 7.30pm Haydn The Creation (sung in English) Richard Egarr conductor Marlis Petersen soprano Jeremy Ovenden tenor Gerald Finley bass London Symphony Chorus

Please note start time

6pm Guildhall Artists at the Barbican

Sun 3 & Thu 7 Nov 7pm

Wed 22 Jan 8pm, LSO St Luke’s

Berlioz The Damnation of Faust Valery Gergiev conductor Olga Borodina Marguerite Michael Spyres Faust Ildar Abdrazakov Mephistopheles Florian Boesch Brander London Symphony Chorus Please note start time

Tue 26 Nov 8pm, LSO St Luke’s UBS SOUNDSCAPES: ECLECTICA

NORWEGIAN REQUIEM Christopher Finch conductor Arve Henriksen trumpet Ståle Storløkken organ LSO Community Choir Choralia, Wells Cathedral School Girls’ Choir

UBS SOUNDSCAPES: ECLECTICA

AN EASTERN VIGIL

Daniel Reuss conductor Gilad Atzmon saxophone/clarinet Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir The Grammy award-winning Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir explores the mystical soundworlds of Estonian composers Arvo Pärt and Veljo Tormis, and movements from the Russian Orthodox Rachmaninov Vespers, with Middle Eastern interjections from saxophonist and clarinettist Gilad Atzmon.

In association with

Sat 25 Jan 11am–4pm, LSO St Luke’s LSO DISCOVERY

SINGING DAY Rachmaninov Vespers See page 21 for details Image left; LSC outside St Paul’s, Images right; LSO Discovery Singing Day at LSO St Luke’s and LSO Community Choir.

lso.co.uk 020 7638 8891

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Thu 19 Sep 7.30pm Mozart Rondo for Solo Piano K511 Mozart Piano Concerto No 17 K453 Dvorˇák Symphony No 5 Robin Ticciati conductor Mitsuko Uchida piano This concert also features The Calligrapher’s Manuscript by Matthew Kaner, an LSO Panufnik Young Composers Scheme commission (supported by the Helen Hamlyn Trust).

LSO invites

Images left to right; Thomas Dausgaard, Nikolaj Znaider and Robin Ticciati.

Wed 25 Sep 7.30pm Strauss Burleske for Piano and Orchestra Mahler Symphony No 6 Thomas Dausgaard conductor Barry Douglas piano Thu 5 Dec 7.30pm Beethoven Violin Concerto Dvorˇák Symphony No 7 Nikolaj Znaider violin / conductor 6pm Guildhall Artists at the Barbican

NEW FACES ON THE PODIUM New faces and fresh interpretations are waiting to be discovered at the Barbican over the next three years …

… as the LSO invites a line-up of guest conductors, including both young rising stars and established artists, to take to the podium and conduct the Orchestra.

The journey starts this autumn with appearances by two conductors who may already be familiar to LSO audiences – Robin Ticciati, who, despite being the youngest of this season’s new faces, has already appeared with the Orchestra several times, and Nikolaj Znaider who made his name as a violinist but has now turned his hand to conducting with great success. Danish conductor Thomas Dausgaard, a regular visitor to London’s concert halls, makes his debut with the LSO in September, taking on Mahler’s darkest symphony, the ‘Tragic’ Sixth.

The three conductors all promise to bring something special to their collaborations with the LSO, where they’ll stamp their own musical visions onto iconic repertoire. However, for all three artists, conducting is ultimately about expression and communication – ‘connecting on a human level’, as

‘Spine-shudderingly good … an irresistible force that drives the music on like snow in an avalanche.’

Richard Morrison, The Times on conductor Nikolaj Znaider and the LSO

Dausgaard puts it. For Znaider, this is at the heart of any kind of music-making: ‘It is all about sharing the delight in music with others’, he says, ‘being aware of what the musicians with you on stage are doing, and interacting with them’.

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LSO INVITES / DISCOVER SHOSTAKOVICH – FULL BOOKING INFORMATION ON BACK COVER

Discover Shostakovich Sun 29 Sep 10am–5.30pm, Barbican and LSO St Luke’s LSO DISCOVERY DAY

DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH See page 21 for details Sun 29 Sep 7.30pm

A STORY OF MUSICAL STRUGGLE Few composers have suffered so greatly for their art as Dmitri Shostakovich. Over the course of his turbulent life he witnessed first-hand both World Wars and the horror of High Stalinism.

Britten Four Sea Interludes Prokofiev Piano Concerto No 3 Britten Sinfonia da Requiem Shostakovich Symphony No 6 Gianandrea Noseda conductor Nikolai Lugansky piano

Wed 9 Oct 3pm, LSO St Luke’s CENTRE FOR ORCHESTRA MASTERCLASS

EMANUEL AX PIANO As a prominent Soviet composer, writing music which didn’t please Party arbiters could mean death in a Siberian labour camp. To be sure, Shostakovich

Free entry, booking essential

reportedly slept with a packed suitcase after his ground-breaking opera Lady Macbeth

Thu 10 Oct 7.30pm

was officially denounced as ‘muddle instead of music’. With every reason to fear

Mozart Piano Concerto No 9 K271 Shostakovich Symphony No 4

for his life, he cancelled the forthcoming premiere of his daring and bombastic Fourth Symphony; upon his return, his characteristically youthful, brash style was replaced with one in line with Kremlin propaganda: easily understood, free from

Bernard Haitink conductor Emanuel Ax piano

‘bourgeois decadence’ and with a straightforward message of triumph over adversity.

However, the 1979 publication of Testimony: the Memoirs of Dmitri Shostakovich turned that understanding of the composer on its head. Critics remain divided as to the book’s credibility, but if it is to be believed, Testimony reveals that while outwardly compliant with Soviet cultural guidelines, Shostakovich’s music is full of coded messages of protest against the brutal oppression of the Stalinist regime.

Tue 15 Oct 7.30pm Mozart Piano Concerto No 27 K595 Shostakovich Symphony No 15 Bernard Haitink conductor Emanuel Ax piano

Was Shostakovich a committed Soviet citizen or secret dissident? With the LSO’s series of definitive Shostakovich performances from Gianandrea Noseda and the legendary Bernard Haitink, as well as an in-depth composer Discovery Day, you’ll be well placed to decide for yourself. Hear a symphony from each stage of the composer’s extraordinary life: the politically burdened Sixth (29 September), written shortly after his denunciation; the magnificent, ill-fated Fourth (10 October); and the final 15th Symphony (15 October) from the composer’s twilight years – free from Stalin’s dictatorship, but never far from his thoughts. lso.co.uk 020 7638 8891

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FANTASY, REALITY & IMAGINATION

Gergiev’s Berlioz

Hector Berlioz’s reality was steeped in fantasy. Guided by his powerful, sometimes dark, imagination, and inspired by some of history’s greatest storytellers – Shakespeare and Beethoven among them – the French composer created bold, inventive music that was seething with drama.

A determined innovator, he added voices, choruses

by the devil (The Damnation of Faust), and a ground-breaking

and characters to his symphonies, bringing them to life in a

retelling of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, with chorus and

way few composers had before. And, in true Romantic form,

soloists added into the mix.

he found as much inspiration in his turbulent personal life

Some of the world’s leading Berlioz interpreters will join

as he did in the world around him, pouring his emotions

the LSO and Valery Gergiev on the Barbican stage, including

and experiences into everything he wrote.

mezzo-soprano Karen Cargill (whose recent performance of

This autumn, the LSO will explore Berlioz’s music

Les nuits d’été was described by The Guardian as ‘wonderfully

through a series of eight concerts, with Principal Conductor

controlled and exquisitely shaded’), violist Antoine Tamestit,

Valery Gergiev channelling his famously intense, magnetic

and opera stars Olga Borodina and Ildar Abdrazakov. Throughout

energy into some of the composer’s most powerful works.

the series, there will also be pre-concert events, a study

Countless musical stories will be told along the way – a

day, a matinée Family Concert and a pre-concert creative

dreamy character’s wanderings through the Italian mountains

session for older families, all giving you the chance to

(Harold in Italy), the emotionally charged tale of an artist’s

immerse yourself even further in the world of this

‘hopeless love’ (Symphonie fantastique), a scholar’s temptation

quintessentially Romantic composer.

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GERGIEV’S BERLIOZ – FULL BOOKING INFORMATION ON BACK COVER

Thu 31 Oct 6pm LSO DISCOVERY

FAMILY BACKSTAGE PASS: BERLIOZ

LSO DISCOVERY DAY:

Rachel Leach presenter

See page 21 for details

A pre-concert creative session for families with over-12s on Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique, followed by the full concert in the Barbican Hall.

Combined session + concert ticket £7 under-16s, £16 adults Telephone booking only, quote ‘Family Backstage Pass’ when calling

HECTOR BERLIOZ

Sun 3 & Thu 7 Nov 7pm Berlioz The Damnation of Faust Valery Gergiev conductor Olga Borodina Marguerite Michael Spyres Faust Ildar Abdrazakov Mephistopheles Florian Boesch Brander London Symphony Chorus

Thu 31 Oct & 14 Nov 7.30pm

Please note start time

Berlioz Overture: Waverley Berlioz Les nuits d’été Berlioz Symphonie fantastique

Wed 6 & Wed 13 Nov 7.30pm

Valery Gergiev conductor Karen Cargill mezzo-soprano 6pm Guildhall Artists at the Barbican (31 Oct) Fri 1 & Tue 12 Nov 7.30pm Berlioz Overture: Benvenuto Cellini Berlioz The Death of Cleopatra Berlioz Harold in Italy for Viola and Orchestra Valery Gergiev conductor Antoine Tamestit viola Karen Cargill mezzo-soprano 6pm Guildhall Artists at the Barbican (1 Nov) La science de monsieur Berlioz New works by Eleanor Jarman-Pinto, Ben Graves and Joshua Kaye.

‘Music, Berlioz will write, ‘has wings too wide to spread fully within the confines of a theatre’.’

Sun 3 Nov 10am–5.30pm, Barbican and LSO St Luke’s

Three Guildhall School composers take the ‘harmony’ of Hector Berlioz as a starting point for a series of new works, commissioned by the Royal Philharmonic Society as part of its Bicentenary celebrations.

Berlioz Romeo and Juliet Valery Gergiev conductor Olga Borodina mezzo-soprano Kenneth Tarver tenor Ildar Abdrazakov bass London Symphony Chorus Guildhall School Chorus 13 Nov supported by LSO Friends

6pm Pre-concert talk (6 Nov) Berlioz and the Romantic Orchestra Tom Hutchinson presenter Part of RPS200, a year-long celebration of the Royal Philharmonic Society’s Bicentenary in 2013.

FIND OUT MORE Find out more about these concerts, read interviews with the artists, and watch video clips at lso.co.uk/berlioz

Part of RPS200, a year-long celebration of the RoyalPhilharmonic Society’s Bicentenary in 2013.

David Cairns, Berlioz biographer

lso.co.uk 020 7638 8891

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LSO on tour TAKING LONDON CONCERTS AROUND THE GLOBE Every year the LSO performs as many concerts overseas as it does at home.

For most, having the London Symphony Orchestra performing live in their home town is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, an event anticipated for weeks and months. With its worldwide reputation bolstered by blockbuster film scores such as the Star Wars series, globally televised events like the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Ceremonies, and daily personal access to the Orchestra through digital and social media, the appetite for a visit from the LSO is at an all-time high.

Since its earliest days the LSO has sought to take its performances out of London on tour, and this season is no exception. The captain of our tour ship this autumn is Principal Guest Conductor Daniel Harding. After giving Londoners the first opportunity to hear these concerts, Daniel and the Orchestra head out on the European leg to Frankfurt, Bonn, Baden Baden and Madrid. Later in the season they go further afield to all four corners of the globe, including China and India.

Each time the Orchestra goes out on tour, many more get to see for the first time what lucky Londoners have been able to for so long: a world-class orchestra at the top of its game; London’s symphony orchestra doing what it does best.

Thu 3 Oct 7.30pm UBS SOUNDSCAPES:

STRAVINSKY

Mussorgsky Night on the Bare Mountain Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto Stravinsky Firebird Ballet (original version) Daniel Harding conductor Lisa Batiashvili violin 6pm Guildhall Artists at the Barbican

Wed 20 Nov 7.30pm Schubert Symphony No 5 Mahler Das Lied von der Erde Daniel Harding conductor Christianne Stotijn mezzo-soprano Burkhard Fritz tenor 6pm Guildhall Artists at the Barbican Thu 28 Nov 7.30pm Schubert Symphony No 8 (‘Unfinished’) Wagner Act Two from ‘Tristan and Isolde’ Daniel Harding conductor Peter Seiffert Tristan Katarina Dalayman Isolde Christianne Stotijn Brangäne Matti Salminen King Marke Mark Stone Melot / Kurwenal

‘Daniel Harding conducted with total conviction and a deep understanding of the work’s coruscating energies.’

Hilary Finch, The Times

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LSO ON TOUR / CHAMBER CONCERTS – FULL BOOKING INFORMATION ON BACK COVER

LSO SECTIONS: IN FOCUS A chance to see some of the groups that make up the LSO close-up This season there are two opportunities to see some of the individual LSO orchestral sections in focus on the Barbican stage and outside their usual format.

Directed by LSO Leader Roman Simovic, immerse yourself in the LSO String Ensemble’s lush sounds as they perform three works by Tchaikovsky, Bartók and Dvorˇák.

Tchaikovsky described his Serenade as ‘a heartfelt piece’ and a work quite at opposites to his bombastic and ‘very loud and noisy’ 1812 Overture that he was also composing at the time.

Bartók’s lively Divertimento was written in the Swiss Alps whilst Europe was on the verge of World War II. Dvorˇák’s Serenade, like Tchaikovsky’s, remains one of the composers most popular works.

The LSO Brass Ensemble are often invited to give recitals as part of the Orchestra’s global touring schedule; their concerts always promise great entertainment.

This performance sees arrangements of works all the way through from 17th-century Bach (his infamously

Images left to right; Roman Simovic and Dudley Bright.

dramatic Toccata and Fugue, originally written for organ) to Broadway show tunes.

Sun 27 Oct 8pm

LSO STRING ENSEMBLE Tchaikovsky Serenade for String Orchestra Bartók Divertimento for String Orchestra Dvorˇák Serenade for String Orchestra Roman Simovic director Tickets £10 £15 £20 Please note start time Thu 23 Jan 7.30pm

LSO BRASS ENSEMBLE

Chamber concerts

Bach Toccata and Fugue in D minor Scarlatti Sonata for Keyboard Ewald Quintet No 1 Koetsier Kinderzirkus Music Crespo Suite Americas arr Dudley Bright Brass on Broadway Tickets £10 £15 £20 lso.co.uk 020 7638 8891

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LSO ON TRACK Inspiring the next generation of musicians with awe-inspiring opportunities.

When London won the bid to host the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, long before trumpeter Joe Linton (right) started playing with LSO On Track, the LSO put plans in motion to echo the London 2012 mantra – to inspire a generation – and committed to working with ten East London borough music services with a parallel goal.

Not only were the Olympics a unique opportunity to direct the world’s attention to the sporting achievements of the UK; they also celebrated the vibrancy of London’s flourishing cultural offer and young talent.

A host of activity makes up LSO On Track – from captivating visits to schools by LSO players, to inspirational group coaching in music service ensembles, to special performances at LSO St Luke’s, and to training teachers in motivating and encouraging music-making.

For Joe Linton it started when he was put forward for the LSO On Track Summer Camp (an intense three-day course where all participants play in a Youth Orchestra mentored by LSO musicians and work in groups on composition, improvisation and chamber music) by

Olympic dream

one of the LSO’s partners, Lewisham Music Service, on which LSO On Track is so dependent for its success and who spotted Joe’s potential from the start.

Since then, through LSO On Track Joe has played on stage in the LSO’s first ever concert in Trafalgar Square and performed at both the Barbican and LSO St Luke’s.

Most memorably, he was one of the 81 young players who introduced the London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony with a performance of Elgar’s Nimrod, as the 80,000 plus audience members were swathed in a sea

‘80,000 in the stadium and billions watching across the globe.

One year on, I still can’t believe I was playing trumpet alongside the LSO in the Olympics Opening Ceremony. The most incredible experience of my life.’

of blue, encircling the Green and Pleasant Land. It wasn’t

Joe Linton, trumpet LSO On Track

summer seem just as unbelievable as they did then, but

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just this performance itself that provided such a unique and exciting opportunity. The preparation for the event involved recording sessions at Abbey Road Studios, rehearsals both inside and outside the stadium, and working with LSO players on an unprecedented level.

A year on, Joe and some of the young musicians who were in that performance re-visited the Olympic Park for the first time since the Games, performing at the Open East Festival. For the 17-year-old trumpeter, the events of last remain one of the most incredible experiences of his life.

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Family Arts Festival

Images left to right; LSO Family Concert, LSO Workshop, Rachel Leach and LSO Discovery Lunchtime Concert.

EVENTS FOR EVERYONE This autumn is a great time for families looking to have a lot of fun and maybe learn a thing or two along the way.

Between 18 October and 3 November, the inaugural

FIND OUT MORE For more about the Family Arts Festival, including what’s taking place in your local area, and other LSO events for families, visit lso.co.uk/bringyourfamily

Family Arts Festival, run by the team who brought you the Cultural Olympiad, will take place up and down the country. From music to theatre, circus, art and dance, the Festival has been designed with all generations in mind – not just the kids!

The LSO’s contributions to the Festival come in the shape of French Romantic composer Hector Berlioz and include one of our ever-popular Family Concerts for younger families, a creative session and evening concert for older families looking for the full LSO experience; and an LSO Discovery Day for over-15s which will provide fresh insight into the man and his music with an open rehearsal, talks and chamber music performances.

The Family Concert will present a coven of musical witches, from Berlioz’s cackling sorceresses’ Sabbath (Symphonie fantastique) to Mussorgsky’s ferocious Baba Yaga (Pictures at an Exhibition). On Halloween we’ll be taking a closer look at Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique, a piece as triumphant as it is shiver-inducing. Family Backstage Pass: Berlioz invites over-12s and their families to take part in a creative session run by awardwinning presenter Rachel Leach with special guests from the LSO, ask questions about the piece, try out melodies and learn secrets about one of history’s most flamboyant composers before heading into the main hall to see the Orchestra perform it for real.

Over at LSO St Luke’s the free Friday Lunchtime Concert Series remains an excellent option for all ages over five. At just 45 minutes long, these informal recitals involve audiences quizzing LSO musicians in between pieces. This term, Russian music takes centre stage with the wit of Prokofiev, drama of Shostakovich and romance of Tchaikovsky all on show.

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FAMILY ARTS FESTIVAL – FULL BOOKING INFORMATION ON BACK COVER

Fri 27 Sep; 11 & 25 Oct; 8 Nov 12.30pm, LSO St Luke’s LSO DISCOVERY

LUNCHTIME CONCERTS: AUTUMN 2013: RUSSIA! Free entry, no ticket required Supported by LSO Patrons, Coutts Charitable Trust and the Rothschild Charities Committee

Sun 27 Oct 2.30pm LSO DISCOVERY

FAMILY CONCERT: WITCHES Timothy Redmond conductor Rachel Leach presenter Join Rachel Leach as she guides you through a spine-tingling, spooky programme, including Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique and Saint-Saëns’ Danse Macabre.

Suitable for families with 7- to 12-year-olds Pre-concert activities and a crèche are also available –see lso.co.uk

Thu 31 Oct 6pm LSO DISCOVERY

FAMILY BACKSTAGE PASS: BERLIOZ Rachel Leach presenter A pre-concert creative session for families with over-12s on Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique, followed by the full concert at the Barbican Hall.

Combined session + concert ticket £7 under-16s, £16 adults Telephone booking only, quote ‘Family Backstage Pass’ when calling

Sun 3 Nov 10am–5.30pm LSO DISCOVERY DAY

HECTOR BERLIOZ See page 21 for details

lso.co.uk 020 7638 8891

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LSO on film THE FILM MUSIC OF PATRICK DOYLE The LSO has a long relationship with the silver screen, and is one of the world’s most well-respected and in-demand film orchestras.

Since the early days of silent film millions of movie-goers have gathered in cinemas around the world to hear the LSO perform. The Orchestra’s catalogue of over 200 soundtracks includes iconic scores such as Star Wars and Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark, and recent work includes The King’s Speech, Harry Potter LSO recording at Abbey Road Studios.

and the Deathly Hallows, Thor and Zero Dark Thirty.

On 1 December the LSO presents a special concert celebration of the music of film composer Patrick Doyle in honour of his 60th birthday. Having made his start as part of actor/director Kenneth Branagh’s repertory company, Doyle is one of the UK’s most successful film composers and has been nominated for two Academy Awards and two Golden Globes. The evening will feature a pre-concert talk from the composer followed by music from his scores for Kenneth Branagh’s Shakespeare adaptations Henry V and Hamlet, and blockbusters Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Eragon, Rise of the Planet of the Apes as well as the forthcoming Jack Ryan starring Keira Knightley and Kevin Costner – don’t miss this exclusive, world-premiere opportunity to hear extracts from the soundtrack in advance of the movie’s release.

Sun 1 Dec 7.30pm

THE FILM MUSIC OF PATRICK DOYLE Frank Strobel conductor 6.15pm Pre-concert talk with Patrick Doyle

Mon 30 & Tue 31 Dec 3 & 7pm, Royal Albert Hall

THE ARTIST: LIVE IN CONCERT Multi-award winning silent film The Artist is brought to life by the LSO. Ernst Van Tiel conductor Ludovic Bource composer / piano Tickets £25 to £65 royalalberthall.com 16

LSO ON FILM / MTT’S GREAT RUSSIANS – FULL BOOKING INFORMATION ON BACK COVER

MICHAEL TILSON THOMAS’

Great Russians ‘The impact of this startling concert by the LSO pinned one back by the ears.’

Ivan Hewett, The Telegraph on Michael Tilson Thomas conducting the LSO

HOPE & INSPIRATION Two Russian masters, two fifth symphonies, two first piano concertos Two boots makes a pair, goes the old Russian saying, and what a pair these concerts make. Following his triumphant Britten, Copland and Shostakovich series last season, LSO Principal Guest Conductor Michael Tilson Thomas returns for a celebration of two great Russians: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Sergei Prokofiev. Presenting the First Piano Concerto of one composer alongside the Fifth Symphony of the other on either night, and featuring star

Thu 12 Dec 7.30pm

soloists Simon Trpcˇeski and Evgeny Kissin, this pair of concerts promises

Liszt Mephisto Waltz Prokofiev Piano Concerto No 1 Tchaikovsky Symphony No 5

definitive performances of some of the finest Russian music around.

Michael Tilson Thomas conductor Simon Trpcˇeski piano

Prokofiev’s sparkling concerto (which he himself performed in order to win the

Whether it’s Tchaikovsky’s first piano concerto, whose famous opening was inspired by blind beggar-musicians he heard in Kiev, or the young Anton Rubinstein piano prize in 1914, much to the disdain of conservatory officials), there’s a certain magic that surrounds Russian music. It seems to speak straight to the soul. Indeed, the triumphant, darkness-to-light journey of Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony found new significance in wartime as a source of

Thu 19 Dec 7.30pm Rimsky-Korsakov Dubinushka Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No 1 Prokofiev Symphony No 5

hope and inspiration, and was once broadcast defiantly by Russian musicians as the bombs fell during the siege of Leningrad. Meanwhile, the need to inspire hope in the hearts and minds of Europe was also felt by Prokofiev, who resolved himself in the summer of 1944 to compose his own Fifth Symphony:

Michael Tilson Thomas conductor Evgeny Kissin piano

‘a hymn to free and happy Man, to his mighty powers, his pure and noble spirit’.

Supported by the Atkin Foundation

inspiration that accompany them certainly play a part. Drama and passion are

Today, both symphonies and concertos endure as favourites. It’s difficult to say exactly what makes them so enchanting, but the stories of hope and innate to the Russian spirit, and nothing conveys it so well as music – hear these concerts and discover why, as John Updike put it, ‘Russia is so Russian’! lso.co.uk 020 7638 8891

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Lunchtime concerts

MOZART’S CHAMBER MUSIC AT LSO ST LUKE’S Breathtakingly intimate and expertly crafted, chamber music can reveal different sides to the world’s greatest composers, something that BBC Radio 3 Lunchtime Concerts at LSO St Luke’s have explored throughout their ten-year history.

Of all composers in the history of classical music,

also feature, including the striking Adagio for Two Clarinets

there can be few who were as prolific – or inventive – in this

and Three Basset Horns (an instrument similar to the clarinet

area as Mozart; he, like Joseph Haydn, helped to establish

but larger and with a greater range) and Mozart’s string

chamber music as a vehicle for both personal expression

trio arrangements of Bach’s Preludes and Fugues.

and serious artistic exploration. Autumn’s eight-week series

The diversity of Mozart’s chamber music may be

shines the spotlight on the composer’s small-scale output,

staggering, but each work, whether an outpouring of lyrical

revealing the sheer variety and imagination that lies behind it.

charm or a turbulent later composition, reflects his intuitive

The series takes in works from each stage of Mozart’s

gift for instrumental colour and character. Some of the finest

career, from his First String Quartet, written when he was just

musicians on the international stage are lined up to bring this

14 years old, to his very last, a commission from the King of

to life; performers include Mozart specialist Christian Blackshaw

Prussia. A wealth of different instrumental combinations are

(described by Pianist Magazine as ‘a musician’s musician’),

visited along the way: solo piano works, sonatas, quartets,

rising-star violinist Vilde Frang, the young, imaginative

quintets and divertimentos, right up to the 13-instrument

Aronowitz Ensemble, and the Chiaroscuro String Quartet,

‘Gran Partita’ Serenade. Some more unusual offerings

known for their incisive period-instrument interpretations.

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BBC RADIO 3 LUNCHTIME CONCERTS – FULL BOOKING INFORMATION ON BACK COVER

Thu 26 Sep 1pm

Thu 24 Oct 1pm

Mozart Piano Sonata in B-flat major K281 Fantasy in C minor K475 Piano Sonata in F major K533/494

Bach (arr Mozart) Selection of Preludes and Fugues from ‘The Well-Tempered Clavier’ Mozart Divertimento in E-flat major K563

Christian Blackshaw piano

Lendvai String Trio Thu 3 Oct 1pm Mozart Piano Quintet in E-flat major K452 Serenade in C minor K388 London Winds Michael Collins director Leon McCawley piano

Thu 31 Oct 1pm Mozart String Quartet in F major K590 String Quartet in E-flat major K428 Chiaroscuro Quartet Thu 7 Nov 1pm

Thu 10 Oct 1pm Mozart Adagio in B minor for Piano K540 String Quartet in G major K80 Piano Quartet in E-flat major K493

Mozart Violin Sonata in G major K379 Violin Sonata in A major K305 Violin Sonata in E-flat major K481

Aronowitz Ensemble

Vilde Frang violin Michail Lifits piano

Thu 17 Oct 1pm

Thu 14 Nov 1pm

Mozart Adagio for Two Clarinets and Three Basset Horns K411 Serenade in B-flat major (‘Gran Partita’) K361

Mozart Divertimento in D major K136 Divertimento in F major K138 String Quartet in D minor K421 Ebène String Quartet

London Winds Michael Collins director

Images left to right; Aronowitz Ensemble, Lendvai String Trio and Ebène Quartet.

‘The suave, beguiling performances proved irresistible.’

Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times on the Ebène String Quartet

lso.co.uk 020 7638 8891

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Discover more and take part JOIN IN WITH MUSIC-MAKING AT THE LSO From Composer Discovery Days to Singing Days and Community Groups – lift the lid on the magic of music.

The LSO is privileged to be based at the Barbican and not just because it’s Europe’s largest multi-arts centre with a worldwide reputation for quality innovation: it also puts the Orchestra slap bang in the middle of a thriving, fascinating part of our capital city. With the Square Mile and its businesspeople on one side, and the families, schools, shops and churches of Islington on the other (not to mention so-called ‘Silicon Roundabout’ around the corner at Old Street), we want to be an Orchestra for all of these people, and more.

This autumn, witness concerts by our flourishing community groups: the Community Choir, celebrating its tenth birthday in 2013, will perform everything from J S Bach to Michael Bublé, while the Gamelan Group presents the mesmerising music of Bali. If you live or work locally and want to know more about joining these ensembles, visit lso.co.uk/discovery.

Friday Lunchtime Concerts are the place to ask LSO musicians anything. The 45-minute guided performances are free to attend and snacks and drinks are available from the downstairs café before and afterwards.

If one musician just isn’t enough, how about 100? See the Orchestra practise under the direction of Italian conductor Gianandrea Noseda at an autumn Open Rehearsal. But be quick – places are limited.

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DISCOVER MORE & TAKE PART – FULL BOOKING INFORMATION ON BACK COVER

Images top to bottom; LSO Gamelan Group, a concert at LSO St Luke’s, LSO Community Choir.

Fri 27 Sep; 11 & 25 Oct; 8 Nov 12.30pm, LSO St Luke’s

Mon 18 Nov 7.30pm, LSO St Luke’s

LSO DISCOVERY

COMMUNITY CHOIR CONCERT

LUNCHTIME CONCERTS: AUTUMN 2013: RUSSIA! Free entry, no ticket required Supported by LSO Patrons, Coutts Charitable Trust and the Rothschild Charities Committee

LSO DISCOVERY

A whole mixture of repertoire from Bach to Bublé, reggae to Rachmaninov, all under the encouraging eye of the choir’s newly appointed conductor, David Lawrence.

Sat 28 Sep 10am, LSO St Luke’s

Tickets £7 (£5 concessions)

LSO DISCOVERY

Part of LSO Sing which is supported by the J Paul Getty Jnr Charitable Trust

OPEN REHEARSAL Conductor Gianandrea Noseda puts the LSO through its paces.

Tickets £4 Telephone booking only Sun 29 Sep 10am–5.30pm, Barbican and LSO St Luke’s LSO DISCOVERY DAY

Sat 4 Jan 11am–4.30pm, LSO St Luke’s LSO DISCOVERY

SINGING DAY Haydn The Creation (sung in English, accompanied by piano)

DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH

Simon Halsey chorus director

Find out more about the Russian composer with exclusive access to an LSO rehearsal at the Barbican followed by chamber music and informal lecture.

A singing workshop on Haydn’s The Creation followed by an informal performance which friends can watch.

Some sight-singing ability is required.

Tickets £17 (includes music hire)

Wed 9 Oct 3pm, LSO St Luke’s

Part of LSO Sing which is supported by the J Paul Getty Jnr Charitable Trust

CENTRE FOR ORCHESTRA MASTERCLASS

EMANUEL AX: PIANO

Free entry, booking essential Sun 3 Nov 10am–5.30pm, Barbican and LSO St Luke’s LSO DISCOVERY DAY

HECTOR BERLIOZ Immerse yourself in the life of Hector Berlioz with a morning LSO rehearsal at the Barbican followed by talks and music at LSO St Luke’s.

Sun 5 Jan 7pm

NATIONAL YOUTH ORCHESTRA OF GREAT BRITAIN Larry Goves New work Mahler Symphony No 5 Paul Daniel conductor Tickets £10 £15 £20 £28 Sat 25 Jan 11am–4pm, LSO St Luke’s LSO DISCOVERY

Sun 17 Nov 7.30pm, LSO St Luke’s

SINGING DAY

LSO DISCOVERY

Rachmaninov Vespers

GAMELAN CONCERT

David Lawrence chorus director

Andy Channing director LSO Community Gamelan Group plus special guests

Rachmaninov’s a cappella Vespers (‘All-Night Vigil’) were one of just two works he counted as his favourites.

Followed by an informal performance for friends and family.

Come and immerse yourself in an exciting performance of traditional and contemporary Balinese music and dance.

Tickets £17 (includes music hire) In association with

Tickets £7 (£5 Concessions)

lso.co.uk 020 7638 8891

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The Barbican OUR HOME AT THE BARBICAN Set in a City Cultural Quarter funded by the Corporation of London, the LSO, Barbican and Guildhall School are an alliance leading the world in arts and learning.

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THE BARBICAN

EXTRAS

barbican.org.uk

RELAXING WITH FOOD, DRINK AND FRIENDS Foyer Bars and Cafés: The ideal place to meet and catch up ahead of the concert or to enjoy a drink at the interval.

Martini Bar (Level 1): Enjoy a touch of glamour at the start of your evening at the Barbican’s stylish new bar.

Choose from a selection of classic and modern martinis, or a glass of bubbly.

Barbican Foodhall (Level G): The lively informality of the Barbican Foodhall offers hot dishes and salads from a counter-top service as well as a wide range of homemade cakes, teas and coffees.

Barbican Lounge (Level 1): The award-winning Barbican Lounge offers a chic relaxed ambience to enjoy a pre-concert drink or seasonal small plates from the tapas-style menu. Reservations 020 7382 6180.

Gin Joint by Searcys (Level 2): Offering brasserie dining and the most extensive gin list in the City, all enhanced by stunning views across the Barbican lakeside. Both full dining and bar menus are available.

Reservations 020 7588 3008.

FIND US

lso.co.uk/yourvisit

BARBICAN CENTRE Silk Street, EC2Y 8DS LSO ST LUKE’S UBS and LSO Music Education Centre 161 Old Street, EC1V 9NG The Barbican is in the heart of the City of London with LSO St Luke’s just a short walk away.

Underground and Train stations The Barbican is closest to Moorgate and Barbican, with Liverpool Street, Bank and Farringdon nearby.

For LSO St Luke’s use Old Street (Exit 7).

Bus routes 153 Beech Street; 21, 43, 76, 141, 205, 214 City Road; 55 and 243 Old Street.

Parking The Barbican’s on-site car parks, also convenient for LSO St Luke’s, cost £7 from 5pm on weekdays (£6.50 if pre-booked) and £7.50 per day at weekends.

Bath Street Bunhill Row

Whitecross Street

Golden Lane Beech Street

St Luke’s Close

Helmet Row

KEEPING YOU UP-TO-DATE We’ll send ticket buyers an email a day before your selected concert with the latest travel details and links to other useful information such as programme downloads.

Chiswell Street Moor Lane

Silk Street

lso.co.uk 020 7638 8891

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LSO SEASON 2013/14 Book at lso.co.uk or call 020 7638 8891 or buy in person or by post Box Office, Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8DS. (opening times at lso.co.uk/yourvisit) Ticket prices as below unless otherwise stated.

BARBICAN CONCERT TICKETS £10 £15 £20 £28 £37 Book 3–4 concerts save 15%, 5+ save 20% Multi-buy discounts will not be applied to 12 Dec, 19 Dec and 21 Jan BBC RADIO 3 LUNCHTIME CONCERTS £10 (£9 concessions) Book any four concerts for £8 each LSO DISCOVERY DAYS Full day tickets £17 (£13.50 concessions) £12 afternoon only (from 2.30pm at LSO St Luke’s) LSO DISCOVERY FAMILY CONCERTS £5 under-16s, £10 adults Suitable for families with 7- to 12-year-olds

You can get this guide in large print, audio and electronic formats. Contact 020 7588 1116 or email access@lso.co.uk

UBS SOUNDSCAPES: ECLECTICA CONCERTS £10 £15 £22 GROUPS OF 10 OR MORE Receive a 20% discount (except 12 Dec, 19 Dec, and 21 Jan). Call our dedicated Group Booking Line on 020 7382 7211 (10am–5pm Mon-Fri) DISABLED VISITORS Join the Barbican Access Membership scheme to inform us of your access requirements and receive information in alternative formats. Members may be eligible for reductions on tickets, limited in number and subject to availability – please book early to avoid disappointment. Full details are available online at barbican.org.uk/access and at the Box Office.

LSO Registered Charity in England No 232391

TICKET EXCHANGE Tickets can be exchanged for another LSO concert or credit vouchers valid for six months, provided that you return them to the Box Office at least 24 hours before the performance (two weeks for group bookings).

Administration fee applies.

Photography Igor Emmerich, Kevin Leighton, Bill Robinson Alberto Venzago, Susie Ahlburg, Sarah Wijzenbeck

All discounts are subject to availability and may not be combined.

The LSO is funded by Arts Council England in partnership with the City of London Corporation, which also provides the Orchestra’s permanent home at the Barbican.

Print Tradewinds Design PIN Creative Editor Edward Appleyard 24

BOOKING INFO

Information correct at time of going to print.

The LSO reserves the right to change artists or programmes if necessary. Refunds will only be given in the event of a concert being cancelled.