1935
1946 The educational film Instruments of the Orchestra is released by the Crown Film Unit featuring a special commission from Benjamin Britten – The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra. It also gave the LSO its first television appearance via a 1948 BBC broadcast.
The world’s first ever specially-written symphonic film score, Arthur Bliss’ music for Things to Come, is recorded by the LSO.
1940 The LSO performs in the first of its 465 Proms concerts ...
1952 The LSO’s first performance specifically for television features music by Holst conducted by Sir Malcolm Sargent for the series The Conductor Speaks. In the 1950s the Orchestra also regularly appears in series including Music For You, Concert Hour and in a number of opera broadcasts.
... although the BBC was not actually able to sponsor nor broadcast any of the 1940–41 seasons due to the war.
1971 BBC TV PRESENTS THE FIRST ANDRÉ PREVIN’S MUSIC NIGHT ...
1977 A long time ago in a studio far, far away …
a programme that ran for eight years and brought classical music and the LSO to a huge new audience.
... the LSO recorded the soundtrack to a low-budget sci-fi film called Star Wars. It leads to an enduring relationship between the Orchestra and composer John Williams and they become an essential part of one of the biggest film franchises of all time.
2016
2014 The 112 million viewers of Superbowl XLVIII hear the LSO on the soundtrack for Jaguar cars’ ‘British Villans’ TV advert, which was also extensively aired on UK television.
2014 Over 100 million mobile gamers get their frustration soothed by the sounds of the LSO when the Orchestra records the soundtrack to Candy Crush Soda Saga.
Main Season Concert
1.3m
2015 Plays of LSO recordings on streaming service Spotify exceed 1.3m listeners a month.
2015 The LSO broadens its Star Wars links, recording the music for several video games as well as new rides at Disney’s theme parks.
Videos on the LSO’s YouTube channel top
12.8m
views.
1963 The Orchestra is the subject of the documentary Orchestra to the Orient chronicling the first tour of Japan ever made by a British orchestra, directed by David Attenborough.
Thu 6 Oct 2016 8pm Symphonic Fantasies Symphonic arrangements from some of Square Enix’s most cherished role-playing franchises, including Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, Secret of Mana and Chrono Trigger/ Chrono Cross. Eckehard Stier conductor Slava Sidorenko piano Rony Barrak darbouka London Symphony Orchestra London Symphony Chorus LSO Sing is supported by Sir Siegmund Warburg’s Voluntary Settlement.
Sat 26 Nov 7.30pm The Best of John Williams The LSO’s close connection with John Williams goes back nearly 40 years to the first notes of Star Wars in 1977. In this unique celebration of Williams’ extraordinary career, hear the LSO play his greatest film hits with each score introduced by John Williams himself, in an exclusive interview to be screened in the hall on the evening.
Compiled by Tim Oldershaw, LSO Senior Marketing Manager, Audiences FULL CONCERT LISTINGS PAGES 8 TO 13 ~ BOOKING DETAILS PAGE 59
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