Great British Music

75TH ANNIVERSARY 2021–22 LONDON SEASON

SEPTEMBER 2021 – MAY 2022

Vasily Petrenko AND THE

ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA Tue 21 Sep 2021, 7.30pm Royal Albert Hall RPO AT 75 – A STAR-STUDDED CELEBRATION WALTON BELSHAZZAR’S FEAST

Wed 3 Nov 2021, 7.30pm Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall ELGAR VIOLIN CONCERTO

Thu 3 Feb 2022, 7.30pm Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall HOLST THE PLANETS

Wed 23 Mar 2022, 7.30pm Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall WALTON SYMPHONY NO.1

Thu 7 Apr 2022, 7.30pm Royal Albert Hall ELGAR THE DREAM OF GERONTIUS

Tue 26 Apr 2022, 7.30pm Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall VAUGHAN WILLIAMS A LONDON SYMPHONY

Thu 26 May 2022, 7.30pm Royal Albert Hall BRITTEN WAR REQUIEM

Sun 29 May 2022, 7.30pm Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall ELGAR SEA PICTURES

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WELCOME TO THE

ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA’S

75th Anniversary SEASON It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to my debut season of concerts as Music Director of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

Throughout its seventy-five-year history, this great British institution has always been at its best when sharing live music with you, its loyal audience. The Orchestra has continually delivered inspirational performances, shown exceptional versatility and been a part of many memorable firsts.

And so, I begin my own chapter in the Orchestra’s story with a performance of Delius’ Over the Hills and Far Away.

This feels fitting because this piece was included in the Orchestra’s inaugural concert in 1946, conducted by Sir Thomas Beecham. This begins a journey through some of the finest British music ever written, music that is close to my heart, in concerts at two of London’s most iconic concert halls: the Royal Albert Hall and the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall.

At the Royal Albert Hall, we bring you three choral masterpieces. From the thrilling brass fanfares of Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast to the impassioned solos of Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius, and the achingly beautiful, poignant choruses from Britten’s War Requiem, this trio of powerful works won’t fail to stir your emotions.

Across the river at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, we will perform well-loved masterworks, including Holst’s powerful suite The Planets and Elgar’s inimitable Violin Concerto. We also have a new commission from rising-star composer Dani Howard and an opportunity to hear the Overture to The Song of Hiawatha

by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. Our exploration of freedom, hope and adventure continues with music from other European composers, which highlights the exchange of creative ideas and inspirations, and places these great British works in context.

Music has the power to thrill and excite, to heal and transform, to bring joy and to inspire imagination, all things we need now more than ever. I can’t wait to share the magic of live music with you again, so I do hope that you’ll join us for this glorious journey through British music.

VASILY PETRENKO Music Director of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

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TUESDAY 21 SEPTEMBER 2021, 7.30PM ROYAL ALBERT HALL

RPO at 75

A STAR-STUDDED CELEBRATION DELIUS OVER THE HILLS AND FAR AWAY ELGAR CELLO CONCERTO WALTON BELSHAZZAR’S FEAST Join the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra as it celebrates 75 years at the forefront of music-making in the UK. The programme will feature masterpieces written by three of England’s greatest composers, all of whom are synonymous with the RPO and its founder Sir Thomas Beecham.

Vasily Petrenko and the Orchestra will be joined by two of the musical world’s biggest stars: Sheku Kanneh-Mason who will perform Elgar’s beautiful and introspective Cello Concerto, and Sir Bryn Terfel who will draw out the wicked excitement and intense joy in William Walton’s dramatic cantata, Belshazzar’s Feast.

As we embark on our next exciting chapter, we invite you to join the journey and share the thrill of live orchestral music.

Vasily Petrenko Conductor Sheku Kanneh-Mason MBE Cello Sir Bryn Terfel Baritone Philharmonia Chorus Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra gratefully acknowledges the support of RPO President, Mrs Aline Foriel-Destezet and Corporate Partner LG SIGNATURE.

WEDNESDAY 3 NOVEMBER 2021, 7.30PM SOUTHBANK CENTRE’S ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL

Elgar

VIOLIN CONCERTO WALTON JOHANNESBURG FESTIVAL OVERTURE STRAVINSKY PETRUSHKA (1911 ORIGINAL VERSION) ELGAR VIOLIN CONCERTO The RPO warmly welcomes one of the most in-demand violinists of our times, Ning Feng, to perform Elgar’s Violin Concerto – amongst the composer’s most ambitious orchestral compositions. Recognised as being one of the most technically demanding concertos in the violin repertoire, it was clearly a particularly personal work for Elgar, full of sensitivity, passion and emotion.

William Walton’s Johannesburg Festival Overture whets our musical appetites before we hear Stravinsky’s extravagant Petrushka.

Written for the Ballet Russes, ‘Stravinsky was in Switzerland composing the music for this story of a hapless puppet’s unrequited love at the same time that Elgar was penning his Violin Concerto in London.

Vasily Petrenko Conductor Ning Feng Violin Royal Philharmonic Orchestra ‘Ning Feng’s total mastery could be seen in the precision and sweep of his bow, and heard in the effortless tonal range, from sweet to sumptuous.’ NEW ZEALAND HERALD

THURSDAY 3 FEBRUARY 2022, 7.30PM SOUTHBANK CENTRE’S ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL

Holst

THE PLANETS DANI HOWARD NEW COMMISSION* WORLD PREMIERE RACHMANINOV RHAPSODY ON A THEME OF PAGANINI HOLST THE PLANETS A host of renowned melodies await us with a rousing performance of Holst’s The Planets. Each of the seven movements paints a rich musical picture of one of the astrological figures that the planets in our solar system are named after. From jolly Jupiter to war-like Mars, Holst’s suite reminds us of the emotional power of music.

Opening tonight’s concert is a brand new work by Dani Howard – a young, up-and-coming British composer who has quickly established herself on the international classical music scene.

Mao Fujita joins the Orchestra for Rachmaninov’s much-loved Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini – a nimble ode to what has to be one of the most instantly recognisable themes of the repertoire.

Vasily Petrenko Conductor Mao Fujita Piano Royal College of Music Chorus Royal Philharmonic Orchestra ‘Fujita is a musician of tremendous versatilityand taste, with a poetic sense of pulse and eloquent, insightful, fearless articulation.’ THE TIMES

*Generously funded by Louise and Philip Keller.

ON SALE AUTUMN 2021

WEDNESDAY 23 MARCH 2022, 7.30PM SOUTHBANK CENTRE’S ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL

Walton

SYMPHONY NO.1 BRITTEN THE YOUNG PERSON’S GUIDE TO THE ORCHESTRA SHOSTAKOVICH CELLO CONCERTO NO.1 WALTON SYMPHONY NO.1 Benjamin Britten’s The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra has introduced listeners of all ages and abilities to the different sections of the orchestra for almost 80 years. This ingenious composition provides the perfect platform to showcase the talents of the RPO’s musicians.

Although English composer William Walton was just 33 when he wrote the first of his two symphonies, it was instantly recognised as a masterpiece. Composed during the tumultuous 1930s, it remains timeless in its appeal, reminding us of the hope that great music can provide.

Dynamic young cellist, Pablo Ferrández, joins the Orchestra to perform what is considered one of the most challenging works for the instrument: Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No.1 – noted for its dual influences from both the Neoclassical and post-Romantic eras.

ON SALE AUTUMN 2021

Vasily Petrenko Conductor Pablo Ferrández Cello Royal Philharmonic Orchestra ‘Pop-idol magnetism, superb technique and exhilarating musicality reveal a sure star in the making.’

LOS ANGELES TIMES on Pablo Ferrández

THURSDAY 7 APRIL 2022, 7.30PM ROYAL ALBERT HALL

Elgar

THE DREAM OF GERONTIUS WAGNER PARSIFAL: PRELUDE ELGAR THE DREAM OF GERONTIUS With impassioned solos, searing choruses and a rich symphonic tapestry, Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius is widely regarded as one of the most celebrated choral works of the twentieth century; some consider it his masterpiece.

Setting the scene for the evening is the intense Prelude to Wagner’s opera Parsifal. Elgar was greatly inspired and influenced by Wagner and his musical DNA can be heard throughout The Dream of Gerontius.

There will be an interval between Parts I & II of The Dream of Gerontius.

Vasily Petrenko Conductor Christine Rice Mezzo-soprano Ed Lyon Tenor Roderick Williams OBE Baritone Philharmonia Chorus Royal Philharmonic Orchestra ‘Petrenko [produced] an outstandingly potent atmosphere.’

BACHTRACK on Vasily Petrenko and the RPO

The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra gratefully acknowledges the support of RPO President, Mrs Aline Foriel-Destezet.

TUESDAY 26 APRIL 2022, 7.30PM SOUTHBANK CENTRE’S ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL

Vaughan Williams

A LONDON SYMPHONY COLERIDGE-TAYLOR THE SONG OF HIAWATHA: OVERTURE BEETHOVEN PIANO CONCERTO NO.5, ‘EMPEROR’ VAUGHAN WILLIAMS A LONDON SYMPHONY Elgar described the late-nineteenth-century British composer, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor as ‘far and away the cleverest fellow going amongst younger men.’ The Song of Hiawatha is a trilogy of cantatas based upon a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and relating the adventures of the titular indigenous American.

Vasily Petrenko and Boris Giltburg have a celebrated and long-standing artistic partnership. Giltburg will join the Orchestra for Beethoven’s fifth and final piano concerto, popularly known as the ‘Emperor’ – a majestic masterpiece, remaining the composer’s best-known piano concerto.

Ralph Vaughan Williams’ second symphony was written in the shadow of the impending Great War. Yet again, music reminds us of the precarious nature of one’s freedoms, whilst at the same time inspiring hope for a brighter future.

Vasily Petrenko Conductor Boris Giltburg Piano Royal Philharmonic Orchestra ‘Every note pulses with life and warmth.’

THE GUARDIAN on Boris Giltburg

ON SALE AUTUMN 2021

THURSDAY 26 MAY 2022, 7.30PM ROYAL ALBERT HALL

Britten

WAR REQUIEM BRITTEN WAR REQUIEM Sixty years after its premiere at the consecration of Coventry’s new Cathedral in 1962 Britten’s War Requiem is still powerful, using music and words to explore the futility of war, and memorialise its victims.

Britten was a conscientious objector during World War II. He used poetry by Wilfred Owen to create the libretto for his Requiem, alongside words of the traditional Latin Mass for the Dead. Sung here by soloists from Russia, Britain and Germany, as Britten intended for the premiere, the War Requiem serves as an important reminder of the power that music has to transform, transcend and heal.

Please note that there will be no interval during this concert.

Vasily Petrenko Conductor Lyubov Petrova Soprano Andrew Staples Tenor Dietrich Henschel Baritone Philharmonia Chorus Royal Philharmonic Orchestra ‘Everything felt just right. Petrenko incisively ... uncovered the delicacy [and] drama of the music.’

THE TIMES

The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra gratefully acknowledges the support of RPO President, Mrs Aline Foriel-Destezet.

SUNDAY 29 MAY 2022, 7.30PM SOUTHBANK CENTRE’S ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL

Elgar

SEA PICTURES ELGAR SEA PICTURES MAHLER SYMPHONY NO.6 Opening this concert of epic scale is Elgar’s Sea Pictures.

Mezzo-soprano Kathryn Rudge joins the Orchestra for a performance of these evocative songs, which depict the boundless limits and power of the sea.

Written only five years after Elgar composed Sea Pictures, the orchestration of Mahler’s Sixth Symphony is vast, featuring massed brass, percussion and strings. This masterpiece ends in tragedy – with perhaps one of the most anguished endings of the entire repertoire.

Nevertheless, audiences have plenty of opportunity to experience the work’s beauty and joy in a dramatic musical journey before the Symphony reaches its fateful conclusion.

Vasily Petrenko Conductor Kathryn Rudge Mezzo-soprano Royal Philharmonic Orchestra ‘With her sensitivity to the text, freshness of timbre and secure vocal technique, [Rudge] once again proves herself a strongly intuitive interpreter of this repertoire.’

GRAMOPHONE on Kathryn Rudge and Vasily Petrenko performing Elgar’s Sea Pictures

ON SALE AUTUMN 2021

CORPORATE HOSPITALITY | NETWORKING MARKETING | CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

CORPORATE PARTNERS THE ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA GRATEFULLY ACKNOWLEDGES THE SUPPORT AND ENTHUSIASM OF ITS CORPORATE PARTNERS.

To find out how you and your company can support the RPO on and off the concert platform and benefit from a host of exclusive opportunities, please contact Huw Davies (Business Development Director / Deputy Managing Director) on 020 7608 8825 or DaviesH@rpo.co.uk The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is a Registered Charity, number 244533.

RPO RESOUND PRESENTS

STROKESTRA ONLINE

®

JOIN MUSICIANS FROM THE ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA FOR ONLINE MUSIC WORKSHOPS DESIGNED TO KEEP STROKE SURVIVORS AND THEIR FAMILIES GENTLY ACTIVE FROM HOME. Developed by the RPO and stroke clinicians in Hull, STROKESTRA® is a pioneering stroke rehabilitation programme using the power of music to support stroke patients and their families. Usually players from the Orchestra would work in person with stroke patients and their carers, taking part in specially adapted musical workshops to meet participants’ complex needs. Naturally, it has been impossible to meet in person over the past year, so RPO Resound took the programme online, delivering monthly interactive workshops in STROKESTRA® Online.

These free online workshops are open to all stroke survivors and their families, and are fun opportunities to meet RPO musicians, make friends and enjoy listening to and creating music together.

Book now by going to rpo.co.uk/strokestraonline or calling Anahi Ravagnani on 07725 026658 · Saturday 24 July 2021: 10.30am – 12.30pm, 1.30pm – 3.30pm · Saturday 21 August 2021: 10.30am – 12.30pm, 1.30pm – 3.30pm Please visit our website for future session dates.

We need you!

We cannot continue our STROKESTRA® Online sessions without your donations. Your generous support will enable us to offer more sessions in to as many stroke survivors as possible across the UK. Please donate by emailing resound@rpo.co.uk or going to rpo.co.uk/donate.

‘Coming here you found out that you can still do things; we’ve all got problems, but everybody’s got a big smile on their face these days, which they didn’t have before.’

Janet, stroke survivor and STROKESTRA® participant

HOW TO BOOK ROYAL ALBERT HALL

SOUTHBANK CENTRE’S ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL

Tickets: £55 – £10 Tickets for RPO at 75 on Tue 21 Sep 2021: £75 – £20

Tickets: £50 – £10 How to book Online: southbankcentre.co.uk A booking fee of £3.50 applies.

There are no booking fees for Southbank Centre Members and Supporters Circles.

Hospitality dining packages available, see royalalberthall.com for details.

How to book Online: royalalberthall.com Phone: 020 7589 8212 Ticket prices include fees and levy.

GROUP DISCOUNTS

JOIN THE RPO CLUB

Groups save up to 35% off all ticket prices, with £5 tickets for school, college and university parties available for all performances.

Visit rpo.co.uk/groups for details.

RPO Club members save 50% on up to two tickets for each of these concerts.

From just £12.50 per month, you can support the work of the RPO and receive benefits including priority booking, complimentary tickets and discounts on the RPO shop.

See rpo.co.uk/club or call 020 7608 8840 for details and to join.

All details correct at time of going to press. Artists may be subject to change.

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