‘the lso at full tilt is a terrifying, glamorous beast.’ season guide 15-16...london symphony...

London Symphony Orchestra

lso.co.uk

London’s Symphony Orchestra

LSO Season 2015/16Concert Guide

‘The LSO at full tilt is a terrifying, glamorous beast.’The Times on the LSO in concert at the Barbican

From the concert hall …

Remembering World War I November 2014 was a poignant moment for people

across Britain as the poppies at the Tower of London

became a symbol for nations remembering those whose

lives were so changed by the outbreak of World War I.

The LSO is the only London orchestra still in existence

today that was in existence then, being ten years old

in 1914; we therefore mark centenary moments until 2018,

a century after the war ended. Sally Beamish’s Equal

Voices launched our four-year tribute with a work for

full orchestra and chorus based on Sir Andrew Motion’s

intense poetry that uses extracts from the memoirs of

soldiers who fought. Our commemorations this season

mark the Battle of the Somme, featuring works by English

composers with World War I connections and Ravel’s

Piano Concerto for the Left Hand, written for pianist

Paul Wittgenstein who lost his right arm in battle.

On Tour – Australia, United States, Japan and beyondThe LSO visited the four corners of the world in the 2014/15 season,

including its first visit to Australia in 30 years with Principal Conductor

Valery Gergiev and pianist Denis Matsuev. Also, in celebration of

LSO Principal Guest Conductor Michael Tilson Thomas’ 70th birthday,

the Orchestra embarked on an extensive tour of the United States,

alongside visits to many European cities and more. This season

will see the Orchestra tour to Japan, with return visits to residencies

in New York and Paris, among extensive concerts across Europe.

An unrivalled family of artistsThe LSO is fortunate not only to be made up

of the finest orchestral musicians – many of whom

are solo artists in their own right – but to also

work regularly with a renowned group of visiting

international artists whose affection and respect

for the LSO is completely mutual.

This season Valery Gergiev explores pivotal ballet

scores close to his heart, Bernard Haitink returns

alongside pianists Murray Perahia and Imogen Cooper,

Sir John Eliot Gardiner continues his exploration

of Mendelssohn’s orchestral works, Daniel Harding celebrates his 20th anniversary working with the LSO,

John Adams and Thomas Adès conduct their

own works, and there will be new programmes from

Michael Tilson Thomas, Sir Antonio Pappano and Sir Mark Elder.

Opera in concert with Sir Simon RattleJanuary 2015 saw two landmark performances by Sir Simon Rattle

with the LSO, including a work he champions – Schumann’s

Das Paradies und die Peri – which has paved the way for an exciting

annual opera focus for the LSO’s Music Director designate in the next

three years. In January 2016, Sir Simon unites with visionary director

Peter Sellars for two semi-staged performances of Debussy’s

Pelléas et Melisande. The two have crafted momentous and truly

memorable performances over the years – including Pelléas previously

at the BBC Proms, in Berlin and elsewhere – and this collaboration

with the Barbican will be a highlight of the LSO’s 2015/16 season.

2014/15 to 2015/16The LSO continues its pioneering concert series in London at the Barbican and around the world.

LSO IN SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE

MICHAEL TILSON THOMAS

BERNARD HAITINK

ANTONIO PAPPANO

SIR SIMON RATTLE

SALLY BEAMISH & SIR ANDREW MOTION

2 LSO.CO.UK 3

BRASS

Horns

Trumpets

Trombones

Bass Trombone

Tuba

WOODWIND

Flutes

Piccolo

Oboes

Cor Anglais

Clarinets

E-flat Clarinet

Bassoons

PERCUSSION

Timpani

Percussion

Harps

Piano

CAMERA ANGLE CONDUCTOR

STRINGS

Violins

Violas

Cellos

Double Basses

LSO PLAY On 1 October 2013 the LSO launched an innovative online platform which

enables the viewer to get inside the orchestra. Using high definition footage

of LSO concerts recorded at the Barbican, users can choose from a variety

of camera angles across the stage, seeing what it’s like to follow a conductor

or zoom in on what a single section is playing, and dig deep into finding out

more about the orchestra’s instruments and make-up. LSO Play won a

Webby Award and a Lovie Award in 2014 for its unique take on exploring

the orchestra, and is generously supported by Reignwood Group.

DIGITAL THEATRE People across the globe can now access the full LSO concert experience

in their living rooms on digitaltheatre.com. All performances are in HD

and are available through some SmartTVs, through the Digital Theatre

app on the Apple App Store, and through the Digital Theatre website.

LSO LIVE LSO Live has reached over a hundred releases in its fifteen-year history

and many of them are available across multiple platforms including SACD,

Mastered for iTunes, in ultra high-quality formats through specialist

Bowers & Wilkins’ Society of Sound, on online MP3 stores such as

Amazon, and on streaming services such as Spotify. You can also

explore the whole catalogue on the LSO Live App for iPad.

LSO Live lsolive.lso.co.uk

LSO Play play.lso.co.uk

Digital Theatre lso.co.uk/digitaltheatre

Mastered for iTunes lso.co.uk/masteredforitunes

Bowers & Wilkins Society of Sound lso.co.uk/societyofsound

Figures correct at time of going to press in June 2015

… to your home

To watch on TVRecent concerts available online

and on SmartTV (Digital Theatre)

or to watch via MezzoHD in Europe

20Hours

Social Network LikesSay Hello! on Facebook,

Twitter and Google Plus

692,885

iPadExplore the entire LSO Live catalogue,

read sleeve notes, and read

interviews with conductors

11,000App

Downloads

LSO LiveOver one million downloads annually

and over a hundred albums of Live

classical music in high definition sound

1m

YouTube ViewsWatch interviews, concert excerpts,

season overviews, talks,

and much more

11,475,807

Visits to LSO PlayDive into the orchestra and

choose your seat

554,873

THE DIGITAL ORCHESTRA

LSO PLAY: DISCOVER THE ORCHESTRA

BRINGING ORCHESTRAL MUSIC TO AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE THROUGH DIGITAL INNOVATION

Hundreds of people have donated to our Moving Music fundraising

campaign over the past three years. We are deeply grateful

for their generous support, which will enable us to share the

LSO’s music in high definition digital formats with millions of

people across the world for years to come.

Thank you to all our supporters for helping to secure the brightest possible future for the LSO.

MOVING MUSIC THANK YOU

Explore the Orchestra from the inside

and view the conductor as LSO players

do whilst learning more about the music

of Berlioz and Ravel.

54 LSO.CO.UK

Since 1904London’s Symphony Orchestra

NOVEMBER 2015 Thu 5 Nov 2015 1pm, LSO St Luke’s

BBC RADIO 3 LUNCHTIME CONCERT

CHOPIN, LISZT & BARTÓK III Chopin Ballade No 1 in G minor; Fantasie in F minor Bartók Suite Liszt Après une lecture du Dante

Ashley Wass piano

Fri 6 Nov 2015 7.30pm

Bernstein Prelude, Fugue and Riffs Wynton Marsalis Violin Concerto (world premiere) Stravinsky Symphony in Three Movements Bernstein Chichester Psalms

James Gaffigan conductor Nicola Benedetti violin London Symphony Chorus Simon Halsey chorus director

2015/16 LISTINGS

SEPTEMBER 2015

Tue 15 Sep 2015 7.30pm

Mozart Piano Concerto No 24 Bruckner Symphony No 7

Bernard Haitink conductor Murray Perahia piano

Sun 20 Sep 2015 7pm

Beethoven Piano Concerto No 4 Mahler Symphony No 4

Bernard Haitink conductor Murray Perahia piano Anna Lucia Richter soprano

Wed 23 Sep 2015 7.30pm

Purcell arr Stucky Funeral Music for Queen Mary Beethoven Piano Concerto No 1 Brahms Symphony No 1

Bernard Haitink conductor Imogen Cooper piano

IMOGEN COOPER (23 SEP)

YEFIM BRONFMAN (9 & 11 OCT)

LEILA JOSEFOWICZ (29 OCT)

NICOLA BENEDETTI (6 NOV) MARIA JOÃO PIRES (26 NOV, 6 & 16 DEC)

SOILE ISOKOSKI (12 NOV)

HÉLÈNE GRIMAUD (19 NOV)

Sun 8 Nov 2015 2.30pm

LSO DISCOVERY

FAMILY CONCERT: WONDERLANDBen Gernon conductor Paul Rissmann presenter LSO Discovery ChoirsLSO commission generously supported by Queen Mary University of London

Thu 12 Nov 2015 1pm, LSO St Luke’s


LONDON RESOUNDING III A celebration of the life of Tobias Hume, redoubtable 17th-century soldier and viol-player, who died in 1645 in the Charterhouse in Smithfield.

Fretwork

Thu 12 Nov 2015 7.30pm

Beethoven Symphony No 5 Strauss Death and Transfiguration Strauss Closing Scene from ‘Capriccio’

Nikolaj Znaider conductor Soile Isokoski soprano

6pm LSO Platforms: Guildhall Artists Songs by StraussMURRAY PERAHIA (15 & 20 SEP)

OCTOBER 2015 Sun 4 Oct 2015 10.30am–4.30pm, LSO St Luke’s

LSO COMMUNITY SINGING DAY

A TASTE OF AMERICADavid Lawrence conductor Ghislaine Morgan vocal coach

Includes choral works by some of America’s greatest composers such as Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland and George Gershwin, accompanied by piano.

Thu 8 Oct 2015 1pm, LSO St Luke’s


CHOPIN, LISZT & BARTÓK I Bartók Fifteen Hungarian Peasant Songs Chopin Nocturne in E-flat major; Nocturne in B major Liszt Mephisto Waltz No 1; Petrarch Sonnet No 104; Hexaméron

Ingolf Wunder piano



LONDON RESOUNDING I Baroque chamber ensemble Florilegium celebrates the life of concert-promoter extraordinaire Thomas Britton in works by Handel, Pepusch, Banister and others.

Ashley Solomon director Florilegium

Sun 18 Oct 2015 7pm

Bartók The Miraculous Mandarin (complete ballet) Stravinsky Chant du rossignol Bartók Concerto for Orchestra

Valery Gergiev conductor



LONDON RESOUNDING IICramer Piano Sonata in E-flat major Op 43 No 3 Clementi Piano Sonata in D major Op 25 No 6 Field Piano Sonata in E-flat major Op 1 No 1 Haydn Piano Sonata in E-flat major Hob XVI/52

Ronald Brautigam fortepiano



CHOPIN, LISZT & BARTÓK II Bartók Romanian Folk Dances Chopin Three Waltzes; Scherzo No 2 in B-flat minor Liszt Six Consolations; Concert paraphrase on Verdi’s ‘Rigoletto’

Alice Sara Ott piano

Thu 29 Oct 2015 7.30pm

Ravel Pavane pour une infante défunte Ravel Mother Goose – Ballet John Adams Scheherazade.2 (UK premiere)

John Adams conductor Leila Josefowicz violin

6pm LSO Platforms: Guildhall Artists Instrumental and chamber works by John Adams

Fri 30 Oct 2015 6.30pm, LSO St Luke’s

LSO RUSH HOUR CONCERT

LSO PERCUSSION: STEVE REICHSteve Reich Clapping Music; Music for Pieces of Wood; Sextet

Join the LSO Percussion Ensemble for a 45-minute rush hour concert featuring marimbas, vibraphone, bass drums, crotales, tam-tam, piano, synth and more.

Fri 9 Oct 2015 7.30pm

Bartók Dance Suite Bartók Piano Concerto No 2 Stravinsky The Firebird (original ballet)

Valery Gergiev conductor Yefim Bronfman piano

Sun 11 Oct 2015 10am–5.30pm, Barbican and LSO St Luke’s

LSO DISCOVERY DAY

STRAVINSKY AND DANCEWitness the LSO rehearse scores by Stravinsky in the morning, followed by chamber music and discussion in the afternoon.

Sun 11 Oct 2015 7pm

Stravinsky Symphony in C major Bartók Piano Concerto No 3 Stravinsky The Rite of Spring


Sat 14 Nov 2015 11am–4.30pm, LSO St Luke’s

LSO CHORAL SINGING DAY

THE SEASONSHaydn The Seasons accompanied by piano

Simon Halsey conductor



LONDON RESOUNDING IV Haydn Trio in G major Hob XV/15 Clementi Sonata in C major Op 21 No 1 (‘La chasse’) J C Bach Sonata in C minor Op 17 No 2 Graf Grand Sonata in G major

Musica ad Rhenum

Thu 19 Nov 2015 7.30pm

Janácek Jenufa – Suite Ravel Piano Concerto in G major Dvorák Symphony No 9 (‘From the New World’)

Manfred Honeck conductor Hélène Grimaud piano



CHOPIN, LISZT & BARTÓK IV Liszt Vallée d’Obermann; Gnomenreigen * Chopin Three Nocturnes Op 9; Two Nocturnes Op 27 † Bartók Piano duet *†

Maria João Pires†, Ashot Khachatourian* pianoIn partnership with Maria João Pires’ Partitura Project supported by Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel, Belgium

Thu 26 Nov 2015 7.30pm

LSO BRASS ENSEMBLEOriginal music and specially arranged works for ten-piece brass, including a new commission by former LSO Soundhub composer Ayanna Witter-Johnson.

DECEMBER 2015

Sun 6 Dec 2015 7pm

Chopin Piano Concerto No 1 Bruckner Symphony No 4

Daniel Harding conductor Maria João Pires piano

Sun 13 Dec 2015 7pm

LONDON SYMPHONY CHORUS

A CHORAL CHRISTMAS

Simon Halsey conductor London Symphony Chorus LSO Community Choir LSO Discovery Choirs

Join Simon Halsey and all of the LSO’s singing ensembles in this festive choral celebration of Christmas.

Wed 16 Dec 2015 7.30pm

Beethoven Piano Concerto No 3 Bruckner Symphony No 9 (four movement version)

Daniel Harding conductor Maria João Pires pianoSupported by LSO Friends

Main Season Concert in the Barbican Hall | Please note, Sunday evening concerts start at 7pm throughout the 2015/16 season

8 2015/16 LISTINGS ~ LSO.CO.UK EVENTS TAKE PLACE IN BARBICAN HALL UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED ~ BOOKING DETAILS PAGE 55 9

FEBRUARY 2016 Wed 3 Feb 2016 7.30pm

LSO STRING ENSEMBLEElgar Introduction and Allegro Vaughan Williams Fantasia on a theme by Thomas Tallis Britten Variations on a theme of Frank Bridge

Roman Simovic director LSO String Ensemble

Thu 4 Feb 2016 1pm, LSO St Luke’s


PAVEL HAAS RESIDENCY I Smetana String Quartet No 2 in D minor; String Quartet No 1 in E minor (‘From my life’)

Pavel Haas Quartet

Sun 7 Feb 2016 2.30pm

LSO DISCOVERY

FAMILY CONCERT



PAVEL HAAS RESIDENCY II Shostakovich String Quartet No 10 in A-flat major; Piano Quintet in G minor

Denis Kozhukin piano Pavel Haas Quartet

JANUARY 2016 Sun 3 Jan 2016 7pm

NATIONAL YOUTH ORCHESTRA OF GREAT BRITAINTchaikovsky Overture: Hamlet Korngold Violin Concerto Prokofiev Symphony No 5

Nicholas Collon conductor Tai Murray violin National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain

Thu 7 Jan 2016 1pm, LSO St Luke’s


SHAKESPEARE 400 I Schumann Excerpts from ‘Novelletten’ Korngold Much Ado About Nothing – Suite Beethoven Piano Trio in D major (‘Ghost’)

Gould Piano Trio

Sat 9 & Sun 10 Jan 2016 7pm

Debussy Pelléas et Mélisande (semi-staged performance)

Sir Simon Rattle conductor Peter Sellars director Magdalena Kožená Mélisande Christian Gerhaher Pelléas Gerald Finley Golaud Bernarda Fink Genevieve Franz-Josef Selig Arkel London Symphony Chorus Simon Halsey chorus directorProduced by the LSO and Barbican Part of LSO 2015/16 Season and Barbican Presents Multi-buy and group discounts do not apply to these concerts

Wed 13 Jan 2016 7.30pm

Ravel Le tombeau de Couperin Dutilleux L’arbre des songes Delage Four Hindu Poems Dutilleux Métaboles Ravel Daphnis and Chloe – Suite No 2

Sir Simon Rattle conductor Leonidas Kavakos violin Susan Gritton soprano

2015/16 LISTINGS

Sun 17 Jan 2016 7pm

Tchaikovsky Overture: The Tempest Elgar Cello Concerto Dvorák Symphony No 7

Pablo Heras-Casado conductor Alisa Weilerstein cello

5.30pm LSO Platforms: Guildhall Artists Chamber music by Dvorák



SHAKESPEARE 400 III Arne Where the Bee sucks; When daisies pied Haydn She never told her love Schubert An Silvia; Ständchen Wolf Bottom’s dream Vaughan Williams Orpheus with his lute Quilter Fear no more the heat of the sun; Under the Greenwood tree Warlock Take, O take, those lips away Tippett Three songs for Ariel Dring The Cuckoo; Take, O take, those lips away; It was a lover and his lass

James Gilchrist tenor Anna Tilbrook piano

Thu 21 Jan 2016 7.30pm

Wagner Prelude to Act I from ‘Parsifal’ Berg Seven Early Songs Mahler Symphony No 5

François-Xavier Roth conductor Camilla Tilling soprano

Sat 23 Jan 2016 11am–4.30pm, LSO St Luke’s


THE DREAM OF GERONTIUSElgar The Dream of Gerontius accompanied by piano


Sun 24 Jan 2016 10am–5.30pm, Barbican and LSO St Luke’s

LSO DISCOVERY DAY

AFTER ROMANTICISMJoin conductor François-Xavier Roth in a morning Barbican rehearsal, followed by an afternoon at LSO St Luke’s exploring the post-Romantic idea of the hero, with chamber music and talks.

Sun 24 Jan 2016 7pm

Webern Im Sommerwind Berg Violin Concerto Strauss Ein Heldenleben

François-Xavier Roth conductor Renaud Capuçon violin

5.30pm LSO Platforms: Guildhall Artists Berg songs and chamber music



SHAKESPEARE 400 IV Kodály An Ode for Music Giles Swayne Three Shakespeare Songs Wood Full fathom five; It was a lover and his lass Jaakko Mäntyjärvi Four Shakespeare Songs Cecilia McDowall When time is broke (world premiere) Paul Mealor Let Fall the Windows of Mine Eyes Vaughan Williams Three Shakespeare Songs

David Hill director BBC Singers

Sun 31 Jan 2016 7pm

Rachmaninov Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini Respighi Roman Trilogy (Fountains of Rome – Pines of Rome – Roman Festivals)

Sir Antonio Pappano conductor Alice Sara Ott piano



SHAKESPEARE 400 II 17th-century songs by Morley, Robert Jones, Banister and Purcell to texts by or inspired by Shakespeare, plus music by various composers for The Tempest.

Iestyn Davies counter-tenor Elizabeth Kenny lute

LEONIDAS KAVAKOS (13 JAN)

ALICE SARA OTT (31 JAN)

RENAUD CAPUÇON (24 JAN) SIMON TRPCESKI (25 FEB)

SIR JOHN ELIOT GARDINER (16 FEB)

JANINE JANSEN (28 FEB)

ANNE-SOPHIE MUTTER (9 MAR)

ALISA WEILERSTEIN (17 JAN)

Tue 16 Feb 2016 7.30pm

Mendelssohn Symphony No 1 Mendelssohn A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Sir John Eliot Gardiner conductor Monteverdi Choir



PAVEL HAAS RESIDENCY III Prokofiev String Quartet No 1 in B minor Bartók String Quartet No 5

Pavel Haas Quartet



PAVEL HAAS RESIDENCY IV Schubert String Quartet in C major D956

Danjulo Ishizaka cello Pavel Haas Quartet

Thu 25 Feb 2016 7.30pm

Smetana Richard III Liszt Piano Concerto No 2 Tchaikovsky Overture: Romeo and Juliet Strauss Macbeth

Gianandrea Noseda conductor Simon Trpceski piano

MARCH 2016 Sun 6 Mar 2016 11am–4.30pm, LSO St Luke’s


BEETHOVEN’S CHORAL SYMPHONYBeethoven Symphony No 9 (‘Choral’) accompanied by piano


Wed 9 Mar 2016 10am–6pm, LSO St Luke’s

LSO FUTURES / GUILDHALL

GETTING IT RIGHT? NEW MUSIC AND DANCE CONFERENCEJulian Anderson curator

This one-day conference, the third in a series of Guildhall ResearchWorks/LSO Getting it right? conferences, brings together leading figures and emerging artists from the worlds of new music and dance to explore the dynamic relationship between the two disciplines.

Wed 9 Mar 2016 7.30pm

LSO COMPOSER FOCUS

THOMAS ADÈSThomas Adès Polaris Brahms Violin Concerto Thomas Adès Brahms Thomas Adès Tevot

Thomas Adès conductor Anne-Sophie Mutter violin

Sun 28 Feb 2016 10am–5pm, Barbican and LSO St Luke’s

LSO DISCOVERY DAY

BERLIOZ AND SHAKESPEAREA morning watching Gianandrea Noseda guiding the LSO through Berlioz’s Romeo and Juliet suite at the Barbican, with afternoon chamber music and more at LSO St Luke’s.

Sun 28 Feb 2016 7pm

Shostakovich Violin Concerto No 2 Berlioz Romeo and Juliet – Suite

Gianandrea Noseda conductor Janine Jansen violin

5.30pm LSO Platforms: Guildhall Artists Songs based on Shakespeare texts

Fri 11 Mar 2016 10am–1pm & 2–6pm, LSO St Luke’s

LSO FUTURES

PANUFNIK COMPOSERS WORKSHOPFrançois-Xavier Roth conductor

Featuring new works for orchestra by Patrick Giguere, Bethan Morgan-Williams, Deborah Pritchard, Daniel Lewis Fardon, Daniel Moreira and Ewan Campbell.The Panufnik Composers Scheme is supported by the Helen Hamlyn Trust

Sun 13 Mar 2016 4pm, LSO St Luke’s

LSO FUTURES

AFTERNOON CONCERTDarren Bloom Dr Glaser’s Experiment (world premiere, LSO commission) Thomas Adès Chamber Symphony Schoenberg Chamber Symphony No 1

François-Xavier Roth conductor LSO Chamber OrchestraLSO commission generously supported by the PRS for Music Foundation and The Britten-Pears Foundation. Only LSO Futures multibuy discount applies to this concert


Thu 14 Apr 2016 1pm, LSO St Luke’s


ELGAR UP CLOSE I Elgar Violin Sonata Vaughan Williams The Lark Ascending for violin and piano Elgar Sospiri

Jennifer Pike violin Peter Limonov piano

Thu 14 Apr 2016 7.30pm

Messiaen Couleurs de la cité céleste Bruckner Symphony No 8

Sir Simon Rattle conductor Pierre-Laurent Aimard piano

Sun 17 Apr 2016 10am–5.30pm, Barbican and LSO St Luke’s

LSO DISCOVERY DAY

THE SEASONSOne of Haydn’s best-loved choral works is rehearsed in the morning with Sir Simon Rattle, the LSO and the London Symphony Chorus, followed by an afternoon’s exploration of the seasons in art and music.

MAY 2016 Thu 5 May 2016 1pm, LSO St Luke’s


ELGAR UP CLOSE IV Purcell Three Fantasias Elgar String Quartet in E minor

Elias String Quartet

Sun 13 Mar 2016 7pm, Barbican

LSO FUTURES

EVENING CONCERTLigeti Atmosphères Elizabeth Ogonek Sleep & Unremembrance (world premiere, Panufnik commission) Berio Sinfonia

François-Xavier Roth conductor Synergy VocalsThe Panufnik Composers Scheme is supported by the Helen Hamlyn Trust Only LSO Futures multibuy discount applies to this concert

Wed 16 Mar 2016 7.30pm

LSO COMPOSER FOCUS

THOMAS ADÈSThomas Adès Asyla Sibelius Violin Concerto Franck Symphony in D minor

Thomas Adès conductor Christian Tetzlaff violin

Sun 20 Mar 2016 7pm

Schumann Scenes from Goethe’s ‘Faust’

Daniel Harding conductor Christian Gerhaher Faust Christiane Karg Gretchen Christianne Stotijn Noth Alastair Miles Mephistopheles Andrew Staples Ariel London Symphony Chorus Simon Halsey chorus director Choir of Eltham College

2015/16 LISTINGS

APRIL 2016

Sun 3 Apr 2016 7pm

Nielsen Overture: Masquerade Sibelius Symphony No 3 Anders Hillborg Exquisite Corpse Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto

Alan Gilbert conductor Joshua Bell violin

5.30pm LSO Platforms: Guildhall Artists Chamber music by Nielsen

Thu 7 Apr 2016 7.30pm

Sibelius En Saga Prokofiev Piano Concerto No 2 Nielsen Symphony No 4 (‘The Inextinguishable’)

Alan Gilbert conductor Daniil Trifonov piano

Supported by LSO Patrons

Sun 17 Apr 2016 7pm

Haydn The Seasons (sung in German)

Sir Simon Rattle conductor Monika Eder soprano John Mark Ainsley tenor Florian Boesch baritone London Symphony Chorus Simon Halsey chorus director



ELGAR UP CLOSE II Elgar Introduction and Allegro Vaughan Williams Fantasia on a theme by Thomas Tallis Britten Variations on a theme of Frank Bridge


Sun 24 Apr 2016 7pm

Elgar The Dream of Gerontius

Sir Mark Elder conductor Alice Coote mezzo-soprano Allan Clayton tenor Gerald Finley bass London Symphony Chorus Simon Halsey chorus director

5.30pm LSO Platforms: Guildhall Artists A recital of English songs



ELGAR UP CLOSE III Stravinsky Three Pieces for String Quartet Elgar Piano Quintet in A minor

Huw Watkins piano Elias Quartet

Thu 28 Apr 2016 7.30pm

Butterworth A Shropshire Lad Vaughan Williams A Pastoral Symphony (Symphony No 3) * Ravel Concerto for the Left Hand Debussy La mer

Sir Mark Elder conductor Elizabeth Watts soprano * Cédric Tiberghien piano

ELIZABETH OGONEK (13 MAR)

CHRISTIANE KARG (20 MAR)

ANTONIO PAPPANO (19 & 29 MAY)

CÉDRIC TIBERGHIEN (28 APR)

ELIAS STRING QUARTET (5 MAY)

KRYSTIAN ZIMERMAN (30 JUN)

FRANÇOIS-XAVIER ROTH (21 & 24 JAN, 11 & 13 MAR)

Sun 8 May 2016 7pm

LSO ARTIST PORTRAIT

LEIF OVE ANDSNES Mozart Piano Concerto No 20 Bruckner Symphony No 3

Daniel Harding conductor Leif Ove Andsnes piano

Thu 12 May 2016 7.30pm

LSO ARTIST PORTRAIT

LEIF OVE ANDSNES Schumann Piano Concerto Beethoven Symphony No 9 (‘Choral’)

Michael Tilson Thomas conductor Leif Ove Andsnes piano Christine Rice mezzo-soprano Toby Spence tenor Neal Davies baritone London Symphony Chorus Simon Halsey chorus directorSupported by Baker & McKenzie LLP

Sat 14 May 2016 10.30am–4.30pm, LSO St Luke’s

LSO COMMUNITY SINGING DAY

JAZZAMATAZZ!David Lawrence conductor

A day of singing great vocal jazz arrangements of songs like Blue Skies, It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing, Just the way you look tonight and others. You’ll be joined in the afternoon by a jazz trio who will lift your spirits even further. The day will culminate in an informal performance.

Thu 19 May 2016 7.30pm

Shostakovich Violin Concerto No 1 Mahler Symphony No 6

Sir Antonio Pappano conductor Viktoria Mullova violin

6pm LSO Platforms: Guildhall Artists Chamber music by Shostakovich

Sun 29 May 2016 7pm

Beethoven Violin Concerto Elgar Symphony No 2

Sir Antonio Pappano conductor Nikolaj Znaider violin

5.30pm LSO Platforms: Guildhall Artists Piano sonatas by Beethoven

JUNE 2016 Sun 5 Jun 2016 7pm

Mahler Symphony No 2 (‘Resurrection’)

Daniel Harding conductor Miah Persson soprano Anna Larsson alto London Symphony Chorus Simon Halsey chorus director

5.30pm LSO Platforms: Guildhall Artists Songs by Mahler and Wolf

Fri 10 Jun 2016 7.30pm

LSO ARTIST PORTRAIT

LEIF OVE ANDSNES RECITALSibelius Three Pieces (‘Kyllikki’); The Birch; The Spruce; The Forest Lake; Song in the Forest; Spring Vision Beethoven Piano Sonata No 18 in E-flat major (‘The Hunt’) Debussy La soirée dans Grenade from ‘Estampes’; Three Études: ‘Pour les arpèges composés’ – ‘ Pour les huit doigts’ – ‘Pour les octaves’; Étude in A-flat major from ‘Trois nouvelles études’ Chopin Impromptu in A-flat major; Nocturne in F Major; Ballad No 4 in F minor

Leif Ove Andsnes piano

Sun 12 Jun 2016 2.30pm

LSO DISCOVERY

FAMILY CONCERT

Thu 16 Jun 2016 7.30pm

LSO DISCOVERY

ANNUAL LSO DISCOVERY SHOWCASEWitness the electrifying results when an orchestra founded at the beginning of the 20th century meets young musicians born at the beginning of the 21st.

Sun 26 Jun 2016 7pm

Peter Maxwell Davies The Hogboon (world premiere of a new children’s opera, LSO commission) Berlioz Symphonie fantastique (LSO and Guildhall musicians side by side)

Sir Simon Rattle conductor Guildhall School musicians LSO Discovery Choirs London Symphony Chorus Simon Halsey chorus director

Thu 30 Jun 2016 7.30pm

Ives The Unanswered Question Beethoven Piano Concerto No 4 Rachmaninov Symphony No 2

Sir Simon Rattle conductor Krystian Zimerman piano

LISA BATIASHVILI (9 JUN)

Thu 9 Jun 2016 7.30pm

Dvorák Overture: Othello Bartók Violin Concerto No 1 Dvorák Symphony No 8

Daniel Harding conductor Lisa Batiashvili violin

6pm LSO Platforms: Guildhall Artists Featuring Dvorák’s Wind Serenade


Made up of players from across the globeLondon’s Symphony Orchestra

Jonathan Lipton United States

David Ballesteros Spain

Naoko Keatley Australia

Jani Pensola Finland

Eve-Marie Caravassilis

France

Ginette Decuyper Belgium

Belinda McFarlane Australia

Colin Renwick Australia

Sarah Quinn Ireland

Iwona Muszynska Poland

Carmine Lauri Malta

Antoine Bedewi Australia

Laurent Quenelle France

Jörg Hammann Germany

Julia O’Riordan Ireland

Sylvain Vasseur France

German Clavijo Argentina

Julian Gil Rodriguez Colombia

At the Mariinsky, like a true man of the theatre,

Valery Gergiev controls all of the strings,

juggling orchestra, singers, dancers, directors and even

overseeing the construction of a new hall, Mariinsky II.

But it’s not just that, after all his relationship with the

London Symphony Orchestra doesn’t rely on the

visual aspects of opera or ballet – or does it?

LSO Principal Flute Gareth Davies explains …

Plenty has been written about Gergiev’s often unconventional style

of conducting. Barely a concert review goes by without mention of the

toothpick, fluttering fingers or his seemingly impossible to decipher

gestures. It seems that despite the lack of dancers and lavish sets, the

visual aspect of Gergiev’s style is often centre stage. I remember the very

first time we played Stravinsky’s Petrushka. The piece begins in the hustle

and bustle of the fair – the strings and clarinets whizz around, the flutes

shriek like Whitecross Street market traders. Valery practically ran through

the violins, and in one roundhouse punch of a gesture, shook the Leader’s

hand, bowed and whipped around bringing his right hand crashing in for

the downbeat. The house lights were still up. I wasn’t ready, but somehow

managed to make it just in time. Audience chatter was suddenly silenced,

the players were already on the edge of their seats, everyone in the hall

was instantly transported to the Russian fair. It was breathless, it was

exciting – it was theatre.

Performances of The Rite of Spring are so commonplace these days

that critics often complain that they have become sanitised, they are too

perfect, they no longer sound like a struggle. However, one only has to see

the look of violence in Gergiev’s eyes when he casts the upbeat at the start

of the ‘Dance of the Young Girls’ to understand why his performance sounds

like it does; the jerks and stabs of his shoulders punctuate the texture with

offbeat accents. He said to me once in an interview that there are times when

he is deliberately unclear to the players in his gestures; he likes to create

tension and a sense of reinvention – certainly I don’t recall ever giving the

same performance twice with him in charge. I think what he does is not only

create a theatrical atmosphere of anticipation, danger and unpredictability

for the audience, but also crucially and uniquely, for the Orchestra.

Gareth Davies has been LSO Principal Flute since 2000. Alongside playing with the LSO, Gareth writes regularly for BBC Music Magazine, Classic FM and his own blog, has written a book on a century of LSO touring – The Show Must Go On – and is a professor of flute at the Royal College of Music.

GERGIEV ON LSO LIVE Prokofiev Romeo and Juliet

Awarded Disc of the Year and Best Orchestra Recording by BBC Music Magazine in 2011, Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet is considered to be one of the most exceptional realisations of Shakespeare in music. Buy online at lsolive.lso.co.uk

‘Everyone in the hall was instantly transported to the Russian fair.’writes LSO Principal Flute Gareth Davies on Valery Gergiev

Gergiev:Man of the theatre

Fri 9 Oct 2015 7.30pm

Bartók Dance Suite Bartók Piano Concerto No 2 Stravinsky The Firebird (original ballet)


Sun 11 Oct 2015 7pm

Stravinsky Symphony in C major Bartók Piano Concerto No 3 Stravinsky The Rite of Spring


Sun 18 Oct 2015 7pm

Bartók The Miraculous Mandarin Stravinsky Chant du rossignol Bartók Concerto for Orchestra

Valery Gergiev conductor

Sun 11 Oct 2015 10am–5.30pm, Barbican and LSO St Luke’s

LSO DISCOVERY DAY

STRAVINSKY AND DANCEWitness the LSO rehearse scores by Stravinsky in the morning, followed by chamber music and discussion in the afternoon.

THE THEATRE IS IN VALERY GERGIEV’S BLOOD

Main Season Concert FULL CONCERT LISTINGS PAGES 8 TO 13 ~ BOOKING DETAILS PAGE 55 1716 GERGIEV: MAN OF THE THEATRE ~ LSO.CO.UK

Bernard Haitink

Haitink is revered by audiences and critics worldwide,

the recipient of thunderous ovations and rapturous plaudits,

but this mesmerising chemistry is cherished perhaps most of

all by the Orchestra itself. In the words of LSO Percussionist

David Jackson, ‘there’s a palpable fizz in the air’ whenever

Haitink takes to the rostrum for the first rehearsal.

For Sarah Quinn, LSO Sub-Principal Second Violin,

who first worked with the conductor in 1995 as a member

of the European Union Youth Orchestra, Haitink was as

inspiring 20 years ago as he is today. ‘He’s the sort of man

who doesn’t say a huge amount, but what he does makes

a tremendous impact,’ she explains. ‘You always felt like

you had time and space to play everything, no matter

how difficult it was … It was as if he could make time

stand still and everything was possible.’

David, meanwhile, cites the humility and ‘quiet authority’

that Haitink exercises each time he stands on the podium.

‘When he comes onto the stage, he says very little to the

Orchestra, usually starts off with a very subtle joke …

and you just feel safe. He’s very much a conductor who

invites you to play.’ Sarah agrees: ‘He walks onto the

platform and it’s like a switch. He has complete control

and complete authority over what he’s doing at all times’.

Over the last two decades, the relationship between

the Orchestra and conductor has grown steadily stronger,

with David praising the feeling of mutual respect,

‘something that’s earned over a long period of time’,

that permeates each performance. ‘He seems to have a

huge affection for the LSO and we love working with him,’

confirms Sarah. This propensity for forming musical

partnerships extends to soloists too – Maria João Pires,

Mitsuko Uchida and Emanuel Ax, to name just a handful

of recent collaborators. For David, this is at the heart of

Haitink’s approach to music-making: ‘He surrounds himself

with friends and has a good time – he just enjoys it’.

AT THE BARBICAN

Tue 15 Sep 2015 7.30pm


Bernard Haitink conductor Murray Perahia piano

Sun 20 Sep 2015 7pm

Beethoven Piano Concerto No 4 Mahler Symphony No 4

Bernard Haitink conductor Murray Perahia piano Anna Lucia Richter soprano

Wed 23 Sep 2015 7.30pm

Purcell arr Stucky Funeral Music for Queen Mary Beethoven Piano Concerto No 1 Brahms Symphony No 1

Bernard Haitink conductor Imogen Cooper piano

JAPAN WITH HAITINKMon 28 Sep to Mon 5 Oct 2015

Mozart Piano Concerto No 24 Mahler Symphony No 4 Bruckner Symphony No 7 Purcell arr Stucky Funeral Music for Queen Mary Beethoven Piano Concerto No 4 Brahms Symphony No 1

Bernard Haitink conductor

28 Sep Suntory Hall, Tokyo 30 Sep Muza Kawasaki Symphony Hall, Tokyo 1 Oct NHK Hall, Tokyo 3 Oct Concert Hall, Kyoto 5 Oct Bunka Kaikan, Tokyo

OTHER CONCERTS ON TOURSun 27 Sep to Sun 4 Oct 2015

FINAL SYMPHONY IIAlongside concerts with Haitink during the LSO tour of Japan, the Orchestra also gives audiences an opportunity to hear music recorded for the Final Fantasy video games and from the Final Symphony album.

Eckehard Stier conductor Mischa Cheung piano

27 Sep Osaka 4 Oct Yokohama

For more information on the LSO’s worldwide tours, see page 54

In 2015/16, it’s the great pianist Murray Perahia who

teams up with Haitink, opening the LSO’s season together

with one of Mozart’s most striking piano concertos.

The core of the symphonic repertoire – Brahms, Bruckner

and Mahler – is explored in the three opening concerts,

before Haitink leads the LSO on a tour of Japan.

Remembering the Orchestra’s last tour to East Asia

with Haitink in 2013, David recalls, ‘I’ve never seen him

smile so much. It was such a lovely trip. He said, ‘This is

going to be the last time I go to the Far East with a big

orchestra’, but lo and behold, we get back to London

and the reports come back that he’s had such a good time

that he’d quite like to do it again – which we are this year!

When that kind of information filters back to the players,

that speaks volumes of how much he enjoys working

with us, and how we love working with him.’

Fiona Dinsdale, LSO Marketing Manager

The LSO is grateful to Moore Group for its generous support of concerts in Japan this year. The Orchestra’s concerts around the world offer further valuable opportunities for tour partnerships. Contact [email protected] for more information. HAITINK ON LSO LIVE Bruckner Symphonies Nos 4 & 9

‘It’s absolutely sensational … a really mature reading, by a very mature and a highly experienced and a completely relaxed conductor’ BBC Radio 3 CD Review

Audiophile Audition (US) Pizzicato (Luxembourg)

‘This performance from last year with the London Symphony Orchestra on stupendous form seems to mark a pitch of understanding and communication which it wouldn’t be possible to surpass.’

BBC Music Magazine

Whenever the LSO and conductor Bernard Haitink

come together for a performance, the result

is always a true musical partnership.

DAVID JACKSON (LSO PERCUSSION)

BERNARD HAITINK CONDUCTING THE LSO IN JAPAN

SARAH QUINN (LSO VIOLIN)

AT HOME & ABROAD

Main Season Concert FULL CONCERT LISTINGS PAGES 8 TO 13 ~ BOOKING DETAILS PAGE 55 1918 BERNARD HAITINK ~ LSO.CO.UK

When two artists that are as sought after

as Rattle and Sellars join forces, there can be

no doubt as to the combined creative genius

that player and public alike are about to witness.

Their landmark staged performances around

the world – including the Bach St Matthew

and St John Passions and previous productions

of Debussy’s dramatic Pelléas et Mélisande

in the mid-1990s – have reached ‘legendary’

status as described by New York critic Alex Ross.

In January 2016, the pair once again re-visit

Debussy’s masterpiece at the Barbican along

with the combined forces of the London

Symphony Orchestra and Chorus and a

star-studded cast of soloists.

THE WORK

Debussy completed only one opera, but it was

quickly recognised as a masterpiece and indeed

one of the great 20th-century works in the form.

He took a long time, however, both to discover

the right subject and to compose the piece.

Between 1890–93 Debussy worked on his

first substantial attempt at an opera to a libretto

on the Spanish medieval warlord El Cid, but he

lost interest in its plot and grand operatic manner,

eventually abandoning it. By this time he had

discovered the plays of Maurice Maeterlinck,

though before that he had a clear idea of the

kind of opera he would rather: ‘The ideal would

be two associated dreams. No time, no place.

No big scene. Music in opera is far too predominant.

My idea is of a short libretto with mobile scenes.

PELLÉAS ET MÉLISANDE

Opera in concertSir Simon Rattle and Peter Sellars, who have worked together for over three decades, bring their

joint dramatic chemistry to the Barbican. George Hall introduces Debussy’s only completed opera.

No discussion or arguments between characters

whom I see at the mercy of life or destiny.’

It is almost as if Debussy imagined Pelléas et

Mélisande before he actually encountered it.

He read Maeterlinck’s Pelléas around 1892 and

years later acknowledged, ‘The drama of Pelléas …

contains far more humanity than those so-called

‘real-life documents’ [and] suits my intentions

admirably … there is an evocative language whose

sensitivity could be extended into music and into

the orchestral backcloth’. Maeterlinck agreed to

Debussy making a musical setting. It was complete

by 1895, but the Opéra-Comique in Paris took

three years to accept it. Its eventual premiere in

1902 proved to be a landmark in French music.

Pelléas is one of the most original and

influential operas of its period. Its atmosphere is

distinctive and indeed unique, a self-enclosed

world where the characters often say one thing

when they mean quite another. This sense of

ambiguity is highlighted by Debussy’s complex

and subtle harmony and his delicate use of

orchestral colour throughout. Ironically,

Maeterlinck’s play has largely disappeared from

view – as if Debussy, in providing its precise

musical equivalent, had left no need for it to

continue to be performed. While we may regret

that Debussy’s later operatic projects failed

to reach completion, the one masterpiece

we have has proved to be one of opera’s

greatest achievements.

George Hall writes widely on classical music, including

for The Guardian, BBC Music Magazine and Opera.

THE STORY

The tale is set in the mythical land of

Allemonde and begins as Prince Golaud, a

widower and the grandson of the king, discovers

a young woman weeping in the forest while he

is out hunting. Although her identity and story

remain shrouded in mystery, she reveals that her

name is Mélisande and agrees to accompany

Golaud away from the forest.

Word is soon received that Mélisande and

Golaud have been married and the couple arrive

at the castle, where they encounter Golaud’s

half-brother, Pelléas. Golaud is angered when

Mélisande loses her wedding ring in a well,

and he sends her and Pelléas out to find it.

His bitterness grows as he begins to suspect that

the couple, who are visibly drawn to each other,

are falling in love. Golaud encourages his son,

Yniold, to spy on them, while warning Pelléas

that Mélisande is expecting a child.

As Pelléas decides to leave the castle,

Golaud’s jealousy descends into violence: he

questions Mélisande, accusing her of infidelity,

then seizes her by the hair and throws her to the

floor. She goes to meet Pelléas for the final time

and the couple declare their love for each other.

However, Golaud has been spying on them.

The story ends in tragedy, with the deaths

of both Pelléas, killed by his half-brother,

and Mélisande, who gives birth prematurely

and dies maintaining her innocence.

FULL CONCERT LISTINGS PAGES 8 TO 13 ~ BOOKING DETAILS PAGE 55 2120 PELLÉAS ET MÉLISANDE ~ LSO.CO.UK

Sat 9 & Sun 10 Jan 2016 7pm

Debussy Pelléas et Mélisande (semi-staged performance)

Sir Simon Rattle conductor Peter Sellars director Magdalena Kožená Mélisande Christian Gerhaher Pelléas Gerald Finley Golaud Bernarda Fink Genevieve Franz-Josef Selig Arkel London Symphony Chorus Simon Halsey chorus director

Produced by the LSO and Barbican Part of LSO 2015/16 Season and Barbican Presents Multi-buy and group discounts do not apply to these concerts

Wed 13 Jan 2016 7.30pm

Ravel Le tombeau de Couperin Dutilleux L’arbre des songes Delage Four Hindu Poems Dutilleux Métaboles Ravel Daphnis and Chloe – Suite No 2

Sir Simon Rattle conductor Leonidas Kavakos violin Susan Gritton soprano

Thu 14 Apr 2016 7.30pm

Messiaen Couleurs de la cité céleste Bruckner Symphony No 8


Sun 17 Apr 2016 10am–5.30pm, Barbican and LSO St Luke’s

LSO DISCOVERY DAY

THE SEASONSOne of Haydn’s best-loved choral works is rehearsed in the morning with Sir Simon Rattle, the LSO and the London Symphony Chorus, followed by an afternoon’s exploration of the seasons in art and music.

Sun 17 Apr 2016 7pm



Sun 26 Jun 2016 7pm

Peter Maxwell Davies The Hogboon (world premiere, LSO commission) Berlioz Symphonie fantastique (LSO and Guildhall musicians side by side)

Sir Simon Rattle conductor London Symphony Chorus LSO Discovery Choirs Guildhall School musicians

Thu 30 Jun 2016 7.30pm

Ives The Unanswered Question Beethoven Piano Concerto No 4 Rachmaninov Symphony No 2

Sir Simon Rattle conductor Krystian Zimerman piano

Sir Simon Rattle, who appears with the LSO seven times this season,

talks about what it’s like working with visionary director Peter Sellars,

and to conduct the London Symphony Orchestra.

as Debussy wanted, not in this block with the

woodwinds all together but with them spread

around the strings – will be a different feeling

and we’ll have to get used to the sounds coming

from other places and blending in other ways.

It will be fascinating.

The LSO is an extraordinary thing and I’ve

been listening to it all my life. I remember it as

being a rather unpredictable orchestra. We tend

to forget, now that it’s such an incredibly civilised

and open orchestra, how much it’s changed,

but it was always very good. Because of its history

Perfect PartnersPeter Sellars is someone I’ve known all my life

and is an astonishing force of nature: incredibly

bright, extraordinarily eloquent, quite maddeningly

certain of everything of which he’s certain. Our first

big project wasn’t until my mid-30s when we first

did Pelléas et Mélisande. On the first day, Peter

arrived off a plane, met an entire company of

people who told him their names – he didn’t write

them down but remembered them – and he could

still remember them three years later. He then

did a two-hour talk on Pelléas without any notes

and then rehearsed the first scene from full score,

on which he had written nothing. And that’s Peter!

The amount of knowledge and the amount of musical

understanding staggered all of us immediately.

Peter and I have worked on various projects

over the years, the most moving being the recent

two Bach Passions. Peter has a way of creating an

atmosphere where everybody gives away parts

of themselves that they thought were hidden or

private, and he creates an atmosphere where egos

are left outside the door – just simply working on

‘what does the music mean’. I remember at one

point – an aria which is about death and loss – I

couldn’t get what I needed from the players. Peter

just wandered up to them quietly: ‘these notes –

you’re giving me a healthy heartbeat. I don’t want

a healthy heartbeat, I want a heartbeat that’s nearly

extinct and that could stop at any moment’, and

immediately the players brought something else

to it. It was a total collaboration in every possible

way and we decided that this is something we

simply needed to do year after year. So, the LSO

and I have three projects coming up with Peter,

starting with us revisiting Pelléas et Mélisande.

I don’t think the LSO will quite know what’s hit

them in Pelléas because Peter will be involved

with everything and they will find themselves

doing things that they never imagined they would –

or at least in an atmosphere that they’ve never

had – these wonderful open musicians will love it!

There’s such a mystery in Pelléas. The idea

that the singers can be wandering through the

orchestra – and that we will try to seat the orchestra

it has always had a bit of the ‘pirate ship’ about it,

always going for broke. The point is that you

have to go for it! What’s so interesting is that it’s

reinvented itself yet I don’t think it’s lost all of that,

it’s an orchestra that can do just about anything.

There’s an extraordinary quality of freshness,

which is very unusual, with an amazing ability

to just turn on the moment – working with an

improvisatory conductor such as Valery Gergiev

has only made that more so. So you feel that the

LSO can go anywhere with you. And you do feel

they’re a family. They look after each other.

Sir Simon Rattle has been Principal Conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic since 2002, and prior to that was Music Director of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra for 18 years. He was awarded the Order of Merit by Her Majesty the Queen in 2014 for his commitment to music and the arts. From September 2017 he will be Music Director of the LSO.

CONDUCTING WITH THE LSO

Main Season Concert FULL CONCERT LISTINGS PAGES 8 TO 13 ~ BOOKING DETAILS PAGE 55 2322 SIR SIMON RATTLE ~ LSO.CO.UK

In his preface to the first publication of William Shakespeare’s

First Folio in 1623, poet Ben Jonson made a prediction on the

enduring legacy of Shakespeare’s works, proclaiming them as

‘… not of an age, but for all time’.

This turned out to be an accurate prediction – in our time William

Shakespeare has elevated in popularity and reputation, becoming a

monumental figure in British literature. His dramatic writing is considered to be

amongst the greatest ever conceived in the English language, and his works

are continually performed, studied, re-interpreted and adapted the world over.

His iconic comedies, romances and tragedies manage to distil the very

essence of the human condition – from the dizzying heights of passion, to the

lowliest depths of despair – into profoundly lyrical and eloquent language.

Shakespeare’s words have provided inspiration for generations of artists in

every conceivable medium reaching far beyond its literary roots. From theatre

and film to painting, sculpture and music, his influence has affected all facets

of modern culture. This enduring appeal can be put down to the universal

nature of the subject matters that Shakespeare confronts – love, loss, power,

ambition and greed are all timeless, and instantly accessible to anyone.

This unique quality makes his stories inherently relatable and incredibly

adaptable; they hold just as much relevance now as they did 400 years ago,

transposing seamlessly from period settings to modern-day adaptations.

In music, Shakespeare’s influence has been profound, inspiring many

great composers to write their finest works. Hector Berlioz, a particularly ardent

and committed admirer of Shakespeare, once described his influence as

‘a sublime thunderclap, illuminating the most distant depths. I recognised true

grandeur, true beauty, and dramatic truth’. In the world of opera Shakespeare’s

plays have proven particularly important, inspiring the creation of well over

400 separate works. It is easy to see why – the vividly drawn characters,

lyrical, pulse-driven language and bold, dramatic narrative trajectories

translate perfectly from the theatre to the opera-house.

In a special series of concerts marking the quatercentenary of

Shakespeare’s death in April 1616, the LSO will explore some of the

greatest music inspired by his words. The series opens with Sir John Eliot Gardiner conducting Mendelssohn’s incidental music to A Midsummer

Night’s Dream. Gianandrea Noseda will conduct two separate programmes;

the first features Tchaikovsky’s iconic Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture

alongside Strauss’ Macbeth and Smetana’s Richard III. The season comes

to a climactic close with Berlioz’s monumental Romeo and Juliet Suite.

Plus, throughout January 2016 our series of BBC Radio 3 Lunchtime

Concerts at LSO St Luke’s focuses on great chamber works inspired

by Shakespeare, with ensembles including the Gould Piano Trio and

the BBC Singers.

Benjamin Picard, LSO Marketing Co-ordinator

Shakespeare 400 is a cultural initiative across London in 2016. To celebrate, cultural institutions based in and around Greater London have come together in partnership with the London Shakespeare Centre at King’s College London. From January to September a special season of connected performances, broadcasts, exhibitions and educational outreach events will underline London’s pivotal role in the performance and public understanding of the works of Shakespeare.

Shakespeare 400

BARBICAN CONCERTS

Tue 16 Feb 2016 7.30pm

SHAKESPEARE 400Mendelssohn Symphony No 1 Mendelssohn A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Sir John Eliot Gardiner conductor Monteverdi Choir

Thu 25 Feb 2016 7.30pm

SHAKESPEARE 400Smetana Richard III Liszt Piano Concerto No 2 Tchaikovsky Overture: Romeo and Juliet Strauss Macbeth

Gianandrea Noseda conductor Simon Trpceski piano

Sun 28 Feb 2016 7pm

SHAKESPEARE 400Shostakovich Violin Concerto No 2 Berlioz Romeo and Juliet – Suite

Gianandrea Noseda conductor Janine Jansen violin

5.30pm LSO Platforms: Guildhall Artists Songs based on Shakespeare texts

LSO ST LUKE’S EVENTS

Every Thursday from 7 Jan 2016 to 28 Jan 2016 1pm

BBC RADIO 3

SHAKESPEARE 400 LUNCHTIME CONCERTS7 Jan Gould Piano Trio 14 Jan Iestyn Davies (baritone) and Elizabeth Kenny (lute) 21 Jan James Gilchrist (tenor) and Anna Tilbrook (piano) 28 Jan BBC Singers

Sun 28 Feb 2016 10am–5pm, Barbican and LSO St Luke’s

LSO DISCOVERY DAY

BERLIOZ AND SHAKESPEAREA morning watching Gianandrea Noseda guiding the LSO through Berlioz’s Romeo and Juliet Suite at the Barbican, with afternoon chamber music and a talk at LSO St Luke’s.

Fri 26 Feb 2016 12.30–1.15pm, LSO St Luke’s

FREE FRIDAY LUNCHTIME CONCERT

SHAKESPEARE 400 SPECIALRachel Leach presenter

Music and words to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death.

GIANANDREA NOSEDA ON THE LITERARY MASTER

‘Shakespeare is one of history’s greatest story tellers.

He produced masterpieces in which human emotions

and contradictions are depicted with merciless

precision and direct emotional involvement.

The power and drama of his stories couldn’t be more

engaging for composers who try to express these

emotions through their music. That’s why for example

Macbeth’s obsession with power, the impossible love

of Romeo and Juliet and the madness of Richard III have

inspired composers over the centuries and nurtured

their imagination. As performers, our responsibility is

to create the same sense of wonder in our audience

when they hear these works, as the master storyteller

does when we read them.’

Gianandrea Noseda conducts Smetana’s Richard III and Strauss’ Macbeth on Thursday 25 February 2016; and Berlioz’s Romeo and Juliet – Suite on Sunday 28 February 2016

NOSEDA ON LSO LIVE Britten War Requiem

Financial Times Rondo (Germany)

(3 max) Point de Vue (France) Best International Album of the Year 2012 Musical Toronto (Canada) CD of the Week Sunday Times

GIANANDREA NOSEDA AND SIR JOHN ELIOT GARDINER PRESENT …

FOUR CENTURIES OF INSPIRING THE ARTS

Main Season Concert FULL CONCERT LISTINGS PAGES 8 TO 13 ~ BOOKING DETAILS PAGE 55 2524 SHAKESPEARE 400 ~ LSO.CO.UK

This season, LSO Principal Guest Conductor Daniel Harding celebrates his twentieth

anniversary of working with the Orchestra.

Daniel Harding first stepped out to conduct the LSO

on 29 March 1995. He was 19 and charged with a single

piece slipped into the middle of a Mahler concert with

Michael Tilson Thomas – the intricate Éclat by Pierre Boulez.

Within a year he was on his own, and far from easing

himself into it his first full programme featured a pair

of contemporary scores mixed with modern masters

Britten and Bartók, the first of many musical challenges

faced fearlessly throughout his career.

Ten years, two tours and 18 performances later

he joined Michael Tilson Thomas again, but this time

to become LSO Principal Guest Conductor in 2006.

20 years with the LSO

Sun 6 Dec 2015 7pm

Chopin Piano Concerto No 1 Bruckner Symphony No 4

Daniel Harding conductor Maria João Pires piano

Wed 16 Dec 2015 7.30pm

Beethoven Piano Concerto No 3 Bruckner Symphony No 9 (four movement version)

Daniel Harding conductor Maria João Pires pianoSupported by LSO Friends

Sun 20 Mar 2016 7pm


Daniel Harding conductor Christian Gerhaher Faust Christiane Karg Gretchen Christianne Stotijn Noth Alastair Miles Mephistopheles Andrew Staples Ariel London Symphony Chorus Simon Halsey chorus director

Sun 8 May 2016 7pm



Sun 5 Jun 2016 7pm

Mahler Symphony No 2 (‘Resurrection’)

Daniel Harding conductor Miah Persson soprano Anna Larsson alto London Symphony Chorus Simon Halsey chorus director

5.30pm LSO Platforms: Guildhall Artists Songs by Mahler and Wolf

Thu 9 Jun 2016 7.30pm

Dvorák Overture: Othello Bartók Violin Concerto No 1 Dvorák Symphony No 8

Daniel Harding conductor Lisa Batiashvili violin

6pm LSO Platforms: Guildhall Artists Featuring Dvorák’s Wind Serenade

DANIEL HARDING ON LSO LIVEMark-Anthony Turnage’s Speranza and From the Wreckage

Daniel Harding premiered From the Wreckage in a series devoted to Turnage in 2013. Alongside the

work, trumpeter Håkan Hardenberger performed Speranza, a work written for him by Turnage in 2005.

LSO LiveLondon Symphony Orchestra

Håkan HardenbergerLondon Symphony Orchestra

Mark-Anthony TurnageSperanzaFrom the WreckageDaniel Harding

2014

2006

2009

2010

DANIEL HARDINGIn the years since, Harding has taken the Orchestra

through everything from 15th-century Jean-Philippe

Rameau to 21st-century Wolfgang Rihm, and much

beyond. He no longer has to prove the breadth of

his talent, and this season sees him focus on core

works from the symphonic repertoire.

He begins in December with Bruckner, the Fourth and

the Ninth Symphonies, before the Third follows later in May.

And how do you prepare an audience for the solemn

expanse of these monumental works? With a display

of dazzling technique from two of the world’s leading

pianists, Maria João Pires and Leif Ove Andsnes, who will

play concertos by Chopin, Beethoven and Mozart to set

these programmes in motion.

Harding held a full audience rapt and silent for over

a minute as the final sounds of Mahler Symphony No 9

expired into the back of the Barbican Hall in October 2014.

In June 2016 he returns to Mahler again with the

Second Symphony (‘The Resurrection’) for the second

of two concerts with the London Symphony Chorus.

Though he performs Schumann’s Scenes from

Goethe’s Faust in March 2016, Harding doesn’t need

to sell his soul to the devil to get what he wants – he

has twenty years of experience here to draw on instead.

So as this creative partnership enters its third decade,

we invite you to join us and hear Daniel Harding continue

to grow with the LSO in 2015/16.

Mark Parker, LSO Marketing Co-ordinator2012

‘Daniel Harding is very much a thinking conductor. He takes a considered view of a piece and he doesn’t do routine, both of which are all to the good.’Martin Kettle, The Guardian on Daniel Harding

Main Season Concert FULL CONCERT LISTINGS PAGES 8 TO 13 ~ BOOKING DETAILS PAGE 55 2726 DANIEL HARDING ~ LSO.CO.UK

LSO Artist Portrait

Pianist Leif Ove Andsnes returns

for his second featured series with

the LSO since his debut nearly two

decades ago.

In 2001, the Norwegian pianist, then aged 30,

joined the Orchestra and Michael Tilson Thomas

for a successful series of concertos, recitals and

pre-concert talks. Andsnes’ relationship with the

Orchestra goes back further, to his debut in 1997,

when he performed Rachmaninov’s Third Piano

Concerto under Tadaaki Otaka. He has made steady

returns to the Orchestra with Sir John Eliot Gardiner

(in 2006) and Sir Antonio Pappano (2009 and 2010),

securing his place as a loyal LSO collaborator.

What is it that keeps drawing the LSO and

Andsnes back together, almost 20 years on from

their first encounter?

The answer may lie in The New Yorker’s

assertion that Andsnes is ‘one of the few who

possess power and personality in equal measure’.

The LSO is fortunate to perform with outstanding

soloists as a matter of course but it is only when

the quality of music-making is matched by an

equally strong human bond that a long-term

relationship can flourish.

‘I have no choice but to make music. I love

music so much, it is so much a part of me, that I

just have to do it. I am driven by music from the

inside, and need the connection with it. And I want

to share it with others.’

Andsnes has gone on record eschewing

the cult of celebrity musicians and inflated pay,

noting that some of his happiest moments

have been at festivals such as Risør (which he

co-founded in 1991 and was Artistic Director of

until 2010) where ‘we can only pay very small fees

[but] all participants return happily every time …

the atmosphere is intimate and personal –

for example, we all come together for meals’.

The pianist’s most recent demonstration of

putting the music first is his Beethoven Journey

which he started in 2012. This was Andsnes’

personal challenge to play-conduct and record all

Beethoven’s five piano concertos with the Mahler

Chamber Orchestra, in all corners of the globe.

It has amounted to over 60 concerts across more

than ten countries. Andsnes returns to Beethoven

in his recital (10 June), with the Piano Sonata in E-flat.

Andsnes has also taken a lead role in the

accompanying education project, Feel the Music,

which takes Beethoven’s deafness as its jumping

off point and invites children with hearing disabilities

to experience music using all of the senses.

On his commitment to bringing access to music

ever wider, he comments:

‘One can no longer take for granted that people

sing in church, in a choir, or with their children,

or that music is an integral part of everyone’s life

in some form. It’s a shame when music is relegated

to background noise trickling from speakers …

Sun 8 May 2016 7pm

LSO ARTIST PORTRAIT

LEIF OVE ANDSNESMozart Piano Concerto No 20 Bruckner Symphony No 3


Thu 12 May 2016 7.30pm

LSO ARTIST PORTRAIT

LEIF OVE ANDSNESSchumann Piano Concerto Beethoven Symphony No 9 (‘Choral’)

Michael Tilson Thomas conductor Leif Ove Andsnes piano Christine Rice mezzo-soprano Tony Spence tenor Neal Davies baritone London Symphony Chorus Simon Halsey chorus director

Supported by Baker & McKenzie LLP

Fri 10 Jun 2016 7.30pm

LSO ARTIST PORTRAIT

LEIF OVE ANDSNESSibelius Three Pieces (‘Kyllikki’); The Birch; The Spruce The Forest Lake; Song in the Forest; Spring Vision Beethoven Piano Sonata No 18 in E-flat major (‘The Hunt’) Debussy La soirée dans Grenade; Three Études: ‘Pour les arpèges composés’ – ‘Pour les huit doigts’ – ‘Pour les octaves’; Étude in A-flat major Chopin Impromptu in A-flat major; Nocturne in F Major Ballad No 4 in F minor

Leif Ove Andsnes piano

Sat 28 May 2016 7pm, Milton Court

BARBICAN PRESENTS

LEIF OVE ANDSNES & FRIENDS – BRAHMS QUARTETSBrahms Piano Quartet No 1 in G major Piano Quartet No 2 in A major Piano Quartet No 3 in C minor

Leif Ove Andsnes piano Christian Tetzlaff violin Tabea Zimmerman viola Clemens Hagen celloProduced by Barbican, not part of the LSO Season Visit barbican.org.uk for details

‘I have no choice but to make music. I love music so much, it is so much a part of me, that I just have to do it.’Leif Ove Andsnes

meaningful connection with music is something

that has to be learned.’

Andsnes is generally deeply thoughtful

about the next generation of musicians, regularly

engaging with community and outreach activities,

and in this sense he is an excellent fit for the LSO,

especially as LSO Discovery celebrated its 25th

birthday in 2015.

Devoted to music itself whilst revelling in

its capacity to forge meaningful relationships,

and develop the minds of people of all ages;

it seems Leif Ove Andsnes and the LSO have

a lot in common.

Fabienne Morris, LSO Communications Manager

LEIF OVE ANDSNES LSO ARTIST PORTRAIT

Bringing the London Symphony Orchestra’s

music to as wide an audience as possible is

at the heart of the partnership, and for both

Mezzo and the LSO it’s as much about providing

an experience as close to that of being in a

concert hall as possible. Mezzo work with the best

European producers and directors in their field.

Over the past four seasons, Mezzo has broadcast

concerts of Berlioz, Mendelssohn, Stravinsky,

LSO CONCERTS ON MEZZO

Szymanowski and Brahms with Valery Gergiev,

Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Sir Simon Rattle and

Michael Tilson Thomas with pianist Yuja Wang.

In 2016, they will broadcast Leif Ove Andsnes’

performance of Mozart’s Piano Concerto,

alongside other concerts throughout the year.

On satellite and on cable in central EuropeVisit mezzo.tv/en for details

European broadcaster Mezzo films LSO concerts live

at the Barbican and relays them to the Continent.

Main Season Concert FULL CONCERT LISTINGS PAGES 8 TO 13 ~ BOOKING DETAILS PAGE 55 2928 LSO ARTIST PORTRAIT: LEIF OVE ANDSNES ~ LSO.CO.UK

FRANÇOIS-XAVIER ROTH

LSO Futures

In March, framed by a Composer Focus with

Thomas Adès (see overleaf), the LSO Futures series throws open the door to music of 2016.

You can hear music almost as it is being

written, get involved in discussion of new

music and dance, and enjoy commissions

from newly established composers beside

extraordinary inventive masterpieces of

the 20th century.

On Wednesday 9 March composers and choreo-

graphers discuss the challenges and excitements of

collaboration. How do composers write for dance and

how do choreographers and dancers work with music?

Composer Julian Anderson curates this fascinating

cross-artform conference.

The LSO Discovery Panufnik Composers Scheme enables emerging composers to experiment and

write for full orchestra, guided by eminent composer

Colin Matthews. Visit the public workshops on Friday

11 March to witness the dialogue between charismatic

LSO Futures conductor François-Xavier Roth, LSO

musicians and the composers as eight specially composed

pieces are performed and put under the microscope.

François-Xavier Roth conducts two gripping concerts

on Sunday 13 March, both featuring experiments with

symphonic form. The afternoon at LSO St Luke’s includes

Schoenberg’s Chamber Symphony No 1, a single

movement landmark of early 20th-century Western music.

Thomas Adès’ Chamber Symphony, also in one movement,

began as a concerto for basset-horn: jazz and tango

emerge, with instruments including an accordion and

two percussionists.

Darren Bloom, alumnus of the LSO Soundhub

composers programme, has been inspired by Dr Donald

Glaser, who won the 1960 Nobel Prize in Physics for

inventing the bubble chamber used in subatomic particle

physics. Filled with superheated transparent liquid the

bubble chamber detected electrically charged particles

moving through it. In this immersive piece, sound will

travel around the ensemble encircling the audience,

while new animations by Ignatz Johnson Higham

subtly interpret the music.

The Barbican evening concert showcases the full

LSO in a new commission by Elizabeth Ogonek.

A former Panufnik Composer, she is known for her vivid and energetic writing and is a newly appointed

Mead Composer-in-Residence at the Chicago Symphony

Orchestra. Ligeti’s Atmosphères evokes a sense of

timelessness through its dense clouds of sound.

Finally the Orchestra is joined by Synergy Vocals to

perform Berio’s spectacular and multi-faceted Sinfonia

which harnesses the scale and drive of a traditional

symphony, contemporary musical techniques, and voices

ancient and new, to speak to the modern world.

Judith Ackrill, Head of LSO Discovery

The LSO thanks those who generously support new commissions by leading and emerging composers. There are more opportunities this year to become involved and support the next generation of talented young musicians. Contact [email protected] for more information.

LSO composition schemes are generously supported by The Helen Hamlyn Trust, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, The Hinrichsen Foundation and Susie Thomson.

LSO FUTURES

Wed 9 Mar 2016 10am–6pm, LSO St Luke’s

LSO FUTURES / GUILDHALL

GETTING IT RIGHT? NEW MUSIC AND DANCEA conference in collaboration with Guildhall ResearchWorks

Julian Anderson curator

This one-day conference, the third in a series of Guildhall ResearchWorks/LSO Getting it right? conferences, brings together leading figures and emerging artists from the worlds of new music and dance to explore the dynamic relationship between the two disciplines.

Fri 11 Mar 2016 10am–1pm & 2–6pm, LSO St Luke’s

LSO FUTURES

PANUFNIK COMPOSERS WORKSHOPFrançois-Xavier Roth conductor London Symphony Orchestra

Featuring new works for orchestra by Patrick Giguere, Bethan Morgan-Williams, Deborah Pritchard, Daniel Lewis Fardon, Daniel Moreira and Ewan Campbell.The Panufnik Composers Scheme is supported by the Helen Hamlyn Trust

Sun 13 Mar 2016 4pm, LSO St Luke’s

LSO FUTURES

AFTERNOON CONCERTDarren Bloom Dr Glaser’s Experiment (world premiere, LSO commission) Thomas Adès Chamber Symphony Schoenberg Chamber Symphony

François-Xavier Roth conductor LSO Chamber OrchestraLSO commission generously supported by the PRS for Music Foundation and the Britten Pears Foundation

Sun 13 Mar 2016 7pm, Barbican

LSO FUTURES

EVENING CONCERTLigeti Atmosphères Elizabeth Ogonek Sleep & Unremembrance (world premiere, Panufnik commission) Berio Sinfonia

François-Xavier Roth conductor Synergy VocalsThe Panufnik Composers Scheme is supported by the Helen Hamlyn Trust

Described in The Times as ‘almost mystical … a genuine frisson’,

Darren Bloom’s music is noted for its combination of ‘evocative

harmony’ and ‘raw power’. His works have been performed across

Europe and the US by many of today’s leading performers.

Darren studied with Edwin Roxburgh, Brian Elias and Sir Peter

Maxwell Davies and is starting an AHRC funded PhD at the

University of Cambridge supervised by Richard Causton.

Elizabeth Ogonek is a composer who strives to create music that is

dramatic and colourful. Often inspired by text, her work explores

the transference of poetic imagery to music. She completed her

doctoral studies in July 2015 at the Guildhall School where she

studied with Julian Anderson. In the 2015/16 season she is

Mead Composer-in-Residence with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

1,067 minutes of new

mu

sic

pe

rfo

rmed

Since 2005 … LSO Discovery has commissioned 167 composers

42 LSO Discovery commissions performed

by the LSO in Barbican concerts

SPIRIT OF TODAY: NEW COMPOSERS

DARREN BLOOM

ELIZABETH OGONEK

Main Season Concert FULL CONCERT LISTINGS PAGES 8 TO 13 ~ BOOKING DETAILS PAGE 55 3130 LSO FUTURES ~ LSO.CO.UK

THOMAS ADÈS COMPOSER FOCUS

Wed 9 Mar 2016 7.30pm

LSO COMPOSER FOCUS

THOMAS ADÈSThomas Adès Polaris Brahms Violin Concerto Thomas Adès Brahms Thomas Adès Tevot

Thomas Adès conductor Anne-Sophie Mutter violin

Wed 16 Mar 2016 7.30pm

LSO COMPOSER FOCUS

THOMAS ADÈSThomas Adès Asyla Sibelius Violin Concerto Franck Symphony in D minor

Thomas Adès conductor Christian Tetzlaff violin

SPIRIT OF TODAY: SEASON PREMIERES

Thu 29 Oct 2015 7.30pm

Ravel Pavane pour une infante defunte Ravel Mother Goose – Ballet John Adams Scheherazade.2 (UK premiere)

John Adams conductor Leila Josefowicz violin

6pm LSO Platforms: Guildhall Artists Instrumental and chamber works by John Adams

Fri 6 Nov 2015 7.30pm



Thomas AdèsIn 2015/16 the LSO welcomes back

Thomas Adès, one of Britain’s most

innovative composers and conductors.

On hearing Adès’ music, one is always struck by its

ability to occupy two seemingly disparate worlds, sounding

at once completely new, yet possessing a sense of

familiarity. On one hand his compositional voice is the

ne plus ultra of modernity, complex and entirely distinctive:

chiming batteries of resonant percussion, stratospheric

virtuoso filigree, hypnotic cycling rhythms and prismic,

geometrical harmonies are all typical Adèsian features.

Beneath the fantastical surface-level activity though, there

is always a distinct sense that we are already acquainted

with the sounds we are hearing, whether it is a brief

snatch of a Brahms symphony, a distorted tango rhythm or

simply a basic sequence of intervals. In Adès’ hands these

simple musical materials become masses of potential that

project outwards into elusive, abstract structures with an

almost magnetic momentum.

Adès’ ability to seamlessly elide the new and the

familiar is encapsulated perfectly in the concise, yet

sonically expansive four movement orchestral work

Asyla. Right from the ritualistic tolling of the opening bars

the composer breaks new ground – tuned cowbells and

a quarter-tone piano instantly transport the listener to

a sparse, alien musical landscape. Suddenly though we

are bought back to earth. Horns, in unison, intone a

remarkably conventional sounding, almost Mahlerian

theme possessing a sense of classical majesty and

restraint. This dynamic continues over the course of

Asyla’s four movements. Movement two takes the central

movement of Franck’s Symphony in D minor as its starting

point, reducing the music to a skeletal outline. Movement

three ‘Ecstasio’ evokes the hypnotic, throbbing techno

rhythms of a London nightclub, whilst the final movement

provides a typical Adèsian aerial-view summation,

intertwining the music of the previous three movements.

In other works Adès explores similarly captivating

ideas. Polaris, the so-called ‘voyage for orchestra’, is

inspired by the magnetic pole-star used by seafarers for

navigation. Its repetitive, meditative cycles possess an

almost minimalist clarity, and explore the inherent

magnetic pull Adès perceives between notes.

Brahms for baritone and orchestra is an ‘anti-homage’

to the composer – it focuses on Brahms’ distinctive

compositional compulsions, often taking them to

extreme and sometimes absurd logical conclusions.

Finally there is Tevot, a towering work of symphonic

magnitude compressed into a continuous 25-minute span.

Tevot guides the listener on a turbulent musical journey

contrasting moments of extreme chaos and density with

sudden stasis and calm. The work comes to rest on what

is in essence a simple A-major chord, no different to

one you might find in a symphony by Mozart or Haydn.

But this simple chord is approached in such a way that it

is made to resonate and glimmer with an unprecedented

clarity and power, all the richer and more vivid for the

monolithic symphonic journey Adès has led us through.


‘Adès makes you hear things with which you thought you were familiar as if they were completely new.’Tom Service, The Guardian

SPIRIT OF TODAY: COMPOSER FOCUS

Main Season Concert FULL CONCERT LISTINGS PAGES 8 TO 13 ~ BOOKING DETAILS PAGE 55 3332 SPIRIT OF TODAY ~ LSO.CO.UK

An introduction to the LSO’s singing projects

and their major contribution to the work of the

London Symphony Orchestra.

LSO Community Choir

LSO Discovery Choirs

London Symphony Chorus

150

65 Juniors

45 Seniors

110

LSO SING INVOLVES 370 REGULAR SINGERS. Combined, they sing for over 300 hours every season,

not including rehearsals with the LSO and concerts.

LSO SingLSO SING AT THE BARBICAN

Fri 6 Nov 2015 7.30pm



Sun 13 Dec 2015 7pm

LONDON SYMPHONY CHORUS A CHORAL CHRISTMASSimon Halsey conductor London Symphony Chorus LSO Community Choir LSO Discovery Choirs

Join Simon Halsey and all three of the LSO’s singing ensembles in this festive choral celebration of Christmas.

Sun 20 Mar 2016 7pm


Daniel Harding conductor Christian Gerhaher Faust Christiane Karg Gretchen Christianne Stotijn Noth Alastair Miles Mephistopheles Andrew Staples Ariel London Symphony Chorus Simon Halsey chorus director Choir of Eltham College

Sun 17 Apr 2016 7pm



Sun 24 Apr 2016 7pm



5.30pm LSO Platforms: Guildhall Artists English songs recital

Thu 12 May 2016 7.30pm

LSO ARTIST PORTRAIT LEIF OVE ANDSNESSchumann Piano Concerto Beethoven Symphony No 9 (‘Choral’)

Michael Tilson Thomas conductor Leif Ove Andsnes piano London Symphony Chorus Simon Halsey chorus director

Supported by Baker & McKenzie LLP

Sun 26 Jun 2016 7pm

Peter Maxwell Davies The Hogboon (world premiere) Berlioz Symphonie fantastique

Sir Simon Rattle conductor Guildhall School musicians LSO Discovery Choirs London Symphony Chorus Simon Halsey chorus director

LSO SING AT LSO ST LUKE’S CHORAL SINGING DAYSSat 14 Nov 2015 11am–4.30pm

THE SEASONSHaydn The Seasons accompanied by piano


Sat 23 Jan 2016 11am–4.30pm

THE DREAM OF GERONTIUSElgar The Dream of Gerontius accompanied by piano


Sun 6 Mar 2016 11am–4.30pm

BEETHOVEN’S CHORAL SYMPHONYBeethoven Symphony No 9 (‘Choral’) accompanied by piano


COMMUNITY SINGING DAYSSun 4 Oct 2015 10.30am–4.30pm

A TASTE OF AMERICADavid Lawrence conductor Ghislaine Morgan vocal coach

Includes vocal works by some of America’s greatest composers such as Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland and George Gershwin.

Sat 14 May 2016 10.30am–4.30pm

JAZZAMATAZZ!David Lawrence conductor

A day of singing great vocal jazz arrangements of songs like Blue Skies, It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing and others. You’ll be joined in the afternoon by a jazz trio who will lift your spirits even further. The day will culminate in an informal performance.

Fotini Vergotis joined the LSO Community Choir in 2002 and has since also become a Community Ambassador for the LSO …

It’s very friendly and not intimidating, and the repertoire

is enticing, from folk to classical and everything in

between. I feel at home here. It’s an important fixture in

my week and has offered amazing singing experiences.

Singing is catching and therapeutic for many of us.

I find it challenging, fulfilling and it’s enjoyable. The LSO

Community Choir plays a pivotal role in the community

around here and is a wonderful addition to people’s lives:

we sing for elderly people at the day centre and in our

local church at Christmas. Being an LSO Community

Ambassador too, I like to spread the word. I’m passionate

about LSO St Luke’s and have recruited new singers

from my Citizen’s Advice Bureau, my tennis club,

my neighbours and people on Whitecross Street.

It has connected me to my community.

David Lawrence and Lucy Griffiths, conductors of the LSO Community and Discovery Choirs, rehearse every Monday at LSO St Luke’s …

There’s a lot of soul in our choirs and a lot of energy.

What makes the LSO’s community and children’s choirs

special is that you have to live or work locally to be in

them. It really challenges people’s preconceptions

about music being elitist because this is all about

embracing everyone, whoever you are, whatever your

standard. We specifically encourage people to come and

sing, not read music. This is about bringing people to us.

Our singers are participants in the LSO, through belonging

and being a part of the LSO family. And this is a family of

musicians with very high expectations. Next year will be

extraordinary. We both know that it’s the quality of the

repertoire a choir sings that drives the standards up, and

we are preparing our choirs for the Barbican stage and

Sir Simon Rattle. It doesn’t get any better than that!

LSO Sing is the London Symphony Orchestra’s singing programme

led by visionary Choral Director Simon Halsey. He leads a team of five

conductors and three accompanists putting four choirs through their paces,

whilst behind the scenes a full-time Choral Projects Manager and the

14 committed volunteers of the London Symphony Chorus Council are

the energetic organisers for 370 singers rehearsing every week.

LSO Sing links naturally with what the London Symphony Orchestra itself

is doing, and is one of the strongest ways the Orchestra can make connections

with the people living on our doorstep. It gives singers their very first access to

the LSO from the age of seven, and for some includes a life-time of singing up to

the age of 90. There are two age ranges in the LSO Discovery Choir for children

from the City, Hackney and Islington; the adult LSO Community Choir is specifically

for our neighbours living in EC1, while the large London Symphony Chorus is

for experienced choral singers from all over London and the home counties.

All the choirs perform on stage with the LSO at the Barbican, and with

important musicians from Hugh Masakela to Bobby McFerrin to Bernard

Haitink, creating high musical expectations and once-in-a-lifetime memories.

Once a year all the singers squeeze on to the stage for a Christmas Choral

Celebration in which the audience joins in with traditional carols, raising the

roof of the Barbican this year with trumpet, harp and drum (13 December 2015).

At the end of this season the LSO Discovery Choirs will perform a new opera

commissioned for them by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies (26 June 2016).

This year the London Symphony Chorus celebrates its 50th anniversary

season in style performing five major choral works, ranging from Bernstein’s

Chichester Psalms to Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius, culminating in a trip to

New York to sing the Verdi Requiem under Gianandrea Noseda in October 2016.

And if you want to join in yourself, there are five Singing Days for all levels.

You could be singing in a choir of 300 at LSO St Luke’s getting first-hand

experience and tips from the LSO Sing Choral team yourself. Imagine that!

Karen Cardy, LSO Marketing Director and LSO St Luke’s Centre Director

ADD YOUR VOICE LSO Sing goes to the heart of communities. For supporting companies, it can build teamwork, enhance communications and develop leadership. LSO Sing helps transform lives and delivers inspirational experiences for partners. To find out more about supporting LSO Sing, contact [email protected].

lso.co.uk/lsosing

LSO Sing is generously supported by Sir Siegmund Warburg’s Voluntary Settlement. LSO Discovery Choirs are generously supported by the Slaughter and May Charitable Trust and the Sir Siegmund Warburg’s Voluntary Settlement.

BRAIN. HEART. LUNGS. Singing releases endorphins and oxytocin whilst

offering a cognitive brain workout, it promotes healthy

hearts with energising aerobic exercise and it develops

the lungs with synchronised breathing.

Not only is music one of the fundamental ways we bond with each other, it literally shapes our brains.Dr Oliver Sacks, author of Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain

370 SINGERS

RELEASE YOUR MIND THROUGH SONG

CELEBRATING SINGING FOR EVERYONE

Main Season Concert FULL CONCERT LISTINGS PAGES 8 TO 13 ~ BOOKING DETAILS PAGE 55 3534 LSO SING ~ LSO.CO.UK

LSC at 50

The London Symphony Chorus was formed in 1966 to complement

the work of the London Symphony Orchestra, though the LSC also partners

other major orchestras and has worked internationally. The Chorus tours

extensively throughout Europe and has visited North America, Israel,

Australia and South East Asia.

There are many CDs featuring the Chorus both on LSO Live and many

other labels. Recent LSO concert highlights have included Schumann’s

Das Paradies und die Peri, Verdi’s Rigoletto, the world premiere of Sir Peter

Maxwell Davies’ Tenth Symphony, and Berlioz’s The Damnation of Faust

and Romeo and Juliet.

Here, long-standing members of the Chorus provide a brief insight

into 50 years of memorable choral music-making.

CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF THE LONDON SYMPHONY CHORUS

1966 1983 1997

2006

2012

2012

1976 1989

1968

BEGINNINGS

THE EARLY YEARS

TO RUSSIA WITH LOVE THE PRINCESS OF WALES

LSC 40TH ANNIVERSARY

SIR COLIN’S FINAL CONCERTS

HALCYON DAYS WITH HALSEY

INDEPENDENCE DAY BERNSTEIN

In February 1966 the London Symphony Chorus

was formed by LSO General Manager Ernest Fleischmann

and Guildhall School Professor of Music John Alldis.

John Marks, current LSC tenor, remembers:

‘In the beginning there was an upper age of 30 for

women and 40 for men. Concert dress was black mini-skirts

for the ladies and dinner jackets for the men! Some of the early members have

become famous in their fields of music: Alan Opie, Peter Skellern and Brian Wright.’

The Chorus quickly established a good reputation. During its first year it

took part in major concerts and recordings conducted by Sir Colin Davis,

István Kertész, Lorin Maazel, Seiji Ozawa and Sir Georg Solti.

International touring became a regular part of the

LSC schedule. Tenor Peter Sedgewick enjoyed an early

visit behind the Iron Curtain with the USSR State Symphony:

‘When we arrived in Moscow I was taken aside by one

of our allocated Russian guides and told that the Chorus

must stay together as a group at all times. I replied this

was beyond my powers to achieve! There was a lot of rehearsal, partly because

the USSR State Symphony Orchestra was playing Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius

and Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast for the first time. I gave my Belshazzar score

to a Russian enthusiast in the audience who was desperate for a copy.’

The LSC has toured extensively, visiting Europe, North America, Australia,

Israel and South East Asia among other places.

From 1988–96, the LSC was honoured to have Diana,

Princess of Wales, as its Patron. Members of the Chorus

were invited to attend her funeral at Westminster Abbey

in September 1997. Tenor David Leonard recalls of her:

‘Her private visits to rehearsals were always happy

and relaxed occasions when every member of the

Chorus who wanted to had a chance to meet her. The Verdi Requiem was

one of her favourite pieces, and an excerpt from it was sung at her funeral.’

Six days after the funeral the LSC performed the Verdi Requiem at the

BBC Proms with the LSO. The performance was scheduled to be conducted

by Sir Georg Solti, but he died a few days after the Princess, so it was

conducted by Sir Colin Davis, and given as a memorial to both of them.

In 2006 the LSC celebrated 40 years of singing with

the LSO, and Sir Colin Davis wrote to them:

‘Choral pieces are the highlight of what we do with

the LSO, and we have such wonderful memories. Our first

collaboration back in 1966 was Berlioz’s The Trojans, and

our recent work too has been wonderful. I’m very grateful.

Over the years I think I may have upset some of your chorus directors and

even some of you, but I think you forgive me!’

2006 was a year of exceptional activity for the LSC, during which it

toured the US, Italy, France and Germany, and performed throughout the

UK with many distinguished conductors. The occasion was also marked

by specially commissioned works.

Sir Colin Davis conducted for over forty years

from 1968–2012, and his final concerts with the LSO

at St Paul’s Cathedral will linger long in the memory.

Current chairman and alto Lydia Frankenburg says:

‘For this extraordinary performance of Berlioz’s

Requiem it seemed that every timpanist in London

had been recruited. Sir Colin measured the acoustic with skill and precision,

clearing the famous St Paul’s echo between each phrase. During the break

some young singers gathered around him for photographs. Sir Colin’s eyes

twinkled with delight.’

Sir Colin had also conducted Berlioz’s Requiem for the LSO’s very first

concert in St Paul’s Cathedral as part of the City of London Festival in 1964.

A new joint Choral Director of the London Symphony

Orchestra and Chorus Director of the London Symphony

Chorus is appointed. Simon Halsey confesses to

harbouring a soft spot for the LSC:

‘It’s a group that I hold dear as they were encouraging

to me as a student assistant to Richard Hickox in the

early 1980s. To return as their Director and take a new post created to bring

choral work into the heart of the LSO and the LSO Discovery programme was

a dream come true.’

LSO Sing is the Orchestra’s singing programme devised by Simon Halsey

to encourage everyone in the City of London to sing. This year he was awarded

The Queen’s Medal for Music, for services to choral singing.

The Chorus split from the LSO and, to this day,

it remains a separate organisation run by a voluntary

Council of singing members. Richard Hickox was

appointed its Chorus Director and later recalled:

‘When I first heard the Chorus the sound had

an almost animal quality and I set about refining it.

One of my other key tasks was to find work for the Chorus. Independence

allowed us to work with many other orchestras both from the UK and abroad,

including the orchestras of the BBC, Berlin Philharmonic, London Philharmonic,

Philharmonia and Vienna Philharmonic.’

Richard Hickox’s reign lasted from 1976–91 and in that time the Chorus

performed in 366 concerts, 89 recordings, and learnt 176 choral works,

an achievement unmatched by any other of its chorus directors.

Leonard Bernstein was a regular with the LSO at

the Barbican and was its President from 1987–90.

Alto Dee Home took part in a memorable performance

and recording of his musical Candide:

‘How privileged we were to record Candide and

attend rehearsals where changes were still being made

to the score. We witnessed the arguments between Lennie and Adolph Green

who had difficulty singing the words at the maestro’s speeds. Bernstein was

in poor health and wouldn’t stop smoking, even on the Barbican stage.’

Over the past 50 seasons the Chorus has worked with 158 living

composers, and continues to sing music by the top rank of international

choral composers, the latest being Eric Whitacre and David Lang.

Bass Peter Avis remembers an early case of

choral role-playing with André Previn:

‘At one rehearsal, Previn took us through the music

for our famous carol concert with Julie Andrews.

He himself had composed some of the arrangements,

and one of them particularly amused us. It was Joy to

the World and was set for men’s voices only. Arthur Oldham, Chorus Director

at the time, told us that we ought to sing it as if we were Canadian Mounties,

with our arms linked together. When we had sung it through, Previn exclaimed,

‘Did I really write that?’.’

André Previn was Principal Conductor of the LSO from 1968–79, and is a

Vice-President of the LSC. His classic choral recordings with the LSC include Orff’s

Carmina Burana, Britten’s ‘Spring’ Symphony and Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast.

FULL CONCERT LISTINGS PAGES 8 TO 13 ~ BOOKING DETAILS PAGE 55 3736 LONDON SYMPHONY CHORUS ~ LSO.CO.UK

Elgar, Elder & England

Sir Mark Elder has been a lifelong champion of English music, with a special affinity

reserved for Elgar. His season with the LSO this year includes a performance of one

of Elgar’s most enduring works, the monumental oratorio The Dream of Gerontius.

BARBICAN CONCERTSWed 3 Feb 2016 7.30pm

LSO STRING ENSEMBLEElgar Introduction and Allegro Vaughan Williams Fantasia on a theme of Thomas Tallis Britten Variations on a theme of Frank Bridge


Sun 24 Apr 2016 7pm



5.30pm LSO Platforms: Guildhall Artists A recital of English songs

Thu 28 Apr 2016 7.30pm

Butterworth A Shropshire Lad Vaughan Williams A Pastoral Symphony (Symphony No 3) * Ravel Concerto for the Left Hand Debussy La mer

Sir Mark Elder conductor Elizabeth Watts soprano * Cedric Tiberghien piano

LSO ST LUKE’S LUNCHTIME EVENTSEvery Thu from 14 Apr 2016 to 5 May 2016 1pm

BBC RADIO 3 LUNCHTIME CONCERTSFour concerts focusing on some of Elgar’s best loved chamber works.

14 Apr Jennifer Pike (violin) and Peter Limonov (piano) 21 Apr LSO String Ensemble 28 Apr Elias String Quartet with Huw Watkins (piano) 5 May Elias String Quartet

Fri 13 May; 3, 24 Jun; 1 Jul 2016 12.30–1.15pm

FREE FRIDAY LUNCHTIME CONCERTS BETWEEN EARTH AND SKYMusic inspired by the English countryside before and during World War I.

LSO IN WARTIME: A MUSICAL COMMEMORATION

‘Performing The Kingdom with the LSO in 2011 was a great joy. I look forward to The Dream of Gerontius with great anticipation.’Sir Mark Elder

Elgar’s oratorio The Dream of Gerontius can

be considered a pivotal work in a number of ways.

For the composer it marked an important milestone

in his career, reinforcing the previous success of

his first major breakthrough, the Enigma Variations.

Despite a disastrously under-prepared first

performance at the 1900 Birmingham Festival,

Gerontius was generally very well received by critics,

many of whom recognised the genius and potential

of Elgar’s score beyond its imperfect realisation.

Importantly, the work was greatly admired by a

number of German critics, marking the important

first step towards the acceptance of English

repertoire in mainland Europe, and the beginnings

of an international voice for English composers.

For the British choral tradition, Gerontius proved

to be a significant new contribution. For many years

the tradition centred around a handful of imported

choral masterworks: Handel’s Messiah, Haydn’s

The Creation and Mendelssohn’s Elijah. Elgar’s

Gerontius was the first truly British piece to be

accepted into the repertoire, marking the start of a

new era for English music-making. Elgar is now

considered to be the first of a distinguished line of

British composers to contribute to this tradition,

a line that includes Vaughan Williams, Britten,

Tavener and Tippett, and that continues through

to the composers of today.

In his own words, Sir Mark Elder has been

‘living with’ Elgar’s Gerontius his entire life, first

encountering the piece as a set work during his

early musical studies. Indeed, it would not be

hyperbole to say that Elder has ‘lived’ British

music his entire career – more than any other

conductor of his generation he has done his

utmost to champion English music of the early

20th century, in both the concert hall and on record.

A lifelong affinity with Elgar’s music, coupled

with substantial operatic experience with the

English National Opera and at Bayreuth, has

given Sir Mark an instinctive understanding of the

intricacies of Elgar’s oratorios. His interpretations

of Gerontius benefit from a spontaneous sense

of pacing and drama, a keen ear for long-term

narrative, and an ability to pay homage to the

works’ undeniably Wagnerian roots whilst retaining

the distinctive English ‘accent’ of the music.

The Dream of Gerontius is performed by the

LSO and Sir Mark Elder in 2016 as part of a wider

celebration of British music of the early 20th

century, and the commemoration of World War I.

Highlights include performances of Butterworth’s

stirring Shropshire Lad and Vaughan Williams’

evocative A Pastoral Symphony, an LSO String

Ensemble concert featuring the works of Elgar,

Britten and Vaughan Williams, a series of BBC

Radio 3 Lunchtime Concerts at LSO St Luke’s

called Elgar up Close exploring the composer’s

chamber works, and Between Earth and Sky,

a series of free Friday lunchtime concerts exploring

music inspired by the English countryside before

and after World War I.


38 ELGAR, ELDER & ENGLAND ~ LSO.CO.UK Main Season Concert 39

8 TO 13 MAY 1916 The LSO takes part in Festival Gerontius,

conceived by Dame Clara Butt in aid

of the Red Cross. Six performances

of Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius

were conducted by the composer –

a remarkable achievement at a time

when large-scale music-making had

largely ceased.

27 SEPTEMBER 1916 The Pall Mall Gazette

launches an attack

on the LSO for the

over-representation

of German music

in their concerts –

‘nothing less than

a German Festival’ –

and demands

their cancellation.

The Board,

incensed,

explores the

option of

suing for

malicious libel.

27 JULY 1917 Minutes (below) from the AGM

record the names of 33 Members

absent on active service, as well

as officially recording the death

of trumpeter Sydney Moxon.

World War ITHE LSO IN WORLD WAR I: A MOMENT IN TIME

THE LSO IN WORLD WAR I: PLAYER PROFILES MEMBERS AT WAR

In August 1914 the face of the nation was changed forever

as a generation of young men went off to fight in World War I –

over one million from the UK alone did not return.

No family was unaffected and no profession was exempt from losing

vast swathes of men to military service, and the London Symphony Orchestra

was no exception. In 1914 the LSO had just reached its tenth birthday.

Over the next four years the Orchestra underwent one of its toughest periods,

during which its survival was seriously in doubt.

But culture will always find a way: new works were created in response

to the horror; new ways of working were adopted to cope with the

shortage of available musicians; and the LSO emerged from the war with

a determination to carry on where they nearly had to leave off.

During the recruitment drive for Kitchener’s Army in the latter half of 1915 and 1916 alone the LSO lost nearly 20% of its Members to active service. The below list contains the names of those whose recruitment during those years we have managed to trace. In total around half of the LSO’s Members served during the four years of the war.

Arthur Maney cello ARMY SERVICE CORPS, NOV 1915

George Bennett horn ARTISTS RIFLES, DEC 1915

Reginald Garnet viola LONDON REGIMENT, DEC 1915

Charles Woodhouse violin ARMY SERVICE CORPS, DEC 1915

Sidney Freedman violin KING’S OWN YORKSHIRE LIGHT INFANTRY, DEC 1915

Charles Blackford cello ARMY SERVICE CORPS, DEC 1915

Frederick Hawkins violin ROYAL HORSE AND FIELD ARTILLERY, DEC 1915

W H Reed Leader GRENADIER GUARDS, JAN 1916

Edgar Wilby violin ROYAL MARINE AIR SERVICE, JAN 1916

Edward Augarde clarinet HONOURABLE ARTILLERY COMPANY, MAR 1916

Horace Ralph violin ARTISTS RIFLES, MAR 1916

Robert Murchie flute CANADIAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCE, MAY 1916

Harry Jackson horn ROYAL ENGINEERS RAILWAY TROOPS, JUN 1916

Alexander Penn horn SOUTH WALES BORDERERS, JUL 1916

Ernest Yonge viola ROYAL FLYING CORPS, JUL 1916

Robert Carrodus violin WEST RIDING REGIMENT, OCT 1916

Roy Robertson violin SCOTS GUARDS, OCT 1916

Charles Crabb cello MIDDLESEX REGIMENT, DEC 1916

If you recognise any of the above names or know of any ancestors who were LSO past players or were involved with the Orchestra during World War I, we would love to hear from you.

Contact LSO archivist Libby Rice by email [email protected] or by phone 020 7588 1116

SYDNEY HARVEY MOXON was born in Soho on 2 May 1878.

He joined the LSO as a trumpeter

in February 1907 and signed on in

to the army in September 1914.

A Sergeant Bugler in the London

Regiment, 15th (County of London)

Battalion (Prince of Wales’ Own

Civil Service Rifles) he arrived in

France in March 1915, where they

held ground in the Ypres Salient.

Sydney died there on 25 October 1916,

the only LSO member to die in

service. He was killed by a German

mine whilst helping a wounded

colleague to safety. He is buried at

Woods Cemetery, West Flanders.

GEORGE BENNETT was born in

Birmingham on 27 August 1886.

He joined the LSO as a horn player

for the Orchestra’s first tour to

the United States in March 1912

and signed on in to the army in

September 1915. He arrived in

France on 21 May 1916, and took

part in various battles, including

The Battle of Albert, The Battle of

Bazentin, The Battle of Delville

Wood, The Battle of Guillemont,

and Operations on the Ancre.

Lieutenant Bennett was killed on

3 December 1917 by a shell whilst

leaving a dugout during a German

counter-attack. His remains were

never found, so he is remembered

on the Cambrai Memorial

at Louverval, France.

4 AUGUST 1914 War breaks out. The LSO is on tour

in Bray in Ireland at the time.

7 AUGUST 1914 The Board receives a letter signed by

a significant number of Members,

asking them to consider the position

of Principal Horn Adolf Borsdorf,

a German. The Board agrees to

demote him down the ranks.

SEPTEMBER 1914 Trumpeters Sydney Moxon (see right)

and Ernest Hall join the Army. The Board

commends the ‘patriotic action’ of

Sydney and Ernest, passing a resolution

that ‘Members who have joined the

army for the duration of the War shall

be exempt from paying deputies’

fees and their positions kept open’.

7 DECEMBER 1914 The LSO performs the world premiere

of Elgar’s Carillon, written in aid of war

charities assisting Belgian refugees.

19 TO 24 APRIL 1915 The first Three Bs (Bach, Beethoven,

Brahms) Festival is held at the Queen’s

Hall, a bold move in a time when

anti-German feeling was on the rise.

MID-OCTOBER 2015 The first signs of financial trouble

appear when news is received that

there has been a huge decline in

sales of subscriptions for the 1915/16

season. The Board applies to the

bank for an overdraft.

20 OCTOBER 1915 ‘In view of the pressure brought

about by Members in consequence of

the exigencies of the war’, a letter is

sent to Adolf Borsdorf officially

requesting his resignation from the LSO.

JANUARY 1916 Conscription was introduced,

meaning all men between 18 and 41

were obliged to join up. At least 18 men

from the LSO joined up within a year.

25 FEBRUARY 1916 An Extraordinary General Meeting

is convened to discuss the motion,

‘Owing to the losses sustained by

the company … this meeting is of

the opinion that the own-promoted

series of Symphony Concerts

should be curtailed’. Sir Thomas

Beecham agrees to accept financial

responsibility for the remaining

concerts that season as a gift

to the Orchestra.

26 SEPTEMBER 1917 An Extraordinary General Meeting is

called. ‘It was unanimously resolved

that no further symphony concerts be

given until the termination of the war’.

A scheme for subsidising a new

season of concerts had failed.

3 DECEMBER 1917 Two musicians who had played with

the pre-war LSO, horn player George

Bennett and violinist Harold

Grimson, are killed in action

during the Battle of Cambrai.

27 OCTOBER 1919 The opening concert of the first

post-war own-promoted season

takes place under Albert Coates,

who offered to conduct without

fee to help the Orchestra to

regain a stable financial position.

The concert included the world

premiere of Elgar’s Cello Concerto,

conducted by the composer

with the solo cello part performed

by Felix Salmond.

Jo Johnson, LSO Senior Marketing Manager (Digital)

40 LSO IN WORLD WAR I ~ LSO.CO.UK FULL CONCERT LISTINGS PAGES 8 TO 13 ~ BOOKING DETAILS PAGE 55 41

FAMILY FRIENDLY LSO CONCERTS AT THE BARBICANSun 8 Nov 2015 2.30pm

LSO DISCOVERY

FAMILY CONCERT: WONDERLANDBen Gernon conductor Paul Rissmann presenter LSO Discovery Choirs

Sun 7 Feb 2016 2.30pm

LSO DISCOVERY

FAMILY CONCERT

Sun 12 Jun 2016 2.30pm

LSO DISCOVERY

FAMILY CONCERT

Thu 16 Jun 2016 7.30pm

LSO DISCOVERY

ANNUAL SHOWCASEWitness the electrifying results when an orchestra founded at the beginning of the 20th century meets young musicians born at the beginning of the 21st.

Sun 26 Jun 2016 7pm

Peter Maxwell Davies The Hogboon (world premiere of a new children’s opera, LSO commisson) Berlioz Symphonie fantastique

Sir Simon Rattle conductor LSO Discovery Choirs | London Symphony Chorus Guildhall School musicians

OTHER FAMILY ACTIVITIESFri 9 Oct 2015; 5 Feb; 10 Jun 2016 12.30–1.15pm, LSO St Luke’s

STORYTELLING FOR UNDER-5sInteractive concerts for mini music-makers!9 Oct supported by The Rothschild Charities Committee

Sun 25 Oct 2015, LSO St Luke’s

ALICE IN WONDERLAND OPEN DAYA themed open day as part of Family Arts Festival.

FREE FRIDAY LUNCHTIME CONCERTS AT LSO ST LUKE’SFri 4 Sep; 2, 16 Oct; 13 Nov 2015 12.30–1.15pm

RHYTHM AND DANCEMusic inspired by the rhythms and melodies of traditional song and dance from Europe and Russia.

Fri 29 Jan; 12 Feb; 4 Mar 2016 12.30–1.15pm

TEXTURE AND LIGHTHow composers reflected the French Impressionist art movement.

Fri 26 Feb 2016 12.30–1.15pm

SHAKESPEARE 400 SPECIALMusic and words to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death.

Fri 13 May; 3, 24 Jun; 1 Jul 2016 12.30–1.15pm

BETWEEN EARTH AND SKYMusic inspired by the English countryside before and during World War I.

The LSO’s education and outreach

programme, LSO Discovery, turned 25

in 2015. For the last quarter of a century

the Orchestra has made it a central part

of its mission to include members of

the public in its music-making and

foster a greater love and understanding

of classical music.

While events for children have long existed at

the LSO, it’s only in recent years that the Orchestra

has consciously sought to address the needs of

different generations within the family unit and

encourage meaningful intergenerational engagement

with music. It’s no small task to find an activity

which simultaneously pleases a toddler, their Dad

and his 75-year-old mother, but we believe that the

effect of discovering music alongside relatives is

particularly powerful. Talents exhibited by children

are more likely come to fruition in a family

which respects music-making. Shared musical

experiences as a family can ignite passion and

love for music for all the generations and enable it

to continue at home, away from the concert hall.

And parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents and

godparents can appreciate and re-discover music

and new interests by experiencing it through

their children’s eyes.

The LSO’s Family Concerts, running for some

20 years, are well-known and popular with multiple

generations. Now, buoyed by the nationwide

Family Arts Campaign, we’re widening the net to

encourage families to try appropriate LSO evening

concerts, Free Friday Lunchtime Concerts and

BBC Radio 3 recitals taking place in the school

holidays; these events are perfect for older children

who have outgrown the Family Concerts or may be

learning an instrument themselves. For the last few

years we’ve created family-friendly give-aways

such as badges and stickers for our annual

springtime concert in Trafalgar Square (BMW LSO

Open Air Classics) and each summer we encourage

families based near LSO St Luke’s to bring a picnic

and enjoy our al fresco cross-genre series, Inside Out.

Provision for babies and toddlers exists in

Musical Storytelling concerts, Shake, Rattle and Roll weekly workshops, and in children’s

centres and nurseries in the community.

This season we’re inviting families with children

aged twelve or over to try our LSO Community Singing Days – a spin-off from LSO Choral Singing Days, these opportunities to sing with the

LSO’s professional choral team are geared specifically

for those with little musical experience, or who

don’t read music. During October we’re proud

to take part in the national Family Arts Festival

and present an Alice in Wonderland Family Open Day at LSO St Luke’s and a Reveal Ravel pre-concert creative session ahead of an LSO concert

conducted by John Adams, amongst other events.

Every event the LSO promotes to families is

either free or under £10, delivering on our promise

of accessibility. Most include a presenter, whose job

it is to guide all ages through the music. For those

families who want to continue exploring the Orchestra

in their own time, LSO Play is an award-winning

online resource which imaginatively allows users

to feel what it’s like to play in an orchestra.

Moving families up the agenda at the LSO has

also meant coming together with local arts partners

to share best practice and promote each other’s

events. The City Family Arts Network, an

alliance between the LSO, Barbican, BBC Symphony

Orchestra, Museum of London, Guildhall School and

City Library Services, now produces regular print

designed to help parents streamline their research.

The calendar displays at a glance the wealth of

family activity on offer in the Barbican area from

mum and baby film screenings to half-term

hands-on workshops at the museum.

Fabienne Morris, LSO Communications Manager

For more information on family-friendly events, including age guidance, visit lso.co.uk/families

Family Arts

Classic FM is the nation’s classical station,

broadcasting to 5.6 million listeners every week.

It is the only UK radio station dedicated to playing classical music 24

hours a day, and works with orchestras around the UK to support live music.

The LSO is Classic FM’s Orchestra in the City of London and we share the

station’s commitment to bringing classical music to the widest possible

audience, through ground-breaking new initiatives and partnerships.

For over twelve years the LSO has been proud of this association with

Classic FM, which this season sees the station supporting the LSO’s

family-friendly concerts and activities.

Tune in100–102 FM, classicfm.com, Sky 0106, Virgin 922, Freeview 731 and Digital Radio

6,000 family members enjoy music-making with the LSO every year

Over 100 events for families through the City Family Arts network every year

‘Amazing … a really special afternoon out and definitely a great way to introduce classical music to children.’Mumsnet user on an LSO Family Concert

FAMILY ACTIVITIES FOR EVERYONE ACROSS THE CITY

RECOMMENDED BY CLASSIC FM

Main Season Concert FULL CONCERT LISTINGS PAGES 8 TO 13 ~ BOOKING DETAILS PAGE 55 4342 FAMILIES ~ LSO.CO.UK

BBC Radio 3’s partnership with LSO St Luke’s has been going

for 13 years now, and what a pleasure it is to mount concerts

in such an inspiring venue. It’s not just us who think that,

by the way: time and again the performers we have welcomed

over the years have said so too.

This season we have divided our 20 concerts into five themed series.

Chopin, Liszt and Bartók feature in the LSO’s autumn concerts in the

Barbican Hall, so we’ve decided to reflect that by making this trio of great

pianist-composers the subject of four far-reaching recitals (given by five

pianists!). Interleaved with those is a series inspired by music in London in the 17th and 18th centuries, from Tobias Hume to Purcell, Handel

to Haydn, J C Bach to Clementi; it’s the first time we’ve programmed an

early music series at LSO St Luke’s, and we are confident that it will be

an ideal match for the building’s unique architectural sense of the old

mixed with the new.

After Christmas we join in the LSO’s Shakespeare 400 celebrations

with four Bard-related concerts featuring the BBC Singers, the Gould Piano Trio,

and two of this country’s finest song recitalists in Iestyn Davies and James Gilchrist.

February brings a much-anticipated return by the outstanding, multi-award-

winning ensemble that is the Pavel Haas Quartet, whose previous residency

here in 2010 was a real high-point in the history of these concerts. And we

finish in April with Elgar Up Close – three concerts exploring the composer’s

major chamber works, plus a rare visit from the LSO String Ensemble.

With their matchless combination of light, space and immaculate acoustics,

the BBC Radio 3 Lunchtime Concerts at LSO St Luke’s have always had a special

atmosphere – I hope you will want to join us.

Emma Bloxham

BBC Radio 3 Editor of Live Music

BBC Radio 3 & the LSO

BBC Radio 3 invests in high-quality,

distinctive classical music and cultural

programming, presented by experts.

The station is the biggest commissioner of classical

music in the UK and broadcasts over 600 full concerts a year;

over half are live. The long-standing relationship with the LSO

plays a vital role in delivering audiences world-class classical

music experiences, whether that’s through live broadcasts

from the Barbican (at least six with the LSO each season) or

recorded lunchtime concerts at LSO St Luke’s. BBC Radio 3

is the only radio station to broadcast live classical music

concerts every day of the week, alongside 90 full-length

operas a year and over 25 original drama commissions

alongside regular jazz, world, arts and ideas programming.

Tune in 91–93 FM, Sky 0103, Freeview 703, Virgin 903 and Digital Radio

bbc.co.uk/radio3

CHOPIN, LISZT & BARTÓKThu 8 & 29 Oct; 5 & 26 Nov 2015 LSO St Luke’s

Features music by piano giants, and stars pianists Maria João Pires, Ashot Khachatourian, Alice Sara Ott, Ingolf Wunder and Ashley Wass.

LONDON RESOUNDINGThu 15 & 22 Oct; 12 & 19 Nov 2015 LSO St Luke’s

Celebrating the wealth of chamber music in the capital composed between 1600 and 1800.

SHAKESPEARE 400Thu 7, 14, 21 & 28 Jan 2016 LSO St Luke’s

2016 marks the quatercentenary of the death of one of Britain’s greatest playwrights. Join us as we mark this occasion with four special programmes inspired by the literary master alongside celebratory concerts at the Barbican.

PAVEL HAAS QUARTETThu 4, 11, 18 & 25 Feb 2016 LSO St Luke’s

The multi-award winning Czech quartet returns with guests to LSO St Luke’s for a residency.

ELGAR UP CLOSEThu 14, 21, 28 Apr; 5 May 2016 LSO St Luke’s

Four concerts of chamber and string orchestra works to complement the LSO’s spring Elgar concerts.

‘I regularly travel down from Oxford for this wonderful concert series.’Christiane Morris, BBC Radio 3 Lunchtime Concert attender

2,000,000 BBC Radio 3’s weekly reach

5 hours 30 minutes Weekly average listening time

BBC RADIO 3 LUNCHTIME CONCERTS 2015/16

DISCOVER CLASSICAL MUSIC IN BBC RADIO 3 DIMENSIONS

FULL CONCERT LISTINGS PAGES 8 TO 13 ~ BOOKING DETAILS PAGE 55 4544 BBC RADIO 3 LUNCHTIME CONCERTS ~ LSO.CO.UK

The LSO is proud to be the Resident Orchestra at the Barbican, the Orchestra’s home since

the Centre opened 33 years ago.

The area around the Barbican is fast changing

and attracting cutting-edge and exciting organisations,

from the tech start-ups of the Silicon Roundabout on

Old Street to the creative professionals of Clerkenwell

and the businesses of the City.

The LSO is working with the City of London and

our artistic partners nearby to develop the area into a

world-class arts and learning hub. With fresh venues

such as the Barbican’s new cinemas on Beech Street,

and the Guildhall School’s Milton Court, alongside

LSO St Luke’s and the Museum of London, the

cultural destinations on offer in the area are unrivalled.

And with Crossrail set to arrive in 2018, we will witness

a further significant boost to the development of the

Barbican area as a major cultural hub.

THE BARBICAN

Joint artistic highlights at the Barbican in 2015/16 includes innovation and collaboration across the Centre. Examples of this include a semi-staged performance of Debussy’s opera Pelléas et Melisande in the Barbican Hall, further igniting the artistic partnership between Sir Simon Rattle and Peter Sellars; and the world’s first ‘mindfulness opera’ featuring music by Rolf Hind at LSO St Luke’s. Performances are spread across a number of venues, including the Barbican Hall, Milton Court, LSO St Luke’s and the Barbican Theatre and cinemas, and are completed by a range of learning programmes and digital opportunities that take audiences closer to the music.

GUILDHALL SCHOOL

In autumn 2013, the London Symphony Orchestra and the Guildhall School launched Orchestral Artistry, an exciting new postgraduate specialism for instrumentalists seeking a career in orchestral playing. Part of the Guildhall Artists Masters programme, this highly distinctive and ground-breaking course enables students to work alongside the LSO and its roster of visiting artists in a context akin to a professional environment. The aim is to produce fully rounded, excellent professional musicians who have assimilated the ‘LSO characteristics’ of craft, brilliance, speed, curiosity and flexibility. Guildhall students also have the opportunity to perform in LSO Platforms: Guildhall Artists – recitals that preceed LSO evening concerts at the Barbican – and in an annual concert conducted by Sir Simon Rattle playing side-by-side with LSO musicians, this season’s being Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique on 26 June.

MILTON COURT

The Guildhall School’s Milton Court includes a state-of-the-art concert hall and two theatres alongside rehearsal rooms and studio spaces. In addition to the School’s own programme of public events, the Barbican programmes 40 classical and contemporary music concerts in the venue each season, including regular performances from two Barbican associate ensembles – the Academy of Ancient Music and Britten Sinfonia – plus concerts in the ECHO Rising Stars series.

HUB HIGHLIGHTS

ROLF HINDFri 25 to Sun 27 Sep 2015, LSO St Luke’s Lost in Thought: A Mindfulness Opera receives its world premiere

FAMILY ARTS FESTIVALFri 9 Oct to Sun 1 Nov 2015

PELLÉAS ET MÉLISANDESat 9 & Sun 10 Jan 2016 A Barbican/LSO co-promotion directed and conducted by a tour-de-force team in opera in concert – Sir Simon Rattle and Peter Sellars.

BENJAMIN AT THE BARBICANA celebration of British composer George Benjamin:

Sat 18 Mar 2016 Dream of the Song (UK premiere)

Sun 19 Mar 2016, LSO St Luke’s Lunchtime recital with George

Sun 19 Mar 2016 Written on Skin

SHAKESPEARE 400 Spring 2016

26 partner organisations from across London join in a year-long celebration of the English playwright.

For details of more contemporary music, early music, recitals with international artists and visiting international orchestras at the Barbican visit barbican.org.uk

FOOD & DRINKFor information on restaurants in the Barbican visit

barbican.org.uk/food

FAMILY ARTS FESTIVAL

The London Symphony Orchestra has joined forces with the Museum of London, Barbican Children’s Library, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Guildhall School and Barbican in order to improve what’s on offer for families in the City and to take part in the annual UK Family Arts Festival. Supported by Arts Council England, the Festival unites music, theatre, circus, dance and visual arts, enabling generations of families across the country to get involved.

The cultural hub in the City

WHITECROSS STREET LEADING TO LSO ST LUKE’S

The new Barbican cinema building has transformed the Whitecross Street corner of Beech Street, including the welcoming and attractive Cinema Café and Côte Restaurant. Along Whitecross Street there are lunchtime food stalls encompassing every type of cuisine and street food, all the way up to the LSO St Luke’s crossing on Old Street. There you will find 90 public events each year, including LSO Discovery masterclasses and workshops, BBC Radio 3 Lunchtime Concerts and a diverse evening concert programme.

THE ORCHESTRA’S HOME

4746 THE CITY’S CULTURAL HUB ~ LSO.CO.UK

Securing the future together

Now more than ever, our supporters play an integral role in the LSO’s work and success. Together we share a mutual commitment to bring the joy of music to millions.

As we look ahead to an exciting future, the LSO invites you to join our family of supporters. There has never been a better time to be involved.

Our supporters share their passions

with the LSO and enrich our culture

through their thoughtful generosity.

Thanks to them, the Orchestra’s work extends

from the Barbican concerts into local communities

and classrooms, and wider afield through international

tours and pioneering digital platforms and recordings.

We thank and celebrate our supporters for the

critical difference they make. Their confidence in the

LSO underpins everything we do and helps us to

secure the brightest possible future.

The enlightened support from charitable

trusts and foundations, statutory funders and

community partners enables LSO Discovery

to reach more than 60,000 people in

diverse neighbourhoods each year.

The LSO is at the forefront of community engagement.

In tandem with our Trust and Foundation partners we are

able to encourage all ages and abilities to engage with

and participate in transformative music programmes.

With a love of great music, our Patrons

and Friends share each new step in

the LSO’s history.

We bring our supporters closer to the music

through special invitations and events, connecting

them with the Orchestra and its celebrated family

of artists. Patrons and Friends enjoy rewarding

friendships and unique insights, forming a thriving

community at the centre of the LSO.

Sponsorship of the LSO makes a measurable

difference to business success.

Sponsors enjoy memorable experiences for guests

and valuable links with the LSO’s award-winning

community programmes. The LSO is a truly global

orchestra, connecting its partners in key international

locations with a range of initiatives. Alignment with the

LSO is one of the most effective investments a company

can make.

TRUSTS & FOUNDATIONS

PATRONS & FRIENDS

CORPORATE PARTNERS

THANK YOU

The Helen Hamlyn Trust is delighted to support the important and highly original Panufnik Scheme for emerging composers.

Lady Hamlyn, The Helen Hamlyn Trust, supporter of the Panufnik Composers Scheme

A concert by the LSO is a remarkably emotional experience. You come away feeling exhilarated, astounded, humbled but never indifferent. As a Patron, the reward of knowing one has contributed to such an orchestra is palpable.

Susie Thomson, LSO Patron

We are proud to contribute to the diverse cultural landscape of this extraordinary city.

Dr Ian Robertson HonDSc, Member of the Board of Management BMW AG, LSO Principal Partner

YOU MAKE IT POSSIBLETo learn more about ways to

support and share the work

of the LSO, please contact:

lso.co.uk/supportus 020 7588 1116

[email protected]

4948 SUPPORT US ~ LSO.CO.UK

The gap between leaving music college and becoming

a professional musician can be a dauntingly big leap,

and often one that only experience, extra knowledge

and entrepreneurial skill can bridge.

The Orchestral Artistry specialism is part of the Guildhall Artist

Masters programme. It offers a highly-distinctive and ground-breaking

course of study for instrumentalists seeking a career in orchestral playing.

Students are mentored by LSO musicians, play side-by-side with them in

rehearsal and performance, take part in masterclasses, work on the aspects

of orchestral music not normally seen by an audience and learn essential

self-management and promotional skills.

gsmd.ac.uk/orchestralartistry

Now in its 23rd year, the LSO String Experience

Scheme is one of the most established

programmes of its kind, linking 15 string

playing students selected from the Royal

Academy of Music, Royal College of Music,

Guildhall School and Trinity Laban College to the

LSO every year. Taking part in full orchestral

rehearsals and occasional Barbican concerts,

participants audition as though they were

professional ‘extra’ players and are treated

as such with the benefit of receiving fees.

LSO violinist Sarah Quinn explains …

The Orchestra has led the way in commissioning

arrangements of often virtuosic repertoire which can be

played by a mixed ability ensemble supported by LSO

musicians, and sound remarkably like a professional orchestra.

LSO On Track started in the three-year run up to the London 2012 Olympic

and Paralympic Games, and taking the games’ ethic of ‘Inspiring a Generation’

the Orchestra developed a programme engaging young musicians from across

the ten East London Olympic Boroughs of varying experience from beginners to

exceptionally talented players, and from all backgrounds and ages. The programme

reached a summit when many of these young performers appeared in

the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, performing Elgar’s Nimrod

side-by-side with LSO Members. The legacy has extended far beyond

that once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and the Orchestra has been able to

continue this programme in partnership with East London Music Hubs, with

LSO On Track Young Musicians performing in the Barbican, at LSO St Luke’s,

and as part of the Orchestra’s annual concert in Trafalgar Square – BMW LSO

Open Air Classics. And what’s more, the Orchestra now take this way of

working on tour so that young players as far away as Australia and Japan have

the opportunity to play side-by-side with the London Symphony Orchestra.

What can be more inspiring than that?

Discovering side-by-side

‘If you’re lucky enough to get a place on the String

Experience Scheme it involves coming and working with

the Orchestra, sitting next to a member. When I auditioned

for the scheme I didn’t really know what to expect, and

once I was on it, I performed three concerts with the

Orchestra with fantastic conductors which was an

amazing experience. A year later, I auditioned and got a

permanent position. That was 15 years ago and now I help

run the Scheme. We try to look after students as well as

I was looked after by everybody – I find that an incredibly

rewarding thing to do. We currently have 15 members

in the string section who have come up through the

String Experience Scheme.’

Sitting side-by-side with an orchestral musician on stage is one of the most immersive and memorable experiences the LSO can offer; an experience that inspires young musicians from complete beginners to post graduate students working towards becoming professionals.

LSO STRING EXPERIENCE SCHEME

LSO ON TRACK AND MIXED-ABILITY PROJECTS

THE GUILDHALL SCHOOL AND LSO ORCHESTRAL ARTISTRY SPECIALISM

5150 LSO DISCOVERY ~ LSO.CO.UK

If you know someone who has never been

to a concert before, or is just a beginner in

exploring the world of concert-going, then

Free Friday Lunchtime Concerts are for them.

They offer a chance to hear a short informal

recital by LSO or postgraduate Guildhall School

musicians and learn more about what’s behind

the music. There’s an introduction and

enlightening exploration by regular presenter

Rachel Leach and also the opportunity to ask

questions. On occasion there’s no need even

to step into the venue – people around the

world can witness some of these concerts

broadcast live on YouTube.

For those keen to learn more, the LSO provides

in-depth explorations of composers and

key works at LSO Discovery Days. Divided

between the Barbican, where attenders

immerse themselves in an LSO rehearsal,

and LSO St Luke’s, where discussion, talks,

chamber music, film screenings and more take

place, what better way to deepen your concert

experience and understanding of some

of classical music’s most inspiring repertoire.

Join in with LSO Discovery at LSO St Luke’s

Many of the 60,000 participants that LSO Discovery engage with every year have come through the doors at LSO St Luke’s and are members of the public who want to get involved with music-making.

I think these concerts are really brilliant. The music is fantastic and the venue is superb, and for the first time my six-year-old son can hear live classical music.

Pauline Johnson, Free Friday Lunchtime Concert Attender

I’m truly grateful for the experience I’ve had through the LSO Panufnik scheme because I recognise how rare an opportunity it is for a young composer to write for one of the world’s greatest orchestras. I feel very fortunate!

Elizabeth Ogonek, LSO Panufnik Composer Scheme Alumna

Whether you’re a seasoned choral singer or

just starting out, there’s an option for everyone

here and Singing Days to suit all tastes.

LSO Community Singing Days are just as much

fun for beginners as they are for singers who

have been poring over vocal scores for years.

They are focussed on wide-ranging repertoire

from spirituals and jazz, to some of the most

famous choruses by composers such as

Handel and Verdi. And LSO Choral Singing

Days, designed with experienced singers in

mind (who may or may not also be taking part

in a local amateur choir or chorus), take works

being performed by the Orchestra and London

Symphony Chorus and unpack them with

diligent care led by LSO Choral Director Simon

Halsey, accompanied by piano. All LSO Singing

Days end with a performance that family

members can come and watch.

How do you compose a piece of music for 96

musicians? What are the subtle technicalities

of balance, timbre and passing phrases and

emphasis around the orchestra? How do

you form deeper colour and resonances?

What makes music work on a page, and what

makes music work in reality? The fascinating

process that goes on behind an orchestral

piece gets uncovered and brought to the

fore in Panufnik Composers Workshops.

Six composers every year get the chance

to develop a work with the London Symphony

Orchestra and to have the benefit of

hundreds of years of combined professional

experience gathered in one room to give

advice and to try out ideas. Witness them

lift the lid on the works of tomorrow.

Singing together in a choir can bring people together, and it is something that anybody can do. You don’t need to play an instrument, it doesn’t have prior requirements.

Katy Barnato LSO Singing Day Participant

The LSO Discovery projects listed across these pages would not be possible without the following generous support: for the LSO String Experience Scheme – Help Musicians UK, The Lefever Award, The Polonsky Foundation; LSO On Track – Clore Duffield Foundation, Hedley Foundation, Candide Charitable Trust, Marsh Corporation, The Saddlers’ Company, Youth Music, The Ernest Cook Trust, Sound Connections; Friday Lunchtime Concerts – The Rothschild Charties Committee; LSO Sing – Sir Siegmund Warburg’s Voluntary Settlement; LSO Discovery Choirs – Slaughter and May, Sir Siegmund Warburg’s Voluntary Settlement; and for LSO composition schemes – The Helen Hamlyn Trust, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, The Hinrichsen Foundation and Susie Thomson.

FREE FRIDAY LUNCHTIME CONCERTS

LSO DISCOVERY DAYS

LSO SINGING DAYS

PANUFNIK COMPOSER WORKSHOPS

5352 LSO DISCOVERY ~ LSO.CO.UK

LSO TOURS IN SEASON 2015/16 TICKETS, INFORMATION & BOOKING

MO

OR

GA

TE

C

ITY

RO

AD

BEECH STREET

CHISWELL STREET

WH

ITECRO

SS

STR

EE

T SILK

ST

RE

ET

OLD STREET

LONDON WALL

GO

SWELL R

OA

D

MILTON COURT

LSO ST LUKE’S

BUS 153

BUS 21, 43, 76, 141

BUS 205

BUS 55, 243

BUS 214

BOOKING & FIND USLSO.CO.UK/YOURVISIT

BOX OFFICE lso.co.uk | 020 7638 8891 or in person at the Barbican

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/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.

Bus routes 4, 56, 153 Barbican; 21, 43, 76, 141, 214 Moorgate/City Road; 55, 243 Old Street.

Parking The Barbican’s on-site car parks, also convenient for LSO St Luke’s, cost £8 from 5pm on weekdays and £8 per day at weekends (both £7.50 if pre-booked).

EXTRASBARBICAN.ORG.UK

RELAXING WITH FOOD, DRINK AND FRIENDS For the 2015/16 season there are three new restaurants at the Barbican, giving you a great choice of places to eat, drink, meet and catch up ahead of, or after, a concert. Visit barbican.org.uk/food

BARBICAN BARS APP Enjoy a queue-free drink at the interval by pre-ordering before you even reach the Hall with the free Barbican Bars app. Book your drinks right up to the start of the performance – once you’ve placed your order, you’ll receive confirmation and your drinks will be ready for you to collect at the interval, leaving you free to enjoy the evening and relax with your friends. Available for Android and iOS at barbican.org.uk/apps

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

BARBICAN CONCERT TICKETS £10 £16 £22 £29 £40 + booking fee per transaction of £3 online or £4 by phone

A Choral Christmas (Sun 13 Dec) National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain (Sun 3 Jan) Leif Ove Andsnes Recital (Fri 10 Jun) Rattle/LSO Discovery (Sun 26 Jun) £10 £16 £22 £29 + fees as above

LSO Brass Ensemble (Thu 26 Nov) LSO String Ensemble (Wed 3 Feb) LSO Discovery Showcase (Thu 16 Jun) £10 £16 £22 + fees as above

Multibuy Discounts Book 3+ concerts save 15% Book 5+ concerts save 20%, plus 20% on any later bookings (initial 5+ booking must be made by 31 Jul 2015)

SPECIAL BARBICAN CONCERTS

Pelléas et Mélisande (Sat 9 & Sun 10 Jan) £25 £35 £55 £75 + fees as above Multibuy, group and under-18s discounts do not apply

LSO Futures (Sun 13 Mar 7pm) £10 £16 £22 + fees as above Multibuy discount – book with afternoon concert and save 25% (see right)

LSO DISCOVERY FAMILY CONCERTS £5 under-18s, £10 adults + fees as above Suitable for families with 7- to 12-year-olds

LSO SINGING DAYS Full day tickets £20 Includes music hire (£15 concessions) + booking fee per transaction of £0.60 online or £0.70 by phone

Tue 8 to Wed 9 Sep 2015

ROMANIA

MARIN / CAPUÇON BROTHERS / VOGTBrahms Double Concerto Enescu Suite No 2 for Orchestra Grieg Piano Concerto Mahler Symphony No 5 Stravinsky The Firebird (original ballet)

Ion Marin conductor Lars Vogt piano Renaud Capuçon violin Gautier Capuçon cello

8 & 9 Sep Sala Palatului, Bucharest

Sun 27 & Sun 4 Oct 2015

JAPAN

FINAL SYMPHONY IIFeaturing scores from the Final Fantasy series

Eckehard Stier conductor Mischa Cheung piano

27 Sep Osaka Festival Hall, Osaka 4 Oct Minato Mirai Hall, Yokohama

Mon 28 Sep to Mon 5 Oct 2015

JAPAN

BERNARD HAITINKBeethoven Piano Concerto No 4 Brahms Symphony No 1 Bruckner Symphony No 7 Mahler Symphony No 4 Mozart Piano Concerto No 24 Purcell arr Stucky Funeral Music for Queen Mary

Bernard Haitink conductor Anna Lucia Richter soprano Murray Perahia piano

28 Sep Suntory Hall, Tokyo 30 Sep Symphony Hall, Kawasaki 1 Oct NHK Hall, Tokyo 3 Oct Concert Hall, Kyoto 5 Oct Bunka Kaikan, TokyoSupported by Moore Group

LSO DISCOVERY DAYS Full day tickets £20 (£15 concessions) £14 afternoon only (from 2.30pm) + fees as LSO Singing Days

BBC RADIO 3 LUNCHTIME CONCERTS £12 (£10 concessions) + fees as LSO Singing Days Multibuy discount – book any four concerts for £9 each

SPECIAL LSO ST LUKE’S EVENTS Family Open Day: Alice in Wonderland (Sun 25 Oct) £5 children, £7 adults + fees as LSO Singing Days Suitable for families with 8- to 11-year-olds

LSO Percussion: Steve Reich (Fri 30 Oct) £12 (£10 concessions) + fees as LSO Singing Days

New Music & Dance Conference (Wed 9 Mar) Full day tickets £20 (£15 concessions) + fees as LSO Singing Days

LSO Futures (Sun 13 Mar 4pm) £10 £16 £22 + fees as LSO Singing Days Multibuy discount – book with evening concert and save 25% (see left)

UNDER-18s & STUDENTS OVER 18 All concerts £5 for under-18s Student discounts available on selected concerts via Student Pulse – visit lso.co.uk/students

GROUPS OF 10 OR MORE Receive a 20% discount Call 020 7382 7211 (10am–5pm Mon-Fri) or visit lso.co.uk/groups

DISABLED VISITORS Join the Barbican Access Membership scheme to inform us of your access requirements. Members may be eligible for reductions on tickets, limited in number and subject to availability. Full details are available online at barbican.org.uk/access and at the Box Office.

Mon 12 to Sun 25 Oct 2015

EUROPE / US EAST COAST

GERGIEV’S BARTÓK & STRAVINSKYBartók Dance Suite; Piano Concerto No 2; Piano Concerto No 3; Concerto for Orchestra; The Miraculous Mandarin (complete ballet) Stravinsky The Firebird (original ballet); Symphony in C major; Chant du rossignol; The Rite of Spring


12 & 13 Oct Konzerthaus, Vienna 14 Oct Philharmonie, Luxembourg 16 & 17 Oct Philharmonie de Paris 23 & 25 Oct Lincoln Center, New York 24 Oct Prudential Hall, Newark

Sun 15 Nov 2015

SWITZERLAND

MARTINU FESTIVALBrahms Overture: Academic Festival Martinu Symphony No 2; Symphony No 5

Tomáš Hanus conductor

15 Nov Musiksaal Stadtcasino, Basel

Sun 22 Nov 2015

FRANCE

THE FILM MUSIC OF ALEXANDRE DESPLATFeaturing film scores composed by Alexandre Desplat including Twilight – New Moon, The Imitation Game, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The King’s Speech and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Alexandre Desplat conductor

22 Nov Philharmonie de Paris

Tue 1 to Sun 13 Dec 2015

EUROPE

DANIEL HARDINGBeethoven Piano Concerto No 3 Brahms Variation on a Theme of Haydn Bruckner Symphony No 4; Symphony No 9 Chopin Piano Concerto No 1 Schumann Overture: Manfred

Daniel Harding conductor Maria João Pires, Emanuel Ax piano

1 Dec Auditorium G Agnelli, Turin 2 Dec Teatro Nuovo Giovanni da Udine, Udine 10 Dec Konzerthaus, Dortmund 11 Dec Philharmonic Hall, Cologne 12 Dec Graf Zeppelin Haus, Friedrichshafen 13 Dec Festspeilhaus, Baden Baden

Wed 10 & Thu 11 Feb 2016

GERMANY

SIR JOHN ELIOT GARDINERMendelssohn Symphony No 1; A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Sir John Eliot Gardiner conductor

10 Feb Alte Oper, Frankfurt 11 Feb Stadthalle, Hannover

Mon 11 & Tue 12 Apr 2016

EUROPE

SIR SIMON RATTLEMessiaen Couleurs de la cité céleste Bruckner Symphony No 8


11 Apr Philharmonie, Luxembourg 12 Apr Philharmonie de Paris

Wed 25 to Fri 27 May 2016

EUROPE

SIR ANTONIO PAPPANOBeethoven Violin Concerto Elgar Symphony No 2

Sir Antonio Pappano conductor Nikolaj Znaider violin

25 May Wrocław 26 May Lithuanian National Opera & Ballet Theatre, Vilnius 27 May Riga

Wed 24 to Sun 28 Aug 2016

SUMMER FESTIVALS

GIANANDREA NOSEDAShostakovich Symphony No 5

24 Aug Cankarjev Dom, Ljubljana 25 Aug Josef Resch Hall, Villach 26 Aug Schloss Grafenegg, Grafenegg Festival 28 Aug Menuhin Festival, Gstaad 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. Calls may be monitored or recorded for quality assurance or training purposes. All discounts are subject to availability and may not be combined.

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.

5554 LSO TOURS ~ LSO.CO.UK

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.

LSO is a Registered Charity in England No 232391

London Symphony Orchestra Barbican, Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8DS

lso.co.uk

Feature photography Ranald Mackechnie Pelléas et Mélisande Illustration Aaron Groves

Other photographs Chris Aadland, Dario Acosta, Marco Borggreve, Felix Broede, Chris Christodoulou, Gautier Deblonde, Benjamin Ealovega, Igor Emmerich, Henry Fair, Simon Fowler, Maurice Foxall, Steven Haberland, Mat Henneck, Harald Hoffmann, Tristram Kenton, Kevin Leighton, Musacchio / Ianniello, Alexander Newton, Jim Rakete, Bill Robinson, Keith Saunders, Matt Stuart, Hannah J Taylor, Gerardo Antonio Sánchez Torres, Mausiko Tsusuki, Heikki Tuuli, Prudence Upton, Alberto Venzago, Ruth Walz

You can get this guide in large print, audio and electronic formats. Contact 020 7588 1116 or email [email protected]

Print Tradewinds | Concept Kerry White (PIN Creative) Editor Edward Appleyard

THE MEMBERS AND ADMINISTRATION STAFF OF THE LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, 2015

Judith Ackrill, David Alberman, Sarah Anstead, Edward Appleyard, Mariann Babecz, David Ballesteros, Angela Barnes, Anne Basley, Anna Bastow, Antoine Bedewi, Isabel Bedford, Regina Beukes, Jessica Blackstone, Alastair Blayden, Richard Blayden, Jemma Bogan, Joost Bosdijk, Noel Bradshaw, Dudley Bright, Nigel Broadbent, Jennifer Brown, Stephen Buck, Nathan Budden, Eve-Marie Caravassilis, Karen Cardy, Chris Cashman, Natalie Chivers, German Clavijo, Charlotte Clemson, Philip Cobb, Stuart Connery, Gareth Davies, Tim Davy, Ginette Decuyper, Fiona Dinsdale, Claire Duckworth, Andra East, Lander Echevarria, Christopher Edis, Alexander Edmundson, Daniel Gardner, Matthew Gardner, Jeremy Garside, Hanna Ghariani, Matthew Gibson, Julian Gil Rodriguez, Rebecca Gilliver, Dan Gobey, Alan Goode, Iryna Goode, Thomas Goodman, Rachel Gough, Helen Greer, Gerald Gregory, Emma Grimsey, Gillianne Haddow, Jörg Hammann, Alix Harper, Patrick Harrild, Robert Harston, Yasmin Hemmings, Felicity Hindle, Elspeth Holmes, Timothy Hugh, Frankie Hutchinson, Rinat Ibragimov, Helen Innes, Lorenzo Iosco, David Jackson, Alex Jakeman, Daniel Jemison, Jo Johnson, Malcolm Johnston, Guy Jones, Hilary Jones, Samantha Jones, Timothy Jones, Naoko Keatley, Bethan Kershaw, Maxine Kwok-Adams, Patrick Laurence, Carmine Lauri, Wallis Leahy, Becky Lees, Bryn Lewis, Dvora Lewis, Jonathan Lipton, Miriam Loeben, Minat Lyons, Steve Mace, Lennox Mackenzie, Sue Mallet, James Malpus, Andrew Marriner, Claire Mattison, James Maynard, Zak McClelland, Carina McCourt, Kathryn McDowell, Belinda McFarlane, Joe Melvin, William Melvin, David Millinger, Paul Milner, Chi-Yu Mo, Peter Moore, Vicky Moran, Dominic Morgan, Fabienne Morris, Kenny Morrison, Iwona Muszynska, Amy Nelson, Daniel Newell, Lydia Nickalls, Gordan Nikolitch, Philip Nolte, Thomas Norris, David Nunn, Gráinne O’Hogan, Julia O’Riordan, Tim Oldershaw, Claire Parfitt, Colin Paris, Mark Parker, Ellen Parkes, Christine Pendrill, Jani Pensola, Neil Percy, Benjamin Picard, Elizabeth Pigram, Andrew Pollock, Esther Poole, Laurent Quenelle, Daniele Quilleri, Sarah Quinn, Steve Ramsden, Harriet Rayfield, Colin Renwick, Ian Rhodes, Libby Rice, Chris Richards, Liana Richards, Joe Richomme, Paul Robson, Chris Rogers, Thomas Rozwadowski, Gerald Ruddock, Mario de Sa, Diana Salthouse, Nicholas Selman, Louise Shackelton, Rikesh Shah, Abbey Shaw, Paul Silverthorne, Roman Simovic, Andrew Softley, Sean Suthagaran, Nigel Thomas, Alison Thompson, Ella Thomsen, Amanda Truelove, James Turner, Robert Turner, Miya Väisänen, Edward Vanderspar, Sylvain Vasseur, Adam Walker, Heather Wallington, Sam Walton, Rhys Watkins, Jonathan Welch, Sarah Whitaker, Jane Williams, Sharon Williams, Tim Wong, David Worswick and Nicholas Worters.

‘the lso at full tilt is a terrifying, glamorous beast.’ season guide 15-16...london symphony...

Documents