16 april 2011 lpo programme notes

SOUTHBANK CENTRE’S ROYAL FESTIVAL HALLSaturday 16 April 2011 | 7.30pm

VLADIMIR JUROWSKIconductor

ALBAN GERHARDTcello

LISZTNocturnal Procession (15’)

Mephisto Waltz No. 1 (12’)

DVOŘÁKCello Concerto in B minor (40’)

INTERVAL

TCHAIKOVSKYSymphony No. 2 in C minor (Little Russian) (33’)

PROGRAMME £3

CONTENTS

2 List of Players3 Orchestra History4 Southbank Centre5 Vladimir Jurowski6 Alban Gerhardt7 Programme Notes11 Recordings12 Next Family Concert13 Supporters14 Philharmonic News15 Administration16 Future Concerts

The timings shown are not preciseand are given only as a guide.

Principal Conductor VLADIMIR JUROWSKIPrincipal Guest Conductor YANNICK NÉZET-SÉGUINLeader PIETER SCHOEMANComposer in Residence JULIAN ANDERSONPatron HRH THE DUKE OF KENT KGChief Executive and Artistic Director TIMOTHY WALKER AM†

† supported by Macquarie Group

CONCERT PRESENTED BY THE LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

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2 | London Philharmonic Orchestra

LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

FIRST VIOLINSKlaidi Sahatci Guest LeaderVesselin Gellev Sub-LeaderChair supported byJohn and Angela Kessler

Shlomy DobrinskyCatherine CraigThomas EisnerTina GruenbergMartin HöhmannChair supported byRichard Karl Goeltz

Robert PoolYang ZhangRebecca ShorrockAlain PetitclercPeter Nall

SECOND VIOLINSEugene Tichindeleanu GuestPrincipalJeongmin KimJoseph MaherKate BirchallChair supported by David and Victoria Graham Fuller

Nancy ElanFiona HighamNynke HijlkemaMarie-Anne MairesseAshley StevensImogen WilliamsonSioni WilliamsAlison Strange

VIOLASAlexander Zemtsov* PrincipalChair supported by The Tsukanov Family

Robert DuncanSusanne MartensBenedetto PollaniEmmanuella Reiter-BootimanLaura VallejoIsabel PereiraSarah MalcolmMartin FennClaudio Cavalletti

CELLOSKristina Blaumane PrincipalLaura DonoghueJonathan AylingChair supported by Caroline,Jamie and Zander Sharp

Santiago Sabino Carvalho+

Gregory WalmsleySue SutherleySusanna RiddellLyubov UlybeshevaTom RoffTae-Mi Song

DOUBLE BASSESTim Gibbs PrincipalLaurence LovelleGeorge PenistonTom WalleyHelen RowlandsLouis GarsonDamian Rubido GonzalezCharlotte Kerbegian

FLUTESJaime Martin* PrincipalSue Thomas*Stewart McIlwham*

PICCOLOStewart McIlwham* Principal

OBOESIan Hardwick PrincipalAngela Tennick

COR ANGLAISSue Bohling PrincipalChair supported byJulian and Gill Simmonds

CLARINETSRobert Hill* PrincipalPaul Richards

BASSOONSJohn Price PrincipalGareth Newman*

HORNSStephen Stirling GuestPrincipalMartin HobbsJenny CoxGareth Mollison

TRUMPETSPaul Beniston* PrincipalDaniel Newell

TROMBONESMark Templeton* PrincipalDavid Whitehouse

BASS TROMBONELyndon Meredith Principal

TUBALee Tsarmaklis Principal

TIMPANISimon Carrington* Principal

PERCUSSIONRachel Gledhill PrincipalAndrew Barclay* Co-PrincipalChair supported byAndrew Davenport

HARPRachel Masters* Principal

ASSISTANT CONDUCTORThomas Blunt

* Holds a professorialappointment in London

+ Chevalier of the Brazilian Order of Rio Branco

Chair SupportersThe London Philharmonic Orchestra also acknowledges the following chair supporters whose players are notpresent at this concert:

Geoff and Meg MannRichard and Victoria Sharp

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London Philharmonic Orchestra | 3


Patrick Harrison

Seventy-eight years after Sir Thomas Beecham foundedthe London Philharmonic Orchestra, it is recognisedtoday as one of the finest orchestras on the internationalstage. Following Beecham’s influential founding tenurethe Orchestra’s Principal Conductorship has been passedfrom one illustrious musician to another, amongst themSir Adrian Boult, Bernard Haitink, Sir Georg Solti, KlausTennstedt and Kurt Masur. This impressive traditioncontinued in September 2007 when Vladimir Jurowskibecame the Orchestra’s Principal Conductor and, in afurther exciting move, the Orchestra appointed YannickNézet-Séguin its new Principal Guest Conductor fromSeptember 2008.

The London Philharmonic Orchestra has been performingat Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall since it openedin 1951, becoming Resident Orchestra in 1992. It playsthere around 40 times each season with many of theworld’s most sought after conductors and soloists.Concert highlights in 2010/11 include an exploration ofMahler’s symphonies and complete song cycles duringthe composer’s anniversary season; the premières ofworks by Matteo D’Amico, Magnus Lindberg and BrettDean; a rare opportunity to hear Rossini’s opera Aurelianoin Palmira in collaboration with long term partner OperaRara; and works by the Orchestra’s new Composer inResidence, Julian Anderson.

In addition to its London season and a series of concertsat Wigmore Hall, the Orchestra has flourishing

residencies in Brighton and Eastbourne, and performsregularly around the UK. It is unique in combining theseconcert activities with esteemed opera performanceseach summer at Glyndebourne Festival Opera where ithas been the Resident Symphony Orchestra since 1964.

The London Philharmonic Orchestra performs toenthusiastic audiences all round the world. In 1956 itbecame the first British orchestra to appear in SovietRussia and in 1973 made the first ever visit to China by aWestern orchestra. Touring continues to form asignificant part of the Orchestra’s schedule and issupported by Aviva, the International Touring Partner ofthe London Philharmonic Orchestra. Tours in 2010/11include visits to Finland, Germany, South Korea, Spain,France, Belgium and Luxembourg.

Having long been embraced by the recording,broadcasting and film industries, the LondonPhilharmonic Orchestra broadcasts regularly on domesticand international television and radio. It also works withthe Hollywood and UK film industries, recordingsoundtracks for blockbuster motion pictures includingthe Oscar-winning score for The Lord of the Rings trilogyand scores for Lawrence of Arabia, The Mission,Philadelphia and East is East.

The London Philharmonic Orchestra made its firstrecordings on 10 October 1932, just three days after itsfirst public performance. It has recorded and broadcast

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regularly ever since, and in 2005 established its ownrecord label. The recordings on its own label are takenmainly from live concerts given with distinguishedconductors over the years including the Orchestra’sPrincipal Conductors from Beecham and Boult, throughHaitink, Solti and Tennstedt, to Masur and Jurowski.

Recent additions to the catalogue have includedacclaimed releases of Christmas choral music conductedby Vladimir Jurowski, Bruckner’s Symphony No. 6conducted by Christoph Eschenbach, Verdi’s Requiemconducted by Jesús López-Cobos, Holst’s The Planetsconducted by Vladimir Jurowski and Elgar’s SymphonyNo. 1 and Sea Pictureswith Vernon Handley and JanetBaker. The Orchestra’s own-label CDs are also widelyavailable to download. Visit www.lpo.org.uk/shop for thelatest releases.

The Orchestra reaches thousands of Londoners throughits rich programme of community and school-basedactivity in Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark, whichincludes the offshoot ensembles Renga and The Band, itsFoyle Future Firsts apprenticeship scheme foroutstanding young instrumentalists, and regular familyand schools concerts.

To help maintain its high standards and diverse workload,the Orchestra is committed to the welfare of itsmusicians and in December 2007 received theAssociation of British Orchestras/Musicians BenevolentFund Healthy Orchestra Bronze Charter Mark.

There are many ways to experience and stay in touchwith the Orchestra’s activities: visit www.lpo.org.uk,subscribe to our podcast series, download our iPhoneapplication and join us on Facebook and Twitter.

‘ … a simply tremendous performance ofMahler’s 3rd Symphony … Jurowski and hisplayers plunged us into a winter ofdiscontent so profoundly expectant thateven the inveterate coughers were silenced.’EDWARD SECKERSON, THE INDEPENDENT, 23 SEPTEMBER 2010

WELCOME TO SOUTHBANK CENTRE

We hope you enjoy your visit. We have a Duty Manageravailable at all times. If you have any queries please askany member of staff for assistance.

Eating, drinking and shopping? Southbank Centre shopsand restaurants include: Foyles, EAT, Giraffe, Strada, YO!Sushi, wagamama, Le Pain Quotidien, Las Iguanas, pingpong, Canteen, Caffè Vergnano 1882, Skylon, Concreteand Feng Sushi, as well as cafes, restaurants and shopsinside Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall andHayward Gallery.

If you wish to get in touch with us following your visitplease contact Kenelm Roberts, our Head of CustomerRelations, at Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, LondonSE1 8XX or email [email protected] orphone 020 7960 4250.

We look forward to seeing you again soon.

A few points to note for your comfort and enjoyment:

PHOTOGRAPHY is not allowed in the auditorium

LATECOMERS will only be admitted to the auditorium ifthere is a suitable break in the performance

RECORDING is not permitted in the auditorium withoutthe prior consent of Southbank Centre. Southbank Centrereserves the right to confiscate video or sound equipmentand hold it in safekeeping until the performance hasended

MOBILES, PAGERS AND WATCHES should be switchedoff before the performance begins

SOUTHBANK CENTRE

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VLADIMIR JUROWSKICONDUCTOR

Born in Moscow, the son of conductor Mikhail Jurowski,Vladimir Jurowski completed the first part of hismusical studies at the Music College of the MoscowConservatory. In 1990 he relocated with his family toGermany where he continued his studies in Dresdenand Berlin, studying conducting with Rolf Reuter andvocal coaching with Semion Skigin. In 1995 he made hisinternational debut at the Wexford Festival, where heconducted Rimsky-Korsakov’s May Night. The same yearsaw his brilliant debut at the Royal Opera House CoventGarden in Nabucco. In 1996 he joined the ensemble ofKomische Oper Berlin, becoming First Kapellmeister in1997 and continuing to work at the Komische Oper on apermanent basis until 2001.

Since 1997 Vladimir Jurowski has been a guest at someof the world’s leading musical institutions including theRoyal Opera House Covent Garden, Teatro La Fenice diVenezia, Opéra Bastille de Paris, Théâtre de la MonnaieBruxelles, Maggio Musicale Festival Florence, RossiniOpera Festival Pesaro, Edinburgh Festival, SemperoperDresden and the Teatro Comunale di Bologna (where heserved as Principal Guest Conductor between 2000 and2003). In 1999 he made his debut at the MetropolitanOpera New York with Rigoletto.

In January 2001 Vladimir Jurowski took up the positionof Music Director of Glyndebourne Festival Opera and in2003 was appointed Principal Guest Conductor of theLondon Philharmonic Orchestra, becoming theOrchestra’s Principal Conductor in September 2007. Healso holds the title of Principal Artist of the Orchestra ofthe Age of Enlightenment, and from 2005 to 2009served as Principal Guest Conductor of the RussianNational Orchestra with whom he will continue to workin the years ahead.

Vladimir Jurowski is a regular guest with many of theworld’s leading orchestras including the BerlinPhilharmonic, Oslo Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw,Bavarian Radio Symphony, Dresden Staatskapelle, LosAngeles Philharmonic and Philadelphia Orchestras aswell as the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig. Highlights ofthe 2010/11 season and beyond include his debuts withthe Vienna Philharmonic, Cleveland, San FranciscoSymphony and Mahler Chamber Orchestras, and returnvisits to the Chicago Symphony, Chamber Orchestra ofEurope, Berlin Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw, StPetersburg Philharmonic and Philadelphia Orchestras.

His operatic engagements have included Jenůfa, TheQueen of Spades and Hänsel und Gretel at theMetropolitan Opera, Parsifal and Wozzeck at WelshNational Opera, War and Peace at the Opéra National deParis, Eugene Onegin at La Scala Milan, as well as DieZauberflöte, La Cenerentola, Otello, Macbeth, Falstaff,Tristan und Isolde, Don Giovanni, The Rake’s Progress andPeter Eötvös’ Love and Other Demons at GlyndebourneOpera. Future engagements include new productions ofDie Meistersinger and The Cunning Little Vixen atGlyndebourne, Die Frau ohne Schatten at theMetropolitan Opera, Russlan and Ludmila at the BolshoiTheatre, and Iolanta at the Dresden Semperoper.

Jurowski’s discography includes the first ever recordingof Giya Kancheli’s cantata Exil for ECM (1994), L’Étoile duNord by Meyerbeer for Naxos-Marco Polo (1996), andWerther for BMG (1999) as well as live recordings ofworks by Rachmaninov, Turnage, Tchaikovsky, Britten,Brahms and Shostakovich on the London PhilharmonicOrchestra’s own label, and Prokofiev’s Betrothal in aMonastery on Glyndebourne Opera’s own label. He alsorecords for PentaTone with the Russian NationalOrchestra, with releases to date including Tchaikovsky’sSuite No. 3 and Stravinsky’s Divertimento from Le Baiserde la fée, Shostakovich’s Symphonies Nos 1 and 6,Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5 and Tchaikovsky’s HamletIncidental Music. Glyndebourne have released DVDrecordings of his performances of La Cenerentola, GianniSchicchi, Die Fledermaus and Rachmaninov’s The MiserlyKnight, and other recent DVD releases include Hänselund Gretel from the Metropolitan Opera New York, andhis first concert as the London Philharmonic Orchestra’sPrincipal Conductor featuring works by Wagner, Bergand Mahler (released by Medici Arts).

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ALBAN GERHARDTCELLO

Over the past decade, Alban Gerhardt has establishedhimself among the greatest cellists of our time. Hissound is unmistakable and his interpretations of therepertoire are distinguished by their originality. The cellostarts to sing under his hands; standard works arenewly discovered and unknown pieces are brought tolife again. Gerhardt fascinates his growing audienceswith the combination of an unerring musical instinct,intense emotion and a very natural, arresting stagepresence. Of particular concern for him is his desire tohelp audiences break with old listening and concerthabits and to open classical music to a youngeraudience.

After early success at competitions and his debut withthe Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra under SemyonBychkov, Gerhardt has since performed with more than170 different orchestras worldwide under conductorssuch as Kurt Masur, Christoph von Dohnányi, ChristophEschenbach, Sir Neville Marriner, Marek Janowski, SirColin Davis, Leonard Slatkin, Michal Tilson Thomas, FabioLuisi, Sakari Oramo, Paavo Järvi, Neeme Järvi, ChristianThielemann, Esa-Pekka Salonen and Andris Nelsons.

Highlights of his recent seasons have included tours ofAustralasia, concerts in the Far East and performanceswith the Berlin Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw,Czech Philharmonic, Oslo Philharmonic, Finnish RadioSymphony, BBC Symphony, Leipzig Gewandhaus, City ofBirmingham Symphony, Bavarian Radio Symphony,Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, Danish Radio, NDRSymphony, Philharmonia and Vienna SymphonyOrchestras as well as the Zurich Tonhalle, Orchestre dela Suisse Romande, RTVE Madrid, Orchestre National deFrance, Chamber Orchestra of Europe and GurzenichOrchester.

Highlights of the 2010/11 season include performanceswith the NHK Symphony, Cleveland, Hallé, BBCPhilharmonic, Sydney Symphony and LondonPhilharmonic Orchestras as well as with the OrchestreNational de Bordeaux and the Rundfunk Sinfonie-Orchester Berlin. He will perform the Unsuk Chin CelloConcerto in Amsterdam with the Residentie Orkest,Cologne with the Gurzenich Orchester, and with theSeoul Philharmonic, Tampere Philharmonic and BostonSymphony Orchestras. The concerto was written for himand premièred at the Proms in 2009 to great acclaim.

Alban Gerhardt’s repertoire includes almost 60 celloconcertos, and he relishes rescuing lesser-known worksfrom undeserved obscurity. His collaborations withcomposers such as Unsuk Chin, Peteris Vasks, BrettDean, Jörg Widmann, Osvaldo Golijov, Mathias Hinkeand Matthias Pintscher demonstrate his strong interestin enlarging the cello repertoire. As well as his intensivesolo career, chamber music plays an important role inhis life. He is a frequent performer at internationalfestivals such as the BBC Proms in London and theEdinburgh Festival, and at the Wigmore Hall, BerlinPhilharmonie, Suntory Hall Tokyo and Châtelet in Paris.His regular chamber music partners include StevenOsborne, Cecile Licad, Lars Vogt, Christian Tetzlaff, LisaBatiashvili, Arabella Steinbacher, Tabea Zimmermann,Thomas Larcher and Emmanuel Pahud.

Gerhardt is also a highly acclaimed recording artist andhas won three ECHO Classic Awards most recently forhis all-Reger double CD in 2009. He records exclusivelywith Hyperion, spearheading their ‘Romantic CelloConcertos’ series. Recent releases include a recital CDfeaturing sonatas by Chopin and Alkan with StevenOsborne and Prokofiev’s Sinfonia Concertante andConcerto in E minor Op. 58 with the BergenPhilharmonic Orchestra and Andrew Litton.

Alban Gerhardt plays a unique instrument from therenowned maker Matteo Gofriller. He writes about histravelling and performing experiences in his blog, whichcan be accessed from: www.albangerhardt.com.

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Liszt’s First Mephisto Waltz is so long established as anintoxicating display piece for solo piano that it tends tobe forgotten that it was originally written for orchestra.Like many of the 19th century romantics, Liszt wasfascinated by the legend of the medieval scholar Faust,who sold his soul to the Devil in exchange forknowledge and power. His hugely ambitious FaustSymphony (1854-57) was inspired by Goethe’s colossaltwo-part verse drama, Faust. But even then Liszt felt hehad not finished with the story. Soon afterwards heturned to the poem Faust by Nicholas Lenau (1802-50) –whose epic Don Juan was to be such a powerfulinspiration for the young Richard Strauss. Lenau’s Faustis intellectually simpler than Goethe’s, but it is alsodramatically more direct, and Liszt clearly found that itsbroader brushstrokes readily suggested music to him.

The result was these two ‘episodes’ for orchestra. Thesecond – the dazzling Mephisto Waltz – had its premièrein 1861. Mephisto is short for Mephistopheles, thesatanic spirit described by Goethe as he ‘who wills evil,but achieves good’. He stands for the demonic side ofhuman creativity, and in Liszt’s orchestral tour de forcewe sense both his danger and his ability to stimulatewild imagination and coruscating wit. First howevercomes the slow, sombre Nocturnal Procession, headedby an apt quotation from Lenau’s poem: ‘Dark cloudshang in the heavens, the forest listens expectantly. It isdeepest night…’

PROGRAMME NOTES

NOCTURNAL PROCESSION AND MEPHISTO WALTZNO. 1 (‘TWO EPISODES FROM LENAU’S FAUST’)

SPEEDREAD

All three composers in this concert owed something to19th century nationalism, yet ultimately they alltranscended it. The Hungarian Franz Liszt was inspired bya great German legend – the story of Faust and his dealwith the Devil – to write his two orchestral ‘episodes’:the first a brooding nocturnal forestscape, the second afurious, intoxicating waltz set in a disreputable tavern.Echoes of Czech folk music can be heard in Dvořák’s greatCello Concerto, but at its heart this glorious autumnal

work is engaged with painful personal matters –particularly a lost love, tenderly recalled just before theseemingly joyous fanfare ending. Tchaikovsky’s ‘LittleRussian’ (for which read ‘Ukrainian’) Symphony delightedhis nationalist colleagues with its vigorous and colourfuluse of folk-based themes, but there is so much more herethan musical chauvinism: intense personal drama sitsbeside brilliant, exquisite balletic music, a delicious littlemarch, and in the finale a riotous celebration of populardance in its rawest, boldest colours.

FranzLISZT

1811-1886

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PROGRAMME NOTES

Few people are surprised today when a composerchooses to write a cello concerto. As the great examplesby Dvořák, Elgar, Schumann, Walton and Shostakovichshow, this noble, rich-toned, soulfully expressive andremarkably agile instrument makes a splendid concertosoloist. But when the Czech composer Antonín Dvořákwrote his Cello Concerto in 1894-95, even connoisseurswere surprised. When Johannes Brahms – composer ofone of the greatest violin concertos in the repertoire –first saw Dvořák’s score, he exclaimed, ‘Why on earthdidn’t I know that one could write a cello concerto likethis? If I had only known, I would have written one longago!’

Actually there’s no reason why Brahms should haveknown: in his and Dvořák’s day the cello was rarelyplayed well as a solo instrument. In fact the situationseems to have lasted for some time after Dvořák’sdeath. As late as 1939, the famous Manchester Guardiancritic Neville Cardus complained of ‘the wasp-in-the-window effect which most times we have to put upwith whenever a cellist gets to work.’ But there is alsothe issue of balance. The cello may seem to have apowerful voice, but its lower notes in particular caneasily be overwhelmed if the orchestral accompanimentis too rich and strong. But Dvořák copes superbly withthis potential problem. Though he uses a relatively largeorchestra, the cello soloist rarely has to contend withanything like its full force. There are loud, impressiveorchestral tuttis, but in these passages the cellist ismostly silent. The result is that, given a reasonablystrong player, every note of the cello part should beaudible. That must have been one of the concerto’sfeatures that so impressed Brahms.

Beyond that, Brahms could hardly fail to have beenimpressed by Dvořák’s melodic writing. The CelloConcerto brims over with wonderful long tunes andcharacterful short motifs. Not all of these are initiallyidentified with the cello. Like most concertos of the‘classical’ era of Mozart and Beethoven, Dvořák beginsthe first movement with a long passage for orchestraalone. There is a darkly memorable theme for lowwoodwind at the start then, after the first big climax, aglorious long tune for solo horn. So when the celloenters for the first time, it not only has to cope withDvořák’s technical assault course, it also has to establisha claim to these themes for itself.

In the slow movement, the cellist’s powers as aninstrumental singer are tested to the full. The firsttheme is relaxed and reflective, with strong suggestionsof folksong. But this is interrupted by a darker minor-keycentral section. Here there is a definite autobiographicalelement. While Dvořák was working on the Concerto, heheard that his sister-in-law, Josefina Kaunitzova, wasseriously ill – in his youth Dvořák had been in love withher. Josefina was particularly fond of Dvořák’s song‘Leave me alone’ (Op. 82, No. 1), and in this slowmovement he has the cello quote its melody just afterthe first stern entry of the trombones and tuba. Thissame melody re-appears near the end of the finale –this time in response to the news of Josefina’s death.The finale’s opening march theme does return intriumph to end the concerto, but that poignantreminiscence of lost love lingers in the memory – is thiswhere the concerto’s heart truly lies?

CELLO CONCERTO IN B MINOR, OP. 104

ALBAN GERHARDT cello

Allegro | Adagio ma non troppo | Allegro moderato

AntonínDVOŘÁK

1841-1904

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PROGRAMME NOTES

INTERVAL 20 minutes

An announcement will be made five minutes before the end of the interval.

Composers often blow hot and cold about their ownmusic, but few have been subject to such extrememood- and valuation-swings as Tchaikovsky. The SecondSymphony is a case in point. At first his pride in hisachievement was immense, clearly boosted by thejudgements of trusted friends like Nikolay Kondratyev.‘This work of genius (as Kondratyev calls my symphony)is close to completion… I think it’s my best compositionas regards perfection of form – a quality for which Ihave not always been conspicuous.’ The positivefeedback kept coming. When Tchaikovsky played thefinale of the new symphony to his Russian nationalistcolleagues – the so-called ‘Mighty Handful’ – at thehouse of Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov in November 1872,he was thrilled by their reaction: ‘The whole companynearly tore me to pieces with rapture – and MadameRimsky-Korsakov begged me in tears to let her arrangeit for piano duet.’

But as so often with Tchaikovsky, the picture changed.When the publisher Bessel prevaricated about printing

the score, Tchaikovsky began to see this as a blessing indisguise. Seven years later he set to work on a majorrevision. The original first movement now made himshudder with horror: ‘My God, how difficult and noisyand disconnected and obscure it was!’ Indeed the wholesymphony was ‘unlucky’ – Tchaikovsky seems to haveforgotten that the first public performance in 1873 wasso successful that the symphony had to be repeatedtwo months later! Soon he was threatening to burn thefirst version, and doing his best to suppress the printedparts.

Listening to the familiar revised version the first-timelistener may find Tchaikovsky’s radical change of heartbaffling. Could the original really be that bad? Grantedthe work isn’t quite as ‘perfect’ formally as he originallythought. Certainly the finales of his later symphoniesare more subtly constructed. But the work is sogenerously tuneful, so imaginatively scored, and so fullof what is obviously mature Tchaikovsky that it’s hard toidentify any cause for shame on his part – however

SYMPHONY NO. 2 IN C MINOR (LITTLE RUSSIAN)

Andante sostenuto – Allegro vivo | Allegretto marziale,quasi moderato | Scherzo: Allegro molto vivace | Finale:Moderato assai – Allegro vivo

Pyotr IlyichTCHAIKOVSKY

1840-1893

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PROGRAMME NOTES

exaggerated. Perhaps the real problem is that by thetime he came to revise the Second Symphony,Tchaikovsky had turned his back decisively on thenationalism of the Mighty Handful. His musicianship, herealised, was altogether more cosmopolitan than theirs.Could it be that the original version of the symphonywas simply tainted by association?

Whatever the cause, we must be grateful thatTchaikovsky deemed the symphony worth saving. Thevery first notes make it clear we are in for somethingspecial. From an emphatic full-orchestral chord ahushed horn solo emerges, intoning a soulful theme –the first of three ideas in this work based on Ukrainianfolksongs. (In Tchaikovsky’s time the Ukraine was knownas ‘Little Russia’, hence the symphony’s nickname.) Thisbuilds to a powerful and dramatic Allegro vivo. But justwhen it seems that memories of that atmospheric slowintroduction are forgotten, the horn cuts in again withits folk-inspired melody, its final phrase echoed by alugubrious ‘dying’ low bassoon – a typicallyTchaikovskian touch.

Instead of the usual slow movement, Tchaikovsky bringscontrast with a sweetly innocent march movement, its

outer sections taken from his rejected opera Undine(one of those scores which, alas, Tchaikovsky didmanage to destroy). At its heart a solo clarinetintroduces another Ukrainian folk-based tune, with adeliciously light accompaniment on two flutes. Thefollowing Scherzo raises the symphony to newimaginative heights: the colours scintillate, the rhythmsdance with remarkable freedom and flexibility – fromthis movement alone you could probably guess thatTchaikovsky was also a great ballet composer. The finaleis dominated by the symphony’s third Ukrainian folk-based tune (presented by the full orchestra in the briefslow introduction). As craftsmanship it may be a lot lessrefined than the Scherzo, but it can be tremendousbracing fun in performance – conjuring up the smell ofvodka, the twang of balalaikas and the creaking ofleather boots. There is one darker moment: rasping lowwoodwind, bass brass and an ominous fortissimo strokeon a gong. But the exhilarating Presto coda soondismisses such thoughts, and the symphony ends inwild elation.

Programme notes by Stephen Johnson © 2011

Hearevery noteHard of hearing? Visit the cloakroom for equipment to improve your concert experience.

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RECORDINGS ON THE LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA’S OWN RECORD LABEL

The recordings may be downloaded in high quality MP3 format from www.lpo.org.uk/shop. CDs may alsobe purchased from all good retail outlets or through the London Philharmonic Orchestra: telephone 0207840 4242 (Mon-Fri 10am-5pm) or visit the website www.lpo.org.uk

LPO-0009 Vladimir Jurowski conducts Tchaikovsky’s Manfred Symphony

‘... it is a wonderfully vivid recording of an exceptionally vibrant, immaculatelyplayed performance ... a superb disc.’THE GUARDIAN, 2 JUNE 2006

LPO-0039 Vladimir Jurowski conducts Tchaikovsky’s Symphonies Nos 1 and 6

‘Both are exceptional performances, superbly recorded with a breathtakingrange of dynamics … In both works, the playing of the LPO is world class.’ANDREW CLEMENTS, THE GUARDIAN, 4 SEPTEMBER 2009

LPO-0042 Neeme Järvi conducts Dvořák’s Requiem with soloists Lisa Milne,Karen Cargill, Peter Auty, Peter Rose and the London Philharmonic Choir

‘Neeme Järvi leads a sturdy, evocative performance graced by gorgeoussinging from the London Philharmonic Choir.’JOSHUA KOSMAN, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE, 7 MARCH 2010

LPO-0051 Vladimir Jurowski conducts Haydn’s The Seven Last Words of ourSaviour on the Cross with Lisa Milne, Ruxandra Donose, Andrew Kennedy,Christopher Maltman and the London Philharmonic Choir

‘This meld of orchestra, chorus and soloists is moving and magnificent, in bothidea and execution.’MICHAEL CHURCH, THE INDEPENDENT, 28 JANUARY 2011

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FUNharmonics Family Concert

Tick Tock

Sunday 15 May 2011 | 11.30amRoyal Festival Hall

Kodály The Viennese Musical Clock fromHáry János SuiteProkofievWaltz from Cinderella: Suite No. 1Haydn Excerpt from Symphony No. 101,(The Clock)McNeff The Clockwork SuiteBeethoven Allegretto from Symphony No. 8J Strauss Perpetuum mobilePonchielli Dance of the Hours from Lagioconda

Stuart Stratford conductorChris Jarvis presenter

Foyer Events from 10amYou can try your hand at playing an orchestralinstrument in one of our Have-a-Go sessions, getyour face painted or join our human orchestra – allin the foyers before and after the performance.Generously supported by The Jeniffer and JonathanHarris Charitable Trust.

TICKETSChild £4-£8Adult £8-£16For booking details see page 16.

The London Philharmonic OrchestraRecording Archive

Many thanks to those kind supporterswho have donated recordings to theLondon Philharmonic OrchestraRecording Archive. There are still manyholes in our Archive so we would liketo encourage any possible donors todelve into their own collections to seeif they have any recordings whichmight fill in some of the gaps. Pleasecontact Gillian Pole at the LondonPhilharmonic Orchestra, 89 AlbertEmbankment, London SE1 7TP if youwould like to make a donation.

Download London PhilharmonicOrchestra recordings fromwww.lpo.org.uk/shop

It’s easy to take the LondonPhilharmonic Orchestra with youwherever you go! Visit our downloadssite to choose the works (or evensingle movements) you’d like to buy,and download high quality MP3s toyour computer for transfer to an MP3player or CD. With regular additions ofnew recordings with conductors fromBeecham to Jurowski you’ll alwayshave a selection of great music tochoose from.

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Thomas Beecham GroupMr & Mrs Richard & Victoria SharpJulian & Gill SimmondsThe Tsukanov Family

Garf & Gill CollinsAndrew DavenportDavid & Victoria Graham FullerRichard Karl GoeltzJohn & Angela KesslerMr & Mrs MakharinskyGeoff & Meg MannCaroline, Jamie & Zander SharpEric Tomsett

Guy & Utti Whittaker

Principal BenefactorsMark & Elizabeth AdamsJane AttiasLady Jane BerrillDesmond & Ruth CecilMr John H CookMrs Sonja DrexlerMr Charles DumasDavid EllenCommander Vincent Evans

Mr Daniel GoldsteinMrs Barbara GreenOliver HeatonMr & Mrs Jeffrey HerrmannPeter MacDonald EggersMr & Mrs David MalpasAndrew T MillsMr Maxwell MorrisonMr Michael PosenMr & Mrs Thierry SciardMr John Soderquist & Mr CostasMichaelides

Mr & Mrs G SteinMr & Mrs John C TuckerHoward & Sheelagh WatsonMr Laurie WattMr Anthony Yolland

BenefactorsMrs A BeareDr & Mrs Alan CarringtonCBE FRS

Marika Cobbold & Michael Patchett-Joyce

Mr & Mrs Stewart CohenMr Alistair CorbettMr David Edgecombe

Mr Richard FernyhoughKen FollettMichael & Christine HenryMr Glenn HurstfieldMr R K JehaMr & Mrs Maurice LambertMr Gerald LevinSheila Ashley LewisWg. Cdr. & Mrs M T LiddiardOBE JP RAF

Mr Frank LimPaul & Brigitta LockMr Brian MarshJohn MontgomeryEdmund PirouetMr Peter TausigMrs Kazue TurnerLady Marina VaizeyMr D Whitelock

Hon. BenefactorElliott Bernerd

Hon. Life MembersKenneth GoodeMrs Jackie Rosenfeld OBE

We would like to acknowledge the generous support of the following Thomas Beecham Group Patrons, PrincipalBenefactors and Benefactors:

The generosity of our Sponsors, Corporate Members, supporters and donors is gratefully acknowledged.

Corporate MembersAppleyard & Trew llpAREVA UKBritish American BusinessBrown Brothers HarrimanCharles RussellDestination Québec – UKDiagonal ConsultingLazardLeventis OverseasMan Group plcQuébec Government Office in London

Corporate DonorLombard Street Research

In-kind SponsorsGoogle IncHeinekenThe Langham LondonLindt & Sprüngli LtdSela / Tilley’s SweetsVilla Maria

Trusts and FoundationsAllianz Cultural FoundationThe Andor Charitable TrustArts and Business

Ruth Berkowitz Charitable TrustThe Boltini TrustBorletti-Buitoni TrustBritten-Pears FoundationThe Candide Charitable TrustThe John S Cohen FoundationThe Coutts Charitable TrustThe Delius TrustThe Dorset FoundationThe D’Oyly Carte Charitable TrustDunard FundThe Equitable Charitable TrustThe Eranda FoundationThe Ernest Cook TrustThe Fenton Arts TrustThe Foyle FoundationThe Jeniffer and Jonathan Harris

Charitable TrustHattori Foundation for Music and

the ArtsCapital Radio’s Help a London ChildThe Idlewild TrustThe Emmanuel Kaye FoundationThe Leverhulme TrustLord and Lady Lurgan TrustMaurice Marks Charitable TrustThe Michael Marks Charitable TrustMarsh Christian Trust

UK Friends of the Felix-Mendelssohn-BartholdyFoundation

The Mercers’ CompanyAdam Mickiewicz InstitutePaul Morgan Charitable TrustMaxwell Morrison Charitable TrustMusicians Benevolent FundThe R K Charitable TrustSerge Rachmaninoff FoundationThe Reed FoundationThe Rubin FoundationThe Seary Charitable TrustThe Samuel Sebba Charitable TrustSound ConnectionsThe Stansfield TrustThe Steel Charitable TrustThe Bernard Sunley Charitable

FoundationThe Swan TrustJohn Thaw FoundationThe Underwood TrustGarfield Weston FoundationYouth Music

and others who wish to remainanonymous.

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PHILHARMONIC NEWS

April Tour

Earlier this month the Orchestra and Principal GuestConductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin flew off toLuxembourg for the start of a five-concert tour whichtook them to Cologne, Heidelberg, Dortmund and Essen.The opening concert in Luxembourg on 5 Aprilcomprised Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 with LarsVogt as soloist and Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique. Theconcerto was repeated throughout the tour butMahler’s Symphony No. 5 replaced the Berlioz at the lasttwo concerts.

Listen again

Tonight’s concert is being recorded by the Orchestra andwill be available to listen to online for free from lateApril for two weeks. If you would like to receive an emailalert when the concert is online, sign up now by visitingwww.lpo.org.uk/listenagain.

Award

We are delighted that Gerald Finley has won the 2011Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences ‘Juno’Award in the Classical Album of the Year: Vocal or ChoralPerformance category, for the Great Operatic Arias CDthe London Philharmonic Orchestra recorded with himin April 2009. Edward Gardner conducted the CD whichfeatures arias ranging from Mozart’s Don Giovanni,Verdi’s Otello, Wagner’s Tannhäuser and Puccini’s Toscato John Adams’ Doctor Atomic, Mark-Anthony Turnage’sThe Silver Tassie and Richard Rodgers’ South Pacific.

Also included on the CD is the Aria ‘Verachtet mir dieMeister nicht’ from Wagner’s Die Meistersinger vonNürnberg which is sung by Hans Sachs, a role GeraldFinley will sing with us this summer at Glyndebourne.

For full details of the CD, visit the Chandos websitewww.chandos.net

NEW on the LPO LabelMahler’s Resurrection Symphony

May’s release on the LPO Label will be VladimirJurowski’s first recorded Mahler Symphony. Taken from aconcert given at the Royal Festival Hall in September2009, this recording of Mahler’s almighty Symphony No. 2 (Resurrection) features soprano Adriana Kucerova,mezzo soprano Christianne Stotijn and the LondonPhilharmonic Choir.

Get your exclusive iTunes pre-release

We are delighted to be able to offer you the chance tolisten to this recording now through a special pre-release arrangement with iTunes. To take advantage ofthis special offer, search for ‘Mahler Jurowski’ on iTunesand download the Symphony today.

‘When the chorus finally stood up and let rip in the closing moments, it set the seal on a masterfulperformance from a world-classorchestra-conductor team.’THE GUARDIAN

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ADMINISTRATION

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Martin HöhmannChairmanStewart McIlwhamVice-ChairmanSue BohlingLord Currie*Jonathan Dawson*Gareth NewmanGeorge PenistonSir Bernard Rix*Kevin RundellSir Philip Thomas*The Rt Hon. Lord Wakeham DL*Timothy Walker AM †*Non-Executive Directors

THE LONDON PHILHARMONIC TRUST

Pehr Gyllenhammar ChairmanDesmond Cecil CMGRichard Karl GoeltzJonathan Harris CBE FRICSDr Catherine C. HøgelMartin HöhmannAngela KesslerClive Marks OBE FCAVictoria SharpJulian SimmondsTimothy Walker AM †Laurence Watt

AMERICAN FRIENDS OF THELONDON PHILHARMONICORCHESTRA, INC.

We are very grateful to theBoard of the American Friendsof the London PhilharmonicOrchestra for its support ofthe Orchestra’s activities inthe USA.

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

Charles RussellSolicitors

Crowe Clark Whitehill LLPAuditors

Dr Louise MillerHonorary Doctor

GENERAL ADMINISTRATION

Timothy Walker AM †Chief Executive and Artistic Director

Alison AtkinsonDigital Projects Manager

FINANCE

David BurkeGeneral Manager andFinance Director

David GreensladeFinance and IT Manager

CONCERT MANAGEMENT

Roanna ChandlerConcerts Director

Ruth SansomArtistic Administrator

Graham WoodConcerts, Recordings andGlyndebourne Manager

Alison JonesConcerts Co-ordinator

Jenny ChadwickTours and EngagementsManager

Jo OrrPA to the Executive / Concerts Assistant

Matthew FreemanRecordings Consultant

EDUCATION ANDCOMMUNITY PROGRAMME

Patrick BaileyEducation and CommunityDirector

Anne FindlayEducation Officer

Caz ValeCommunity Officer

Richard MallettEducation and Community Producer

ORCHESTRA PERSONNEL

Andrew CheneryOrchestra Personnel Manager

Sarah ThomasLibrarian

Michael PattisonStage Manager

Camilla BeggAssistant Orchestra PersonnelManager

Ken Graham TruckingInstrument Transportation(Tel: 01737 373305)

DEVELOPMENT

Nick JackmanDevelopment Director

Harriet MesherCharitable Giving Manager

Phoebe RouseCorporate Relations Manager

Melissa Van EmdenEvents Manager

Elisenda AyatsDevelopment and FinanceOfficer

MARKETING

Kath TroutMarketing Director

Ellie DragonettiMarketing Manager

Helen BoddyMarketing Co-ordinator

Frances CookPublications Manager

Samantha KendallBox Office Administrator(Tel: 020 7840 4242)

Ed WestonIntern

Valerie BarberPress Consultant(Tel: 020 7586 8560)

ARCHIVES

Edmund PirouetConsultant

Philip StuartDiscographer

Gillian PoleRecordings Archive


89 Albert Embankment London SE1 7TPTel: 020 7840 4200Fax: 020 7840 4201Box Office: 020 7840 4242

www.lpo.org.ukVisit the website for fulldetails of LondonPhilharmonic Orchestraactivities.

The London PhilharmonicOrchestra Limited is aregistered charity No. 238045.

Photographs of Liszt, Dvořákand Tchaikovsky courtesy ofthe Royal College of Music,London.

Photograph on the front cover by Karen Robinson.

Programmes printed by Cantate.

†Supported by Macquarie Group

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FUTURE CONCERTSAT SOUTHBANK CENTRE’S ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL

MAHLER ANNIVERSARYWednesday 20 April 2011 | 7.30pm

Mahler Suite from the Orchestral Works of JS BachShostakovich Violin Concerto No. 2Webern Five Movements, Op. 5Beethoven String Quartet in F minor, Op. 95 (arrangedfor string orchestra by Mahler)

Vladimir Jurowski conductorJanine Jansen violin

6.15pm–6.45pm | FREE Pre-Concert EventRoyal Festival HallSurrey University music lecturer Jeremy Barhamdiscusses ‘Pasts and Futures: Mahler the arrangerrethinks history’.

Barlines – FREE Post-Concert EventLevel 2 Foyer at Royal Festival HallAn informal discussion with Vladimir Jurowskifollowing the evening’s performance.

Wednesday 4 May 2011 | 7.30pm

Wagner Overture, Die MeistersingerR Strauss Four Last SongsTchaikovsky Symphony No. 5

Vladimir Jurowski conductorChristine Brewer soprano

Supported by Pritchard Englefield

MAHLER ANNIVERSARYSaturday 28 May 2011 | 7.30pm

Haydn Symphony No. 88Mahler Songs from Des knaben WunderhornBrahms Symphony No. 4

Vladimir Jurowski conductorChristian Gerhaher baritone

6.15pm–6.45pm | FREE Pre-Concert EventRoyal Festival HallSurrey University music lecturer Jeremy Barhamexamines ‘Music of the people? Mahler’s folksongrevival in the Lieder and symphony’.

TO BOOKTickets £9-£38 | Premium seats £55

London Philharmonic Orchestra Ticket Office020 7840 4242 | www.lpo.org.ukMon-Fri 10am-5pm; no booking fee

Southbank Centre Ticket Office | 0844 847 9920www.southbankcentre.co.uk/lpoDaily, 9am-8pm. £2.75 telephone / £1.75 online bookingfees; no fee for Southbank Centre members

Vladimir Jurowskiand Janine Jansen

Vladimir Jurowskiand ChristineBrewer

Vladimir Jurowskiand ChristianGerhaher

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16 april 2011 lpo programme notes

Documents

london chevalier

victoria sharp57697

piccolostewart mcilwham

b minor

c minor little russian

principalsue thomas

duke of kent kgchief

mephisto waltz