17 feb 2010 - lpo programme notes

PROGRAMME £3

CONTENTS2 List of Players3 Orchestra History4 Leader5 Vladimir Jurowski6 Alexander Toradze7 Programme Notes11 Recordings13 Supporters14 Philharmonic News /

Southbank Centre15 Administration16 Future Concerts

The timings shown are notprecise and are given only asa guide.

Principal Conductor VLADIMIR JUROWSKIPrincipal Guest Conductor YANNICK NÉZET-SÉGUINLeader PIETER SCHOEMANComposer in Residence MARK-ANTHONY TURNAGEPatron HRH THE DUKE OF KENT KG

Chief Executive and Artistic Director TIMOTHY WALKER AM†

† supported by Macquarie Group

CONCERT PRESENTED BY THE LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

SOUTHBANK CENTRE’S ROYAL FESTIVAL HALLWednesday 17 February 2010 | 7.30 pm

VLADIMIR JUROWSKI conductor

ALEXANDER TORADZE piano

TCHAIKOVSKYFantasy-Overture: ‘Romeo and Juliet’ (21’)

PROKOFIEVConcerto 1 in D flat for piano and orchestra (16’)

INTERVAL

PROKOFIEVExcerpts from ‘Romeo and Juliet’ (60’)

Tonight is the first concert in the LPO Contemporaries Subscription Series. To find out more about this exciting new membership group for young, dynamic Londoners please visit www.lpo.org.uk/lpocontemporaries

50891 LPO 17 February 10_50891 LPO 17 February 10 10/02/2010 10:28

2 | London Philharmonic Orchestra

LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

FIRST VIOLINSPieter Schoeman* LeaderVesselin Gellev Sub-LeaderKatalin VarnagyCatherine CraigThomas EisnerTina GruenbergGeoffrey LynnRobert PoolSarah StreatfeildRebecca ShorrockAlain PetitclercGalina TanneyToby TramaseurJoanne ChenNaoko MiyamotoAlina PetrenkoGeoffrey SilverCharlotte Scott

SECOND VIOLINSClare Duckworth PrincipalChair supported by Richard and Victoria Sharp

Jeongmin KimJoseph MaherNancy ElanFiona HighamNynke HijlkemaMarie-Anne MairesseAshley StevensAndrew ThurgoodImogen WilliamsonSioni WilliamsPeter GrahamStephen StewartMila MustakovaElizabeth BaldeyLisa Obert

VIOLASAlexander Zemtsov* PrincipalAgnieszka OrlowskaRobert DuncanAnthony ByrneChair supported byJohn and Angela Kessler

Katharine LeekSusanne MartensBenedetto PollaniEmmanuella ReiterLaura VallejoDaniel CornfordIsabel PereiraMiranda DavisSarah MalcolmMartin Fenn

CELLOSKristina Blaumane PrincipalChair supported bySimon Yates and Kevin Roon

Susanne Beer Co-PrincipalFrancis BucknallLaura DonoghueSantiago Sabino Carvalho+

Jonathan AylingChair supported by Caroline,Jamie and Zander Sharp

Sue SutherleySusanna RiddellHelen RathboneTae-Mi SongDavid BucknallWilliam Routledge

DOUBLE BASSESKevin Rundell* PrincipalGeorge PenistonAnita MazzantiniRachel MeerlooDavid JohnsonHelen RowlandsLouis GarsonLowri MorganTom WalleyDamian Rubido Gonzalez

FLUTESJaime Martin* PrincipalEilidh Gillespie

PICCOLOStewart McIlwham* Principal

OBOESChristopher Cowie GuestPrincipalAngela Tennick

COR ANGLAISMax Spiers

CLARINETSNicholas Carpenter PrincipalEmily Sutcliffe

E FLAT CLARINETEmily Sutcliffe

BASS CLARINETPaul Richards Principal

SAXOPHONEMartin Robertson

BASSOONSJohn Price PrincipalGareth Newman*

CONTRA BASSOONSimon Estell Principal

HORNSJohn Ryan PrincipalMartin HobbsAdrian UrenGareth MollisonAlistair RycroftAnthony ChidellNicolas Wolmark

TRUMPETSPaul Beniston* PrincipalAnne McAneney*Chair supported byGeoff and Meg Mann

Daniel NewellChair supported byMrs Steven Ward

CORNETNicholas Betts Principal

TROMBONESMark Templeton* PrincipalDavid Whitehouse

BASS TROMBONELyndon Meredith Principal

TUBADavid Kendall Guest Principal

TIMPANISimon Carrington* Principal

PERCUSSIONAndrew Barclay* PrincipalKeith MillarJeremy CornesSam Walton

HARPSHelen Sharp Guest PrincipalLucy Haslar

PIANO/CELESTE/ORGANRoderick Elms

ASSISTANT CONDUCTORRalf Sochaczewsky

* 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:

Richard Karl GoeltzDavid and Victoria Graham FullerJulian and Gill Simmonds


London Philharmonic Orchestra | 3


Seventy-seven 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 2009/10 include Between TwoWorlds – an exploration of the music and times ofAlfred Schnittke; a Sibelius symphony cycle withOsmo Vänskä in January/February 2010; aperformance of Mendelssohn’s Elijah conducted byKurt Masur and dedicated to the 20th Anniversary ofthe Fall of the Berlin Wall; and new works byRautavaara, Philip Glass, Ravi Shankar and theOrchestra’s Composer in Residence, Mark-Anthony

Turnage. Imaginative programming and a commitmentto new music are at the heart of the Orchestra’s activity,with regular commissions and world premièreperformances.

In addition to its London season, the Orchestra hasflourishing residencies in Brighton and Eastbourne, andperforms regularly around the UK. It is unique incombining these concert activities with esteemed operaperformances each summer at Glyndebourne FestivalOpera where it has been the Resident SymphonyOrchestra 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 it made the first ever visit to China bya Western orchestra. Touring continues to form asignificant part of the Orchestra's schedule and issupported by Aviva, the International Touring Partner of

© Richard Cannon

‘… the standard of execution by the LondonPhilharmonic Orchestra and Chamber Choirof the Moscow Conservatory, magnificentlycorralled by Jurowski, was exemplary.’ANDREW CLARK, FINANCIAL TIMES, 19 NOVEMBER 2009




the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Tours in 2009/10include visits to Germany, Australia, France, China, theCanaries and the USA.

Having long been embraced by the recording,broadcasting and film industries, the LondonPhilharmonic Orchestra broadcasts regularly on domesticand international television and radio. It also worksextensively with the Hollywood and UK film industries,recording soundtracks for blockbuster motion picturesincluding the Oscar-winning score for The Lord of theRings trilogy and scores for Lawrence of Arabia, TheMission, Philadelphia and East is East.

The Orchestra also enjoys strong relationships with themajor record labels and in 2005 began reaching out tonew global audiences through the release of live, studioand archive recordings on its own CD label. Recentadditions to the catalogue have included acclaimedreleases of early Britten works conducted by VladimirJurowski; Mahler’s Symphony 6 under the baton of KlausTennstedt; Tchaikovsky’s Symphonies 1 and 6 conductedby Vladimir Jurowski; Sir Thomas Beecham recordings ofMozart, Delius and Rimsky-Korsakov from the 1930s; aCD of John Ireland’s works taken from his 70th BirthdayConcert in 1949; and Dvor̆ák’s Requiem conducted byNeeme Järvi. The Orchestra’s own-label releases areavailable to download by work or individual track from itswebsite: www.lpo.org.uk/shop.

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 and join us on Facebook.

In 2002, PieterSchoeman joined theLondon PhilharmonicOrchestra as Co-Leader. In 2008 he was appointed Leader.

Born in South Africa, he made his solo debut with theCape Town Symphony Orchestra at the age of ten. Hestudied with Jack de Wet in South Africa, winningnumerous competitions, including the 1984 World YouthConcerto Competition in America. In 1987 he was offeredthe Heifetz Chair of Music scholarship to study withEdouard Schmieder in Los Angeles and in 1991 his talentwas spotted by Pinchas Zukerman who recommendedthat he move to New York to study with SylviaRosenberg. In 1994 he became her teaching assistant atIndiana University, Bloomington.

Pieter Schoeman has performed as a soloist and recitalistthroughout the world in such famous halls as theConcertgebouw in Amsterdam, Moscow's RachmaninovHall, Capella Hall in St Petersburg, Staatsbibliothek inBerlin, Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles and QueenElizabeth Hall in London. As a chamber musician heregularly performs at London's prestigious Wigmore Hall.As a soloist with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, hehas performed Arvo Pärt's Double Concerto andBenjamin Britten's Double Concerto, which was recordedfor the Orchestra’s own record label. Most recently healso played concertos with the Wiener Concertverein andOrchestre Philharmonique de Nice.

In 1995 Pieter Schoeman became Co-Leader of theOrchestre Philharmonique de Nice. During his tenurethere he performed frequently as Guest Leader with thesymphony orchestras of Barcelona, Bordeaux, Lyon,Baltimore and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. A frequent guest of the BBC Symphony Orchestra inLondon, Pieter Schoeman returned in October 2006 tolead that orchestra on a three week tour of Seoul, Beijing,Shanghai, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.

Pieter Schoeman has recorded numerous violin soloswith the London Philharmonic Orchestra for Chandos,Opera Rara, Naxos, the BBC and for American film andtelevision. He led the Orchestra in its soundtrackrecordings for The Lord of the Rings trilogy. He teaches atTrinity College of Music.

PIETERSCHOEMAN

LEADER



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 at HighSchools of Music in Dresden and in Berlin, studyingconducting with Rolf Reuter and vocal coaching withSemion Skigin. In 1995 he made his international debutat the Wexford Festival, where he conducted Rimsky-Korsakov’s May Night. The same year saw his brilliantdebut at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden inNabucco. In 1996 Jurowski joined the ensemble ofKomische Oper Berlin, becoming First Kapellmeister in1997 and continuing to work at the Komische Oper ona permanent 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 FeniceVenice, Opéra Bastille Paris, Théâtre Royal de laMonnaie Brussels, Maggio Musicale Festival Florence,Rossini Opera Festival Pesaro, Edinburgh Festival,Semperoper Dresden and Teatro Comunale di Bologna(where he served as Principal Guest Conductor between2000 and 2003). In 1999 he made his debut at theMetropolitan Opera New York with Rigoletto.

In January 2001 Vladimir Jurowski took up the positionof Music Director of Glyndebourne Festival Opera andin 2003 was appointed Principal Guest Conductor ofthe London 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 has made highly successful debutswith a number of the world's leading orchestrasincluding the Berlin Philharmonic, RotterdamPhilharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw, GewandhausLeipzig, Chamber Orchestra of Europe and DresdenStaatskapelle, and in the USA with the Los AngelesPhilharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony and PhiladelphiaOrchestras. Highlights of the 2009/10 season andbeyond include his debuts with the Bavarian RadioSymphony, Chicago Symphony and ClevelandOrchestras, and return visits to the Berlin PhilharmonicOrchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, TonhalleOrchester Zurich, Accademia di Santa Cecilia, DresdenStaatskapelle and Philadelphia Orchestra.

His operatic work has included performances of Jenůfa,The Queen of Spades and Hänsel und Gretel at theMetropolitan Opera, Parsifal and Wozzeck at the WelshNational Opera, War and Peace at the Opéra Nationalde Paris, Eugene Onegin at La Scala Milan, and DieZauberflöte, La Cenerentola, Otello, Macbeth, Falstaff,Tristan und Isolde and Peter Eötvös’ Love and OtherDemons at Glyndebourne Opera. Future engagementsinclude new productions of Don Giovanni and DieMeistersinger and a revival of The Rake’s Progress atGlyndebourne, and Iolanta at the Dresden Semperoper.

Jurowski’s discography includes the first ever recordingof Giya Kancheli’s Exile for ECM (1994), Meyerbeer’sL’Etoile du nord for Naxos-Marco Polo (1996),Wertherfor BMG (1999), and live recordings of works byRachmaninoff, Turnage, Tchaikovsky, Britten andShostakovich on the London Philharmonic Orchestra’sown label, as well as Prokofiev’s Betrothal in aMonastery on Glyndebourne Opera’s own label. He alsorecords for PentaTone with the Russian NationalOrchestra, releases to date having included Stravinsky'sDivertimento from Le Baiser de la fée, Tchaikovsky'sSuite No. 3 and Shostakovich’s Symphonies Nos 1 and6, Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5, and Tchaikovsky’sIncidental Music from Hamlet. Glyndebourne havereleased DVD recordings of his performances of LaCenerentola, Gianni Schicchi, Die Fledermaus andRachmaninoff’s The Miserly Knight, and other recentDVD releases include Hänsel und Gretel from theMetropolitan Opera New York, and his first concert asthe London Philharmonic Orchestra’s PrincipalConductor featuring works by Wagner, Berg and Mahler(released by Medici Arts).

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ALEXANDER TORADZEPIANO

Alexander Toradze is universally recognised as amasterful virtuoso in the grand Romantic tradition. Hehas enriched the great Russian pianistic heritage withhis own unorthodox interpretative conceptions, deeplypoetic lyricism and intensely emotional excitement.

His recording of all five Prokofiev concertos with ValeryGergiev and the Kirov Orchestra for the Philips label isacclaimed by critics as definitive. The recording ofProkofiev’s Piano Concerto 3 was described byInternational Piano Quarterly as ‘historically the best onrecord’ (from among over seventy recordings). Otherhighly successful recordings have included Scriabin’sPrometheus: The Poem of Fire, with the Kirov Orchestraand Valery Gergiev as well as recital albums of theworks of Mussorgsky, Stravinsky, Ravel and Prokofiev forthe Angel/EMI label.

Mr Toradze regularly appears with the world’s leadingorchestras including, in North America, those of NewYork, the Metropolitan Opera, Boston, Chicago,Philadelphia, Detroit, Minnesota, Houston, Montreal,Toronto, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Cincinnati and LosAngeles. In Europe, he plays with the Kirov Orchestraand the main orchestras in Germany, Poland, the CzechRepublic, the Netherlands, Finland, Norway, Sweden,the UK and Italy. Among his best friends are some ofthe leading conductors of today such as Esa- PekkaSalonen, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Mikko Frank, Paavo andKristian Järvi, Vladimir Jurowski and GianandreaNoseda.

Additionally, Alexander Toradze regularly takes part insummer music festivals including those of Salzburg, theWhite Nights in St Petersburg, the BBC Proms,Edinburgh, Rotterdam, Mikkeli in Finland, theHollywood Bowl, Saratoga and Ravinia.

Recent engagements have taken him to the BBCPhilharmonic and Swedish Radio Orchestras underGianandrea Noseda, the London Symphony andMariinsky Orchestras under Valery Gergiev, theCincinnati Symphony under Paavo Järvi, the LondonPhilharmonic under Jukka-Pekka Saraste, the OrchestreNational de France, the Gulbenkian Orchestra, and theCzech and Dresden Philharmonic Orchestras.

Among future projects are the recording of bothShostakovich Piano Concertos with the Frankfurt RadioSymphony Orchestra under Paavo Järvi and a tour ofthe USA with the London Philharmonic under the batonof Vladimir Jurowski which will include a concert at theAvery Fisher Hall in New York.

Born in Tbilisi, Georgia, Alexander Toradze graduatedfrom the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow and soonbecame a professor there. In 1983, he movedpermanently to the United States. In 1991, he wasappointed the Martin endowed Professor of Piano atthe Indiana University South Bend, where he hascreated a teaching environment that is unparalleled inits unique concept. Members of the multi-nationalToradze Piano Studio have developed into a worldwidetouring ensemble that has gathered internationalcritical acclaim. The Studio has also taken part inprojects performing the piano and chamber works ofRachmaninoff, Prokofiev, Dvořák, Stravinsky andShostakovich in the UK, Italy, Germany, Portugal, Franceand the United States.



In 1868 Tchaikovsky visited St Petersburg and madecontact with the ‘Mighty Handful’ of young Russiancomposers, whose number included Borodin, Cui,Mussorgsky and Rimsky-Korsakov. Their leader,Balakirev, maintained a close interest in his fellowmusicians’ work, and he suggested Shakespeare’sRomeo and Juliet to Tchaikovsky as a subject, evenproffering an outline plan for the proposed work.Tchaikovksy was later generally against founding anorchestral work on a literary subject, but on thisoccasion he allowed himself to be persuaded. The firstversion of the Fantasy-Overture, dedicated to Balakirev,was completed in 1869 and performed in March 1870 inMoscow. It was a failure, and Tchaikovsky set about adrastic revision, accepting Balakirev’s criticism that adifferent opening section was needed. The developmentsection, where this material reappeared, also had to berewritten. Ten years later Tchaikovsky made furtherminor revisions to produce the definitive version.Success eluded the work for some time; it was hissed in

Vienna and Paris. But Nicholas Rubinstein, its firstconductor, insisted on its being published, and Romeoand Juliet eventually won the affection that it retains tothe present day.

The overture does not follow the play’s dramaticsequence but takes its main elements as inspiration forthe contrasting themes of a sonata-form structure withintroduction and coda. The solemn theme of the longintroduction represents Friar Laurence, and the sombreatmosphere here anticipates the tragedy. In the fierceAllegro giusto that follows, Tchaikovsky depicts the fatalwarring between the Montague and Capulet families,the sword fights in the streets being clearly representedby rushing strings and clashing fortissimo chords. Whenthe brawling comes to a temporary halt, the music ofthe lovers appears. Their principal theme, given to coranglais and muted violas, is followed by an undulatingmotive for muted violins and then returns on woodwindwith a new, pulsing counter-figure on the horns. Strings

PROGRAMME NOTES

SPEEDREAD

Tchaikovsky had to rewrite his Romeo and Juliet after anunsuccessful first performance, but the revised version ofthis fantasy overture eventually won the great popularitythat it still enjoys today. The solemn introductionrepresents Friar Laurence. Fierce music pictures thesword fights between the Montague and Capuletfamilies. A theme of passionate longing represents thelovers, and at the end the orchestra laments their fate.

The 21-year-old Prokofiev shocked some of the academicold guard in 1912 with his First Piano Concerto, but therewere others who admired its brilliance and wit, and twoyears later the young composer won the Conservatory’s

top piano prize with it. Today we are quite accustomed toits driving rhythms and unorthodox harmonies. Thesingle movement divides into three sections playedwithout a break.

Many would claim Prokofiev’s finest masterwork to behis Romeo and Juliet, one of the great 20th-century balletscores. It had a difficult but triumphant birth in 1940,and various productions have since been mountedsuccessfully on this music. The second part of tonight’sprogramme is drawn not from the slimmed downconcert suites that Prokofiev adapted from the ballet butfrom the marvellously colourful ballet score itself.

© Eric Mason

FANTASY-OVERTURE: ‘ROMEO AND JULIET’Pyotr IlyichTCHAIKOVSKY

1840-1893



Prokofiev composed his first two piano concertos whilehe was still a student at St Petersburg Conservatory. Heintended them to draw attention to himself ascomposer and pianist, and both works caused a stir. Thefirst was conceived as a concertino, but by the time itwas finished in February 1912 it had grown into a one-movement concerto. Nikolai Tcherepnin, who hadProkofiev in his conducting class, supervised theorchestration and received the dedication.

On the recommendation of the composer Miaskovskythe concerto was included in the following summer’sseason of modern music in Sakolniki Park, Moscow. The21-year-old Prokofiev, making his first publicappearance with an orchestra, was the soloist in thisperformance on 7 August 1912, and in a repeatperformance nine days later in Pavlovsk near St Petersburg. The critics were divided, one hailing theconcerto’s ‘brilliance, wit, piquancy and humour’ andanother deploring its ‘harsh, coarse, primitivecacophony’.

Two years later Prokofiev completed his studies and sethis sights on the Conservatory’s top piano prize. Hischallenging Second Concerto had meanwhile had amainly hostile reception from press and public, butnothing daunted he opted to play his First Concerto inthe competition instead of a classical work, and was

allowed to do so on condition that he provided all 20judges with a score a week beforehand. Glazunov, whowas Director of the Conservatory and chairman of thejury, twice walked out during the performance andcould hardly bring himself to announce the result whenthe jury voted by a majority to award Prokofiev the prize– a grand piano.

One can understand why the young composer’s workoffended the academic old guard in those days beforethe First World War. Its unconventional form, drivingrhythms and unorthodox harmonic shifts were hard forconservative minds to accept. Today’s listeners, beingaccustomed to much sterner challenges, do not find itdifficult music at all and are much more likely to agreewith that first critic who enjoyed its brilliance andpiquancy.

The concerto is in three sections played without a break.It opens with piano and orchestra giving out aninsistent, easily remembered theme that is typical ofProkofiev in the way it slips momentarily into and out ofseveral keys. When the orchestra has repeated thetheme, the soloist goes off at a tangent with an episodebased on brilliant scales, then introduces the secondmain subject, a lively theme characterised by repeatednotes. A development follows, and the section endswith a brief reappearance of the opening theme.

CONCERTO 1 IN D FLAT FOR PIANO ANDORCHESTRA, OP. 10

ALEXANDER TORADZE piano

Allegro brioso – Andante assai – Allegro scherzando

PROGRAMME NOTES

SergeiPROKOFIEV

1891-1953

and woodwind backed by harp chords conclude theexposition.

Friar Laurence’s music and the feud theme are treatedin the development. The recapitulation brings back firstthe love music, rising now to its highest intensity, then

the fighting, which reaches a furious climax. Throbbingfuneral drums and basses begin the coda. The Friar’stheme is heard once more, the orchestra laments thelovers’ fate and with heavy chords the overture ends.

© Eric Mason



INTERVAL 20 minutes

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

PROGRAMME NOTES

A lyrical theme announced by the violins is the basis ofthe Andante assai middle section. In the concludingAllegro scherzando the ideas of the concerto’s firstsection undergo still more varied and brilliant treatment

than before, the initial theme returning once more toround off the work.

© Eric Mason

In 1934, shortly after Prokofiev resettled permanently inhis native Russia, the Kirov Theatre in St Petersburginvited him to compose music for a ballet version ofRomeo and Juliet. When doubts about the suitability ofShakespeare’s tragedy caused the theatre to drop theproject, the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow took it over.With the collaboration of Adrian Piotrovsky and SergeiRadlov a scenario was devised. Initially it had a happyending, but wiser counsels prevailed and the finalversion is commendably true to the play’s essentials.Prokofiev composed the music, one of the century’sgreat ballet scores, in the summer of 1935, and it wasgiven a concert performance in Moscow that October.The Bolshoi then decided that the music was unsuitablefor dancing and cancelled the composer’s contract. Sohe arranged two concert suites (a third was to follow in1946), and the popularity that these won obliged theauthorities to think again.

The Czech city of Brno staged the ballet in 1938, andthe following year the Kirov Ballet decided to mount it

with choreography by Leonid Lavrovsky. The dancersinitially had difficulty coming to terms with suchunusual music, but the première on 11 January 1940was a huge success. Konstantin Sergeyev and GalinaUlanova danced the title parts, and Juliet becameUlanova’s most celebrated role. Lavrovsky moved to theBolshoi, for which he remounted the ballet in 1946, andthat spectacular production was chosen for the BolshoiBallet’s British debut at Covent Garden in 1956. Amongother productions there have been versionschoreographed by Sir Frederick Ashton for the RoyalDanish Ballet, John Cranko for Stuttgart and Sir KennethMacMillan – with long lasting success – for Britain’sRoyal Ballet.

The ballet’s longevity has surely been due above all tothe mastery with which Prokofiev realised in musicalterms the facets of Shakespeare’s play: Romeo’s passion,the burgeoning of Juliet from child into young woman,the violence and splendour of Renaissance Italy. Using aLeitmotiv procedure, he assigned to the principal

EXCERPTS FROM ‘ROMEO AND JULIET’ OP. 64SergeiPROKOFIEV

1891-1953



PROGRAMME NOTES

characters themes that he varied and developed overthe course of the dance drama. The spectacularlycolourful and tuneful score employs a large orchestra,including such distinctive instruments as tenorsaxophone, cornet, viola d’amore, piano and (notrequired tonight) mandolins.

This evening we hear Vladimir Jurowski’s selection ofnumbers from the theatre score, beginning with theominous music that accompanies the Prince of Verona’sdecree banning affrays. Next the Introduction presentsthemes associated with Romeo and Juliet. In theopening morning scene three servants of Juliet’sCapulet family caper in the street. They becomeembroiled in a quarrel with servants of Romeo’s family,the Montagues, who are enemies of the Capulets.Montague’s nephew Benvolio, Lady Capulet’s nephewTybalt and others are drawn into the furious sword fightthat ensues.

In the next scene Juliet is with her nurse ( jocularbassoon theme) preparing for the Capulets’ ball. Sheteases the nurse (a delicately playful Vivace), and thenmore calmly (flute and cello solos) shows her tender,romantic nature as a young girl.

A piquant, strongly accented dance finds Romeo,Mercutio and Benvolio putting on masks to gatecrashthe ball. At the ball the knightly guests perform astately, heavily weighted dance to the most familiarnumber in Prokofiev’s score.

Act One ends with the Balcony Scene. Juliet has fallen inlove with the masked admirer she met at the ball andhas learned his identity. Unable to sleep, she steps on toher bedroom balcony and sees Romeo in the garden.Flute and harp chords with muted strings and a passagefor solo strings evoke the moonlit night. A dozen‘inquiet’ bars indicate the danger of being discovered,but Romeo lifts Juliet down – a necessary balleticdeparture from the play – and they confess their love.Horn figures lead into a romantic cor anglais and cellomelody, which violins and violas take up. Romeo

declares his feelings with a virile Allegro amoroso insyncopated 3/4 time, and a passionate Love Dancefollows. Finally the woodwind and harp chords returnwith the tenderest pianissimo strings: ‘Good night, goodnight, parting is such sweet sorrow…’

Act Two opens with Prokofiev’s version of the tarantella,his only use of an Italian dance form. Besidesaccompanying the lively dance the music evokes thefestive bustle in the streets. Passing over the secretmarriage of Romeo and Juliet, we come to the fatefulclimax of the act. The arrogant Tybalt meets Mercutio inthe street. They fight, and when Mercutio is unsightedTybalt runs him through. Romeo resolves (strings andlow brass) to avenge his friend’s death. He draws hissword and after a tremendous fight kills Tybalt. Againsta pattern of fierce chords a wild, keening melodyspreads through the orchestra as Tybalt’s body is borneaway.

The prince has banished Romeo, and in the third sceneof Act Three Juliet is in her bedroom. Her parents areinsisting that she marry Paris, the prince’s kinsman. Thecool, shivery theme of her contact with Paris (fluteswith glissando violas) shows her revulsion, but shepretends to agree to the marriage. Left alone she recallsher time with Romeo, then swallows a sleeping potion,given her by Friar Laurence, which will temporarily makeher appear dead.

Before the tragedy’s climax we turn back to the publicmaking merry at festival time. But now Juliet hasmistakenly been taken for dead, and is laid to rest in theCapulet family vault. Romeo, who has not received theFriar’s message that Juliet is only drugged, comes to thevault. With anguish poignantly expressed in the music,he dances with Juliet’s seemingly lifeless body (‘Armstake your last embrace’), drinks poison and dies. Julietawakes to find Romeo dead and kills herself with hisdagger.

© Eric Mason



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. Theymay also be purchased from all good retail outlets or through the London PhilharmonicOrchestra: telephone 020 7840 4242 (Mon-Fri 10am-5pm) or visit the website www.lpo.org.uk

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

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

LPO-0004 Vladimir Jurowski conducts Rachmaninov’s The Isle ofthe Dead and Symphonic Dances

‘... dramatic and focused ... Jurowski’s slow-burning Rachmaninov isirresistible.’INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

LPO-0009 Vladimir Jurowski conducts Tchaikovsky’s ManfredSymphony

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



FUNharmonics Family Concert

DreamsSunday 14 March 2010 | 11.30amRoyal Festival Hall

Davenport In the Night Garden (theme)Debussy Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune(excerpt)Saint-Saëns Danse macabreMarianelli The Starfish’s StoryVarious Classical LullabiesSilvestri The Polar Express (theme)

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 –all in the foyers before and after the performance.Generously supported by The Jeniffer & JonathanHarris Charitable Trust.

TICKETSChild £4-£7; Adult £8-£14For booking details see page 16.

Highlights include

LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA 21 APRConducted by Marin Alsop, featuring Bernstein’s Symphony No.2 and Shostakovich’s Symphony No.5 in D Minor.

ALSOP ON BERNSTEIN & MAHLER 9 MAYBournemouth Symphony Orchestra and others perform Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony, conducted by Marin Alsop.

BERNSTEIN MASS 10 – 11 JULFeaturing the Mass Orchestra, a rock band, choirs, soloists, a marching band and dancers.

AND MANY MORE

BOOK NOWwww.southbankcentre.co.uk/bernstein0844 847 9910

The Bernstein ProjectUntil July 2010

Project Artistic DirectorMarin Alsop

Celebrating Leonard Bernstein, one of the great icons of 20th century music making.

Photo: Leonard B

ernstein © G

MacD

omnic / Lebrecht A

rts & M

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Corporate MembersAppleyard & Trew llpBritish American BusinessCharles RussellDestination Québec – UKDiagonal ConsultingLazardLeventis OverseasMan Group plcQuébec Government Office in London

Corporate DonorsLombard Street ResearchRedpoint Energy Limited

In-kind SponsorsHeinekenLindt & Sprüngli LtdSela Sweets LtdVilla Maria

Education PartnersLambeth City Learning CentreLondon Borough of LambethSouthwark EiC

Trusts and FoundationsAdam Mickiewicz InstituteAllianz Cultural FoundationThe Andor Charitable TrustThe Bernard Sunley CharitableFoundation

Borletti-Buitoni TrustThe Candide Charitable TrustThe John S Cohen FoundationThe Coutts Charitable TrustThe D’Oyly Carte Charitable TrustDunard FundThe Emmanuel Kaye FoundationThe Equitable Charitable TrustThe Eranda FoundationThe Ernest Cook TrustThe Fenton Arts TrustThe Foyle FoundationGarfield Weston FoundationThe Henry Smith CharityThe Idlewild TrustJohn Lyon’s CharityJohn Thaw FoundationThe Jonathan & Jeniffer Harris TrustThe Sir Jules Thorn Charitable Trust

Lord Ashdown Charitable SettlementMarsh Christian TrustMaurice Marks Charitable TrustMaxwell Morrison Charitable TrustThe Michael Marks Charitable TrustMusicians Benevolent FundPaul Morgan Charitable TrustThe R K Charitable TrustRuth Berkowitz Charitable TrustThe Samuel Sebba Charitable TrustSerge Rachmaninoff FoundationStansfield TrustUK Friends of the Felix-

Mendelssohn-Bartholdy-Foundation

The Underwood Trust

and others who wish to remainanonymous.

Thomas Beecham GroupMr & Mrs Richard & Victoria SharpJulian & Gill SimmondsMrs Steven WardSimon Yates & Kevin Roon

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

Guy & Utti Whittaker

Principal BenefactorsMark & Elizabeth AdamsJane AttiasLady Jane BerrillDesmond & Ruth CecilMr John H CookAndrew DavenportMrs Sonja DrexlerMr Charles DumasDavid Ellen

Commander Vincent EvansMr Daniel GoldsteinMrs Barbara GreenMr Ray HarsantOliver HeatonPeter MacDonald EggersMr & Mrs David MalpasAndrew T MillsMr Maxwell MorrisonMr & 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

Mr & Mrs Stewart CohenMr Alistair CorbettMr David EdgecombeMr Richard FernyhoughKen Follett

Michael & 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 MarshMs Sarah NeedhamMr & Mrs Egil OldeideEdmund PirouetMr Michael PosenMr Peter TausigMrs Kazue TurnerLady Marina VaizeyMr D Whitelock

Hon. BenefactorElliott Bernerd

Hon. Life MembersKenneth GoodeMrs Jackie Rosenfeld OBE

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

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



We hope you enjoy your visit. We have a DutyManager available at all times. If you have anyqueries please ask any member of staff forassistance.

Eating, drinking and shopping? Southbank Centreshops and restaurants include: MDC music andmovies, Foyles, EAT, Giraffe, Strada, wagamama, LePain Quotidien, Las Iguanas, ping pong, Canteen,Caffé Vergnano 1882, Skylon and Feng Sushi, as wellas cafes, restaurants and shops inside the RoyalFestival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall and HaywardGallery.

If you wish to get in touch with us following yourvisit please contact our Head of Customer Relationsat Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London SE18XX, by phone on 020 7960 4250 or by email [email protected]

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 auditoriumif there is a suitable break in the performance

RECORDING is not permitted in the auditoriumwithout the prior consent of Southbank Centre.Southbank Centre reserves the right to confiscate videoor sound equipment and hold it in safekeeping until theperformance has ended

MOBILES, PAGERS AND WATCHES should beswitched off before the performance begins

WELCOMETO SOUTHBANK CENTRE

PHILHARMONIC NEWS

Grammy Award

The London Philharmonic Orchestra is delighted toannounce that its recording of Jennifer Higdon’sPercussion Concerto has won the 2010 Grammy Awardfor best classical contemporary composition. The piecewas co-commissioned by the Philadelphia, DallasSymphony and Indianapolis Symphony Orchestras andwas given its European première by the LondonPhilharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall on 15December 2007.

This première recording was taken from the Decemberconcert conducted by Marin Alsop with percussionistColin Currie. It forms part of the CD LPO-0035, whichalso includes James MacMillan’s The Confession of IsobelGowdie and Thomas Adès’s Chamber Symphony. It wasdescribed by The Financial Times as ‘the best possibleadvert for new classical music’.

The CD may be downloaded in high quality MP3 formatfrom www.lpo.org.uk/shop. It can also be purchasedfrom all good retail outlets or through the LondonPhilharmonic Orchestra: telephone 020 7840 4242(Mon-Fri 10am-5pm) or visit the websitewww.lpo.org.uk



ADMINISTRATION

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Martin HöhmannChairmanStewart McIlwhamVice-ChairmanSue BohlingSimon CarringtonLord Currie*Jonathan Dawson*Anne McAneneyGeorge PenistonSir Bernard Rix*Kevin RundellSir Philip ThomasSir John Tooley*The Rt Hon. Lord Wakeham DL*Timothy Walker AM †*Non-Executive Directors

THE LONDON PHILHARMONIC TRUST

Pehr Gyllenhammar ChairmanDesmond Cecil CMGSir George Christie CHRichard Karl GoeltzJonathan Harris CBE FRICSDr Catherine C. HøgelMartin HöhmannAngela KesslerClive Marks OBE FCAVictoria SharpJulian SimmondsTimothy Walker AM †Laurence WattSimon Yates

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

Horwath Clark Whitehill LLPAuditors

Dr Louise MillerHonorary Doctor

GENERAL ADMINISTRATION

Timothy Walker AM †Chief Executive and Artistic Director

Alison AtkinsonDigital Projects Manager

Julius HendriksenAssistant to the Chief Executiveand Artistic Director

FINANCE

David BurkeGeneral Manager andFinance Director

David GreensladeFinance and IT Manager

Joshua FoongFinance Officer

CONCERT MANAGEMENT

Roanna ChandlerConcerts Director

Ruth SansomArtistic Administrator

Graham WoodConcerts, Recordings andGlyndebourne Manager

Alison JonesConcerts Co-ordinator

Hattie GarrardTours and EngagementsManager

Camilla BeggConcerts and Tours Assistant

Matthew FreemanRecordings Consultant

ORCHESTRA PERSONNEL

Andrew CheneryOrchestra Personnel Manager

Sarah ThomasLibrarian

Michael PattisonStage Manager

Hannah TuckerAssistant Orchestra PersonnelManager

Ken Graham TruckingInstrument Transportation(Tel: 01737 373305)

EDUCATION ANDCOMMUNITY PROGRAMME

Matthew ToddEducation and Community Director

Anne NewmanEducation Officer

Isobel TimmsCommunity Officer

Alec HaylorEducation and Community Assistant

Richard MallettEducation and Community Producer

DEVELOPMENT

Emma O’ConnellDevelopment Director

Nick JackmanCharitable Giving Manager

Phoebe RouseCorporate Relations Manager

Sarah TattersallCorporate Relations and Events Manager

Anna GoverCharitable Giving Officer

Melissa Van EmdenCorporate Relations and Events Officer

MARKETING

Kath TroutMarketing Director

Janine HowlettMarketing ManagerBrighton, Eastbourne,Community & Education

Frances CookPublications Manager

Samantha KendallBox Office Administrator(Tel: 020 7840 4242)

Heather BarstowMarketing Co-ordinator

Valerie BarberPress Consultant(Tel: 020 7586 8560)

ARCHIVES

Edmund PirouetConsultant

Philip StuartDiscographer

Gillian PoleRecordings Archive

INTERN

Jo LangstonMarketing


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 Tchaikovskyand Prokofiev courtesy of theRoyal College of Music,London.

Photograph on the front cover by Roman Gontcharov.

Programmes printed by Cantate.

†Supported by Macquarie Group



FUTURE CONCERTSAT SOUTHBANK CENTRE’S ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL

Saturday 20 February 2010 | 7.30pm

Janác̆ek Taras BulbaJanác̆ek The Eternal GospelSuk Symphony 2 (Asrael)

Vladimir Jurowski conductorSofia Fomina sopranoMichael König tenorLondon Philharmonic Choir

Barlines | FREE Post-Concert EventClore Ballroom Floor, Royal Festival Hall FoyerAn informal discussion with Vladimir Jurowskifollowing the evening’s performance.

Wednesday 24 February 2010 | 7.30pm

Shostakovich The GamblersShostakovich Suite from ‘The Nose’Shostakovich Symphony 1

Vladimir Jurowski conductorMikhail Urusov Ikharev, a gamblerVladimir Ognev Gavryushka, his servantSergei Leiferkus Uteshitelny, a gamblerSergei Aleksashkin Shvokhnev, a gamblerViacheslav Voynarovskiy Krugel, a gamblerMikhail Petrenko Alexey, his servant

FREE Pre-Concert Event6.15pm | Royal Festival HallMusicologist Stephen Johnson takes a closer look atShostakovich’s The Gamblers and The Nose.

JTI Friday Series | Friday 12 March 2010 | 7.30pm

Ravel Mother Goose SuiteSchumann Piano ConcertoBrahms Symphony 2

Gunther Herbig conductorHélène Grimaud piano

Wednesday 17 March 2010 | 7.30pm

Wagner Lohengrin, Prelude to Act 1Brahms Violin ConcertoBartók Concerto for Orchestra

Ludovic Morlot conductorAnne-Sophie Mutter violin

FREE Pre-Concert Event6.00pm | Royal Festival HallA performance by Lambeth and Southwark schoolchildren marking the culmination of their compositionproject, inspired by this evening’s repertoire.

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. £2.50 telephone / £1.45 online bookingfees; no fee for Southbank Centre members

Sofia Fomina andMichael König

Gunther Herbig andHélène Grimaud

Vladimir Jurowskiand Mikhail Urusov

Ludovic Morlot andAnne-Sophie Mutter


17 feb 2010 - lpo programme notes

Documents

d flat

bysimon yates

duke of kent kgchief

meg manndaniel newellchair

principalanne mcaneney

asa guide

macquarie groupconcert

principaldavid whiteho