5 feb 10 - lpo prog notes

JTI FRIDAY SERIES

SOUTHBANK CENTRE’S ROYAL FESTIVAL HALLFriday 5 February 2010 | 7.30 pm

MIRACULOUS LOGIC: THE MUSIC OF JEAN SIBELIUS

OSMO VÄNSKÄ conductor

KRISTINA BLAUMANE cello

SIBELIUSTapiola (19’)

SIBELIUSCantique and Devotion: Two Serious Melodiesfor cello and orchestra (10’)

INTERVAL

SIBELIUSSymphony 6 in D minor (27’)

SIBELIUSSymphony 7 in C (22’)

PROGRAMME £3

CONTENTS2 List of Players3 Orchestra History5 Osmo Vänskä6 Kristina Blaumane7 Programme Notes11 Recordings12 Southbank Centre13 Supporters14 Philharmonic News15 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 ResidenceMARK-ANTHONY TURNAGEPatron HRH THE DUKE OF KENT KGChief Executive and Artistic Director TIMOTHY WALKER AM†

† supported by Macquarie Group

CONCERT PRESENTED BY THE LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

48983 LPO 5 February 10.qxd:48983 LPO 5 February 10 28/1/10 07:46

2 | London Philharmonic Orchestra

LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

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

Caroline, Jamie and Zander Sharp

FIRST VIOLINSAbigail Young Guest LeaderJulia RumleyChair supported byMrs StevenWard

Benjamin RoskamsKatalin VarnagyCatherine CraigThomas EisnerTina GruenbergMartin HöhmannChair supported byRichard Karl Goeltz

Geoffrey LynnRobert PoolFlorence SchoemanSarah StreatfeildYang ZhangRebecca ShorrockAlain PetitclercPeter Nall

SECOND VIOLINSClare Duckworth PrincipalChair supported byRichard and Victoria Sharp

Jeongmin KimJoseph MaherKate BirchallChair supported by Davidand Victoria Graham Fuller

Nancy ElanFiona HighamNynke HijlkemaAshley StevensAndrew ThurgoodDeanWilliamsonSioni WilliamsPeter GrahamMila MustakovaSheila Law

VIOLASAlexander Zemtsov* PrincipalFionaWinningRobert DuncanAnthony ByrneChair supported byJohn and Angela Kessler

Susanne MartensBenedetto PollaniEmmanuella ReiterDaniel CornfordIsabel PereiraMiranda DavisSarah MalcolmKarin Norlen

CELLOSKristina Blaumane PrincipalChair supported bySimon Yates and Kevin Roon

Susanne Beer Co-PrincipalFrancis BucknallLaura DonoghueSue SutherleySusanna RiddellPavlos CarvalhoTae-Mi SongTom RoffHelen Rathbone

DOUBLE BASSESKevin Rundell* PrincipalLaurence LovelleGeorge PenistonRichard LewisDavid JohnsonRoger LinleyHelen RowlandsCatherine Ricketts

FLUTESLaura Lucas Guest PrincipalEilidh Gillespie

PICCOLOStewart McIlwham* Principal

OBOESIan Hardwick PrincipalAngela Tennick

COR ANGLAISSue Bohling PrincipalChair supported byJulian and Gill Simmonds

CLARINETSNicholas Carpenter PrincipalEmily Sutcliffe

BASS CLARINETPaul Richards Principal

BASSOONSGareth Newman* PrincipalSimon EstellMolly Neilsen

CONTRA BASSOONSimon Estell Principal

HORNSJohn Ryan PrincipalMartin HobbsBrendan ThomasGareth MollisonNicolas Wolmark

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

Nicholas Betts Co-Principal

TROMBONESMark Templeton* PrincipalDavid Whitehouse

BASS TROMBONELyndon Meredith Principal

TIMPANISimon Carrington* PrincipalAndrew Barclay* Co-Principal

HARPRachel Masters* Principal

* Holds a professorialappointment in London


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 illustriousmusician to another, amongst themSir Adrian Boult, Bernard Haitink, Sir Georg Solti, KlausTennstedt and Kurt Masur. This impressive traditioncontinued in September 2007whenVladimir Jurowskibecame the Orchestra’s Principal Conductor, and in afurther excitingmove, 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 withmany of theworld’s most sought after conductors and soloists.Concert highlights in 2009/10 include Between TwoWorlds – an exploration of themusic and times ofAlfred Schnittke; a Sibelius symphony cycle withOsmoVänskä in January/February 2010; aperformance of Mendelssohn’s Elijah conducted byKurt Masur and dedicated to the 20th Anniversary ofthe Fall of the BerlinWall; and newworks byRautavaara, Philip Glass, Ravi Shankar and theOrchestra’s Composer in Residence, Mark-Anthony

Turnage. Imaginative programming and a commitmentto newmusic 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 byaWestern 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 Dvorák’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 helpmaintain 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 aremany 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.

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

Bernstein

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omnic

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usic



OSMO VÄNSKÄCONDUCTOR

Praised for his intense and dynamic performances,Osmo Vänskä is recognised for compellinginterpretations of the standard, contemporary andNordic repertoires, as well as for the close rapport heestablishes with the musicians he leads.

In 2003, Vänskä became the tenth Music Director of theMinnesota Orchestra and has since drawnextraordinary reviews for concerts both at home andabroad, including appearances at Carnegie Hall andLincoln Center New York, major European tours, and avisit in 2009 to venues such as the Cologne and BerlinPhilharmonie, Frankfurt Alte Oper, Vienna Musikvereinand the Barbican in London. His Minnesota Orchestracontract has been renewed until 2015.

Vänskä and the Minnesota Orchestra have recentlycompleted a five-year, five-disc project to record thecomplete Beethoven symphonies on the BIS label. Thecollection has amassed rave reviews and their recordingof Beethoven’s Symphony 9 received a 2008 Grammynomination for ‘Best Orchestral Performance’. Last yearVänskä embarked on a series of new recordings,including all five Beethoven piano concertos withpianist Yevgeny Sudbin; a disc of Bruckner’s Symphony 4;and live recordings of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concertos 1, 2and 3 and Concert Fantasiawith pianist Stephen Hough.

Vänskä was Music Director of the Lahti SymphonyOrchestra from 1988, and now holds the position ofConductor Laureate. He transformed the regionalensemble into one of Finland’s flagship orchestras. Theirpartnership has received widespread attention throughits collection of innovative Sibelius recordings on the BISlabel and its international performances in London,Birmingham, Vienna and New York.

As a guest conductor in America, Vänskä has appearedwith the Boston Symphony, Chicago Symphony,Cleveland, National Symphony, New York Philharmonic,Philadelphia and Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestras. InEurope, he has conducted the Berlin Philharmonic, BBCSymphony, Czech Philharmonic, Helsinki Philharmonic,London Philharmonic and Royal ConcertgebouwOrchestras as well as the Gewandhaus OrchesterLeipzig and the Orchestre de Paris.

Osmo Vänskä began his music career as a clarinettist.He held the co-principal chair of the HelsinkiPhilharmonic from 1977-82 and the principal chair ofthe Turku Philharmonic from 1971-76. Followingconducting studies under Jorma Panula at Finland’sSibelius Academy, he was awarded first prize at the1982 Besançon International Young Conductors’Competition. Three years later he began his tenure withthe Lahti Symphony as Principal Guest Conductor, whilealso serving as Music Director of the Iceland SymphonyOrchestra and the Tapiola Sinfonietta. In addition,Vänskä served as Chief Conductor of the BBC ScottishSymphony Orchestra from 1997-2002.

In recent years, Vänskä has enjoyed a return toperforming on the clarinet. He has often playedchamber music with members of the MinnesotaOrchestra and has performed as a clarinettist at NapaValley’s Music in the Vineyards Festival and the MostlyMozart Festival in New York.

Vänskä has recorded extensively on the BIS label. Hisnumerous Sibelius recordings with the Lahti SymphonyOrchestra have amassed numerous awards, including a1996 Gramophone Award and Cannes Classical Awardfor the original version of the Symphony 5. His first-evercomplete recording of The Tempest won the 1993 PrixAcadémie Charles Cros, and his original version of theSibelius Violin Concerto with Leonidas Kavakos won the1991 Gramophone Awards for ‘Record of the Year’ and‘Best Concerto Recording’.

Vänskä was awarded an honorary doctorate from theUniversity of Glasgow in recognition of his tenure asChief Conductor of the BBC Scottish SymphonyOrchestra, and was also honoured with a RoyalPhilharmonic Society Award for his outstandingcontribution to classical music.



KRISTINA BLAUMANECELLO

Kristina Blaumane was born in Riga into a family ofmusicians. After graduating from the Latvian Academyof Music where she studied with Eleonora Testeleca,she moved to England and studied with Stefan Popov atthe Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

Educated in the best traditions of Latvian and Britishschools she became a winner of many prestigiouscompetitions and awards including the LatvianPhilharmonic Young Musician of the Year, the LatvianTelevision Competition ‘Alternativa’, the CarmelInternational Competition, the Musicians BenevolentFund and the Lord Mayor’s Prize. Kristina has twice, in2005 and 2007, become a laureate of the Great MusicAward, the highest prize given by the Latvian State inthe field of music.

She is now enjoying a busy career giving recitals andperforming with orchestras such as the AmsterdamSinfonietta, Chicago Civic Orchestra, Kremerata Baltica,Britten Sinfonia, Latvian National Symphony Orchestra,Latvian National Opera Orchestra, Sinfonietta Riga,Liepaja Symphony Orchestra and Netherlands WindEnsemble under conductors including ThomasSanderling, Lev Markiz, Andris Nelsons, Takuo Yuasa andPeter Oundjian.

Kristina has been a guest at major internationalfestivals such as Lockenhaus, Gstaad, Salzburg, Verbier,Basel, Jerusalem, Utrecht, Spitalfields, Cheltenham andAldeburgh as well as the Homecoming and Crescendo

festivals in Moscow. She has also performed chambermusic with artists such as Isaac Stern, Gidon Kremer, YoYo Ma, Yuri Bashmet, Leif Ove Andsnes, Janine Jansen,Julian Rachlin, Bruno Giuranna, Misha Maisky, NikolajZnaider, Tatyana Grindenko, Oleg Maisenberg andothers.

Last season Kristina Blaumane released her debutrecital CD with Russian pianist Jacob Katsnelson on theQuartz label. The album comprises sonatas by Barberand Grieg as well as Martinu’s Variations on a SlovakianTheme. She has also recorded for Onyx and ConiferClassics as well as for BBC, Dutch, Israeli, Russian andLatvian radio and television.

At the age of 22, Kristina was appointed Principal Celloof the Amsterdam Sinfonietta and in November 2007she was appointed Principal Cello of the LondonPhilharmonic Orchestra. Her chair is supported bySimon Yates and Kevin Roon. She also regularly appearsas a guest leader with Kremerata Baltica.



PROGRAMME NOTES

SPEEDREAD

Tonight the London Philharmonic Orchestra’s four-concert survey of themusic of Jean Sibelius offers twoastounding examples of that subconsciousinterconnection of musical ideas fromwhich this mini-festival has taken its name. ‘Miraculous logic’, Sibeliussaid in 1908, governed his musical thought process. Itreached its highest and purest state in the Sixth andSeventh Symphonies. In the former, onemusicalcommentator has said, every bar of themusic seems tohave grown out of what preceded it. The Seventh,according to GustavMahler, had ‘a profound logic thatcreated an inner connection between all themotifs.’That’s precisely the reason Sibelius’s music remains soenjoyable, fascinating and important.

While Sibelius’s works have long proved fascinating formusicologists, at the time of their creation they werevital for Finland. Suppressed by its ruler Russia, theDuchy of Finland was in search of an identity throughwhich she could push for independence. Sibelius becamea sort of figurehead for his countrymen in a way fewother musicians have. That’s discernible by the extent towhich he remains in the consciousness of Finns today:Sibelius T-shirts, mugs and CDs hog sizeable retailcorners at Helsinki’s airport. Something sonically Finnishin Sibelius’s music has as much to do with this as politicsdoes. Finland’s curious and elusive light; the shape andtexture of its land; the prevailingmood of its populace:all are built into Sibelius’s music. In the forest-scape ofTapiola and the haunting but simple nobility of the TwoSeriousMelodies – as well as in both tonight’ssymphonies – there’s much of Finland to hear.

MIRACULOUS LOGIC:THE MUSIC OF JEAN SIBELIUS

No conductor today has done more than OsmoVänskä to challenge and enrich our understanding ofthe great Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. Not only ishe a truly exceptional interpreter of the composer’smusic but he has also brought to light vastquantities of unknown or little known Sibeliusmusic.

In a series of four concerts Vänskä is taking usthrough the entire chain of Sibelius symphonies,pausing on the way to explore some lesser knowngems such as The Wood Nymph and the Cantiqueand Devotion for cello and orchestra, as well asallowing us to hear the great orchestral tone poemTapiola and the intoxicating vocal tone poemLuonnotar.

The series comes to an end this evening with his lasttwo symphonies.

‘Youmention interconnections between themesand other suchmatters, all of which are quitesubconscious onmy part. Only afterwards can onediscern this or that relationship but for themostpart one is merely the vessel. That miraculous logic(let us call it God) which governs a work of art, thatis the important thing.’JEAN SIBELIUS TO HIS FRIEND AXEL CARPELAN

Jean Sibelius1865-1957



PROGRAMME NOTES

With these two short movements we dip briefly into theperiod 1914-15, that gave birth predominantly toSibelius’s Fifth Symphony. They were dark times for thecomposer and for Finland: the onset of war meant thatthe Duchy, aligned with its oppressive ruler Russia, facednot only mass slaughter but also the annihilation of itstimber exporting industry. Hopes of Finnishindependence, spearheaded by a faction which sawSibelius as its figurehead, grew ever fainter.

The two ‘serious melodies’ exist for various instrumentcombinations, but were first heard in that for cello and

orchestra used tonight; the soloist with the HelsinkiOrchestra on 30 March 1916 was Ossian Fohström. Bothmovements have an underlying melancholy. The firstbears the Latin subtitle Rejoice, my soul, but thenostalgic, elegiac mood of the musical material, led bythe song of the soloist, doesn’t overtly rejoice. Thesecond piece, From my very heart, appears more restless,travelling through varying keys in an eventuallyimpassioned search for contentment.

CANTIQUE AND DEVOTION: TWO SERIOUS MELODIES FOR CELLO AND ORCHESTRA, OP. 77

KRISTINA BLAUMANE cello

Laetare animamea (Cantique) | Ab imo pectore (Devotion)

Sibelius didn’t have to wait for his career to reach itsapex before becoming a national hero in Finland. Afusion of nationalistic politics with the composer’scaptivating and innately Finnish music made sure ofthat. And while the European mainland was a littleslower to acknowledge the composer’s significance, theBritish and Americans commissioned and applauded hismusic with great enthusiasm. In the 1930s the NewYork Philharmonic’s audience voted Sibelius theirfavourite living composer; by the 1940s he was beingtreated to passing references in the movies.

It was for the bustling metropolis of 1920s New Yorkthat Sibelius conceived Tapiola, a depiction of far flungFinnish forests named after their inhabiting god in theKalevala, Finland’s national epic. Tapiola would prove tobe Sibelius’s last completed work. And in that factthere’s more than a touch of poignancy: not only did thecomposer display the same insecurities when it came topresenting Tapiola that had been born in his very firstorchestral creations, he also had over three creativelysilent decades to live.

As difficult as that latter fact is to come to terms withfor Sibelius devotees, some comfort can be drawn fromthe quality and imagination of this, his final publicstatement. In it Sibelius creates a landscape of rawelemental power typified by the climate of the farreaches of Finland. ‘Ancient, mysterious, broodingsavage dreams’, said the accompanying poem thatSibelius sent to his publishers in 1926, ‘Within themdwells the Forest’s mighty god’. The composer’s singletheme, heard initially on strings, is transformed overand over – blowing, tumbling and trouncing its waythrough dark and magical states before an ominousclimax. Then comes a final coda, compared to ‘an icywind sweeping through the forest’ by Walter Damrosch,the conductor at the first performance in New York on26 December 1926. Those, including Damrosch, whobelieved Tapiola to be among the composer’s finestworks (not knowing that it would be his last) pointednot only to the remarkable stretching out of that initialfragmentary theme, but also to the strange, distinctlyNordic sense of impressionism Sibelius conjures.

TAPIOLA, OP. 112



PROGRAMME NOTES

A number of major symphony cycles include a‘Cinderella’ – the piece that’s never quite had the drawof its neighbours but instead carries its own curious andindividual charm. If there’s a symphony by Sibelius thatbest fits that description, it’s his Sixth. It’s arguably themost delicate and intricately crafted of the seven, and iscertainly the most rapturous, limpid and untroubled.

In accordance with Sibelius’s standard working methodat the time, separate ideas for the Sixth Symphony weresketched in a running notebook that the composerinitiated in 1919. We know he recalls his childhood inthe countryside of Hämmenlinna in many of thoseideas, reflected in a spring-like freshness andplayfulness. But by 1922 when Sibelius came to weavethose ideas together and construct the symphonyproper, there was plenty of darkness in his life, too. Thedeath of his brother Christian in July threw thecomposer into a sustained period of grief while hisdebts grew ever-more unmanageable. His concentrationon the symphony, though, remained steadfast. On19 February 1923, the work was premièred in Helsinki.

While the Sixth stands apart – not just from thecomposer’s other symphonies but from almost anyother symphonic creation of the 20th century – it doesinclude gestures that are unmistakably those of itscomposer. There’s the distinct mysteriousness of thestrings, so often busily repetitive or stepping throughsequences; there are typically bird-like effects in thewoodwind; there are brass gestures which feel thick-setlike rock formations. What there isn’t, is the typically

Sibelian ‘big tune’ – or to put it more elegantly, thehymn-like striving that characterizes the Second andFifth Symphonies.

Sibelius himself sums this up better than most when hedescribes the Sixth Symphony as ‘pure, cold water’against the champagne and liqueur soundscapesoffered by other composers of the time. Certainly, thesymphony isn’t rich or heavy, instead carrying aparticular luminous quality. Sibelius’s biographer GuyRickards has suggested that the piece actually reflectsthe same landscape as the dark, disorientating FourthSymphony, but here in a more benevolent season.

Among the notable features to listen out for in the SixthSymphony are the charming orchestral ‘flicks’ in the firstand third movements. In the Allegro these snatches ofrapture, punctuated by fluttering flute and darting harp,are heard after the appearance of a song-like themewhich itself follows the ethereal opening idea; theypresent a rare opportunity to hear Sibelius smilinggregariously through his orchestra. In the scherzo thirdmovement – making overt use of the Dorian modethat’s prevalent across the symphony and appears to sitbetween major and minor – it’s the brass whichpunctuate the texture with excitable salvos. There’s afeeling of cross-country journeying propelled by thepower of the wind to much of the symphony. As usual,Sibelius didn’t reveal much explicit programmatic detailin respect of the piece, but he did label one of the moreturbulent ideas in his finale ‘the pine tree spirit and thewind’.

SYMPHONY 6 IN D MINOR, OP. 104

Allegro molto moderato | Allegro moderato | Poco vivace | Allegro molto

INTERVAL 20 minutes

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


PROGRAMME NOTES

Sibelius might not have intended it thus, but hissymphonic journey happens to end with a piece whichis cast in a single movement and usually lasts a littleover twenty minutes in performance. It was premièredin Stockholm in March 1924 as the Symphonic Fantasia.Sibelius suggested the title ‘Symphony No. 7’whenchoosing the work as a centerpiece for subsequentconcerts in Norway and Denmark. But even if thisunusually-shaped piece is the accidental conclusion tothe composer’s symphony-writing career (he famouslyworked on and then destroyed an eighth symphony), it’sstill a fitting culmination: extraordinary, profound,majestic and transcendent.

Self-criticism escalated in Sibelius in the years 1923-24as he worked on the piece, growing to ‘impossibleproportions’ in the composer’s own words. Day-to-daydomestic life in the Sibelius household was fraughtwith tension, too: the composer’s excessive drinkinghad resulted in two embarrassing public episodesfollowing which his wife, Aino, began communicatingwith him via handwritten notes left about the house.Sibelius’s creativemodus operandi at this time was towork through the night until losing consciousnesseither through drunkenness or tiredness; Aino wouldfind him slumped over his desk in the morning. If thatpaints a sorrowful picture of this towering twentiethcentury artist, then the music of the Seventh Symphonydoes the opposite, carrying an inspiring poignancy andnobility in its taut, rapid discourse.

The music of the Seventh proceeds without a breakduring which there emerge floating sections akin to thetraditional constituent parts of a symphony (scherzo,slow movement, sonata-form Allegro, for example).

Perhaps it was Sibelius’s recognizing of the prominenceof these sections that initiated his changing of thework’s title. And yet despite all this, there’s so muchspace and breadth in the work: it feels so expansive andrich in material without ever sounding overly busy andtricking the mind in its invisible transitions from sectionto section. Musicologist Stephen Johnson gets near toexplaining the unexplainable when he observes that,listening to the piece, you can become aware of ‘twodifferent kinds of music – one fast, the other slow –happening at the same time’.

Early on in the symphony comes its thematiccenterpiece – a noble solo on the trombone, traced outas if outlining a mountainous horizon on top of theorchestral landscape. The theme returns twice: firstlytroubled, atop chromatic, frantic strings and secondly ina state of majestic transcendence which cues the startof the symphony’s climax. Each time there’s a naturalinevitability to its arrival which isn’t teed-up in thetraditional symphonic sense by the ‘working out’ andpreparing of themes. Instead, the music finds its ownnatural path, as if self-perpetuating.

Sibelius described the achieving of this as asubconscious process: he could recognize the structuralpath of a piece when looking back on it aftercomposition, but the process of writing was controlled,he wrote in 1908, by a ‘miraculous logic’. In the entireway the music flowers and unfolds throughout the briefspan of this symphony, it seems indeed a miracle –probably more so than in any other of the composer’sworks.

Programme notes by Andrew Mellor © 2010

SYMPHONY 7 IN C, OP. 105

Adagio – Vivacissimo – Allegro moderato – Vivace – Presto – Adagio




RECORDINGSON 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-0005 Paavo Berglund conducts Sibelius’s Symphonies 2 in Dand 7 in C

‘Both here and in the Seventh Symphony’s magnificent single-movement span, Berglund judges the music’s shifts of pace withunerring sureness, and really makes the big moments happen.’MALCOLM HAYES, CLASSIC FM, DECEMBER 2005

LPO-0006 The Founding Years: Thomas Beecham conducts Mozart,Chabrier, Sibelius and Handel

‘The LPO’s first issues include this disc of recordings from the 1930s,when the orchestra and its founder, Thomas Beecham, were makinghistory. The excerpts from Sibelius’s Tempestmusic, never issuedbefore, are a fascinating rarity… The studio versions of Mozart’sHaffner Symphony and Chabrier’s España are scintillating examplesof the playing that transformed the British orchestral scene.’THE SUNDAY TIMES, 9 OCTOBER 2005

LPO-0036 Osmo Vänskä conducts Rachmaninov’s Symphony 3 inA minor and Bax’s Tintagel

‘Vänskä’s account of the Third Symphony is a marvel of measured,uninflated eloquence.’PAUL DRIVER, THE SUNDAY TIMES, 23 NOVEMBER 2008



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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-FoundationThe Underwood Trust

and others who wish to remainanonymous.

Thomas Beecham GroupMr &Mrs Richard & Victoria SharpJulian & Gill SimmondsMrs StevenWardSimon 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 CostasMichaelidesMr & Mrs G SteinMr & Mrs John C TuckerHoward & SheelaghWatsonMr Laurie WattMr Anthony Yolland

BenefactorsMrs A BeareDr & Mrs Alan CarringtonCBE FRSMr & 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 RAFMr Frank LimPaul & Brigitta LockMr Brian MarshMs Sarah NeedhamMr & Mrs Egil OldeideEdmund PirouetMr Michael PosenMr Peter TausigMrs Kazue TurnerLady Marina VaizeyMr DWhitelock

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:



The CanariesFollowing its concerts in a chilly China over the NewYear the London Philharmonic Orchestra flew off tosunnier climes on 19 January for four concerts as partof the 2010 Canary Islands Music Festival.

With their Principal Conductor, Vladimir Jurowski, theOrchestra gave two concerts in Tenerife followed by afurther two in Gran Canaria. The repertoire comprisedthe Shostakovich/Szymanowski programme given inLondon on 16 January as well as Beethoven’s PianoConcerto 2, Prokofiev’s Symphony 4 and the worldpremière of Mark-Anthony Turnage’s Texan Tenebrae.Travelling with the Orchestra were soloists CarolinWidmann (violin) and Mitsuko Uchida (piano). TheLondon Philharmonic Orchestra’s next trip abroad is tothe USA in March.

Pre- and Post-Concert EventsFor those of you who are able to get to the RoyalFestival Hall in good time, there are some enticingevents coming up based around our February concerts.

On 10 February, fresh from his outstanding debut atNew York’s Metropolitan Opera, Yannick Nézet-Séguinintroduces the evening’s programme of French music ata pre-concert event at 6.15pm in the Royal Festival Hall.It was with a French opera – Bizet’s Carmen – thatYannick brought out the superlatives in the Americanpress. ‘Glittering conducting’, wrote the New York Post

of Yannick’s Carmen, while Martin Bernhaim of theFinancial Times dubbed it ‘a most auspicious debut’.According to Mike Silverman of The Associated Press:‘Much of the evening’s success is due to the inspiredconducting of Yannick Nézet-Séguin. From thewhirlwind pace of the opening measures, Nézet-Séguindisplays a rare sureness of touch and an ability to shapethe lyrical and dramatic elements of the score into aunified whole.’ Tickets are still available for his twoconcerts of French music with us on 10 and 13February.

On 24 February, again at 6.15pm in the Royal FestivalHall, writer and broadcaster, Stephen Johnson, takes acloser look at Shostakovich’s The Gamblers and TheNose which form part of our Shostakovich programmewith Vladimir Jurowski that evening.

For those of you who are able to linger after the 20February concert, there will be an informal discussionbetween Vladimir Jurowski and Southbank Centre’sMarshall Marcus on the Clore Ballroom Floor about theevening’s repertoire of Janácek’s Taras Bulba and TheEternal Gospel, and Suk’s Symphony 2 (Asrael).Questions will be welcome so do make your way downto Level 2 at the end of the concert.

Thomas Beecham Group Evening SoiréeOn Thursday 28 January 2010 the Finnish Ambassador,His Excellency Jaakko Laajava, hosted an evening at hisprivate residence to mark the Orchestra’s Sibelius Cycle.Members of the Orchestra’s Thomas Beecham Groupwere joined by conductor Osmo Vänskä for an intimateevening of music and discussion offering a uniqueinsight into the work of this fascinating Finnishcomposer and the musicians who bring it to life.

There are many ways that you can become involved inthe life of the Orchestra, supporting us in our work andgaining access to a wonderful programme of eventseach season. For further information please contactNick Jackman on 020 7840 4212 or [email protected]

PHILHARMONIC NEWS

Yannick Nézet-Séguin (left) will be talking about hisFrench programmes with us at a pre-concert event at6.15pm on 10 February in the Royal Festival HallM

arcoBorggreve



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. LordWakeham DL*Timothy Walker AM †*Non-Executive Directors

THE LONDONPHILHARMONIC TRUST

Pehr GyllenhammarChairmanDesmond 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

Dr Louise MillerHonorary Doctor

GENERAL ADMINISTRATION

Timothy Walker AM †Chief Executive andArtistic 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

GrahamWoodConcerts, 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 andCommunity Director

Anne NewmanEducation Officer

Isobel TimmsCommunity Officer

Alec HaylorEducation andCommunity Assistant

Richard MallettEducation andCommunity Producer

DEVELOPMENT

Emma O’ConnellDevelopment Director

Nick JackmanCharitable Giving Manager

Phoebe RouseCorporate Relations Manager

Sarah TattersallCorporate Relations andEvents Manager

Anna GoverCharitable Giving Officer

Melissa Van EmdenCorporate Relations andEvents 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

Josephine LangstonMarketing

LONDON PHILHARMONICORCHESTRA

89 Albert EmbankmentLondon 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.

Photograph of Sibeliuscourtesy of the Royal Collegeof Music, London.

Photograph on the front coverby Benjamin Ealovega.

Programmes printed byCantate.

†Supported by Macquarie Group



FUTURE CONCERTSAT SOUTHBANK CENTRE’S ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL

Wednesday 10 February 2010 | 7.30pm

Ravel Suite 2, Daphnis et ChloéRavel Valses nobles et sentimentalesPoulenc Concerto for Two PianosDebussy Prélude à l’après-midi d’un fauneDebussy La Mer

Yannick Nézet-Séguin conductorMelvyn Tan pianoRonald Brautigam piano

FREE Pre-Concert Event6.15pm | Royal Festival HallYannick Nézet-Séguin introduces the evening’sprogramme.

Saturday 13 February 2010 | 7.30pm

Ravel Pavane pour une Infante défunteRavel Le Tombeau de CouperinDebussy NocturnesFauré PavanePoulenc Stabat Mater

Yannick Nézet-Séguin conductorLisa Milne sopranoLondon Philharmonic Choir


Tchaikovsky Fantasy Overture, Romeo and JulietProkofiev Piano Concerto 1Prokofiev Romeo and Juliet (excerpts)

Vladimir Jurowski conductorAlexander Toradze piano

Saturday 20 February 2010 | 7.30pm

Janácek Taras BulbaJanácek 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 Jurowski followingthe evening’s performance.


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.

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

Melvyn Tan andRonald Brautigam

Vladimir Jurowskiand Sergei Leiferkus

Yannick Nézet-Séguin and LisaMilne


5 feb 10 - lpo prog notes

Documents

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coprincipalharprachel

following chair supporters

bysimon yates

principalandrew barclay

duke of kent kgchief

principalanne mcaneney

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