fortissimo - december 2014
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The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is delighted to bring you its latest
news, including highlights of recent tours, education projects and more. Please
see below for a reminder about the Orchestra’s upcoming series of captivating
concerts at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall from January–June 2015,
featuring a host of critically acclaimed artists and conductors (full details can be
found in the enclosed brochure). RPO friends save 50% on tickets – we look
forward to seeing you at an RPO concert soon!
W
More music for less!
Tuesday 27th January 2015, 7.30pmArtistic Director and Principal
Conductor Charles Dutoit, who is
renowned for his impressive
interpretations of modern
repertoire, conducts a 20th-
century operatic masterpiece:
Bartók's Duke Bluebeard's Castle
– a haunting and intriguing tale of a duke whose dark
secrets, which lie behind seven locked doors of his
dark castle, are gradually unveiled by his new wife.
elcome
ROYAL
PHILHARMONIC
ORCHESTRA
RPO friends’ newsletter – December 2014
- Half-price tickets to RPO ‘own-promotion’ concerts in London (up to two tickets per concert)
- Priority ticket allocation and dedicated booking line
- FREE passes to RPO ‘own-promotion’ rehearsals in London (two per rehearsal; please contact us to book)
- 10% off house wine and the tea/coffee & cake deal at Cadogan Hall (please show your friends’ card at the bar)
- Discounted CDs
RPO friends’ benefits – at a glance!
RPO friends save 50% on tickets. Visit www.rpo.co.uk/friends, phone 020 7608 8855 (M–F, 10–6) or email [email protected].
Charles Dutoit conducts
Duke Bluebeard’s Castle
Tuesday 14th April 2015, 7.30pmFollowing the magnificent RPO
concert of Beethoven’s
Symphony No.9 with Canada’s
National Art Centre Orchestra on
27th October 2014, the
phenomenal soloist Pinchas
Zukerman returns to the Royal
Festival Hall to perform Elgar’s Violin Concerto, a
work of great lyricism and power, and of which
Zukerman’s masterful interpretation is celebrated.
Pinchas Zukerman performs
Elgar’s Violin Concerto
Wednesday 6th May 2015, 7.30pmWorld-renowned conductor
Tadaaki Otaka conducts William
Walton's masterpiece
Belshazzar's Feast, which tells
the story of Belshazzar, the
Babylonian king who commits
sacrilege alongside the Jews who
are in exile in Babylon. The Orchestra is also joined
by the outstanding The Bach Choir and mesmerising
bass-baritone Neal Davies.
Tadaaki Otaka conducts
Belshazzar's Feast
Tuesday 9th June 2015, 7.30pmJoin internationally acclaimed
conductor Thomas Dausgaard
for a sublime performance of
Schubert's C major Symphony,
‘The Great’, which reveals the
composer at the peak of his
powers, unfolding an array of
wonderful melodies. Plus, the outstanding pianist
Natasha Paremski will perform Brahms' dramatic
Piano Concerto No.1.
Thomas Dausgaard
conducts The Great Symphony
How did you become involved
with the RPO?
After leaving the Royal College of
Music, I went back to Singapore
to fulfil my National Service in the
army. I then returned to London
to work as a freelance musician,
before becoming a member of
the RPO in January 2014.
What inspired you to become a
musician as a child?
It was my Dad – he used to listen
to the classical music radio station
in Singapore every day when I
was growing up. Belonging to the
youth orchestra there as a
teenager also inspired me to
become a professional musician.
Who have you enjoyed working
with the most whilst in the RPO?
Charles Dutoit, our Artistic
Director and Principal Conductor,
and soloists like Martha Argerich
and Radu Lupu. I love the
sincerity of their music-making.
What has been the most
valuable piece of advice you
have been given in relation to
music?
I think the phrase ‘If you make a
mistake in performance, forgive
yourself immediately’ is very
good advice.
What do you listen to in your
spare time?
I often have music on during the
day, whether it’s whilst I’m
travelling or cooking or having a
rare spare moment. It could be
anything from Rameau to
Radiohead.
Chian Lim
– Tutti Viola
A collection of the greatest Christmas carols written
by John Rutter, a composer/conductor whose music
has, for many, been greatly associated with
Christmas. The special festive CD features The Bach
Choir and is conducted by Rutter himself.
Order now! Just £10 for RPO friends (R.R.P. £12).
RPO friends save 50% on tickets. Visit www.rpo.co.uk/friends, phone 020 7608 8855 (M–F, 10–6) or email [email protected].
RPO Christmas CDs
Set one snowy Christmas Eve, the evocative score of
Tchaikovsky's magical ballet charmingly brings to life
the fantasy world of Clara and her Nutcracker Prince.
Highlights include Waltz of the Flowers and Dance
of the Sugar Plum Fairy.
Just £10 for RPO friends (2 CD set, R.R.P. £12).
All your festive favourites on one CD! Tracks
include: Let It Snow, Mary's Boy Child, Winter
Wonderland, Sussex Carol, A Babe is Born and
The Nutcracker Suite, featuring guest vocalists and
the Royal Choral Society.
Just £10 for RPO friends (2 CD set, R.R.P. £12).
To order any of these CDs in time for Christmas, please place your order
by Monday 15th December at the latest by calling 020 7608 8837
(Mon–Fri, 10am–6pm) or emailing [email protected].
If you haven’t yet booked for one
of the RPO’s upcoming Yuletide
concerts, there are a few last seats
remaining, on which RPO friends
save 50%!
Forthcoming festive highlights
include: John Rutter’s Christmas
Celebration on Thursday 11th
December, 3pm & 7.30pm at the Royal Albert Hall, Swinging Sixties at
Christmas on Wednesday 17th December, 7.30pm, and Christmas
Cracker on Saturday 20th December, 3pm & 7.30pm – both at Cadogan
Hall. Book now to avoid disappointment!
RPO Christmas concerts
Christmas Classics
The Nutcracker
John Rutter – The Colours of Christmas
The Orchestra warmly welcomes
Christopher West (No.2 Double
Bass) this December and says a
very sad goodbye to Russell
Gilbert (First Violin), who has
recently retired. Russell joined
the RPO in 1989; his dedication
and fine playing will be greatly
missed by us all. We wish him a
happy and fulfilling retirement.
The RPO office welcomes
Rebecca Leshures as our new
Marketing Volunteer. Rebecca, a
pianist, recently moved to London
from New York City to further her
career in arts administration.
Thank you very much to John
Bowker who has now finished his
work experience here; we wish
him all the best for the future.
Sophie Plumb (Community and Education Coordinator) tells us about
RPO resound’s recent project called ‘ConneXXions’:
“RPO resound joined forces with the National Arts Centre Orchestra of
Ottawa (NACO) to mark the centenary of World War I. On 28th October
(the morning after the RPO’s concert with NACO at the Royal Festival
Hall), two youth ensembles – one from the UK and the other from
Canada – joined together through a live high-definition internet relay to
perform their brand-new compositions to each other.
“In the UK, workshop leader Tim Steiner
led Brent Youth Concert Band (pictured
right and below) in creating a new piece,
inspired by the music of Elgar (in
particular, Nimrod from ‘Enigma’
Variations and Pomp and Circumstance
Marches) and also by the themes of
resilience and strength during times of
great adversity, which they performed at
the Royal College of Music. Across the
Atlantic, renowned Canadian composer
Abigail Richardson worked alongside the
Colonel By Secondary School Band to
create their piece, inspired by the story of
one of the band members’ own
grandfather’s experience on the front line during the Great War.
“Not only were both ensembles able to listen to each other perform
their new works, they were also treated to a ‘Q&A’ session with and a
world premiere performance by virtuoso percussionist Dame Evelyn
Glennie. The memories of this very special project will no doubt remain
with the young people involved for many years to come.”
If you would like to watch these performances online, please visit
www.nac-cna.ca/en/orchestra/event/9102.
News &
Moves
RPO friends save 50% on tickets. Visit www.rpo.co.uk/friends, phone 020 7608 8855 (M–F, 10–6) or email [email protected].
RPO resound
Don’t miss the RPO’s epic
Symphonic Rock show on Friday
1st May 2015, 7.30pm, held
within the awe-inspiring
surroundings of the Royal Albert
Hall. Including hits by: The Verve,
Coldplay, Adele, Elbow, U2,
Procol Harum, Survivor, Bon Jovi,
Queen and Led Zeppelin!
New for 2015: A special tribute to
The Beatles' No.1 hits, including
All You Need Is Love, Let It Be,
Help! and Penny Lane.
Tickets: £58.33–£16.18 (before
discounts and booking fees).
Symphonic
Rock 2015
RPO friends have exclusive access to
rehearsals of all RPO ‘own-promotion’
concerts in London. Usually held between
3–6pm on the day of the concert, this is
an excellent (not to mention FREE!)
opportunity to see the Orchestra up close
and to gain further insight into its
performances. Please contact the RPO office to book your place!
FREE rehearsal passes
We hope you have enjoyed this issue of fortissimo and we would like to take this opportunity to wish you
all a very Merry Christmas from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra! If you have booked for one of our
upcoming festive shows this December, then we very much look forward to seeing you there. Otherwise,
we look forward to seeing you at an RPO concert during 2015!
With best wishes,
Jo Thomson (Friends’ & Groups’ Manager) and the rest of the RPO marketing team.
Chris Evans Rosalie Carter Natasha Allery Rebecca Leshures Doran Crowhurst
Director of Press &
Marketing
Regional Marketing
Co-ordinatorMarketing Assistant Marketing Volunteer Programme Editor
RPO friends save 50% on tickets. Visit www.rpo.co.uk/friends, phone 020 7608 8855 (M–F, 10–6) or email [email protected].
An RPO friends membership is the perfect gift for someone special this Christmas. Why
not take this opportunity to share all the benefits that you receive as an RPO friend with
your nearest and dearest? We will send you a FREE RPO CD to say thank you for helping
us spread the word!
To purchase a gift membership (starting from just £35) in time for it to be delivered by
Christmas, please contact us on 020 7608 8855 (Mon–Fri, 10am–6pm) or at
[email protected] by Monday 15th December at the latest.
Make your friend an RPO Friend this Christmas!
Rosi Callery (Tours and Special Projects Assistant) brings us the recent highlights:
“This autumn, the RPO toured Europe with Charles Dutoit. September saw the
continuation of our residency in the beautiful Montreux, on Lake Geneva. Here, the
Orchestra performed with exquisite soloists Radu Lupu (piano) and James Ehnes (violin),
who performed Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No.3 and Saint-Saens’ Violin Concerto No.3,
respectively. The RPO then performed Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No.5 and Dvořák’s
Symphony No.9 during a week-long tour of Switzerland, Italy and Austria, which
included a performance at the opening of the new concert hall Le Rosey in Rolle,
Switzerland, which is really quite spectacular! (pictured right).
“Next up is our film music tour to Russia, for which we are now deep in preparations.”
RPO on Tour
BBC Children in Need 2014
The RPO was delighted to perform in the official BBC Children In Need 2014 single, a
cover version of Avicii's Wake Me Up. The chart-topping hit was sung by choirmaster
Gareth Malone's All Star Choir, which included Great British Bake Off host Mel Giedroyc,
actress Linda Robson, Countryfile host John Craven and ex-footballer Fabrice Muamba.
BBC Children in Need 2014 has, so far, raised over £30million to help disadvantaged
children and young people in the UK. You can still purchase Wake Me Up online and
in-store. All proceeds go to supporting BBC Children in Need 2014.