Principal Conductor VLADIMIR JUROWSKI*Principal Guest Conductor YANNICK NÉZET-SÉGUINLeader pIETER SChOEMANComposer in Residence JULIAN ANDERSONPatron hRh ThE DUKE OF KENT KG

Chief Executive and Artistic Director TIMOThY WALKER AM†

pROGRAMME £3

CONTENTS 2 Southbank Centre / Leader 3 List of players4 About the Orchestra5 Christoph Eschenbach 6 Nicola Benedetti 7 Leonard Elschenbroich8 Programme notes 11 Supporters 12 LPO administration The timings shown are not precise and

are given only as a guide.

* supported by the Tsukanov Family † supported by Macquarie Group

CONCERT PRESENTED BY THE LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

SOUThBANK CENTRE’S ROYAL FESTIVAL hALLWednesday 2 November 2011 | 7.30pm

ChRISTOph ESChENBAChconductor

NICOLA BENEDETTIviolin

LEONARD ELSChENBROIChcello

BRAhMSDouble Concerto in A minor for violin and cello (31’)

Interval

BRUCKNERSymphony No. 7 in E major (64’)

WELCOME TO SOUThBANK CENTRE

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

Eating, drinking and shopping? Southbank Centre shops and restaurants include Foyles, EAT, Giraffe, Strada, YO! Sushi, wagamama, Le Pain Quotidien, Las Iguanas, ping pong, Canteen, Caffè Vergnano 1882, Skylon, Concrete and Feng Sushi, as well as cafes, restaurants and shops inside Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall and Hayward Gallery.

If you wish to get in touch with us following your visit please contact Kenelm Robert, our Head of Customer Relations, at Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London SE1 8XX or phone 020 7960 4250 or email customer@southbankcentre.co.uk We look forward to seeing you again soon.

A few points to note for your comfort and enjoyment:

phOTOGRAphY is not allowed in the auditorium.

LATECOMERS will only be admitted to the auditorium if there is a suitable break in the performance.

RECORDING is not permitted in the auditorium without the prior consent of Southbank Centre. Southbank Centre reserves the right to confiscate video or sound equipment and hold it in safekeeping until the performance has ended.

MOBILES, pAGERS AND WATChES should be switched off before the performance begins.

WELCOME

2 | London Philharmonic Orchestra

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Pieter Schoeman joined the London Philharmonic Orchestra as Co-Leader in 2002, and was appointed Leader in 2008.

Born in South Africa, he made his solo début aged 10 with the Cape Town Symphony

Orchestra. He studied with Jack de Wet in South Africa, winning numerous competitions including the 1984 World Youth Concerto Competition in the US. In 1987 he was offered the Heifetz Chair of Music scholarship to study with Eduard Schmieder in Los Angeles and in 1991 his talent was spotted by Pinchas Zukerman, who recommended that he move to New York to study with Sylvia Rosenberg. In 1994 he became her teaching assistant at Indiana University, Bloomington.

Pieter has performed worldwide as a soloist and recitalist in such famous halls as the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Moscow’s Rachmaninov Hall, Capella Hall in St Petersburg, Staatsbibliothek in Berlin, Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles and Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall in London. As a chamber musician he regularly performs at London’s prestigious Wigmore Hall.

As a soloist with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Pieter has performed Arvo Pärt’s Double Concerto with Boris Garlitsky, Brahms’s Double Concerto with Kristina Blaumane, and Britten’s Double Concerto with Alexander Zemtsov, which was recorded and released on the Orchestra’s own record label to great critical acclaim. He has recorded numerous violin solos with the London Philharmonic Orchestra for Chandos, Opera Rara, Naxos, X5, the BBC and for American film and television, and led the Orchestra in its soundtrack recordings for The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

In 1995 Pieter became Co-Leader of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Nice. Since then he has performed frequently as Guest Leader with the symphony orchestras of Barcelona, Bordeaux, Lyon and Baltimore, as well as with the BBC Symphony Orchestra.

Pieter is a Professor of Violin at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance.

pIETER SChOEMANLEADER

WELCOME TO SOUThBANK CENTRE

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

Eating, drinking and shopping? Southbank Centre shops and restaurants include Foyles, EAT, Giraffe, Strada, YO! Sushi, wagamama, Le Pain Quotidien, Las Iguanas, ping pong, Canteen, Caffè Vergnano 1882, Skylon, Concrete and Feng Sushi, as well as cafes, restaurants and shops inside Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall and Hayward Gallery.

If you wish to get in touch with us following your visit please contact Kenelm Robert, our Head of Customer Relations, at Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London SE1 8XX or phone 020 7960 4250 or email customer@southbankcentre.co.uk We look forward to seeing you again soon.

A few points to note for your comfort and enjoyment:

phOTOGRAphY is not allowed in the auditorium.

LATECOMERS will only be admitted to the auditorium if there is a suitable break in the performance.

RECORDING is not permitted in the auditorium without the prior consent of Southbank Centre. Southbank Centre reserves the right to confiscate video or sound equipment and hold it in safekeeping until the performance has ended.

MOBILES, pAGERS AND WATChES should be switched off before the performance begins.

WELCOME

First ViolinsPieter Schoeman* LeaderXuan DuShlomy DobrinskyKatalin VarnagyCatherine CraigTina GruenbergMartin Höhmann

Chair supported by

Richard Karl Goeltz

Geoffrey LynnRobert PoolYang ZhangPeter Nall Galina TanneyJoanne ChenCaroline SharpLisa ObertSarah Buchan

Second ViolinsEugen Tichindeleanu

Guest PrincipalClare Duckworth

Co-PrincipalChair supported by

the Sharp Family

Joseph MaherKate Birchall

Chair supported by David

and Victoria Graham Fuller

Fiona HighamAshley StevensMarie-Anne MairesseDean Williamson Sioni Williams Alison Strange Peter GrahamStephen StewartSheila Law Elizabeth Baldey

ViolasSteven Burnard

Guest PrincipalBarbara Giepner Robert DuncanLaura VallejoSusanne MartensEmmanuella Reiter-BootimanMichelle BruilDaniel CornfordAlistair ScahillMiranda DavisSarah MalcolmMartin Fenn

CellosKristina Blaumane PrincipalSusanne Beer Co-PrincipalFrancis BucknallLaura DonoghueJonathan Ayling

Chair supported by Caroline,

Jamie and Zander Sharp

Gregory WalmsleySantiago Carvalho†David LaleTom RoffPavlos Carvalho

Double BassesKevin Rundell* PrincipalTim Gibbs Co-PrincipalGeorge PenistonRichard LewisRoger LinleyKenneth KnussenTom WalleyHelen Rowlands

FlutesJaime Martin* PrincipalSusan Thomas

OboesIan Hardwick PrincipalAngela Tennick

ClarinetsNicholas Carpenter* PrincipalPaul Richards

BassoonsGareth Newman* PrincipalSimon Estell

hornsChristopher Parkes

Guest PrincipalAdrian UrenJonathan BarrettJason KoczurMarcus Bates

Wagner Tubas Mark VinesJonathan BarehamMartin HobbsGareth Mollison

TrumpetsPaul Beniston* PrincipalAnne McAneney*

Chair supported by

Geoff and Meg Mann

Nicholas Betts Co-PrincipalDavid Hilton

TrombonesMark Templeton* PrincipalDavid WhitehouseAndrew White

Bass TromboneLyndon Meredith Principal

TubaLee Tsarmaklis* Principal

TimpaniSimon Carrington* Principal

percussionAndrew Barclay* Principal

Chair supported by

Andrew Davenport

Keith Millar

* Holds a professorial appointment in London † Chevalier of the Brazilian Order of Rio Branco

LONDON phILhARMONIC ORChESTRA

London Philharmonic Orchestra | 3

Chair Supporters

The London Philharmonic Orchestra also acknowledges the following chair supporters whose players are not present at this concert:

John and Angela KesslerJulian and Gill Simmonds

LONDON phILhARMONIC ORChESTRA

4 | London Philharmonic Orchestra

The London Philharmonic Orchestra is one of the world’s finest orchestras, balancing a long and distinguished history with a reputation as one of the UK’s most adventurous and forward-looking orchestras. As well as performing classical concerts, the Orchestra also records film and computer game soundtracks, has its own record label, and reaches thousands of Londoners every year through activities for schools and local communities.

The Orchestra was founded by Sir Thomas Beecham in 1932, and since then has been headed by many of the great names in the conducting world, including Sir Adrian Boult, Bernard Haitink, Sir Georg Solti, Klaus Tennstedt and Kurt Masur. The current Principal Conductor is Russian Vladimir Jurowski, appointed in 2007, with French-Canadian Yannick Nézet-Séguin as Principal Guest Conductor.

The Orchestra is based at Royal Festival Hall in London’s Southbank Centre, where it has performed since it opened in 1951 and been Resident Orchestra since 1992. It gives around 40 concerts there each season with many of the world’s top conductors and soloists. Concert highlights in 2011/12 include a three-week festival celebrating the music of Prokofiev, concerts with artists including Sir Mark Elder, Marin Alsop, Renée Fleming, Stephen Hough and Joshua Bell, and several premières of works by living composers including the Orchestra’s Composer in Residence, Julian Anderson. In addition to its London concerts, the Orchestra has flourishing residencies in Brighton and Eastbourne, and performs regularly around the UK. Every summer, the Orchestra leaves London for four months and takes up its annual residency accompanying the famous Glyndebourne Festival Opera in the Sussex countryside, where it has been Resident Symphony Orchestra since 1964.

The London Philharmonic Orchestra tours internationally, performing to sell-out audiences worldwide. In 1956 it became the first British orchestra to appear in Soviet Russia and in 1973 made the first-ever visit to China by a Western orchestra. Touring remains a big part of the Orchestra’s life: tours in the 2011/12 season include visits to Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, the US, Spain, China, Russia, Oman, Brazil and France.

You may well have heard the London Philharmonic Orchestra on film soundtrack recordings: it has recorded many blockbuster scores, from The Lord of the Rings trilogy to Lawrence of Arabia, The Mission, Philadelphia and East is East. The Orchestra also broadcasts regularly on television and radio, and in 2005 established its own record label. There are now over 50 releases on the label, which are available on CD and to download. Recent additions include Dvořák’s Symphonic Variations and Symphony No. 8 conducted by Sir Charles Mackerras; Holst’s The Planets conducted by Vladimir Jurowski; Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 under Klaus Tennstedt; Shostakovich Piano Concertos with Martin Helmchen under Vladimir Jurowski; and Sibelius’s Symphony No. 5, Pohjola’s Daughter and Lutosławski’s Concerto for Orchestra under Jukka-Pekka Saraste. The Orchestra was also recently honoured with the commission to record all 205 of the world’s national anthems for the London 2012 Olympics Team Welcome Ceremonies and Medal Ceremonies.

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

The London Philharmonic Orchestra maintains an energetic programme of activities for young people and local communities. Highlights include the ever-popular family and schools concerts, fusion ensemble The Band, the Leverhulme Young Composers project and the Foyle Future Firsts orchestral training scheme for outstanding young players. Over the last few years, developments in technology and social networks have enabled the Orchestra to reach even more people worldwide: all its recordings are available to download from iTunes and, as well as a YouTube channel, news blog, iPhone app and regular podcasts, the Orchestra has a thriving presence on Facebook and Twitter.

Find out more and get involved!

lpo.org.uk

facebook.com/londonphilharmonicorchestra

twitter.com/LpOrchestra

London Philharmonic Orchestra | 5

ChRISTOph ESChENBAChCONDUCTOR

from 1994–2003, and The Philadelphia Orchestra from 2003–08. His many honours include the Légion d’honneur, Commandeur dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, Officer’s Cross with Star and Ribbon of the German Order of Merit, and Commander’s Cross of the German Order of Merit. He also received the Leonard Bernstein Award from the Pacific Music Festival, where he was Co-Artistic Director from 1992–98.

Music Director of the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, DC, as well as the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Christoph Eschenbach is in demand as a guest conductor with the finest orchestras

and opera houses throughout the world. Artistic Director of the Schleswig-Holstein Festival from 1999 to 2002, he has continued a close relationship with the Festival, regularly conducting the orchestra at home and on tour as well as playing piano concertos and recitals.

Highlights of Christoph Eschenbach’s recent seasons included multiple appearances with the Orchestre de Paris, where he was Music Director until August 2010; performances of Verdi’s Requiem with the National Symphony Orchestra, his first as Music Director; tours with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the Staatskapelle Dresden; and engagements with the Vienna Philharmonic, Munich Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony and NDR Symphony orchestras, the Filarmonica della Scala and the Orchestra Sinfonica dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, which he conducted in a special open-air concert in St Peter’s Square in the presence of the Pope. As a pianist, Eschenbach continued his collaboration with baritone Matthias Goerne, with whom he is recording Schubert’s three song cycles for the Harmonia Mundi label.

A prolific recording artist over five decades, Christoph Eschenbach has recorded as both a conductor and a pianist on labels including Deutsche Grammophon, Sony/BMG, Decca, Ondine, Warner and Koch. His Ondine recording of the music of Kaija Saariaho with the Orchestre de Paris and soprano Karita Mattila won the 2009 MIDEM Classical Award for Contemporary Music.

Mentored by George Szell and Herbert von Karajan, Eschenbach’s other past posts include Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich from 1982–86; and Music Director of the Houston Symphony Orchestra from 1988–99, the Ravinia Festival

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6 | London Philharmonic Orchestra

Nicola Benedetti has captivated audiences and critics alike with her musicality and poise. Throughout her career, her desire to perform new works has shown her to be one of Britain’s most innovative and creative young

violinists. She has recorded newly commissioned works by John Tavener and James MacMillan, worked on jazz-influenced repertoire with Wynton Marsalis, and explored authentic Baroque performance.

In recent seasons, Nicola Benedetti has appeared with nearly all the UK and Ireland’s major symphony orchestras including several performances with the Philharmonia, Royal Scottish National, Royal Philharmonic and Royal Liverpool Philharmonic orchestras, as well as the BBC Scottish and City of Birmingham symphony orchestras. As word of her immense musicality and ability to reach audiences has grown, so have her performances with some of the finest orchestras in Europe, Asia and North America. In July she made her South American debut with the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela and, during her week-long visit, taught masterclasses with the revolutionary El Sistema program.

Highlights of Nicola’s 2011/12 season include her début with the London Symphony Orchestra at the Enescu Festival in Bucharest and with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Zurich Chamber, Cincinnati Symphony, Detroit Symphony and Hallé orchestras. She will also give a series of recitals for the BBC, visit Italy with the Mantova Chamber Orchestra and appear several times with the Stuttgart Philharmonic and Scottish Chamber orchestras.

Nicola Benedetti has enthralled audiences with recitals across Europe and North America and performs in chamber music concerts throughout the UK and Europe with her regular trio, including cellist Leonard Elschenbroich and pianist Alexei Grynyuk.

Winner of the Classical BRIT Award for Young British Classical Performer in 2008, Nicola has released five

NICOLA BENEDETTIVIOLIN

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CDs with Universal/Deutsche Grammophon. She has also taken part in many prestigious events, including performances at Windsor Castle for Her Majesty the Queen, the opening of the Scottish Parliament, the G8 Summit at Gleneagles and Comic Relief’s ‘Classic Relief’ concert. She has also devoted herself to humanitarian and educational causes, including the UK’s CLIC Sargent ‘Practice-a-thon’, the El Sistema Scotland’s ‘Big Noise’ project, and UNICEF.

Born in Scotland of Italian heritage, Nicola Benedetti began violin lessons at the age of five. In 1997 she entered the Yehudi Menuhin School, where she studied with Natasha Boyarskaya, and then continued her studies with Maciej Rakowski in London. She is currently taking lessons from Pavel Vernikov in Vienna.

Nicola plays the Earl Spencer Stradivarius (c. 1712), courtesy of Jonathan Moulds.

London Philharmonic Orchestra | 7

German cellist Leonard Elschenbroich received the Leonard Bernstein Award at the 2009 Schleswig-Holstein Festival following his performance of the Brahms Double Concerto with Anne-Sophie Mutter. Since then he has excited

much interest as a leading cellist of his generation.

Winner of a Borletti-Buitoni Trust award and longstanding protégé of the Anne-Sophie Mutter Foundation, Leonard Elschenbroich has received invitations from a number of eminent conductors including Christoph Eschenbach, Valery Gergiev, Manfred Honeck, Dmitri Kitajenko and Semyon Bychkov. He has also received awards from the Kronberg Academy, the Pro Europa Society, the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival and the Verbier Festival.

Leonard’s recent concerto highlights have included his débuts at Symphony Hall, Birmingham, and the Vienna Musikverein, performing the Schumann and Tchaikovsky concertos on tour with the Staatskapelle Dresden; the Saint-Saëns concerto in Spain with the Russian National Philharmonic Orchestra directed by Vladimir Spivakov; and the Dvořák concerto in Japan with the Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra. As well as tonight’s début with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, in the 2011/12 season Leonard returns to the Cologne Philharmonie with the Gürzenich Orchestra, and to the Ravinia Festival with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra directed by Christoph Eschenbach.

Leonard Elschenbroich has also performed with the Swedish Radio Symphony, Basel Symphony, WDR Symphony, Stavanger Symphony, Munich Symphony, Bremen Philharmonic and St Petersburg Philharmonic orchestras. In 2010 he made his North American début with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and his South American début at Sala São Paulo, Brazil.

Leonard has given recitals in 19 European countries, most recently his débuts at both the Istanbul and Lucerne festivals and an appearance at the BBC Hay Festival in summer 2011. Leonard looks forward to

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LEONARD ELSChENBROIChCELLO

his recital as part of the Dvořák Prague Festival Debut Series in December 2011. He has played at the Alte Oper in Frankfurt, Wigmore Hall in London, Auditorium du Louvre in Paris and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. As part of the ‘New Masters on Tour’ concert series he appeared in Moscow, St Petersburg, Bratislava, Prague, Tallinn and Helsinki, and during summer 2010 he performed the complete Beethoven sonatas with Christoph Eschenbach at the Schleswig-Holstein Festival. Leonard enjoys playing chamber music and has performed with notable musicians including Katia and Marielle Labèque at the Verbier Festival, Hélène Grimaud and Renaud Capuçon at the Chambery Festival, and Gidon Kremer at the Lockenhaus Festival, where he also appeared as a soloist with Kremerata Baltica. Leonard looks forward to chamber performances at LSO St Luke’s in March 2012 as part of the BBC Radio 3 Lunchtime Concerts series.

Leonard’s début recording featured works by Alfred Schnittke and an homage composition of his own to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the composer’s death.

Born in Frankfurt in 1985, Leonard was invited to the Yehudi Menuhin School in London at the age of 11 and performed at Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall and Wigmore Hall. He plays the ‘Leonard Rose’ cello by Matteo Goffriller (Venice 1693), which is on private loan.

8 | London Philharmonic Orchestra

pROGRAMME NOTES

In late 19th-century Vienna, Brahms and Bruckner stood on opposing sides of a deep ideological divide. As a Wagnerite, Bruckner was cheered on by the progressives for his use of lush Wagnerian harmonies and the intense expressiveness of his melodies. Brahms was praised or condemned as a conservative, concerned above all to keep his emotions within the bounds of inherited ‘classical’ forms – the very forms used by Beethoven, Mozart and Bach in the previous century.

In fact the two composers had a lot in common. Both were lonely bachelors: men of passionate

feelings, who nevertheless honoured the great composers of the past and the strong but elastic musical forms they created and enriched. Brahms’s Double Concerto follows the Classical ground plan quite closely, while Bruckner’s symphonies have been called ‘cathedrals in sound’ for the strong architectural sense they convey. And both were great melodists: the glorious long-breathed tunes that open Bruckner’s Seventh and the slow movement of Brahms’s Double Concerto are true products of the Romantic era – the kind of singing lines that both warm and lift the soul.

Speedread

The concerto was one of the most popular of all musical forms in the 19th century. This was the era of the romantic virtuoso soloist: audiences loved the idea of the superhuman individual taking on the might of the full symphony orchestra and emerging victorious. What a perfect vehicle for an age intoxicated with dashing, sensational figures like the poet Byron, the violinist Niccolò Paganini and the pianist-composer Franz Liszt. Something of this romantic spirit – the suffering, striving, intensely charismatic soloist pitted against the elemental force of the orchestra – can be felt in Brahms’s First Piano Concerto, composed during 1854–8.

But Brahms was a paradoxical figure – it’s one of the things that makes him so fascinating. Part of him was romantic to the core: a lonely misfit, sustained by an impossible love, laying bare his wounded heart in song after song (especially in the wonderful Alto Rhapsody). Yet there was another part of him that longed for something else: the contained formal strength and

subtlety of great Classical and Baroque masters like Haydn and Mozart, Bach and Handel, and for the emotional ‘objectivity’ they offered.

The Double Concerto for violin, cello and orchestra, composed in 1887, embodies this paradox magnificently. It contains some of Brahms’s most romantically expressive music: strikingly the almost operatic ‘love duet’ for violin and cello at the heart of the slow central movement. And only a few seconds into the first movement, the first cello solo is marked ‘in modo d’un recitativo’ – ‘in the style of a recitative’ – a direct acknowledgement of the music’s operatic character by a composer who never wrote an opera. And yet this is a concerto with two soloists. Concertos with more than one star in the spotlight were common enough in Baroque times (think of Bach’s glorious Double Concerto in D minor for two violins). Brahms also knew and valued Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante, with solo violin and viola, and Beethoven’s Triple Concerto for piano trio and

DOUBLE CONCERTO IN A MINOR FOR VIOLIN AND CELLO, Op. 102

NICOLA BENEDETTI violinLEONARD ELSChENBROICh cello

AllegroAndanteVivace non troppo

JohannesBRAhMS

1833–1897

London Philharmonic Orchestra | 9

orchestra. But in the Romantic era the solo concerto had apparently conquered all – there’s no room for more than one hero in the Byronic universe. In reverting to what would have at the time been considered a strange, outmoded form, Brahms showed that he was also not of his time.

Structurally it is more compact than any of the solo concertos. In the first movement particularly, the solo violin and cello writing can be stirringly theatrical (visually as well as aurally), but Brahms is also careful to keep the solo contributions on an equal footing, as in chamber music. Soon after the cello’s opening ‘recitative’ solo the violin has its turn in the spotlight, only now with comments from the cello, with the two instruments finally fusing in rich fortissimo chords. Later, in the lyrical second theme, the conversation between the two turns subtler, more confidential, and the orchestra tactfully restrains its power to allow the soloists to speak more clearly.

This relationship issue is also crucial in the central slow movement. After a short horn and woodwind introduction, violin and cello launch out together in one

of those wonderful long-breathed tunes that are such a signature of Brahms’s style. Yet in the middle section violin and viola now enact the ‘love duet’ mentioned above, passing ideas to each other now tenderly, now with impassioned urgency. The folk-coloured finale offers a refreshing contrast, but the dialogue element remains important, until at last both players join in a bravura display guaranteed to bring the house down.

There may be a personal element in all this. In 1880 Brahms had a serious falling out with his close friend and collaborator, the virtuoso violinist and composer Joseph Joachim. The Double Concerto seems to have been conceived partly as a peace offering to Joachim. Yet it’s striking that Brahms did not offer his old friend another violin concerto, but a work in which the violin must come to an accommodation with the cello – an instrument Brahms loved and wrote for with great feeling. Hearing the Double Concerto for the first time, Brahms’s friend, confidante and ‘ideal’ love Clara Schumann wrote that ‘This Concerto is in a way a work of reconciliation’, adding that ‘Joachim and Brahms have spoken to one another again after years of silence’ – a comment that could be applied just as readily to the music itself.

INTERVAL – 20 minutesAn announcement will be made five minutes before the end of the interval.

SYMphONY NO. 7 IN E MAJOR

Allegro moderatoAdagio: Sehr feierlich und sehr langsam [Very solemn and slow]Scherzo: Sehr schnell [Very fast] – Trio: Etwas langsamer

[Somewhat slower]Finale: Bewegt, doch nicht schnell [Lively, but not fast]

AntonBRUCKNER

1824–1896

The world première of Bruckner’s Seventh Symphony in 1884 was the great turning point in his career. The previous 16 years had been a hard lesson in patience. In 1868, the 44-year-old Bruckner had left his Upper Austrian homeland for Vienna, full of hope. Instead he experienced rejection and mockery from the Viennese musical establishment. The first performance of the Third Symphony in 1877, by a visibly reluctant Vienna

Philharmonic, was a catastrophe. The hall gradually emptied, and Bruckner was then subjected to a hideous mauling in the press. After that few were disposed to take him seriously.

Then, in 1881, the long-delayed première of the Fourth Symphony under Hans Richter began to turn the tide. Buoyed up by this, Bruckner began work on one of his

10 | London Philharmonic Orchestra

most grandly affirmative works, the choral-orchestral Te Deum, which he dedicated proudly ‘to God, for having brought me through so much anguish in Vienna’. A few months later, on 23 September, Bruckner began sketching the Seventh Symphony. Apparently the symphony’s wonderful opening melody came to Bruckner in a dream: a friend from Bruckner’s younger days played the theme on a viola, with the words, ‘This will bring you success.’ This was prophetic: the première of the Seventh Symphony – significantly, not in conservative Vienna, but in the more culturally progressive German city of Leipzig – was one of the greatest successes of Bruckner’s life. One critic wrote, ‘How is it possible that he could remain so long unknown to us?’

It isn’t hard to believe that the long, serenely arching first theme (cellos and violas, with horn at first) could have come straight from the unconscious – a gift of nature. As the theme is repeated on full orchestra the vision intensifies, then fades. A more melancholy second theme (oboe and clarinet) aspires to recover lost glory. Eventually it sounds as though it might succeed, in a long crescendo over a repeated bass note, topped with brass fanfares. But this is suddenly cut off, and a more animated third theme follows: an earthy dance tune (strings in unison, with woodwind and brass support). After this, Bruckner allows us memories of his original vision; but it is only at the end of the movement that the promise of the opening is fulfilled: the symphony’s opening motif rises steadily through the orchestra, crescendo, over a long-held major triad. Bruckner may have had the elemental one-chord crescendo that opens Wagner’s Das Rheingold at the back of his mind, but the effect here is quite different – after all, this is a culmination, not a beginning.

It is said that Bruckner composed the Adagio in the knowledge that his idol Wagner hadn’t long to live. There is an unmistakable note of mourning in the noble first theme, in which Bruckner uses – for the first time – a quartet of so-called ‘Wagner tubas’ (more like deep horns than tubas). Just before the lovely second theme (strings, 3/4), hushed horn and tuba allude to Wagner’s masterpiece Tristan und Isolde, but unless this is pointed out, you’d hardly notice it: the effect is pure Bruckner. In some performances the Adagio’s climax is crowned by a cymbal clash, with triangle and timpani. (This wasn’t Bruckner’s idea, but a suggestion from two

pROGRAMME NOTES

friends.) Either way, it’s a thrilling moment: a revelation of pure light, after which the tuba, joined by horns, sing a magnificent elegy, then the movement concludes in peace.

Like many of Bruckner’s earlier scherzos, the Scherzo of the Seventh Symphony reveals its rustic roots at almost every turn. (Bruckner often played in country dance bands in his youth.) But there is an obsessive, elemental drive here. The central Trio is much gentler, more songful, after which the Scherzo is repeated. Then comes the finale – unusually for Bruckner it’s the lightest (and in most performances, the shortest) of the four movements. Again there are three themes: a dancing, dotted theme (violins); a solemn chorale on violins and violas above a ‘walking’ pizzicato bass; and a jagged version of the first theme for full orchestra in unison. Excitement builds towards the end, until at last Bruckner reveals that the finale’s dancing first theme is simply the Symphony’s serene opening motif in disguise: we have travelled full circle.

Programme notes © Stephen Johnson

Next London philharmonic Orchestra concert

Wednesday 16 November 2011 | 7:30pm Royal Festival hall

Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto Bruckner Symphony No. 4

Osmo Vänskä conductor Janine Jansen violin

Tickets £9–£39 | Premium seats £65 London philharmonic Orchestra Ticket Office 020 7840 4242 | lpo.org.uk Mon–Fri 10am–5pm; no booking fee

Osmo Vänskä and Janine Jansen

London Philharmonic Orchestra | 11

Thomas Beecham GroupThe Tsukanov Family

The Sharp FamilyJulian & Gill Simmonds

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

Mrs Sonja Drexler Guy & Utti Whittaker

principal BenefactorsMark & Elizabeth AdamsJane AttiasLady Jane BerrillDesmond & Ruth CecilMr John H CookMr Charles DumasDavid Ellen

Commander Vincent EvansMr & Mrs Jeffrey HerrmannPeter MacDonald EggersMr & Mrs David MalpasAndrew T MillsMr Maxwell MorrisonMr Michael PosenMr & Mrs Thierry SciardMr John Soderquist & Mr Costas MichaelidesMr & Mrs G SteinMr & Mrs John C TuckerMr & Mrs John & Susi UnderwoodHoward & Sheelagh WatsonMr Laurie Watt Mr Anthony Yolland

BenefactorsMrs A BeareDr & Mrs Alan Carrington CBE FRSMr & Mrs Stewart CohenMr Alistair CorbettMr David EdgecombeMr Richard FernyhoughKen FollettPauline & Peter Halliday

Michael & Christine HenryMr Glenn HurstfieldMr R K JehaMr Gerald LevinSheila Ashley LewisWg. Cdr. & Mrs M T Liddiard OBE JP RAFMr Frank LimPaul & Brigitta LockMr Brian MarshJohn MontgomeryEdmund PirouetMr Peter TausigMrs Kazue TurnerLady Marina VaizeyMr D WhitelockBill Yoe

hon. BenefactorElliott Bernerd

hon. Life MembersKenneth GoodeEdmund Pirouet Mrs Jackie Rosenfeld OBE

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

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

Trusts and FoundationsArts and BusinessAllianz Cultural Foundation Angus Allnatt Charitable FoundationThe Boltini TrustBritten-Pears FoundationThe Candide Charitable TrustThe Coutts Charitable TrustThe Delius TrustDunard FundThe Equitable Charitable TrustThe Eranda FoundationThe Fenton Arts TrustThe Foyle FoundationThe Jeniffer and Jonathan Harris Charitable TrustHattori Foundation for Music and the ArtsCapital Radio’s Help a London ChildThe Hobson CharityThe Kirby Laing FoundationThe Leverhulme TrustLord and Lady Lurgan TrustMaurice Marks Charitable Trust

Marsh Christian TrustThe Mercers’ CompanyAdam Mickiewicz InstitutePaul Morgan Charitable TrustMaxwell Morrison Charitable TrustMusicians Benevolent FundNewcomen Collett Foundation The Serge Prokofiev FoundationSerge Rachmaninoff FoundationThe Reed FoundationThe Seary Charitable TrustThe Samuel Sebba Charitable TrustThe David Solomons Charitable TrustThe Steel Charitable TrustThe Stansfield TrustThe Bernard Sunley Charitable FoundationThe Swan TrustJohn Thaw FoundationThe Thistle TrustThe Underwood TrustGarfield Weston FoundationYouth Music

and others who wish to remain anonymous

Corporate MembersAppleyard & Trew llpAREVA UKBritish American BusinessCharles RussellDestination Québec – UKLazardLeventis OverseasMan Group plc

Corporate DonorLombard Street Research

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

ADMINISTRATION

12 | London Philharmonic Orchestra

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Board of Directors

Martin Höhmann ChairStewart McIlwham Vice-ChairSue BohlingLord Currie*Jonathan Dawson*Gareth NewmanGeorge PenistonSir Bernard Rix*Kevin RundellSir Philip Thomas*Timothy Walker AM†*Non-Executive Directors

The London philharmonic Trust

Victoria Sharp ChairDesmond Cecil CMGJonathan Harris CBE FRICSDr Catherine C. HøgelMartin HöhmannAngela KesslerClive Marks OBE FCAJulian SimmondsTimothy Walker AM†Laurence Watt

American Friends of the London philharmonic Orchestra, Inc.

We are very grateful to the Board of the American Friends of the London Philharmonic Orchestra for its support of the Orchestra’s activities in the USA.

professional Services

Charles RussellSolicitors

Crowe Clark Whitehill LLPAuditors

Dr Louise MillerHonorary Doctor

General Administration

Timothy Walker AM† Chief Executive and Artistic Director

Alison AtkinsonDigital Projects Manager

Finance

David BurkeGeneral Manager andFinance Director

David GreensladeFinance and IT Manager

Concert Management

Roanna GibsonConcerts Director

Ruth SansomArtistic Administrator

Graham WoodConcerts, Recordings andGlyndebourne Manager

Alison JonesConcerts Co-ordinator

Jenny ChadwickTours and Engagements Manager

Jo OrrPA to the Executive / Concerts Assistant

Matthew FreemanRecordings Consultant

Education & Community

Patrick BaileyEducation and Community Director

Anne FindlayEducation Manager

Caz ValeCommunity and Young Talent Manager

Richard MallettEducation and Community Producer

Orchestra personnel

Andrew CheneryOrchestra Personnel Manager

Sarah ThomasLibrarian

Michael PattisonStage Manager

Julia BoonAssistant Orchestra Personnel Manager

Ken Graham TruckingInstrument Transportation(Tel: 01737 373305)

Development

Nick JackmanDevelopment Director

Harriet MesherCharitable Giving Manager

Alexandra RowlandsCorporate Relations Manager

Melissa Van EmdenEvents Manager

Laura LuckhurstCorporate Relations and Events Officer

Elisenda AyatsDevelopment and Finance Officer

Marketing

Kath TroutMarketing Director

Ellie DragonettiMarketing Manager

Rachel FryerPublications Manager

Helen BoddyMarketing Co-ordinator

Samantha KendallBox Office Manager(Tel: 020 7840 4242)

Lucy Martin Intern

Valerie BarberPress Consultant(Tel: 020 7586 8560)

Archives

Philip StuartDiscographer

Gillian PoleRecordings Archive

London philharmonic Orchestra89 Albert Embankment London SE1 7TPTel: 020 7840 4200Fax: 020 7840 4201Box Office: 020 7840 4242lpo.org.uk

The London Philharmonic Orchestra Limited is a registered charity No. 238045.

Photographs of Brahms and Bruckner courtesy of the Royal College of Music, London Front cover photograph © Benjamin Ealovega.

Printed by Cantate. †Supported by Macquarie Group