JTI FRIDAY SERIES SOUTHBANK CENTRE’S ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL Friday 4 February 2011 | 7.30pm KURT MASUR conductor ANNE-SOPHIE MUTTER violin DANIEL MÜLLER-SCHOTT cello BRAHMS Double Concerto in A minor for violin, cello and orchestra (31’) INTERVAL BRAHMS Symphony No. 1 in C minor (45’) PROGRAMME £3 CONTENTS 2 List of Players 3 Orchestra History 4 Leader 5 Kurt Masur 6 Anne-Sophie Mutter 7 Daniel Müller-Schott 8 Programme Notes 12 Recordings 13 Supporters 14 Southbank Centre 15 Administration 16 Future Concerts The timings shown are not precise and are given only as a guide. Principal Conductor VLADIMIR JUROWSKI Principal Guest Conductor YANNICK NÉZET-SÉGUIN Leader PIETER SCHOEMAN Composer in Residence JULIAN ANDERSON Patron 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 57684 LPO 4 Feb 2011_57684 LPO 4 Feb 2011 28/01/2011 10:20 Page 1
Transcript
JTI FRIDAY SERIES
SOUTHBANK CENTRE’S ROYAL FESTIVAL HALLFriday 4 February 2011 | 7.30pm
KURT MASURconductor
ANNE-SOPHIE MUTTERviolin
DANIEL MÜLLER-SCHOTTcello
BRAHMSDouble Concerto in A minor for violin, cello and orchestra (31’)
INTERVAL
BRAHMSSymphony No. 1 in C minor (45’)
PROGRAMME £3
CONTENTS
2 List of Players3 Orchestra History4 Leader5 Kurt Masur6 Anne-Sophie Mutter7 Daniel Müller-Schott8 Programme Notes12 Recordings13 Supporters14 Southbank Centre15 Administration16 Future Concerts
The timings shown are not preciseand are given only as a guide.
Principal Conductor VLADIMIR JUROWSKIPrincipal Guest Conductor YANNICK NÉZET-SÉGUINLeader PIETER SCHOEMANComposer in Residence JULIAN ANDERSONPatron HRH THE DUKE OF KENT KG
Chief Executive and Artistic Director TIMOTHY WALKER AM†
† supported by Macquarie Group
CONCERT PRESENTED BY THE LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
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2 | London Philharmonic Orchestra
LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
FIRST VIOLINSPieter Schoeman* LeaderVesselin Gellev Sub-LeaderChair supported byJohn and Angela Kessler
Helena SmartKatalin VarnagyCatherine CraigTina GruenbergMartin HöhmannChair supported byRichard Karl Goeltz
Chair SupportersThe London Philharmonic Orchestra also acknowledges the following chair supporters whose players are notpresent at this concert:
Andrew DavenportJulian and Gill SimmondsThe Tsukanov Family
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London Philharmonic Orchestra | 3
LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
Patrick Harrison
Seventy-eight years after Sir Thomas Beecham foundedthe London Philharmonic Orchestra, it is recognised todayas one of the finest orchestras on the international stage.Following Beecham’s influential founding tenure theOrchestra’s Principal Conductorship has been passedfrom one illustrious musician to another, amongst themSir Adrian Boult, Bernard Haitink, Sir Georg Solti, KlausTennstedt and Kurt Masur. This impressive traditioncontinued in September 2007 when Vladimir Jurowskibecame the Orchestra’s Principal Conductor and, in afurther exciting move, the Orchestra appointed YannickNézet-Séguin its new Principal Guest Conductor fromSeptember 2008.
The London Philharmonic Orchestra has been performingat Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall since it openedin 1951, becoming Resident Orchestra in 1992. It playsthere around 40 times each season with many of theworld’s most sought after conductors and soloists.Concert highlights in 2010/11 include an exploration ofMahler’s symphonies and complete song cycles duringthe composer’s anniversary season; the premières ofworks by Matteo D’Amico, Magnus Lindberg and BrettDean; a rare opportunity to hear Rossini’s opera Aurelianoin Palmira in collaboration with long term partner OperaRara; and works by the Orchestra’s new Composer inResidence, Julian Anderson.
In addition to its London season and a series of concertsat Wigmore Hall, the Orchestra has flourishing
residencies in Brighton and Eastbourne, and performsregularly around the UK. It is unique in combining theseconcert activities with esteemed opera performanceseach summer at Glyndebourne Festival Opera where ithas been the Resident Symphony Orchestra since 1964.
The London Philharmonic Orchestra performs toenthusiastic audiences all round the world. In 1956 itbecame the first British orchestra to appear in SovietRussia and in 1973 made the first ever visit to China by aWestern orchestra. Touring continues to form asignificant part of the Orchestra’s schedule and issupported by Aviva, the International Touring Partner ofthe London Philharmonic Orchestra. Tours in 2010/11include visits to Finland, Germany, South Korea, Spain,France, Belgium and Luxembourg.
Having long been embraced by the recording,broadcasting and film industries, the LondonPhilharmonic Orchestra broadcasts regularly on domesticand international television and radio. It also works withthe Hollywood and UK film industries, recordingsoundtracks for blockbuster motion pictures includingthe Oscar-winning score for The Lord of the Rings trilogyand scores for Lawrence of Arabia, The Mission,Philadelphia and East is East.
The London Philharmonic Orchestra made its firstrecordings on 10 October 1932, just three days after itsfirst public performance. It has recorded and broadcast
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4 | London Philharmonic Orchestra
PIETERSCHOEMANLEADER
Patr
ick
Har
riso
n
In 2002, Pieter Schoemanjoined the LondonPhilharmonic Orchestra asCo-Leader. He was appointed Leader in 2008.
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 withEduard 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 SouthbankCentre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall in London. As a chambermusician he regularly performs at London’s prestigiousWigmore Hall. As a soloist with the London PhilharmonicOrchestra, he has performed Arvo Pärt’s Double Concertowith Boris Garlitsky and Benjamin Britten’s DoubleConcerto with Alexander Zemtsov, which was recordedand released on the Orchestra’s own record label to greatcritical acclaim. Last October he performed the BrahmsDouble Concerto with Kristina Blaumane.
In 1995 Pieter Schoeman became Co-Leader of theOrchestre Philharmonique de Nice. Since then he hasperformed frequently as Guest Leader with thesymphony orchestras of Barcelona, Bordeaux, Lyon andBaltimore as well as the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Thisseason he has been invited to lead the RotterdamPhilharmonic Orchestra on several occasions.
Pieter Schoeman has recorded numerous violin soloswith the London Philharmonic Orchestra for Chandos,Opera Rara, Naxos, X5, the BBC and for American filmand television. He led the Orchestra in its soundtrackrecordings for The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
He teaches at Trinity College of Music in London.
LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
regularly ever since, and in 2005 established its ownrecord label. The recordings on its own label are takenmainly from live concerts given with distinguishedconductors over the years including the Orchestra’sPrincipal Conductors from Beecham and Boult, throughHaitink, Solti and Tennstedt, to Masur and Jurowski.
Recent additions to the catalogue have includedacclaimed releases of Christmas choral music conductedby Vladimir Jurowski, Bruckner’s Symphony No. 6conducted by Christoph Eschenbach, Verdi’s Requiemconducted by Jesús López-Cobos, Holst’s The Planetsconducted by Vladimir Jurowski and Elgar’s SymphonyNo. 1 and Sea Pictures with Vernon Handley and JanetBaker. The Orchestra’s own-label CDs are also widelyavailable to download. Visit www.lpo.org.uk/shop for thelatest releases.
The Orchestra reaches thousands of Londoners throughits rich programme of community and school-basedactivity in Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark, whichincludes the offshoot ensembles Renga and The Band, itsFoyle Future Firsts apprenticeship scheme foroutstanding young instrumentalists, and regular familyand schools concerts.
To help maintain its high standards and diverseworkload, the Orchestra is committed to the welfare ofits musicians and in December 2007 received theAssociation of British Orchestras/Musicians BenevolentFund Healthy Orchestra Bronze Charter Mark.
There are many ways to experience and stay in touchwith the Orchestra’s activities: visit www.lpo.org.uk,subscribe to our podcast series, download our iPhoneapplication and join us on Facebook and Twitter.
‘ … a simply tremendous performance ofMahler’s 3rd Symphony … Jurowski and hisplayers plunged us into a winter ofdiscontent so profoundly expectant thateven the inveterate coughers were silenced.’EDWARD SECKERSON, THE INDEPENDENT, 23 SEPTEMBER 2010
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London Philharmonic Orchestra | 5
KURT MASURCONDUCTOR
Kurt Masur is well known to orchestras and audiencesalike as both a distinguished conductor and humanist.In September 2002, he became Music Director of theOrchestre National de France in Paris and from thebeginning of the 2008/09 season he assumed the titleof Honorary Music Director for Life ensuring his closeand active involvement with this Orchestra for manymore years to come.
From 2000 to 2007 he was Principal Conductor of theLondon Philharmonic Orchestra. From 1991 to 2002 hewas Music Director of the New York Philharmonic and,following his eleven year tenure, was named MusicDirector Emeritus, becoming the first music director toreceive that title, and only the second (after the lateLeonard Bernstein, who was named LaureateConductor) to be given an honorary position. The NewYork Philharmonic established the ‘Kurt Masur Fund forthe Orchestra’, which will endow conductor debut weekat the Philharmonic in perpetuity in his honour.
From 1970 until 1996, Maestro Masur served asGewandhaus Kapellmeister of the Leipzig GewandhausOrchestra, a position of profound historic importance.Upon his retirement from that post in 1996, theGewandhaus named him its first-ever ConductorLaureate. A frequent guest with the world’s leadingorchestras, he made his United States debut in 1974with the Cleveland Orchestra and his New YorkPhilharmonic debut in 1981. He returns every season toconduct the major American orchestras while in Europe,he works with the Gewandhaus, Dresden Philharmonic,Concertgebouw, Berlin Philharmonic and LondonPhilharmonic Orchestras as well as the Orchestra of theSanta Cecilia in Rome, and the Orchestras of Teatro LaScala and La Fenice. He holds the lifetime title of
Honorary Guest Conductor of the Israel PhilharmonicOrchestra. In July 2007, he celebrated his 80th birthdaywith a concert at the BBC Proms in London conductingthe joint forces of the London Philharmonic Orchestraand the Orchestre National de France.
Maestro Masur’s recordings with the Orchestre Nationalde France include Beethoven’s Symphonies Nos 2 and 6,Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5, and two Shostakovichdiscs featuring the 7th Symphony and the two ViolinConcertos with the young Armenian violinist SergeyKhachatryan. He has made more than thirty recordingswith the New York Philharmonic, two of them –Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 13, Babi Yar, and Mahler’sNinth Symphony – winning ‘Record of the Year’ awardsfrom Stereo Review. With Anne-Sophie Mutter and theNew York Philharmonic he recorded a Grammynominated album of Brahms and Schumann and mostrecently Beethoven’s Violin Concerto and Two Romances.He has made well over 100 other recordings withnumerous orchestras, including the completesymphonies of Beethoven, Brahms, Bruckner,Mendelssohn, Schumann and Tchaikovsky. Recordingswith the London Philharmonic Orchestra includeShostakovich’s Symphonies Nos 1 and 5, Britten’s WarRequiem and Janáček’s Glagolitic Mass.
Since 1989, when Kurt Masur played a central role in thepeaceful demonstrations that led to Germanreunification, the impact of his leadership has attractedworldwide attention. He has received numeroushonours: in 1995, the Cross of the Order of Merit of theFederal Republic of Germany; in 1996 the Gold Medal ofHonour for Music from the National Arts Club; in 1997the titles of Commander of the Legion of Honour fromthe French government and New York City CulturalAmbassador from the City of New York; in April 1999the Commander Cross of Merit of the Polish Republic; inMarch 2002, the President of the Federal Republic ofGermany, Johannes Rau, bestowed upon him the Crosswith Star of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republicof Germany and in September 2007, the President ofGermany, Horst Köhler, awarded him the Great Cross ofthe Legion of Honour with Star and Ribbon. InSeptember 2008 he received the Furtwängler Prize inBonn. A professor at the Leipzig Academy of Music since1975, Maestro Masur is an Honorary Citizen of hishometown Brieg.
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6 | London Philharmonic Orchestra
ANNE-SOPHIE MUTTERVIOLIN
For 35 years, violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter has sustaineda career of exceptional musicianship with anunwavering commitment to the future of classicalmusic. Since her international debut at the LucerneFestival in 1976, followed by a solo appearance withHerbert von Karajan at the Salzburg Whitsun Concerts,she has appeared at all the major concert halls ofEurope, North and South America and Asia. In additionto performing and recording established masterpieces,she is an avid champion of the 20th- and 21st-centuryviolin repertoire. She has had new works composed forher by Sebastian Currier, Henri Dutilleux, SofiaGubaidulina, Witold Lutoslawski, Norbert Moret,Krzysztof Penderecki, André Previn and Wolfgang Rihm.
This season Anne-Sophie Mutter will perform theDvořák Violin Concerto in Germany and Austria with theBerlin Philharmonic Orchestra and Sir Simon Rattle andin Spain with the Orquesta Sinfonica Degalicia andVictor Pablo Perez. She will also tour with ‘Mutter’sVirtuosi’ – a new ensemble under her own musicaldirection which consists of 14 current and formerscholarship holders of the Anne-Sophie MutterFoundation. The tour will take them to 11 Europeancities with repertoire including Mendelssohn’s Octet forStrings, Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons and works for violinand double bass by Penderecki and Previncommissioned by the Anne-Sophie Mutter Foundation.
During the 2010/11 New York concert season Anne-Sophie Mutter enjoys the status of ‘Artist in Residence’and treats her audiences to three different concertprogrammes including three world premières: WolfgangRihm’s Lichtes Spiel, Sebastian Currier’s Time Machinesand Wolfgang Rihm’s Dyade. In 2011 she will performwith her longtime recital partner Lambert Orkis at
concerts in Germany, China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan andthe US presenting works by Debussy, Mendelssohn,Mozart and Sarasate. In July she embarks on a Europeantour with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra andManfred Honeck playing Mendelssohn’s Violin Concertoand Wolfgang Rihm’s Lichtes Spiel. Her programmes for2011 also include Brahms’s Double Concerto,Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto and Sofia Gubaidulina’s Intempus praesens.
Her many recordings have received the German RecordPrize, Record Academy Prize, Grand Prix du Disque,International Record Prize and several Grammies. OnMozart’s 250th birthday she recorded all Mozart’s majorcompositions for violin. Her recordings of Gubaidulina’sIn tempus praesens and Bach’s Violin Concertos in A minor and E major were released in 2008. To mark thebicentenary of Mendelssohn’s birth, she released aseries of recordings of his work. Her recording ofBrahms’s Violin Sonatas with Lambert Orkis wasreleased in 2010 on the Deutsche Grammophon label.For her 35th stage anniversary Deutsche Grammophonwill release a comprehensive box set with all her DGrecordings, and the live recording of the New Yorkpremières of Wolfgang Rihm’s Lichtes Spiel andSebastian Currier’s Time Machines will also be released.
Anne-Sophie Mutter devotes much of her time andresources to supporting charitable causes and thedevelopment of young musicians. In 2008 sheestablished the Anne-Sophie Mutter Foundation tofurther increase worldwide support for promisingyoung musicians. The organisation grew out of TheAnne-Sophie Mutter Circle of Friends Foundation, whichwas founded in 1997. She is also interested in the globalmedical and social problems of our time, regularlylending her support to various charitable causes.
In 2010 Anne-Sophie Mutter was awarded the DoctorHonoris Causa from the Norwegian University ofScience and Technology in Trondheim. In 2009 she wasgranted the European St Ulrich’s Prize and the CristobalGabaroon Award, and in the previous year she receivedthe International Ernst von Siemens Music Prize as wellas the Leipzig Mendelssohn Prize. She is a bearer of theGrand Order of Merit of the German Federal Republic,the French Order of the Legion of Honour, the BavarianOrder of Merit and the Great Austrian Order of Merit.
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London Philharmonic Orchestra | 7
DANIEL MÜLLER-SCHOTTCELLO
With technical brilliance, authority, intellect andemotional esprit, Daniel Müller-Schott is establishinghimself on the world’s major concert platforms. Born inMunich in 1976, he studied under Walter Nothas,Heinrich Schiff and Steven Isserlis, and was a scholarrecipient of the Anne-Sophie Mutter Foundation. In1992, at the age of 15, he won first prize at the MoscowInternational Tchaikovsky Competition for YoungMusicians. His instrument is the ‘Ex Shapiro’ MatteoGoffriller cello, which was made in Venice in 1727.
The opening of his 2010/11 season was marked by theworld première of Peter Ruzicka’s Cello Concerto ‘Überdie Grenze…’, which Müller-Schott performed with theDeutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen under thecomposer’s baton at the Beethovenfest Bonn. He alsoappeared at the Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommernplaying a solo Bach/Britten recital and as a soloist withNDR Hannover, and with the Los Angeles Philharmonicat the Hollywood Bowl with Bramwell Tovey.
This season also sees engagements with the DresdenPhilharmonie and André Previn, MDR Leipzig and JunMärkl, NDR Hamburg and Krzysztof Urbanksi,Konzerthaus Berlin Orchestra and Eiji Oue, OrchestreNational de France and Kurt Masur, Orchestra of the RAITurin and Juraj Valcuha, Brno Philharmonic and JakubHruša, Oslo Philharmonic and Jukka-Pekka Saraste,Helsinki Philharmonic and John Storgårds, and BergenPhilharmonic with Stanislaw Skrowaczewski. Hecontinues his longstanding collaboration with YakovKreizberg joining him as soloist with the NetherlandsPhilharmonic, and with Julia Fischer on tour in Spainwith l’Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo. In
Spain, he is soloist with Orquesta Sinfonica de Tenerifeand Vasily Petrenko, and in Castilla y Léon with LionelBringuier.
Daniel Müller-Schott will also be the soloist with theHungarian National Symphony Orchestra and ZoltánKocsis on an extensive German tour which will include aperformance in his native Munich at the Philharmonieam Gasteig as well as with the Tonhalle OrchesterZurich and David Zinman at a residency in Baden-Baden. With SWR Stuttgart he will give performances ofBrahms’s Double Concerto with Baiba Skride underThomas Dausgaard, and in the USA he is a soloist underthe baton of André Previn with the NHK SymphonyOrchestra, Tokyo.
His impressive discography on Orfeo saw the release inautumn 2009 of concertos by Schumann and RobertVolkmann with Eschenbach and the NDR Hamburg. Insummer 2010 his recording of Mendelssohn duos withJonathan Gilad was released to great critical acclaim.The release of his recording of both ShostakovichConcertos with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestraunder the direction of Yakov Kreizberg receivedexceptional praise and, due out in 2013 in the Brittenanniversary year, will be his recording of Britten’s SoloCello Suites and the Cello Symphony.
His chamber music partners include Nicholas Angelich,Renaud Capuçon, Viviane Hagner, Jonathan Gilad,Robert Kulek, Julia Fischer, Anne-Sophie Mutter, AndréPrevin, Arabella Steinbacher, Christian Tetzlaff, Jean-YvesThibaudet and Lars Vogt. He will play a new trio withRenaud Capuçon and Nicholas Angelich at concerts inFrance and Denmark and he returns by popular demandto Dublin’s ‘Great Irish Houses Festival’ series.
Daniel Müller-Schott is a regular leader of the ‘Rhapsodyin School’ project, the brainchild of his friend andpianist, Lars Vogt, which encourages young people tounderstand the fascination and magic of music.
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8 | London Philharmonic Orchestra
The concerto was one of the most popular of all musicalforms in the 19th century. This was the era of theromantic virtuoso soloist: audiences loved the idea ofthe superhuman individual taking on the might of thefull symphony orchestra and emerging victorious. Whata perfect vehicle for an age intoxicated with dashing,sensational figures like the poet Byron, the violinistNiccolo Paganini and the pianist-composer Franz Liszt.Something of this romantic spirit – the suffering,striving, intensely charismatic soloist pitted against theelemental force of the orchestra – can be felt inBrahms’s First Piano Concerto, composed during 1854-8.
But Brahms was a paradoxical figure – it’s one of thethings that makes him so fascinating. Part of him wasromantic to the core: a lonely misfit, sustained by animpossible love, laying bare his wounded heart in songafter song (especially in the wonderful Alto Rhapsody).Yet there was another part of him that longed for
something else: the contained formal strength andsubtlety of great classical and baroque masters likeHaydn and Mozart, Bach and Handel, and for theemotional ‘objectivity’ that offered.
The Double Concerto, for violin, cello and orchestra,composed in 1887, embodies this paradoxmagnificently. It contains some of Brahms’s mostromantically expressive music: strikingly the almostoperatic ‘love duet’ for violin and cello at the heart ofthe slow central movement. The first cello solo, only afew seconds into the first movement, is marked ‘inmodo d’un recitativo’ – ‘ the style of a recitative’ – adirect acknowledgement of the music’s operaticcharacter by a composer who never wrote an opera. Andyet this is a concerto with two soloists. Concertos withmore than one star in the spotlight were commonenough in baroque times (think of Bach’s gloriousDouble Concerto in D minor for two violins). Brahms
PROGRAMME NOTES
DOUBLE CONCERTO IN A MINOR FOR VIOLIN,CELLO AND ORCHESTRA, OP. 102
ANNE-SOPHIE MUTTER violinDANIEL MÜLLER-SCHOTT cello
Allegro | Andante | Vivace non troppo
SPEEDREAD
Concertos with more than one solo instrument were veryrare in the 19th century. This was a period of glamorousstar soloists and the cult of the romantic-heroicindividual – there was no room for more than one hero inthe Byronic universe. But one of the most remarkablefeatures of Brahms’s Double Concerto is the relationshipbetween its two soloists: sometimes confrontational,sometimes intimate or impassioned, but with the twocontributions carefully balanced. Brahms intended thework as a gesture of reconciliation with his old friend,violin virtuoso Joseph Joachim, with whom he’d fallenout drastically seven years earlier. It clearly worked:
Joachim was impressed and moved by the music, and thetwo men became friends again. Another kind of intenserelationship left its mark on Brahms’s First Symphony.The composer’s complex feelings for Clara Schumann,further muddied by distress at her husband Robert’ssuicide attempt and final descent into madness, can besensed in the first movement’s turbulent emotionaldrama. But the symphony eventually wins through toaffirmation: in the finale a horn sounds a rapturoussalute to Clara, after which the great main tune isunmistakably a Brahmsian tribute to Beethoven’sfamous ‘Ode to Joy’.
JohannesBRAHMS
1833-1897
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PROGRAMME NOTES
INTERVAL 20 minutes
An announcement will be made five minutes before the end of the interval.
also knew and valued Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante,with solo violin and viola, and Beethoven’s TripleConcerto for piano trio and orchestra. But in theromantic era the solo concerto had apparentlyconquered all – there’s no room for more than one heroin the Byronic universe. In reverting to what would havebeen considered a strange, outmoded form at the time,Brahms showed that he was also not of his time.
Structurally it is more compact than any of the soloconcertos. In the first movement particularly the soloviolin and cello writing can be stirringly theatrical(visually as well as aurally), but Brahms is also careful tokeep the solo contributions on an equal footing, as inchamber 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 twoinstruments finally fusing in rich fortissimo chords.Later, in the lyrical second theme, the conversationbetween the two turns subtler, more confidential, andthe orchestra tactfully restrains its power to allow thesoloists to speak more clearly.
This relationship issue is also crucial in the central slowmovement. After a short horn and woodwindintroduction, violin and cello launch out together in one
of those wonderful long-breathed tunes which are sucha signature of Brahms’s style. Yet in the middle sectionviolin and cello now enact an almost operatic ‘loveduet’, passing ideas to each other now tenderly, nowwith impassioned urgency. The folk-coloured finaleoffers a refreshing contrast, but the dialogue elementremains important, until at last both players join in abravura display guaranteed to bring the house down.
There may be a personal element in all this. In 1880Brahms had a serious falling out with his close friendand collaborator, the virtuoso violinist and composerJoseph Joachim. The Double Concerto seems to havebeen conceived partly as a peace offering to Joachim.Yet it’s striking that Brahms did not offer his old friendanother violin concerto, but a work in which the violinmust come to an accommodation with the cello – aninstrument Brahms loved and wrote for with greatfeeling. Hearing the Double Concerto for the first time,Brahms’s friend, confidante and ‘ideal’ love ClaraSchumann wrote that ‘This Concerto is in a way a workof reconciliation’, adding that ‘Joachim and Brahms havespoken to one another again after years of silence’ – acomment that could be applied just as readily to themusic itself.
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10 | London Philharmonic Orchestra
PROGRAMME NOTES
Few great concert works have taken longer to maturethan Brahms’s First Symphony. Ideas probably began totake shape in Brahms’s mind around 1855, a period ofgreat emotional turmoil for the twenty-two year-oldcomposer. The previous year his mentor and artisticfather figure Robert Schumann had suffered a completeand irrevocable mental breakdown, and the emotionalfall-out took a long time to subside. Five years later,Brahms’s confidante and ‘ideal’ love Clara Schumann –virtuoso pianist and widow of the composer – was stillurging him not to give up the struggle: ‘Such a sky ofstorm may yet lead to a symphony’. Two years after that,in the summer of 1862 Clara received a surprise parcel,containing the symphony’s first movement – or at leastan early version of it. ‘It begins somewhat severely’, shewrote to a friend, ‘but I have got used to it. Themovement is full of beauties; the themes are treatedwith a mastery that grows more and more individual.’
Fourteen more years were to pass before Brahms wasable to show Clara a completed score – and even thenthere were more revisions to follow. The problem was atleast partly that Brahms had set himself suchdauntingly high standards: his goal was to producesomething worthy to set beside the greatest of allsymphonists, Ludwig van Beethoven. ‘I shall never writea symphony’, Brahms told the conductor Hermann Leviin 1870. ‘You’ve no idea what it feels like with such agiant marching behind you.’ But his friends carried on acampaign of sustained encouragement, and the successof Brahms’s first orchestral masterpiece, Variations on atheme of Haydn in 1874 seems to have rekindled hisambition. By 1876 the First Symphony as we know itwas finally ready. It was performed all over Europe, withincreasing success. Soon critics were calling it‘Beethoven’s Tenth’ – but that ringing compliment onlymade Brahms doubt himself all over again. Had heemerged from the giant’s shadow or not? When
someone unwisely pointed out the ‘extraordinary’similarity between the main theme of Brahms’s finaleand the ‘Ode to Joy’ theme in Beethoven’s NinthSymphony, Brahms snapped back: ‘Yes, and still moreextraordinary that any fool can hear it!’
It isn’t hard to hear echoes of Beethoven in the firstmovement’s surging momentum and grim, almostobsessive rhythmic determination. Almost certainlyBrahms’s struggles to come to terms with Schumann’sattempted suicide and final mental breakdown left theirmark on this music. And like Brahms, Schumann hadrevered Beethoven and strove continually to match upto his great example. But it’s also possible that the slowintroduction – apparently added after the main Allegrowas complete – contains a tribute to another ofBrahms’s gods, Johann Sebastian Bach. The opening’slow throbbing bass-notes could be an echo of theopening chorus of Bach’s St Matthew Passion. As ClaraSchumann observed on receiving the 1862 version ofthis movement, the flow of ideas is remarkablysustained, and the climactic build up to the return ofthe first Allegro theme is superbly, thrillinglyengineered. Brahms’s debt to Beethoven is clear enoughin that; but what Brahms does at the end is completelyoriginal. The tempo drops and the pulsating bass notesof the introduction return, quietly this time. The end isneither thunderous triumph nor black tragedy; C minorturbulence gradually yields to ambiguous C major calm.
Heroic struggle is forgotten in the two centralmovements. In the Andante sostenuto it is melody thatcarries the argument, reaching its apotheosis in aravishing violin solo in the final moments. The openingtheme of the Un poco Allegretto e grazioso is all relaxedcharm – a far cry from the cosmic dance energy of thetypical Beethovenian scherzo. More energetic musicfollows, but as a whole the effect is to heighten our
SYMPHONY NO. 1 IN C MINOR, OP. 68
Un poco sostenuto – Allegro | Andante sostenuto | Un poco Allegretto e grazioso | Adagio – Allegro nontroppo ma con brio
JohannesBRAHMS
1833-1897
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PROGRAMME NOTES
expectations of the finale, which now has to be aneffective counterweight to the first movement,confronting and finally resolving its tragic tensions. Theopening brings an immediate darkening, after whichthe music seems to be groping in the shadows forsomething definitive – the outline of a fully-fledgedtheme perhaps. A sudden timpani fortissimo dispels thegloom: to warm harmonies on trombones (their firstappearance in the symphony) a noble horn themesounds through shimmering strings. This was thetheme Brahms noted in a letter to Clara Schumann in
1868, adding the words, ‘High on the mountain, deep inthe valley, I send you a thousand greetings’. The visionfades, then a confident, forward striding tune beginsthe Allegro non troppo ma con brio – Brahms’s reply toBeethoven’s ‘Ode to Joy’ theme. There are reminders ofthe first movement’s heroic struggle, but this time theending is unambiguous, with a forcefully affirmativebrass hymn tune heralding a victorious final dash to thefinishing post.
Hearevery noteHard of hearing? Visit the cloakroom for equipment to improve your concert experience.
Download London Philharmonic Orchestra recordings from www.lpo.org.uk/shop
It’s easy to take the London Philharmonic Orchestra with you wherever you go! Visit ourdownloads site to choose the works (or even single movements) you’d like to buy, anddownload high quality MP3s to your computer for transfer to an MP3 player or CD. Withregular additions of new recordings with conductors from Beecham to Jurowski you’ll alwayshave a selection of great music to choose from.
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12 | London Philharmonic Orchestra
RECORDINGS ON THE LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA’S OWN RECORD LABEL
The recordings may be downloaded in high quality MP3 format from www.lpo.org.uk/shop. CDs may alsobe purchased from all good retail outlets or through the London Philharmonic Orchestra: telephone 0207840 4242 (Mon-Fri 10am-5pm) or visit the website www.lpo.org.uk
LPO-0010 Kurt Masur conducts Britten’s War Requiem with soloistsChristine Brewer, Anthony Dean Griffey, Gerald Finley and the LondonPhilharmonic Choir
‘Masur’s focused, powerfully perceptive reading impresses with itsoverwhelming sense of structure and purpose, drawing from the score everyounce of anger, bitterness, resignation, tragedy, pathos and ecstasy.’ INTERNATIONAL RECORD REVIEW
LPO-0029 Kurt Masur conducts Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony andJanáček’s Glagolitic Mass with soloists Zdena Kloubová, Karen Cargill, PavolBreslick, Gustáv Beláček and the Czech Philharmonic Choir of Brno
‘... this awesomely muscular, vital account of Janác̆ek’s Glagolitic (or Czech)Mass …’ RICK JONES, TIMES KNOWLEDGE, 8 SEPTEMBER 2007
LPO-0043 Vladimir Jurowski conducts Brahms’s Symphonies Nos 1 and 2
‘This pair of budget-priced CDs on the LPO’s own label demonstrate how, inthe right hands, the first two symphonies can thrill and delight … exquisitewind playing …genuinely exciting …’GRAHAM RICKSON, THE ARTS DESK, 22 FEBRUARY 2010
LPO-0045 Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts Brahms’s German Requiem withsoloists Elizabeth Watts, Stéphane Degout and the London PhilharmonicChoir
‘A German Requiem that doesn’t rush and achieves a remarkable inwardness ...I found so many things to enjoy about this recording that I didn’t begrudge asingle minute of the time spent to savour them.’PETER QUANTRILL, GRAMOPHONE, AUGUST 2010
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London Philharmonic Orchestra | 13
Thomas Beecham GroupMr & Mrs Richard & Victoria SharpJulian & Gill SimmondsThe Tsukanov Family
Garf & Gill CollinsAndrew DavenportDavid & Victoria Graham FullerRichard Karl GoeltzJohn & Angela KesslerMr & Mrs MakharinskyGeoff & Meg MannCaroline, Jamie & Zander SharpEric Tomsett
Guy & Utti Whittaker
Principal BenefactorsMark & Elizabeth AdamsJane AttiasLady Jane BerrillDesmond & Ruth CecilMr John H CookMrs Sonja DrexlerMr Charles DumasDavid EllenCommander Vincent Evans
Mr Daniel GoldsteinMrs Barbara GreenOliver HeatonPeter 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 TuckerHoward & Sheelagh WatsonMr Laurie WattMr Anthony Yolland
BenefactorsMrs A BeareDr & Mrs Alan Carrington
CBE FRSMarika Cobbold & Michael
Patchett-JoyceMr & Mrs Stewart CohenMr Alistair CorbettMr David EdgecombeMr Richard Fernyhough
Ken FollettMichael & Christine HenryMr Glenn HurstfieldMr R K JehaMr & Mrs Maurice LambertMr 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 Whitelock
Hon. BenefactorElliott Bernerd
Hon. Life MembersKenneth GoodeMrs Jackie Rosenfeld OBE
We would like to acknowledge the generous support of the following Thomas Beecham Group Patrons, PrincipalBenefactors and Benefactors:
The generosity of our Sponsors, Corporate Members, supporters and donors is gratefully acknowledged.
Corporate MembersAppleyard & Trew llpAREVA UKBritish American BusinessBrown Brothers HarrimanCharles RussellDestination Québec – UKDiagonal ConsultingLazardLeventis OverseasMan Group plcQuébec Government Office in London
Trusts and FoundationsAllianz Cultural FoundationThe Andor Charitable TrustRuth Berkowitz Charitable TrustThe Boltini TrustBorletti-Buitoni TrustBritten-Pears FoundationThe Candide Charitable TrustThe John S Cohen FoundationThe Coutts Charitable TrustThe Dorset FoundationThe D’Oyly Carte Charitable TrustDunard FundThe Equitable Charitable TrustThe Eranda FoundationThe Ernest Cook TrustThe Fenton Arts TrustThe Foyle FoundationThe Jonathan & Jeniffer Harris TrustCapital Radio’s Help a London ChildThe Idlewild TrustThe Emmanuel Kaye FoundationThe Leverhulme TrustLord and Lady Lurgan TrustMaurice Marks Charitable TrustThe Michael Marks Charitable TrustMarsh Christian Trust
UK Friends of the Felix-Mendelssohn-BartholdyFoundation
The Mercers’ CompanyAdam Mickiewicz InstitutePaul Morgan Charitable TrustMaxwell Morrison Charitable TrustMusicians Benevolent FundThe R K Charitable TrustSerge Rachmaninoff FoundationThe Reed FoundationThe Rubin FoundationThe Seary Charitable TrustThe Samuel Sebba Charitable TrustSound ConnectionsThe Stansfield TrustThe Steel Charitable TrustThe Bernard Sunley Charitable
FoundationThe Swan TrustJohn Thaw FoundationThe Underwood TrustGarfield Weston FoundationYouth Music
and others who wish to remainanonymous.
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14 | London Philharmonic Orchestra
WELCOME TO SOUTHBANK CENTRE
We hope you enjoy your visit. We have a Duty Manageravailable at all times. If you have any queries please askany member of staff for assistance.
Eating, drinking and shopping? Southbank Centre shopsand restaurants include: Foyles, EAT, Giraffe, Strada, YO!Sushi, wagamama, Le Pain Quotidien, Las Iguanas, pingpong, Canteen, Caffè Vergnano 1882, Skylon, Concreteand Feng Sushi, as well as cafes, restaurants and shopsinside Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall andHayward Gallery.
If you wish to get in touch with us following your visitplease contact Kenelm Roberts, our Head of CustomerRelations, at Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, LondonSE1 8XX or email [email protected] orphone 020 7960 4250.
We look forward to seeing you again soon.
A few points to note for your comfort and enjoyment:
PHOTOGRAPHY is not allowed in the auditorium
LATECOMERS will only be admitted to the auditorium ifthere is a suitable break in the performance
RECORDING is not permitted in the auditorium withoutthe prior consent of Southbank Centre. Southbank Centrereserves the right to confiscate video or sound equipmentand hold it in safekeeping until the performance has ended
MOBILES, PAGERS AND WATCHES should be switchedoff before the performance begins
SOUTHBANK CENTRE
LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA RECORDING ARCHIVE
The New Year may be a good time to sort through your collection of LondonPhilharmonic Orchestra recordings. If seasonal gifts or indulgent shopping have resultedin a shelf space problem, we would be delighted to help out by taking any recordingsyou now feel you could part with.
Last year we received some splendid windfalls from two generous supporters, whosegifts have filled in some of the gaps in our Recording Archive but there is still quite along way to go. So, if you have any recordings that you think may be of interest, pleaseget in touch with Gillian Pole at the London Philharmonic Orchestra, 89 AlbertEmbankment, London SE1 7TP.
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London Philharmonic Orchestra | 15
ADMINISTRATION
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Martin HöhmannChairmanStewart McIlwhamVice-ChairmanSue BohlingSimon CarringtonLord Currie*Jonathan Dawson*Anne McAneneyGeorge PenistonSir Bernard Rix*Kevin RundellSir Philip Thomas*Sir John Tooley*The Rt Hon. Lord Wakeham DL*Timothy Walker AM †*Non-Executive Directors
THE LONDON PHILHARMONIC TRUST
Pehr Gyllenhammar ChairmanDesmond Cecil CMGJonathan Harris CBE FRICSDr Catherine C. HøgelMartin HöhmannAngela KesslerClive Marks OBE FCAVictoria SharpJulian SimmondsTimothy Walker AM †Laurence Watt
AMERICAN FRIENDS OF THELONDON PHILHARMONICORCHESTRA, INC.
We are very grateful to theBoard of the American Friendsof the London PhilharmonicOrchestra for its support ofthe Orchestra’s activities inthe USA.
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
Charles RussellSolicitors
Crowe Clark Whitehill LLPAuditors
Dr Louise MillerHonorary Doctor
GENERAL ADMINISTRATION
Timothy Walker AM †Chief Executive and Artistic Director
Alison AtkinsonDigital Projects Manager
FINANCE
David BurkeGeneral Manager andFinance Director
David GreensladeFinance and IT Manager
CONCERT MANAGEMENT
Roanna ChandlerConcerts Director
Ruth SansomArtistic Administrator
Graham WoodConcerts, Recordings andGlyndebourne Manager
Alison JonesConcerts Co-ordinator
Jenny ChadwickTours and EngagementsManager
Jo OrrPA to the Executive / Concerts Assistant
Matthew FreemanRecordings Consultant
EDUCATION ANDCOMMUNITY PROGRAMME
Fiona LambertEducation and CommunityConsultant
Anne FindlayEducation Officer
Richard MallettEducation and Community Producer
ORCHESTRA PERSONNEL
Andrew CheneryOrchestra Personnel Manager
Sarah ThomasLibrarian
Michael PattisonStage Manager
Camilla BeggAssistant Orchestra PersonnelManager
Ken Graham TruckingInstrument Transportation(Tel: 01737 373305)
DEVELOPMENT
Nick JackmanDevelopment Director
Harriet MesherCharitable Giving Manager
Phoebe RouseCorporate Relations Manager
Sarah TattersallCorporate Relations and Events Manager
Melissa Van EmdenCorporate Relations and Events Officer
MAHLER ANNIVERSARYJTI FRIDAY SERIESFriday 25 February 2011 | 7.30pm
Mahler Lieder eines fahrenden GesellenMahler Symphony No. 9
Christoph Eschenbach conductorChristopher Maltman baritone
6.15pm–6.45pm | FREE Pre-Concert EventRoyal Festival HallSurrey University music lecturer Jeremy Barhamexplores ‘Ends and beginnings: Mahler and the Ninth’.
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
Louis Langrée andDavid Fray
Sarah Connolly andToby Spence
Osmo Vänskä andBernd Glemser
ChristophEschenbach andChristopherMaltman
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