LSO International Violin Festival

London Symphony OrchestraLiving Music

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LSO International Violin Festival

12 Violin Superstars | 12 Amazing Concerts

April to June 2015Festival Concert Guide

I am delighted to welcome you to – and to be supporting – the LSO International Violin Festival. My interest in the violin goes back many years, initially as a player and now as a collector. During this Festival you will hear twelve of the world’s top violinists and some of the world’s top instruments.

The quality of workmanship underpinning the great instruments

is extraordinary. In fact, many of the most exceptional Italian instruments

are now 300 or more years old, with each instrument having its own

character and personality. I feel proud that a number of my instruments are

now on loan to some of today’s finest violinists, such as Nicola Benedetti

and LSO Leader Roman Simovic. Through individuals like these, exquisite

craftsmanship, illustrious history and supreme musicality can be brought

together in the most breathtaking fashion.

The show-stopping evening concerts are combined with a programme

of extra events, transforming the Festival into a true celebration of

APRIL TO JUNE 2015

LSO International Violin Festival

all things violin. At LSO St Luke’s, four leading violinists deliver a

series of BBC Radio 3 Lunchtime Concerts; you can get closer to the

music through LSO Discovery events and online Artist Conversations;

and The Strad, media partners of the Festival, will hold three The Strad Sundays,

with free violin-making demonstrations during the day followed by panel

discussions with expert speakers from the Barbican Hall stage.

I do hope you enjoy the collection of violinists – and violins –

that the LSO has brought together for this Festival. I don’t think you

will be disappointed.

Jonathan Moulds CBE, LSO Board Member

Jonathan Moulds, who is generously supporting the

LSO International Violin Festival, introduces the season.

2 LSO INTERNATIONAL VIOLIN FESTIVAL ~ LSO.CO.UK/VIOLINFESTIVAL

Welcome to the LSO International Violin Festival. We at The Strad are delighted to be involved in this celebration of today’s great violinists, showcasing some of the most loved and challenging masterpieces in the repertoire.

This year The Strad celebrates its 125th birthday. To mark this

milestone we are hosting three free events at the Barbican Centre

over the course of the Festival. The Strad Sundays take place on

12 April, 3 May and 28 June and feature makers exhibitions inside

the Barbican’s Fountain Room, where you can meet luthiers, try out

instruments and learn about the art of violin making.

Each exhibition will be followed by a pre-concert panel discussion

from the Barbican Hall stage. On 12 April, A Guide to Violin Sound

asks whether it is possible to distinguish a Stradivari violin from a modern

instrument by sound alone – with demonstrations and an audience vote!

On 3 May we turn our attention to orchestras, with advice from LSO

players on navigating the daunting audition process. Finally, our

discussion on 28 June explores teaching children, with tips on how

to keep young instrumental students inspired.

The Strad Sundays offer fascinating insights into the string music

world both on and off the stage. We hope you will come and join us!

Chloe Cutts, Magazine Editor – The Strad

CONTENTS

4–7 The Concertos & Violinists 8–10 Event Listings 11 Venue & Booking Information

lso.co.uk/violinfestival

Visit our website to find out about the artists and their violins, watch live artist conversations, read interviews and behind-the-scenes blogs, and more.

MEDIA PARTNER

SEE PAGE 11 FOR BOOKING DETAILS 3

ALINAIBRAGIMOVA

CHRISTIANTETZLAFF

JANINEJANSEN

1775 1806 1845MOZART VIOLIN CONCERTO NO 3

Sun 14 Jun

BEETHOVEN VIOLIN CONCERTO

Sun 24 May

MENDELSSOHN VIOLIN CONCERTO

Tue 2 Jun

A rising star in the violin world,

Alina Ibragimova is already a great

friend of the LSO, taking part in

LSO Discovery schemes as a student and

making her debut with the Orchestra at the

2007 BBC Proms. In June, she channels her

imaginative, vibrant playing into Mozart’s

Third Violin Concerto, a work full of the

composer’s trademark elegance and charm.

For German violinist Christian Tetzlaff,

communication is at the heart of bringing

a piece of music to life. In a performance,

he says, ‘you listen, together, with the audience’.

In May, he returns to Beethoven’s great Concerto,

bringing his modern violin’s kaleidoscope of tones

to bear on the music’s warm, serene radiance.

BBC RADIO 3 LUNCHTIME CONCERT

Thu 21 May

Solo works by Bach

Janine Jansen may have been dubbed

the ‘queen of the downloads’, in recognition

of her award-winning and immensely popular

recordings, but it’s in the concert hall that she

really comes into her own, pouring every drop

of energy and emotion into her performances.

Hear it for yourself in June, as she plays

Mendelssohn’s deeply romantic Concerto.

THE CONCERTOS AND VIOLINISTS


ISABELLEFAUST

1878BRAHMS VIOLIN CONCERTO

Thu 7 May

Isabelle Faust, whose Festival performance

marks her LSO debut, combines her

unmistakable sound with a commitment

to exploring the stories behind the music.

In the Brahms Violin Concerto this story is

the friendship between the composer and

the work’s dedicatee, violinist Joseph Joachim,

a friendship that resulted in a centrepiece

of the repertoire, which marries symphonic

drama, exquisite lyricism and infectious

Eastern European dance rhythms.

NIKOLAJZNAIDER

1878TCHAIKOVSKY VIOLIN CONCERTO

Tue 12 May

Nikolaj Znaider’s Festival performance

promises to bring out all of the soulfulness

and passion of Tchaikovsky’s Violin

Concerto, from the soaring opening to the

lively chase of the finale, showcasing the

sumptuous tones of his Guarneri del Gesù violin.

A familiar face to LSO audiences, Znaider’s copious

collaborations with the Orchestra have included

an Artist Portrait series, tours, educational

projects with LSO Discovery, a celebration of

the centenary of Elgar’s Violin Concerto, and,

more recently, turning his hand to conducting.

JOSHUABELL

1904SIBELIUS VIOLIN CONCERTO

Sun 28 Jun

Classical superstar’ Joshua Bell’s

diverse career reveals his passion

for sharing music with others,

whether that’s through making chart-topping

recordings, featuring on Oscar-winning film

soundtracks, or appearing on popular TV shows

(from The Tonight Show to Sesame Street!).

We welcome him to the LSO for Sibelius’ brooding,

contemplative Violin Concerto, summed up by

Bell as ‘very athletic, very dark, very emotional’.

‘

THE STRAD SUNDAYS

Makers Exhibition

3–5.30pm Fountain Room, Barbican

Panel Discussion

6pm Barbican Hall

Making Instrument Lessons Fun for Kids


NICOLABENEDETTI

MIDORI

GILSHAHAM

1916 1937–8 1938–9SZYMANOWSKI VIOLIN CONCERTO NO 1

Sun 3 May

BARTÓK VIOLIN CONCERTO NO 2

Thu 30 Apr

BRITTEN VIOLIN CONCERTO

Sun 12 Apr

Syzmanowksi’s First Violin Concerto has

been a centrepiece of Nicola Benedetti’s

career ever since, at the age of 16,

she chose it for her winning performance at the

BBC Young Musician of the Year Competition.

‘This piece is fantastical, other-worldly, mystical

and impressionistic’, she says, ‘but not without

soul or emotional expression’. A favourite

with LSO audiences, Benedetti returns to this

captivating work in May, then pairs Mozart

and Beethoven in a BBC Radio 3 Lunchtime

Concert the following month.

Gil Shaham’s history with the LSO dates

back to 1987, a debut performance

at the Barbican that was followed two

years later by a defining moment of his career,

when – as an 18-year-old student – he stepped

in for Itzhak Perlman in two concerts with

the Orchestra. His performance this year is

centred on Britten’s dark, haunting Concerto,

a meditation on the Spanish Civil War.

From her debut with the LSO as a

teenager in 1987 to her collaboration

with the Orchestra this year, Midori

notes the ‘rewarding exchange of musical ideas

and inspiration that takes place every time we

work together’. For the Festival, she returns to

a work that she recorded at the very start of

her career, giving voice to the wild, relentless

rhythms of Bartók’s Second Violin Concerto.

VIOLIN MASTERCLASS WITH MIDORI

Wed 29 Apr

THE STRAD SUNDAYS

Makers Exhibition

3–5.30pm Fountain Room, Barbican

Panel Discussion

6pm Barbican Hall

Surviving Orchestral Auditions


Thu 25 Jun

Mozart and Beethoven


JAMESEHNES

LEONIDASKAVAKOS

ANNE-SOPHIEMUTTER

1945 1947–8 2001KORNGOLD VIOLIN CONCERTO

Sun 7 Jun

SHOSTAKOVICH VIOLIN CONCERTO NO 1

Wed 8 Apr

ANDRÉ PREVIN VIOLIN CONCERTO

Wed 10 Jun

Korngold’s rhapsodic Violin Concerto –

which brims over with the sweeping

melodies of the Oscar-winning composer’s

film scores – is, for James Ehnes, a ‘wonderfully

rewarding piece to play, with beautiful melodies,

great harmonic flavour, and plenty of virtuosic

fireworks’. He also joins us for a solo recital at

LSO St Luke’s, combining, in his own words, ‘two

of the greatest violin sonatas ever composed’.


Thu 11 Jun – Beethoven and Brahms

The dark, restrained intensity of

Shostakovich’s First Violin Concerto

forms the focus of Leonidas Kavakos’

appearance in the Festival. For Kavakos,

who grew up with the violin an ever-present

part of his family life, a belief in the importance

of art is at the forefront of each of his

performances, combined with a passion for

the violin and the art of violin-making.

Few violinists can claim such a dedication to

the music of today as Anne-Sophie Mutter,

whose UBS Soundscapes: LSO Artist Portrait

series in 2011/12 showcased works by a number

of contemporary composers. André Previn’s Violin

Concerto, subtitled ‘Anne-Sophie’, is just one of

the pieces that have been written for her over

the course of her career. In June she teams up

with the composer himself for a reprise of this

work, which Mutter describes as ‘one of the

most sublime violin concertos written in the

last hundred years’.

THE STRAD SUNDAYS

Makers Exhibition

10am–5.30pm Fountain Room, Barbican

Panel Discussion

6pm Barbican Hall

A Guide to Violin Sound


Sun 26 Apr 2015 7.30pm

LSO STRING ENSEMBLESchubert arr Mahler Death and the Maiden Shostakovich arr Pushkarev Sonata for Violin, Percussion and String Orchestra Shostakovich Chamber Symphony in C minor

Roman Simovic director

Fri 10 Apr 2015 2pm Live on YouTube LSO Artist Conversation with Roman Simovic youtube.com/lso

Wed 29 Apr 2015 6.30–8.30pm, Guildhall Lecture Recital Room

LSO DISCOVERY

VIOLIN MASTERCLASSMidori violin with musicians from the Guildhall School

Thu 30 Apr 2015 7.30pm

MIDORIMessiaen Les offrandes oubliées Bartók Violin Concerto No 2 Tchaikovsky Symphony No 4

Tugan Sokhiev conductor Midori violin

6pm LSO Platforms: Guildhall Artists String chamber music by Bartók

APRIL 2015Wed 8 Apr 2015 7.30pm

LEONIDAS KAVAKOSShostakovich Violin Concerto No 1 Liszt A Faust Symphony

Gianandrea Noseda conductor Leonidas Kavakos violin

6pm LSO Platforms: Guildhall Artists String music by Shostakovich

Sun 12 Apr 2015 7.30pm

GIL SHAHAMArvo Pärt Cantus in memoriam Benjamin Britten Britten Violin Concerto Shostakovich Symphony No 6

Osmo Vänskä conductor Gil Shaham violin

10am–5.30pm Makers Exhibition Fountain Room, Barbican

Free entry, no ticket required

6pm Panel Discussion A Guide to Violin Sound Can you tell the difference between a Strad and a factory-made violin from sound alone? A lively panel debate on what makes one instrument sound so different from another – including demonstrations by LSO Leader Roman Simovic.


MAY 2015Fri 1 May 2015 12.30pm, LSO St Luke’s

LSO DISCOVERY

FREE LUNCHTIME CONCERTDavid Alberman violin Rachel Leach presenter

Supported by the Rothschild Charities Committee

Sun 3 May 2015 7.30pm

NICOLA BENEDETTIGlinka Overture: Ruslan and Lyudmila Szymanowski Violin Concerto No 1 Mussorgsky PIctures at an Exhibition

Krzysztof Urbanski conductor Nicola Benedetti violin

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3–5.30pm Makers Exhibition Fountain Room, Barbican


6pm Panel Discussion Surviving Orchestral Auditions From preparing excerpts to excelling in your first trial, get the inside view from LSO players on landing your dream orchestral job. With LSO First Violin Maxine Kwok-Adams and Director of Music at the Guildhall School, Jonathan Vaughan.


KRZYSZTOF URBANSKI (3 MAY)

ROMAN SIMOVIC (26 APR)


Thu 7 May 2015 7.30pm

ISABELLE FAUSTBrahms Violin Concerto Tchaikovsky Symphony No 5

Semyon Bychkov conductor Isabelle Faust violin

6pm LSO Platforms: Guildhall Artists String chamber music by Brahms

Tue 12 May 2015 7.30pm

NIKOLAJ ZNAIDERBalakirev (arr Lyapunov) Islamey Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto Shostakovich Symphony No 15

Valery Gergiev conductor Nikolaj Znaider violin

6pm LSO Platforms: Guildhall Artists Songs by Shostakovich and Tchaikovsky

Thu 21 May 2015 1pm, LSO St Luke’s

BBC RADIO 3

LUNCHTIME CONCERTBach Violin Partita No 2 in D minor BWV 1004 Bach Violin Sonata No 3 in C major BWV 1005

Christian Tetzlaff violin

Fri 22 May 2015 12.30pm, LSO St Luke’s

LSO DISCOVERY

FREE LUNCHTIME CONCERTRachel Leach presenter


Sun 24 May 2015 7.30pm

CHRISTIAN TETZLAFFBeethoven Violin Concerto Brahms German Requiem

Daniel Harding conductor Christian Tetzlaff violin Dorothea Röschmann soprano Matthias Goerne baritone London Symphony Chorus Simon Halsey chorus director

6pm LSO Platforms: Guildhall Artists Chamber music for strings by Beethoven

LSO Platforms: Guildhall Artists feature free recitals by postgraduate musicians

from the Guildhall School, some of whom are studying on the Orchestral Artistry course in association with the LSO. Find out more at lso.co.uk/lsoplatforms

JUNE 2015Tue 2 Jun 2015 7.30pm

JANINE JANSENEdward Rushton new work Mendelssohn Violin Concerto Mahler Symphony No 5

Daniel Harding conductor Janine Jansen violin

Sun 7 Jun 2015 7.30pm

JAMES EHNESBartók Divertimento for Strings Korngold Violin Concerto Rachmaninov Symphonic Dances

Marin Alsop conductor James Ehnes violin

6pm LSO Platforms: Guildhall Artists Chamber music for strings by Korngold

Wed 10 Jun 2015 7.30pm

ANNE-SOPHIE MUTTERAndré Previn Violin Concerto Rachmaninov Symphony No 2

André Previn conductor Anne-Sophie Mutter violin

DANIEL HARDING (2 JUN)

RACHEL LEACH (1, 22 MAY; 12, 26 JUN)


JUNE 2015 continuedThu 11 Jun 2015 1pm, LSO St Luke’s

BBC RADIO 3

LUNCHTIME CONCERTBeethoven Violin Sonata No 10 in G major Op 96 Brahms Violin Sonata No 3 in D minor Op 108

James Ehnes violin Steven Osborne piano

Fri 12 Jun 2015 12.30pm, LSO St Luke’s

LSO DISCOVERY

FREE LUNCHTIME CONCERTGuildhall School Violinists Rachel Leach presenter


Sun 14 Jun 2015 7.30pm

ALINA IBRAGIMOVAMozart Violin Concerto No 3 Mahler Symphony No 1 (‘Titan’)

Bernard Haitink conductor Alina Ibragimova violin

Thu 18 Jun 2015 1pm, LSO St Luke’s

BBC RADIO 3

LUNCHTIME CONCERTBeethoven Violin Sonata No 3 in E-flat major Op 12 No 3 Schumann Violin Sonata No 2 in D minor Op 121

Veronika Eberle violin Michail Lifits piano

Sun 21 Jun 2015 10am–5.30pm,

Barbican and LSO St Luke’s

LSO DISCOVERY DAY

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVENFeaturing access to a morning LSO rehearsal and an afternoon of chamber music and talks, including a performance of Beethoven’s ‘Razumovsky’ String Quartet Op 59 No 1.

Tue 23 Jun 2015 6pm, LSO St Luke’s

LSO DISCOVERY

LSO ON TRACK TAKE A BOWLSO On Track Young Musicians Nicola Benedetti violin Duncan Ward conductor LSO Strings

80 young musicians from schools in the boroughs of Bexley and Tower Hamlets perform alongside LSO musicians and Nicola Benedetti, playing a new commission by composer Michael Betteridge.

In association with The Benedetti Sessions. Part of LSO Discovery at 25. In partnership with Bird College Bexley Music Education Hub and THAMES.

Thu 25 Jun 2015 1pm, LSO St Luke’s

BBC RADIO 3

LUNCHTIME CONCERTMozart Violin Sonata in E minor K304 Beethoven Violin Sonata No 9 in A major (‘Kreutzer’)

Nicola Benedetti violin Alexei Grynyuk piano

Fri 26 Jun 2015 12.30pm, LSO St Luke’s

LSO DISCOVERY

FREE LUNCHTIME CONCERTMaxine Kwok-Adams violin Philip Nolte violin Rachel Leach presenter


Sun 28 Jun 2015 7.30pm

JOSHUA BELLSibelius Violin Concerto Berlioz Symphonie fantastique

Pablo Heras-Casado conductor Joshua Bell violin

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3–5.30pm Makers Exhibition Fountain Room, Barbican


6pm Panel Discussion Making Instrument Lessons Fun for Kids Explore how to make instrumental lessons engaging for school-age children, regardless of experience, background and ambition, with LSO Sub-Principal Second Violin Sarah Quinn, Junior Guildhall Head of Strings & English National Opera Cello William Bruce and Havering Music Manager Karen Tweddle.


BERNARD HAITINK (14 JUN)

PABLO HERAS-CASADO (28 JUN)


TICKETS 020 7638 8891 | lso.co.uk

FIND US

EATING & DRINKING

All events take place in the Barbican Hall unless otherwise stated

BARBICAN CONCERT TICKETS

£10 £16 £22 £28 £38 + booking fee per transaction of £3 online or £4 by phone

Book 3–4 concerts save 15% Book 5+ save 20%

SPECIAL BARBICAN CONCERTS

LSO String Ensemble (26 Apr) £10 £16 £22 + fees as above

LSO DISCOVERY DAY

Full day tickets £17 (£13.50 concessions) / £12 afternoon only (from 2.30pm) + booking fee per transaction of £0.60 online or £0.70 by phone

LSO ON TRACK TAKE A BOW

£7 (£5 concessions) + fees as LSO Discovery Day Limited availability

BBC RADIO 3 LUNCHTIME CONCERTS

£10 (£9 concessions) + fees as LSO Discovery Day Book any four concerts for £8 each

VIOLIN MASTERCLASS WITH MIDORI

Free entry, booking essential Limited availability

GROUPS OF 10 OR MORE

Receive a 20% discount Call 020 7382 7211 (10am–5pm Mon-Fri) or visit lso.co.uk/groups

DISABLED VISITORS

Join the Barbican Access Membership scheme to inform us of your access requirements. Members may be eligible for reductions on tickets, limited in number and subject to availability. Full details are available online at barbican.org.uk/access and at the Box Office.

Tickets can be exchanged for another LSO concert or credit vouchers valid for six months, provided that you return them to the Box Office at least 24 hours before the performance (two weeks for group bookings). Administration fee applies.

Calls may be monitored or recorded for quality assurance or training purposes. All discounts are subject to availability and may not be combined.

Information correct at time of going to print. The LSO reserves the right to change artists or programmes if necessary. Refunds will only be given in the event of a concert being cancelled.

BARBICAN CENTRE Silk Street, EC2Y 8DS

LSO ST LUKE’S UBS and LSO Music Education Centre 161 Old Street, EC1V 9NG

GUILDHALL SCHOOL Silk Street, EC2Y 8DT

The Barbican is in the heart of the City of London with LSO St Luke’s just a five-minute walk away.

See map on back cover

Visit lso.co.uk/yourvisit for details of public transport, parking etc.

BARBICAN FOODHALL

REFRESH AND RELAX

Barbican Foyer Bars and Cafés: The ideal place to meet and catch up.

Barbican Foodhall (Level G): Offering hot dishes and salads from a counter-top service as well as sandwiches, cakes, teas and coffees.

Barbican Lounge (Level 1): A chic relaxed ambience in which to enjoy a pre-concert drink or seasonal small plates from the tapas-style menu. Reservations 020 7382 6180.

Gin Joint by Searcys (Level 2): Offering brasserie dining and the most extensive gin list in the City. Both full dining and bar menus are available. Reservations 020 7588 3008.

SEARCYS GIN JOINT

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LSO ST LUKE’S

BUS 153

BUS 21, 43, 76, 141

BUS 205

BUS 55, 243

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The LSO is funded by Arts Council England in partnershipwith the City of London Corporation, which also providesthe Orchestra’s permanent home at the Barbican.

LSO is a Registered Charity No 232391

London Symphony OrchestraBarbican, Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8DS

lso.co.uk

Photographs Giorgia Bertazzi, Felix Broede, Benjamin Ealovega,Igor Emmerich, Kevin Leighton, Miguel Peñalver, Sheila Rock,Bill Robinson, Greenfi eld Sanders

Print Cantate CommunicationsIllustration PIN CreativeEditor Edward Appleyard

You can get this guide in large print, audio and electronic formats. Contact 020 7588 1116 or email [email protected]

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LSO International Violin Festival

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