9 Feb 2011 LPO Programme notes

SOUTHBANK CENTRE’S ROYAL FESTIVAL HALLWednesday 9 February 2011 | 7.30pm

OSMO VÄNSKÄconductor

BERND GLEMSERpiano

RACHMANINOVThe Isle of the Dead (19’)

RACHMANINOVRhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (23’)

LISZTTotentanz (15’)

INTERVAL

DVOŘÁKSymphony No. 7 in D minor (38’)

PROGRAMME £3

CONTENTS

2 List of Players3 Orchestra History4 Leader5 Osmo Vänskä6 Bernd Glemser7 Programme Notes11 Southbank Centre12 Recordings13 Supporters14 Philharmonic News15 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

57685 LPO 9 Feb 2011_57685 LPO 9 Feb 2011 02/02/2011 13:07 Page 1

2 | London Philharmonic Orchestra

LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

FIRST VIOLINSPieter Schoeman* LeaderVesselin Gellev Sub-LeaderChair supported byJohn and Angela Kessler

Helena SmartKatalin VarnagyCatherine CraigThomas EisnerTina GruenbergMartin HöhmannChair supported byRichard Karl Goeltz

Geoffrey LynnRobert PoolSarah StreatfeildYang ZhangRebecca ShorrockPeter NallGalina TanneyJoanne Chen

SECOND VIOLINSClare Duckworth PrincipalChair supported by Richard and Victoria Sharp

Jeongmin KimJoseph MaherKate BirchallChair supported by David and Victoria Graham Fuller

Nancy ElanFiona HighamNynke HijlkemaMarie-Anne MairesseAshley StevensAndrew ThurgoodDean WilliamsonSioni WilliamsPeter GrahamStephen Stewart

VIOLASGillianne Haddow GuestPrincipalRobert DuncanKatharine LeekSusanne MartensBenedetto PollaniEmmanuella Reiter-BootimanLaura VallejoDaniel CornfordSarah MalcolmNaomi HoltIsabel PereiraMiranda Davis

CELLOSSusanne Beer PrincipalFrancis BucknallLaura DonoghueSantiago Sabino Carvalho+

Gregory WalmsleySue SutherleySusanna RiddellTom RoffHelen RathboneRosie Banks

DOUBLE BASSESTim Gibbs PrincipalLaurence LovelleGeorge PenistonRichard LewisRoger LinleyKenneth KnussenHelen RowlandsLouis Garson

FLUTESSue Thomas* PrincipalJoanna MarshStewart McIlwham*

PICCOLOStewart McIlwham* Principal

OBOESIan Hardwick PrincipalAngela Tennick

COR ANGLAISSue Bohling PrincipalChair supported byJulian and Gill Simmonds

CLARINETSRobert Hill* PrincipalEmily Meredith

BASS CLARINETPaul Richards Principal

BASSOONSJohn Price PrincipalGareth Newman*

CONTRA BASSOONSimon Estell Principal

HORNSJohn Ryan PrincipalMartin HobbsJenny CoxGareth MollisonNicolas WolmarkAnthony ChidellAlistair Rycroft

TRUMPETSNicholas Betts PrincipalAnne McAneney*Chair supported byGeoff and Meg Mann

Daniel Newell

TROMBONESMark Templeton* PrincipalDavid Whitehouse

BASS TROMBONELyndon Meredith Principal

TUBALee Tsarmaklis Principal

TIMPANISimon Carrington* Principal

PERCUSSIONRachel Gledhill PrincipalAndrew Barclay* Co-PrincipalChair supported byAndrew Davenport

Keith Millar Sacha Johnson

HARPRachel Masters* Principal

* Holds a professorialappointment in London

+ Chevalier of the Brazilian Order of Rio Branco

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

Caroline, Jamie and Zander SharpThe Tsukanov Family


London Philharmonic Orchestra | 3


Patrick Harrison

Seventy-eight years after Sir Thomas Beecham foundedthe London Philharmonic Orchestra, it is recognisedtoday as one of the finest orchestras on the internationalstage. Following Beecham’s influential founding tenurethe Orchestra’s Principal Conductorship has been passedfrom one 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



PIETERSCHOEMANLEADER

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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.


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 diverse workload,the Orchestra is committed to the welfare of itsmusicians and in December 2007 received theAssociation of British Orchestras/Musicians BenevolentFund Healthy Orchestra Bronze Charter Mark.

There 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



OSMO VÄNSKÄCONDUCTOR

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

In 2003, he became the tenth Music Director of theMinnesota Orchestra and has since drawn extraordinaryreviews for concerts both at home and abroad. Togetherthey have an annual series at New York’s Carnegie Halland tour regularly both in the US and Europe. They gavean exceptional pair of concerts at the 2010 BBC Proms.His contract with the Minnesota Orchestra has beenextended until 2015.

Vänskä and the Minnesota Orchestra’s recordings of thecomplete Beethoven Symphonies have amassed ravereviews, the New York Times hailing them as ‘thedefinitive cycle of our time’, whilst their recording ofBeethoven’s Symphony No. 9 received a 2008 Grammynomination for Best Orchestral Performance. Theirlatest release of Bruckner’s Symphony No. 4 will soon befollowed by a cycle of Beethoven’s Piano Concertos withpianist Yevgeny Sudbin. They have recently recordedTchaikovsky’s complete piano concertos with pianistStephen Hough to critical acclaim.

Osmo Vänskä was Music Director of the Lahti SymphonyOrchestra from 1988 and now holds the position ofConductor Laureate. During two decades at the helm,he transformed this regional ensemble into one ofFinland’s flagship orchestras. Their partnership receivedwidespread attention through its complete collection ofmulti-award winning Sibelius recordings and itsinternational performances at venues in London,Birmingham, Vienna and New York.

Internationally in demand as a guest conductor, OsmoVänskä has worked with many of the world’s leadingorchestras including, in the US, the Boston Symphony,Chicago Symphony, Philadelphia and New YorkPhilharmonic. In Europe he has conducted the BerlinPhilharmonic, Munich Philharmonic, RoyalConcertgebouw, Czech Philharmonic and BBCSymphony Orchestras. In addition he has developedregular relationships with the San Francisco Symphony,New World Symphony, Cleveland, London Philharmonicand Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestras as well aswith the Orchestre de Paris, GewandhausorchesterLeipzig and Mostly Mozart Festival, New York.

Vänskä began his music career as a clarinettist. He heldthe co-principal chair of the Helsinki PhilharmonicOrchestra from 1977 to 1982 and the principal chair ofthe Turku Philharmonic from 1971 to 1976. Followingconducting studies under Jorma Panula at Finland’sSibelius Academy, he was awarded first prize at the1982 Besançon International Young Conductors’Competition. Three years later he began his tenure withthe Lahti Symphony as Principal Guest Conductor, whilealso serving as Music Director of the Iceland SymphonyOrchestra and the Tapiola Sinfonietta. In addition, heserved as Chief Conductor of the BBC ScottishSymphony Orchestra from 1997 to 2002.

In recent years, Osmo Vänskä has enjoyed a return toperforming on the clarinet. He made his Twin Citiesclarinet performance debut at the Sommerfest in 2005and has played chamber music with members of theMinnesota Orchestra, and at Napa Valley’s Music in theVineyards and the Mostly Mozart festivals.

The many honours and distinctions awarded to himinclude an honorary doctorate from the University ofGlasgow, given in recognition of his tenure as ChiefConductor of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, anda Doctor of Humane Letters from the University ofMinnesota’s School of Music in 2008. He was alsohonoured with a Royal Philharmonic Society Award forhis outstanding contribution to classical music. OsmoVänskä was named Musical America Conductor of theYear in 2005 and was honoured by Columbia Universitywith the 2010 Ditson Conductor’s Award for theadvancement of American music.

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BERND GLEMSERPIANO

In 1989 the young pianist Bernd Glemser was appointedthe youngest professor in Germany’s academic history.Still a student of Russian pianist and teacher VitalyMargulis at the time, he had to leave college to take upthe post, completing his examinations during thefollowing two years.

The young Bernd Glemser took the opportunity toperform internationally by travelling the world until1987 and entering competitions. Unknowingly he brokea record that has been on the books since 1890: he won17 competitions and special prizes in a row, the prizemoney allowing him to buy his first grand piano.

Since then, the passionate virtuosity of his playing,coupled with elegance, flair and poetic sensibility, havebeen fascinating audiences from Chile to China, wherein 1996 he was the first Western musician to performnationwide live on television playing Tchaikovsky’s PianoConcerto No. 1.

Bernd Glemser now has a vast and varied repertoireranging from baroque to modern and delights listenerswith his unerring sense of style.

32 highly-acclaimed CDs, television recordings, 15-20radio broadcasts worldwide, a year of concerts withconductors such as Herbert Blomstedt, Riccardo Chailly,Franz Welser-Möst, Wolfgang Sawallisch and DimitriKitajenko – all confirm Glemser’s status as one of theworld’s top young pianists.

Almost all of his current 32 CD recordings have receivedawards from music magazines. A further CD wasreleased in the autumn of 2009, comparing andcontrasting preludes and fugues by Bach andShostakovich. December 2009 saw the pianist back inthe recording studio, celebrating Chopin’s bicentenarywith the complete Ballades and Scherzos which werereleased in October 2010.

Bernd Glemser has a particular affinity for the works ofRachmaninov and performed the composer’s PianoConcerto No. 3 with the Philadelphia Orchestra andWolfgang Sawallisch at their celebration of thecomposer’s 100th birthday: a long journey for a boyfrom the hills of Southern Germany, who often had toski to his piano lessons.

In addition to his many awards, Bernd Glemser receivedthe Andor Foldes Prize in 1992 and the EuropeanPianist’s Prize in 1993 in Zürich. In 2003, he wasawarded the Federal Cross of Merit by GermanPresident Rau.



It was probably some time in 1907. Sergei Rachmaninovwandered into a Paris gallery and spotted a black andwhite reproduction of Arnold Böcklin’s painting The Isleof the Dead. A white figure appears to stand in a boaton a river. The figure is Charon, the boatman of the RiverStyx who rows bodies across the waters from the landof the living to the realm of the dead – a denselywooded island that meets the waters with steep,imposing cliffs.

Rachmaninov’s creative response to Böcklin’s paintingwas this intense, brooding tone poem completed twoyears later in 1909. From a dark mist, Rachmaninovconjures the steady rhythm of Charon’s oars and theprogress of his boat in an irregular five-in-a-bar rhythm,while creating a concurrent image of the island, bathedin a curious muted light. At the work’s climax thecomposer suggests one last view of earthly passions inwhat he called a ‘life theme’, but it’s soon crushed by acrashing climax after which the music lurches back

towards the darkness of the river. The boatman, anotherjourney complete, disappears into nothingness.

Death stalks every note of The Isle of the Dead. So howdoes Rachmaninov make his music so morbidlyevocative? Well, partly by his masterly use of darkorchestral and harmonic colourings. But he has helpfrom the monastic ‘plainsong’ tradition, too. He makesextensive use of the Dies Irae plainsong, a sombretheme representing the verses from the Requiem Massthat warn of the ‘day of wrath that will dissolve theworld in ashes’. The theme had long fascinatedcomposers with its very tangible implications ofmortality, and is everywhere in The Isle of the Dead –sometimes in snatched fragments, sometimes statedfully and explicitly. It forms an integral part of thework’s distinctly deathly footing. But this wasn’t the lasttime Rachmaninov would use the theme, as we shallhear next.

PROGRAMME NOTES

THE ISLE OF THE DEAD

SPEEDREAD

Are you sitting comfortably? Good, because one conceptdominates the first half of this evening’s concert – death.Chilling, incomprehensible and terrifying it can be, as inRachmaninov’s tone poem The Isle of the Dead. But in asense, death is there to be cheated and teased, too. In the‘dances of death’ that follow, both Liszt andRachmaninov invite the ‘final judgement’ theme Dies Iraeinto their scores only to give it a good prod and probe.Both respect it, but Rachmaninov appears marginallyless perturbed by its implications than Liszt.

Rather more abstract and employing a far wider range ofthematic material is Dvořák’s Seventh Symphony. Butthis piece, too, is stalked by darkness – though perhapsit’s more the darkness of clouds than that of the grave.It’s certainly a darkness that Dvořák believed he couldovercome. The symphony sees him doing just that: thedoubts and frustrations he experienced as a composerare defeated by symphonic music of compelling structureand argument; the clouds of D minor are resolutelydispersed in the final bars as the symphony at last findsthe key of D major. The result is not only Dvořák’s bestsymphony, but arguably one of the finest and mostmaterially rich ever written.

SergeiRACHMANINOV

1873-1943



Exactly a quarter of a century after he finished The Isleof the Dead, Rachmaninov penned this Rhapsody forpiano and orchestra based on a theme from NicolaiPaganini’s Caprice in A minor for solo violin. Paganiniwas a 19th century virtuoso of Liszt-like mysticism.Folklore had it that he obtained supernatural talentsand the woman of his dreams after a pact with thedevil; the violinist’s skeletal appearance onlyencouraged such conjecture. ‘Why not resurrect thelegend about Paganini, who, for perfection in his art andfor a woman, sold his soul to an evil spirit?’ askedRachmaninov later in retrospective reference to theRhapsody. Why not indeed; after all, it presented theperfect opportunity for a devilish revival of the Dies Iraetheme.

Ironically perhaps, the structure of 24 individualvariations on a single theme actually affordedRachmaninov considerable freedom. The composer, formusicologist David Fanning, was finally allowed to ‘stepoutside his own musical persona and let it assume allsorts of roles.’ Fanning goes on to observe that the pieceis ‘one of the least rhapsodic works Rachmaninov everwrote, and at the same time one of the most disciplinedand inventive sets of variations ever composed.’

The circumstances of composition certainly helped.Rachmaninov was experiencing something of a creativedrought in 1934; he had produced only three works ineight years. He travelled to his newly purchased villa onthe banks of Lake Lucerne to write the Rhapsody, andexperienced a sudden and sustained outburst ofcreativity. It was finished in days – Rachmaninovreportedly telephoning the pianist Vladimir Horowitzwith regular excitable reports on the piece’s progress.

That’s certainly apparent in Rachmaninov’s music,which seems to flow forth with white-hot inspiration,

combining compelling invention with propulsive dramaand incisive wit. The composer was on the piano stoolfor the first performance on 7 November 1934, in whichLeopold Stokowski conducted the PhiladelphiaOrchestra at the Baltimore Academy of Music inMaryland, USA.

The Rhapsody can be divided into three parts: a sort ofopening Allegro encompassing Variations 1-10; a centralsection placing a Scherzo within a slow movement fromVariations 11-18; and a sparkling finale from Variations19-24.

Rachmaninov appears determined to play games withPaganini’s theme right from the off. He begins byplacing his first variation before the statement of thetheme (usually, to aid the listener, a set of variationswould open with the unadorned theme). The nextsignpost to listen out for is the first airing of the DiesIrae theme in Variation 7, ominously intoned by thepiano; you can immediately sense the similarity inshape between the Dies Irae plainsong and Paganini’soriginal theme.

‘Variations 8, 9 and 10 are the development of the evilspirit’ explained Rachmaninov, citing Variation 11 as ‘aturning point into the domain of love.’ He latersuggested Variation 12 depicted the woman for whomPaganini would bargain with the devil, with Variation 13the virtuoso’s first conversation with the woman. Afterthe darkness of Variations 16 and 17 comes the famousVariation 18 and the Rhapsody’s most lingering melody:a wistful, nostalgic theme based on an inversion (aturning ‘upside-down’) of the theme. The final sixVariations constitute an increasingly dazzling finaleuntil Rachmaninov teases both Paganini and the forcesof darkness with a nonchalant, throwaway endingemploying just a fragment of the theme.

RHAPSODY ON A THEME OF PAGANINI

BERND GLEMSER piano

SergeiRACHMANINOV

1873-1943

PROGRAMME NOTES



PROGRAMME NOTES

INTERVAL 20 minutes

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

Totentanz is Franz Liszt’s treatment of the Dies Iraetheme in the form of a set of variations for piano andorchestra. In the mid nineteenth century, Liszt hadstridden fearlessly onto the European concert stage –not so much hogging its limelight as redefining itsproportions. Outstandingly gifted as both pianist andcomposer, Liszt became a true cause célèbre, garneringa cult-like following and appearing all over Europe.Behind the glitz, Liszt was a serious musical innovator:his visionary pioneering of the ‘symphonic poem’ laidthe foundations for the form that would becomecommon currency in the late 19th century.

Sources point to two significant works that inspiredLiszt to write Totentanz, a ‘Paraphrase for Piano andOrchestra’. One is the fresco of the Last Judgement byAndrea Orcagna; the other a series of woodcuts by HansHolbein of similar subject matter bearing the name ‘DerTotentanz’ (Dance of Death). We can’t be sure whichwas ultimately responsible for prompting Liszt’s piece,but such influence chimed perfectly with thecomposer’s Romantic ideals: the reflection of extra-

musical imagery and philosophy in a concert work fororchestra. Also worth considering are Liszt’s lifelongCatholicism and his obsession with death, the latterborn from his experience of the Parisian choleraepidemic of 1832, which saw the city overflowing withcorpses.

The initial drafting of Totentanz took place in 1849, andLiszt fine-tuned the piece for some years before its firstperformance in 1865 in The Hague. Liszt’s version of theDies Irae theme is first heard at the work’s opening,above thumping chords from the piano supported by abass drum. After a cadenza, described by Liszt scholarDerek Watson as ‘a truly fiendish flourish’ comes astatement of the theme by the soloist and a set of fivevariations. A new 8-note theme derived from the DiesIrae plainsong is then heard and itself subjected tovariations before another cadenza and a return to theoriginal theme. Like its composer, Totentanz displaysimmense colour and character, and more than a hint ofthe supernatural.

TOTENTANZ, S126/R457

BERND GLEMSER piano

FranzLISZT

1811-1886



PROGRAMME NOTES

The Seventh might not be Dvořák’s most popularsymphony, but it’s arguably his best. In the composer’sown mind, he simply had to deliver something specialfor the London Philharmonic Society who hadcommissioned the piece in 1884. His career was at acrossroads: success had finally come, offers were beingmade, and contacts were putting themselves forward.Brahms and others were urging Dvořák to consider amove from his hometown of Prague to Vienna or Berlin.All Dvořák had to do – in his own mind – was prove thathe could already write first-class symphonic music;music that didn’t overly rely on indigenous Czechmaterial and that demonstrated a firm grasp ofsymphonic thought.

On that front, Dvořák more than succeeded with hisSeventh Symphony. It was first performed on 22 April1885 in St James’s Hall, London, and was immediatelyhailed as a masterpiece. As a symphony it’s nearflawless and certainly Dvořák’s most organic and well-argued. For that, the composer had Brahms to thank.Dvořák had recently heard Brahms’s Third Symphonywhose taut, concise and clear-cut structure is whollyevident here. There are also a good few points of directcomparison: both symphonies contain radiant hornsolos (you’ll hear Dvořák’s in his second movement) andboth are stalked by a sense of underlying darkness.

That darkness – or perhaps ‘severity’ is a better word –was uncommon in Dvořák’s music up to this point. TheSeventh was the composer’s first symphony written in aminor key and it only rarely finds the major. Even so, thejoy and bustle associated with Dvořák’s music issomehow ever present, too – either fighting to be heardor peering through the composer’s minor-keycolourings. Perhaps it’s partly the composer’s profusionof rich melodies that keeps the symphony soconsistently radiant, even when resolutely rooted in theminor (as in the demonic dance of the Scherzo, forexample).

So organic and rich in cross-referencing is the Seventh’smusic that an analysis of its themes and their origins isbest left for academics. What’s worth listening out forin the first movement is the restlessness of Dvořák’slower strings which help create a feeling of impendingstormy weather; throughout, instruments enter in afragmentary fashion, each seeming to stride into theconversation with conflicting views. Occasionally, themusic finds the space to blossom outwards – as ifemerging from a thick, wooded path into a bright, openclearing.

Dvořák’s second movement is a continuous, river-likeflow of inspired melodies opening with what soundslike an old-style chorale in a serene F major, the key thatalso closes the movement. The aforementioned hornsolo which comes later represents one of thesymphony’s only moments of warmth: a suddenappearance of the sun between clouds reflecting thosesimilar moments in the first movement. Though thethird movement features an idyllic ‘trio’ section, it’ssurrounded by a demonic dance built from an insistent,syncopated figure; it combines duple and triple time inreference to the ‘furiant’, a fiery Czech folk dance.

Dvořák didn’t want to over-egg his use of such devicesand themes from Czech folk music in the symphony,and his use of them in the finale is fleeting and subtle.This movement is a fierce tussle, relieved only by itsbright secondary idea cast in a major key and first heardon cellos, supported by lightly ornamenting violins.Dvořák seems to triumph over the movement’s nervousenergy as he introduces a theme of distinctly Czechcharacter on the flutes. In a dramatic coda, thesymphony’s final paragraph, Dvořák finally achievesvictory and the music plunges dramatically into D majorin its closing bars.

Programme notes by Andrew Mellor © 2011

SYMPHONY NO. 7 IN D MINOR, OP. 70

Allegro maestoso | Poco adagio | Scherzo: vivace | Finale:Allegro

AntonínDVOŘÁK

1841-1904



WELCOME TO SOUTHBANK CENTRE

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SOUTHBANK CENTRE

FUNharmonics Family Concert

Magic Music

Sunday 27 February 2011 | 11.30amRoyal Festival Hall

Patterson The Magic OrchestraDukas The Sorcerer’s ApprenticeChadwick Anansi the Magical SpidermanDe Falla Ritual Fire Dance from Love, theMagicianArnold Overture, Tam O’ShanterWilliams Hedwig’s Theme from HarryPotter and the Philosopher’s StoneOffenbach Orpheus in the Underworld

David Angus conductorChris Jarvis presenter

Foyer Events from 10amYou can try your hand at playing an orchestralinstrument at one of our Have-a-Go sessions, getyour face painted or join our human orchestra – allin the foyers before and after the performance.

TICKETSChild £4-£8; Adult £8-£16For booking details see page 16.



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-0004 Vladimir Jurowski conducts Rachmaninov’s The Isle of the Deadand Symphonic Dances

‘... dramatic and focused ... Jurowski’s slow-burning Rachmaninov isirresistible.’INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

LPO-0036 Osmo Vänskä conducts Rachmaninov’s Symphony No. 3 andBax’s Tintagel

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

LPO-0042 Neeme Järvi conducts Dvořák’s Requiem with soloists Lisa Milne,Karen Cargill, Peter Auty, Peter Rose and the London Philharmonic Choir

‘Neeme Järvi leads a sturdy, evocative performance graced by gorgeoussinging from the London Philharmonic Choir.’JOSHUA KOSMAN, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE, 7 MARCH 2010

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



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

Corporate DonorLombard Street Research

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

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 Trust 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.



PHILHARMONIC NEWS

Yannick Nézet-SéguinFollowing his successful concerts with us in January, ourPrincipal Guest Conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin nextturns his attention to a concert of French music on 16 February, including Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique,and to a Mozart and Mahler programme on 19 February.

Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante which opens the secondconcert introduces the young string players StefanJackiw (violin) and Richard Yongjae O’Neill (viola), andthe concert culminates in what Bruno Walter called ‘themost personal utterance among Mahler’s creations, andperhaps in all music’ – his Das Lied von der Erde. Thesoloists will be Sarah Connolly and Toby Spence.

With appointments with the London Philharmonic andRotterdam Philharmonic Orchestras and theannouncement last year of his appointment as MusicDirector of the Philadelphia Orchestra from the 2012/13season, Yannick Nézet-Séguin is currently one of themost sought after conductors on the internationalscene. Listen to him talking about his February concertswith us and his conducting ethos in general by visitingwww.lpo.org.uk/podcasts.

Education WorkOn 27 February the Orchestra brings the magic of musicto a young audience at its next Family Concert with aprogramme featuring Dukas’s Sorcerer’s Apprentice,Malcolm Arnold’s Tam O’Shanter, John Williams’ musicfrom Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone andStephen Chadwick’s song – Anansi the MagicalSpiderman.

This term’s Schools Concerts on 30 March are for 12 to14-year-olds and present Icarus at the Edge of Time, afuturistic reimagining of the classic Greek myth set in

outer space. It tells of a boy who challenges theawesome power of a black hole and the unyieldingforces of Einstein’s general relativity. Based on the bookby world renowned physicist Brian Greene, it features acutting-edge film by Al + Al with live narration by DavidMorrissey and a score by Philip Glass, and is proudlysupported by Deutsche Bank.

In conjunction with the concert, players from theOrchestra are assisting in a composition and film projectrunning at the Lilian Baylis School in Lambeth and theJo Richardson Community School in Dagenham. Sciencepupils are working on visuals to go with the music.Together they will produce a film which combines bothelements and reflects the scientific principles behindthe story. This project is generously supported by SonjaDrexler and the Eranda Foundation.

Yannick Nézet-Séguin

Hearevery noteHard of hearing? Visit the cloakroom for equipment to improve your concert experience.

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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

Melissa Van EmdenEvents Manager

Elisenda AyatsDevelopment and FinanceOfficer

MARKETING

Kath TroutMarketing Director

Ellie DragonettiMarketing Manager

Helen BoddyMarketing Co-ordinator

Frances CookPublications Manager

Samantha KendallBox Office Administrator(Tel: 020 7840 4242)

Ed WestonIntern

Valerie BarberPress Consultant(Tel: 020 7586 8560)

ARCHIVES

Edmund PirouetConsultant

Philip StuartDiscographer

Gillian PoleRecordings Archive


89 Albert Embankment London SE1 7TPTel: 020 7840 4200Fax: 020 7840 4201Box Office: 020 7840 4242

www.lpo.org.ukVisit the website for fulldetails of LondonPhilharmonic Orchestraactivities.

The London PhilharmonicOrchestra Limited is aregistered charity No. 238045.

Photographs of Rachmaninov,Liszt and Dvořák courtesy ofthe Royal College of Music,London.

Photograph on the front cover by Patrick Harrison.

Programmes printed by Cantate.

†Supported by Macquarie Group



FUTURE CONCERTSAT SOUTHBANK CENTRE’S ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL

JTI FRIDAY SERIESFriday 11 February 2011 | 7.30pm

Weber Overture, Der FreischützMozart Piano Concerto No. 22, K482Beethoven Overture, CoriolanSchumann Symphony No. 4

Louis Langrée conductorDavid Fray piano

Wednesday 16 February 2011 | 7.30pm

Ravel Suite, Mother GooseBerlioz La Mort de CléopâtreBerlioz Symphonie fantastique

Yannick Nézet-Séguin conductorAnna Caterina Antonacci soprano

6.15pm–6.45pm | FREE Pre-Concert EventRoyal Festival HallA discussion around the music of Berlioz.

MAHLER ANNIVERSARYSaturday 19 February 2011 | 7.30pm

Mozart Sinfonia Concertante, K364Mahler Das Lied von der Erde

Yannick Nézet-Séguin conductorStefan Jackiw violinRichard Yongjae O’Neill violaSarah Connolly mezzo sopranoToby Spence tenor

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’.

JTI FRIDAY SERIESFriday 18 March 2011 | 7.30pm

Prokofiev Suite, The Love for Three OrangesHaydn Piano Concerto in DStravinsky CapriccioShostakovich Symphony No. 6

Vladimir Jurowski conductorEmanuel Ax piano

6.15pm–6.45pm | FREE Pre-Concert EventRoyal Festival HallHow serious was the music of Haydn, Stravinsky,Prokofiev and Shostakovich? Professor AlexanderIvashkin discusses the use of jokes, allusions, parodiesand enciphered riddles through the centuries.

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. £2.75 telephone / £1.75 online bookingfees; no fee for Southbank Centre members

Yannick Nézet-Séguin and AnnaCaterina Antonacci

Louis Langrée andDavid Fray

ChristophEschenbach andChristopherMaltman


Documents

9 Feb 2011 LPO Programme notes