LPO Programme - 24Oct09

SOUTHBANK CENTRE’S ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL

Saturday 24 October 2009 | 7.30 pm

YANNICK NÉZET-SÉGUINconductor

COLIN CURRIEpercussion

RAUTAVAARAIncantations: Concerto for percussion and orchestra(world première)* (22’)

INTERVAL

BRUCKNERSymphony 8 in C minor (90’)

*Jointly commissioned by the London Philharmonic, Rotterdam Philharmonic,Tampere Philharmonic and Baltimore Symphony Orchestras.

PROGRAMME £3

CONTENTS2 List of Players3 Orchestra History4 Leader5 Yannick Nézet-Séguin6 Colin Currie7 Programme notes

10 Podcasts11 Recordings12 Southbank Centre /

BBC13 Supporters14 Philharmonic News15 Administration16 Future Concerts

The timings shown are notprecise and are given only as aguide.

Principal Conductor VLADIMIR JUROWSKIPrincipal Guest Conductor YANNICK NÉZET-SÉGUINLeader PIETER SCHOEMANComposer in ResidenceMARK-ANTHONY TURNAGEPatron 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

This concert is being recordedby BBC Radio 3 for broadcaston Friday 30 October 2009.

47154 LPO 24 October 09.qxd:47154 LPO 24 October 09 16/10/09 14:54 Page 1

2 | London Philharmonic Orchestra

LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

FIRST VIOLINSPieter Schoeman* LeaderDunja LavrovaKatalin VarnagyCatherine CraigThomas EisnerTina GruenbergMartin HöhmannChair supported byRichard Karl Goeltz

Geoffrey LynnRobert PoolFlorence SchoemanSarah StreatfeildYang ZhangPeter NallRebecca ShorrockGalina TanneyJoanne Chen

SECOND VIOLINSClare Duckworth PrincipalChair supported byRichard and Victoria Sharp

Jeongmin KimJoseph MaherKate BirchallChair supported by Davidand Victoria Graham Fuller

Nancy ElanNynke HijlkemaMarie-Anne MairesseAshley StevensAndrew ThurgoodDeanWilliamsonSioni WilliamsAlison StrangeStephen StewartMila Mustakova

VIOLASAlexander Zemtsov* PrincipalIsabel PerreiraAnthony ByrneChair supported byJohn and Angela Kessler

Susanne Martens

Benedetto PollaniEmmanuella ReiterLaura VallejoDaniel CornfordNaomi HoltSarah MalcolmMartin FennGeorgina Payne

CELLOSKristina Blaumane PrincipalChair supported bySimon Yates and Kevin Roon

Susanne Beer Co-PrincipalFrancis BucknallSue SutherleySusanna RiddellPavlos CarvalhoEmily IsaacDavid BucknallEmma BlackWilliam Routledge

DOUBLE BASSESKevin Rundell* PrincipalLaurence LovelleGeorge PenistonRichard LewisDavid JohnsonHelen RowlandsCatherine RickettsJeremy Gordon

FLUTESKaren Jones Guest PrincipalJane SpiersKatie Bicknell

OBOESIan Hardwick PrincipalAngela TennickSue BohlingChair supported byJulian and Gill Simmonds

CLARINETSRobert Hill* PrincipalNicholas CarpenterPaul Richards

BASSOONSJohn Price PrincipalGareth Newman*Simon Estell

CONTRA BASSOONSimon Estell Principal

HORNSJohn Ryan PrincipalRichard Bissill* PrincipalMartin HobbsBrendan ThomasAnthony ChidellJonathan BarehamHugh SeenanMarcus BatesPeter Blake

WAGNER TUBASRichard Bissill* PrincipalMartin HobbsHugh SeenanPeter Blake

TRUMPETSPaul Beniston* PrincipalAnne McAneney*Chair supported byGeoff and Meg Mann

Nicholas Betts Co-PrincipalColin Clague

TROMBONESMark Templeton* PrincipalDavid WhitehouseBlair Sinclair

BASS TROMBONELyndon Meredith Principal

TUBALee Tsarmaklis Principal

TIMPANISimon Carrington* Principal

PERCUSSIONAndrew Barclay* PrincipalKeith Millar

HARPSRachel Masters* PrincipalHelen SharpRuth Faber

* Holds a professorialappointment in London

Chair SupportersThe London Philharmonic Orchestra also acknowledges the following chair supporter whose player is not presentat this concert:

Mrs StevenWard


London Philharmonic Orchestra | 3


Seventy-seven 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 illustriousmusician to another, amongst themSir Adrian Boult, Bernard Haitink, Sir Georg Solti, KlausTennstedt and Kurt Masur. This impressive traditioncontinued in September 2007whenVladimir Jurowskibecame the Orchestra’s Principal Conductor, and in afurther excitingmove, 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 withmany of theworld’s most sought after conductors and soloists.Concert highlights in 2009/10 include Between TwoWorlds – an exploration of themusic and times of AlfredSchnittke; a Sibelius symphony cycle withOsmoVänskä in January/February 2010; aperformance of Mendelssohn’s Elijahconducted by Kurt Masur and dedicated tothe 20th Anniversary of the Fall of the BerlinWall; and newworks by Rautavaara, Górecki,Philip Glass, Ravi Shankar and the

Orchestra’s Composer in Residence, Mark-AnthonyTurnage. Imaginative programming and a commitmentto newmusic are at the heart of the Orchestra’s activity,with regular commissions and world premièreperformances.

In addition to its London season, the Orchestra hasflourishing residencies in Brighton and Eastbourne, andperforms regularly around the UK. It is unique incombining these concert activities with esteemed operaperformances each summer at Glyndebourne FestivalOpera where it has been the Resident SymphonyOrchestra 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 1973made the first ever visit to China by aWestern orchestra. Touring continues to form asignificant part of the Orchestra’s schedule, with regularappearances in North America, Europe and the Far East,

© Richard Cannon

‘The LPO rose to the occasion with some very fineplaying: eloquent solo work combined with full-textured passages of often sumptuous beauty.’BARRY MILLINGTON, EVENING STANDARD, 4 SEPTEMBER 2009




often headlining at major festivals. Tours in 2009/10include visits to Germany, Australia, France, China, theCanaries and the USA.

Having long been embraced by the recording,broadcasting and film industries, the LondonPhilharmonic Orchestra broadcasts regularly on domesticand international television and radio. It also worksextensively with the Hollywood and UK film industries,recording soundtracks for blockbuster motion picturesincluding the Oscar-winning score for The Lord of theRings trilogy and scores for Lawrence of Arabia, TheMission, Philadelphia and East is East.

The Orchestra also enjoys strong relationships with themajor record labels and in 2005 began reaching out tonew global audiences through the release of live, studioand archive recordings on its own CD label. Recentadditions to the catalogue have included acclaimedreleases of Shostakovich’s monumental Tenth Symphonyunder Bernard Haitink; a disc of contemporary works bycomposers Thomas Adès, JamesMacMillan and JenniferHigdon conducted byMarin Alsop; Rachmaninoff’sSymphony 3 along with Bax’s Tintagel conducted byOsmoVänskä; a CD of early Britten works conducted byVladimir Jurowski; andMahler’s Symphony 6 under thebaton of Klaus Tennstedt. The Orchestra’s own-labelreleases are available to download by work or individualtrack from its website: www.lpo.org.uk/shop.

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 helpmaintain 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 aremany ways to experience and stay in touchwith the Orchestra’s activities: visit www.lpo.org.uk,subscribe to our podcast series and join us on Facebook.

In 2002, PieterSchoeman joined theLondon PhilharmonicOrchestra as Co-Leader. In 2008 he was appointed Leader.

Born in South Africa, hemade his solo debut with theCape Town Symphony Orchestra at the age of ten. Hestudied with Jack deWet in South Africa, winningnumerous competitions, including the 1984World YouthConcerto Competition in America. In 1987 he was offeredthe Heifetz Chair of Music scholarship to study withEdouard Schmieder in Los Angeles and in 1991 his talentwas spotted by Pinchas Zukermanwho recommendedthat hemove to NewYork to study with Sylvia Rosenberg.In 1994 he became her teaching assistant at IndianaUniversity, 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 QueenElizabeth Hall in London. As a chambermusician heregularly performs at London's prestigiousWigmore Hall.As a soloist with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, hehas performed Arvo Pärt's Double Concerto andBenjamin Britten's Double Concerto, which was recordedfor the Orchestra’s own record label. Most recently healso played concertos with theWiener Concertverein andOrchestre Philharmonique de Nice.

In 1995 Pieter Schoeman became Co-Leader of theOrchestre Philharmonique de Nice. During his tenurethere he performed frequently as Guest Leader with thesymphony orchestras of Barcelona, Bordeaux, Lyon,Baltimore and the London Philharmonic Orchestra.A frequent guest of the BBC Symphony Orchestra inLondon, Pieter Schoeman returned in October 2006 tolead that orchestra on a three week tour of Seoul, Beijing,Shanghai, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.

Pieter Schoeman has recorded numerous violin soloswith the London Philharmonic Orchestra for Chandos,Opera Rara, Naxos, the BBC and for American film andtelevision. He led the Orchestra in its soundtrackrecordings for The Lord of the Rings trilogy. He teaches atTrinity College of Music in London.

PIETERSCHOEMANLEADER



YANNICK NÉZET-SÉGUINCONDUCTOR

At the start of the 2008/09 season, Yannick Nézet-Séguin succeeded Valery Gergiev as Music Director ofthe Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra and becamePrincipal Guest Conductor of the London PhilharmonicOrchestra. He remains Artistic Director and PrincipalConductor of the Orchestre Métropolitain du GrandMontréal, a position he took up in March 2000.

A native of Montreal, he studied at the Conservatoire deMusique du Québec in Montreal and has worked withall the major Canadian orchestras. Principal GuestConductor of the Victoria Symphony between 2003 and2006, he now regularly conducts the Toronto Symphonyand, at the end of the 2009/10 season, will conduct hisfirst Mahler Symphony (No. 8) in Montreal and Ottawa,using the combined forces of the OrchestreMétropolitain and National Arts Center Orchestra.

He made a series of successful European debuts in2004/05 and is now a regular guest conductor of manyleading orchestras, such as the Dresden Staatskapelle,Orchestre National de France, Royal StockholmPhilharmonic Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra ofEurope. During 2008, he made acclaimed debuts withthe Philadelphia, Vienna Symphony, National Symphony(Washington), Los Angeles Philharmonic and BostonSymphony Orchestras. Forthcoming debuts will takehim to the Cleveland Orchestra, Chicago SymphonyOrchestra, Tonhalle-Orchester (Zurich), ViennaPhilharmonic Orchestra, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestraand Gewandhaus Orchestra in Leipzig.

His most recent opera productions in Canada wereGounod’s Faust for Canadian Opera in 2007, andMadama Butterfly in Montreal in 2008. In August 2008he made an outstandingly successful Salzburg Festivaldebut conducting a new production of Gounod’s Roméoet Juliette with a cast led by Rolando Villazon and NinoMachaidze. He recently made an acclaimed debut forthe Netherlands Opera conducting The MakropoulosCase and makes his Metropolitan Opera debut inDecember 2009 with a new production of Carmen.Productions are also planned for La Scala and the RoyalOpera House, Covent Garden.

He records for the dynamic Canadian company ATMAClassique, and his recordings with the OrchestreMétropolitain have received prizes and critical acclaim.His most recent recordings, La Mer (a collection ofworks by Debussy, Britten and Mercure) and Bruckner’sSymphony 9 have been widely praised and Bruckner’sSymphony 8 is due for release this autumn. His firstthree recordings with the Rotterdam PhilharmonicOrchestra are scheduled for release in the near future.

MarcoBorggreve



COLIN CURRIEPERCUSSION

Percussionist Colin Currie has established a uniquereputation for his charismatic and virtuosicperformances of works by today’s leading composers,and has appeared with many of the world’s mostimportant orchestras – the London PhilharmonicOrchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra andPhiladelphia Orchestra among them. Regularlycommissioning and recording new works, he has madean inspirational and innovative contribution to thepercussion repertoire.

At the age of fifteen Colin Currie won the Shell/LSOprize, and subsequently was the first percussion finalistin the BBC Young Musician competition. He wasawarded the Royal Philharmonic Society’s Young ArtistAward in 2002 for his outstanding role in contemporarymusic-making and was a Borletti-Buitoni Trust awardwinner in 2005. Currie was selected as a BBC NewGeneration Artist from 2003-2005, and as part of thescheme performed a variety of concerto and recitalengagements with the BBC orchestras and in majorfestivals and concert halls. He is currently VisitingProfessor of Solo Percussion at the Royal Academy ofMusic in London and at the Royal Conservatoire in TheHague.

Currie is deeply committed to the development of newrepertoire for percussion in its widest form, includingorchestral, solo and chamber music. Most recently hehas premièred concertos by Jennifer Higdon, SimonHolt and Kurt Schwertsik, as well as music by AlexanderGoehr, Steve Martland, Steven Mackey, Joe Duddell andDave Maric, a composer he collaborates with on aregular basis.

Following tonight’s première of Incantations, Currie willalso perform the work with co-commissioners the

Rotterdam Philharmonic, Tampere Philharmonic andBaltimore Symphony. Also in the US, he performs atCarnegie Hall with the St Louis Symphony and DavidRobertson in two concertos – Tan Dun’s WaterPercussion Concerto and Bright Sheng’s Colors ofCrimson – as part of the Ancient Paths, Modern Voicesfestival, which pays tribute to the vibrant culture andinfluence of China, as well as giving the NorthAmerican première of Simon Holt’s a table of noiseswith the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Last month,Currie performed at the opening concert of the 2009Berlin Festival and at the BBC Proms in Xenakis’s Aïswith the BBC Symphony Orchestra and David Robertson.Highlights later this season include concerts with theBBC Philharmonic and Malmö Symphony Orchestras.

Currie performs extensively as a recitalist and chambermusician, collaborating in particular with HåkanHardenberger in a duo recital for trumpet andpercussion, a piano-percussion duo with NicolasHodges, and with the Pavel Haas Quartet. He has alsocollaborated with artists such as Pierre-Laurent Aimard,Viktoria Mullova, the Labèque sisters, and jazzmusicians Peter Erskine, KennyWheeler and John Taylor.Recital appearances over recent seasons have includedconcerts at the Settembre Musica Festival andWigmoreHall with Nicolas Hodges, and with HåkanHardenberger at the Verbier Festival, Bridgewater Hall,Hamburg Musikhalle, LSO St Luke’s and in SanFrancisco. Highlights this season include a solo recitaland chamber music concert with the Pavel HaasQuartet at the Beethovenfest Bonn, and a percussionensemble event centred on Steve Reich’s iconic workDrumming as part of the International Chamber MusicSeason at Southbank Centre.

Colin Currie’s latest CD release features JenniferHigdon’s Percussion Concerto conducted by MarinAlsop with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and thisseason he collaborates with the Pavel Haas Quartet in astudio recording of Alexander Goehr’s since brass…norstone for the BBC New Generation Artists scheme.Currie’s recital disc Borrowed Time, available on theOnyx label, features solo percussion music and duoswith trumpet and organ by British composer DaveMaric, and his first solo album, Striking a Balance, wasreleased on EMI. He has also recorded concertos byJames MacMillan and Michael Torke for Naxos.

ChrisDawes



Einojuhani Rautavaara, eighty-one this month, is aprominent and highly respected figure in Finnish music,a link between Sibelius – who recommended him for ascholarship to study in the United States – and thegeneration including Magnus Lindberg and Esa-PekkaSalonen, both of whom were his students. Havingbegun his career writing in a neo-classical style, headopted twelve-note and experimental techniquesduring the 1950s and ’60s; but he also explored a veinof rich neo-Romanticism, which gradually came topredominate in his output. His recent works represent asynthesis of these different manners, with a significantinfusion of mysticism. He has composed several operasfor Finnish companies, but he is better knowninternationally for his orchestral works, some of whichhave achieved cult status – for example, the seventh ofhis (to date) eight symphonies, Angel of Light, andCantus Arcticus, a concerto for taped bird sounds andorchestra.

Rautavaara has written Incantations in response to ajoint commission from four orchestras: tonight’spremière by the London Philharmonic Orchestra will befollowed later this season by performances by the otherthree, the Rotterdam Philharmonic, Tampere

Philharmonic (in Finland) and Baltimore SymphonyOrchestras. The work was designed for the soloist on allthese occasions, Colin Currie. Rautavaara says: ‘When Iheard recorded performances by Colin Currie, I wasimpressed by his virtuosity and musicianship inhandling the various kinds of percussion instruments.When asked, therefore, I was very willing to compose aconcerto for him to play, and when he visited Helsinki inlate 2007 I was already able to show him sketches forthe work.’ After that, Currie contributed suggestionsabout instrumentation during the completion of theconcerto last year.

The word Incantations refers to spells chanted or sungduring an act of magic or of mystical communicationwith the spirit world – for example by the shamans ofthe Arctic regions. Rautavaara says that the title ‘cameto my mind early during the composing process’; but ‘toavoid too much conventional and monotonous“shamanism”’ he included passages in irregular metres,using different groupings of two and three quavers, inalternation with music moving in regular crotchets. Thecomposer also says of the work: ‘As melodic line isalways important for me, marimba and vibraphone areoften in the foreground in all three movements.’ The

PROGRAMME NOTES

SPEEDREAD

At first sight, the twoworks in tonight’s programmemaynot appear to havemuch in common: one a colourfulnew percussion concerto by amuch admired seniorfigure in Finnishmusic; the other themightiest abstractsymphony of the late nineteenth century. But they sharean element of spirituality. Einojuhani Rautavaara’sIncantations is full of hypnotically repeated rhythms

suggesting the singing and dancing of shamans,mediating between humanity and the spirit world. AndBruckner’s Eighth Symphonymoves from the dark,unstable Cminor of its openingmovement, by way of anelemental scherzo and a profoundly meditative Adagio,to a finale ending with a blaze of Cmajor: a progressionwhich, given the composer’s deep religious convictions,seems to outline a spiritual quest and its fulfilment.

INCANTATIONS: CONCERTO FOR PERCUSSIONAND ORCHESTRA

COLIN CURRIE percussion

Pesante – Energico | Espressivo | Animato

EinojuhaniRAUTAVAARA

Born 1928



PROGRAMME NOTES

soloist’s array of instruments alsoincludes various gongs, bells anddrums, and, at Colin Currie’ssuggestion, a thunderstick.

The three movements of the concertofall into a traditional fast–slow–fastpattern, though with many internalfluctuations of tempo (only the mainheadings are shown above). The firstmovement opens with a powerfulorchestral statement, which recurs invarious forms. The soloist enters withflurries on marimba, exchanged withthe woodwind, before moving to unpitched percussionat the start of the quicker central section of themovement. After some more volatile changes of tempoand mood, with the soloist now on vibraphone, theopening statement returns, ringingly enhanced by thesoloist on marimba, tubular bells and crotales. In thesecond movement, Rautavaara says, ‘the atmosphere isbrooding, expressive and poetic’. The soloist plays thevibraphone throughout, in a double-stranded melody(sometimes expanding to three- and even four-partchords) which is shared along the way with differentwind and string sections. There are interludes ofinsistent urgency, but the main direction of the

movement is towards greater calm and stillness. Thefinale, the composer says, ‘could be a shaman’s dance ina jerky rhythm’ – or in fact two different jerky rhythms,maintained in successive sections by marimbaostinatos. As in the first movement, there is a sequenceof episodes varying more rapidly in tempo andfiguration. It culminates this time in a cadenza, which inthe classical tradition the composer has left the soloistto prepare or improvise. This leads into a Grandiosoreturn of the opening statement of the whole work,now even more actively decorated than before andbringing the concerto to a resplendent conclusion.

INTERVAL 20 minutes

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

‘A shaman – in Siberia or within the Sami culture inFinnish Lapland – wants to act as a mediator betweenus humans and the transcendental world, often throughthe act of singing an incantation. This relates to mywork as a composer. … I have always felt, aftercompleting a score, that I had not ‘made’ a whole, livingbeing. It must have existed ‘somewhere’, so my musiccould only aim to bring it out.’EINOJUHANI RAUTAVAARA (FROM AN INTERVIEWWITH DAVID ALLENBYATWWW.BOOSEY.COM/RAUTAVAARA)



PROGRAMME NOTES

The Eighth is the longest, most ambitious and mostdramatic of Bruckner’s completed symphonies (thoughthe Ninth would have surpassed it in scale had he livedto finish its last movement). Bruckner began composingthe work in 1884, the year of his sixtieth birthday, at atime when the tide seemed to be turning at last in hislifelong struggle for recognition in his native Austria andabroad. On completing the score in 1887, he sent it toHermann Levi, a conductor who had previously been achampion of his music. Levi’s rejection of it gave rise toa bout of deep depression, and then to action. Between1887 and 1890, Bruckner completely revised theSymphony, enlarging its orchestration – to make it themost fully scored of any of his symphonies – andmaking many cuts and changes. The final version waspublished in 1892, the year of the Symphony’striumphant first performance in Vienna. UnlikeBruckner’s revised versions of some of his earliersymphonies, that of the Eighth is generally thought tobe an improvement on the original. But in an editionpublished in 1939, Robert Haas restored two passages,one in the slow movement and the other in the finale,which had been cut in the revision. This version, whichis being performed tonight, has been criticised as anunscholarly ‘hybrid’, but has been adopted by manyconductors and praised by writers on Bruckner: DerekWatson, for example, considers that compared to the1890 revision it ‘makes far more musical sense and hasa better formal balance’.

Bruckner’s symphonies are based in outline on theclassical forms that he inherited from Beethoven andSchubert: but, thanks in part to the influence ofWagner’s music-dramas, the traditional schemes are notonly expanded, but also overlaid by a process ofcontinuous development, and by a progression fromtonal instability (that is, a feeling of not being securelyin a key) towards stability. So the first movement of the

Eighth begins with a mysterious bass theme in double-dotted rhythms (a very long note followed by a veryshort one) which circles round the home key of C minorwithout ever clearly establishing it. The main subsidiarythemes, a lyrical violin melody in Bruckner’s favouritemixture of duplets and triplets and a series of windphrases over pizzicato triplets, are hardly more stable,though trumpet fanfares do herald a temporary point ofrepose. The development section, which treats the firsttwo themes the right way up and upside down, isoverlapped with the recapitulation in a series of stridentstatements of the first theme and its insistent rhythm.The recapitulation itself is a freely recast version of theopening section, and lacks its crowning fanfares.Instead, there is a massive climax with the brasssounding the rhythm of the first theme, leading to anumb C minor coda of insistently repeated shortphrases and timpani rolls: Bruckner likened this endingto an annunciation of death, followed by the regularticking of a clock in a dying man’s bedroom.

The C minor Scherzo, which is placed second, is amovement of huge energy, generated by repetitions of aone-bar idea which Bruckner associated with derDeutsche Michel, a simple, obstinate Everyman figure inGerman folklore. The A flat major Trio provides acomplete contrast, with its ‘Slow’ 2/4 time, its principalmelody of easy-going Austrian charm, and its idyllicepisodes introducing harps (a single part, but with threeplayers if possible) for the first time in this or anyBruckner symphony. The main Scherzo is repeatedexactly.

The profound D flat major Adagio (‘Slow and solemn,but not dragging’) also uses the harps at moments ofexaltation, and adds triangle and cymbals at itsvisionary climax. The opening section of the movementfalls into two large paragraphs: the first alternating

SYMPHONY 8 IN C MINOR(EDITED BY ROBERT HAAS)

Allegro moderato | Scherzo: Allegro moderato and Trio:Langsam | Adagio: Feierlich langsam; doch nichtschleppend | Finale: Feierlich, nicht schnell

AntonBRUCKNER

1824-1896



PROGRAMME NOTES

between expressive lyricism and broad declamation; thesecond an extended cello melody, briefly giving way to achorale for Wagner tubas and bass tuba; and bothprominently featuring a descending scale figure. Thereis a contrasting episode, in 3/4 time as opposed to thesurrounding 4/4, for horn, woodwind and then strings –apparently a middle section before a reprise. But whenthe opening section returns, it is vastly expanded, witha great deal of development, not least of thedescending scale, and an additional rondo-like return ofthe first theme in richly decorated textures. A phrasefrom this first theme provides the resplendent climax;this is followed by a calm, static coda, ending with afinal downward scale.

The massive Finale (‘Solemn, not fast’) begins withurgent repeated notes and rising brass figures, againover tonally unstable harmonies. A long sequence ofthemes includes a passage of singing counterpoint forstrings and horn, a chorale for the Wagner tubas over

pizzicato strings, a marching stringfigure with a subdued woodwinddescant, and a solemn variant of thethird movement’s descending scalefigure. After a battering tutti andsome variants of earlier ideas, thisopening section eventually comes to

rest on a quiet timpani roll. The development sectionmakes great play with the descending scale and themarching figure, reaches a blazing climax followed byan episode over gently pulsing wind triplets, and endsby anticipating the rising brass figures of the firstsubject. The recapitulation extends this first theme withsome passages of sustained tutti writing, restates thesecond in a re-scored but little varied form and the thirdwith a new flute descant, and brings back the marchingfigure in a little fugato; it also recalls the openingtheme of the first movement. Repeated timpani strokesand a moment of silence precede the coda, whichbegins calmly in C minor, but works towards C major,withheld from the Symphony till now but its ultimatetonal goal. Finally, repeated motifs from all fourmovements are combined over a sustained timpani roll– at which point Bruckner wrote in his manuscript theword ‘Halleluja!’

Programme notes by Anthony Burton © 2009

Interviews online

If you’ve enjoyed Yannick Nézet-Séguin’s Bruckner this evening, you might be interested to hear his interviewon October’s podcast in which he reflects on his performance of the Seventh Symphony with the Orchestralast season, and his approach to Bruckner’s Eighth. He also reflects on his first year as the LondonPhilharmonic Orchestra’s Principal Guest Conductor. Colin Currie tells the story of meeting the composerRautavaara in Helsinki to discuss the commission that led to tonight’s world première performance as well asthe challenges of playing an instrument that changes for each work. Plus news of the latest CD release –pioneering 1930s recordings conducted by the Orchestra’s founder, Sir Thomas Beecham.

You can listen online at www.lpo.org.uk/podcasts or subscribe via iTunes to receive each month’s editionstraight to your computer.

What is a podcast? A podcast is like a radio programme, but can be listened to online or downloaded to yourmp3 player. Ours comes out monthly and is filled with interviews by music critic and writer, EdwardSeckerson, with conductors and soloists, plus Orchestra news and CD releases.

‘This symphony is the creation of a giant, surpassing allthe master’s other symphonies in its spiritual dimension,fecundity of invention and grandeur.’HUGOWOLF ON BRUCKNER’S EIGHTH SYMPHONY



RECORDINGSON THE LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA’S OWN RECORD LABEL

The recordings may be downloaded in high quality MP3 format from www.lpo.org.uk/shop. They 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

London FUNharmonics Family Concert

The Sea

Sunday 8 November 2009 | 11.30 amSouthbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall

Walton Overture, Portsmouth PointRimsky-Korsakov The Sea and Sinbad’s Ship from‘Scheherazade’Marianelli TheWhale’s TaleArr. Wood Fantasia on British Sea Songs (excerpts)Zimmer Pirates of the Caribbean (main theme)

David Angus conductorChris Jarvis presenter

Tickets: Child £4 - £7; Adult £8 - £14For booking details see page 16.

LPO-0032 Klaus Tennstedt conducts Bruckner’sSymphony 8

‘... a triumphant interpretation by Klaus Tennstedtand the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Expansiveand throbbing with strength, this is a worthyaddition to the discography.’GAVIN ENGLEBRECHT, NORTHERN ECHO, 30 OCTOBER 2008

LPO-0035 Marin Alsop conducts works byMacMillan and Adès as well as Higdon’sPercussion Concerto with Colin Currie

‘These live LPO recordings are the best possibleadvert for new classical music’FINANCIAL TIMES, 1 NOVEMBER 2008



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Orchestral concerts are a vitalpart of BBC Radio 3’s outputand I’m delighted that thestation will continue its longassociation with the LondonPhilharmonic Orchestra bybringing performances fromthis season to the widestpossible audience, includingthose listening at home, on airand online.

Roger WrightController, BBC Radio 3

Tonight’s concert will bebroadcast in Performance on 3on Friday 30 October at 7pm,and is available online for7 days after broadcast atbbc.co.uk/radio3



Corporate MembersGoldDeloitte & Touche

SilverBritish American BusinessMan Group plc

BronzeAppleyard & Trew llpCharles RussellDestination Québec – UKDiagonal ConsultingLazardLeventis OverseasQuébec Government Office in London

Corporate DonorsLombard Street ResearchRedpoint Energy Limited

In-kind SponsorsHeinekenLindt & Sprüngli LtdSela Sweets Ltd

The United Grand Lodge of EnglandVilla Maria

Education PartnersLambeth City Learning CentreLondon Borough of LambethSouthwark EiC

Trusts and FoundationsAdamMickiewicz InstituteAllianz Cultural FoundationThe Bernard Sunley CharitableFoundationBorletti-Buitoni TrustThe Candide Charitable TrustThe John S Cohen FoundationThe Coutts Charitable TrustThe D’Oyly Carte Charitable TrustDunard FundThe Emmanuel Kaye FoundationThe Equitable Charitable TrustThe Eranda FoundationThe Ernest Cook TrustThe Fenton Arts Trust

The Foyle FoundationGarfield Weston FoundationThe Henry Smith CharityThe Idlewild TrustJohn Lyon’s CharityJohn Thaw FoundationThe Jonathan & Jeniffer Harris TrustThe Sir Jules Thorn Charitable TrustLord Ashdown Charitable SettlementMarsh Christian TrustMaurice Marks Charitable TrustMaxwell Morrison Charitable TrustThe Michael Marks Charitable TrustMusicians Benevolent FundPaul Morgan Charitable TrustThe R K Charitable TrustRuth Berkowitz Charitable TrustThe Samuel Sebba Charitable TrustSergei Rachmaninoff FoundationStansfield TrustThe Underwood Trust

and others who wish to remainanonymous.

Thomas Beecham GroupMr &Mrs Richard & Victoria SharpJulian & Gill SimmondsMrs StevenWardSimon Yates & Kevin Roon

Garf & Gill CollinsDavid & Victoria Graham FullerRichard Karl GoeltzJohn & Angela KesslerMr & Mrs MakharinskyGeoff & Meg MannEric Tomsett

Guy & Utti Whittaker

Principal BenefactorsMark & Elizabeth AdamsJane AttiasLady Jane BerrilDesmond & Ruth CecilMr John H CookAndrew DavenportMrs Sonja DrexlerMr Charles DumasDavid EllenCommander Vincent Evans

Mr Daniel GoldsteinMrs Barbara GreenMr Ray HarsantOliver HeatonPeter MacDonald EggersMr & Mrs David MalpasAndrew T MillsMr Maxwell MorrisonMr & Mrs Thierry SciardMr John Soderquist &Mr CostasMichaelidesMr & Mrs G SteinMr & Mrs John C TuckerHoward & SheelaghWatsonMr Laurie WattMr Anthony Yolland

BenefactorsMrs A BeareDr & Mrs Alan CarringtonCBE FRSMr & Mrs Stewart CohenMr Alistair CorbettMr David EdgecombeMr Richard FernyhoughKen FollettMichael & Christine Henry

Mr Glenn HurstfieldMr R K JehaMr & Mrs Maurice LambertMr Gerald LevinSheila Ashley LewisWg. Cdr. & Mrs M T LiddiardOBE JP RAFMr Frank LimPaul & Brigitta LockMr Brian MarshMs Sarah NeedhamMr & Mrs Egil OldeideEdmund PirouetMr Michael PosenMr Peter TausigMrs Kazue TurnerLady Marina VaizeyMr DWhitelock

Hon. BenefactorElliott Bernerd

Hon. Life MembersKenneth GoodeMrs Jackie Rosenfeld OBE

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

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



PHILHARMONIC NEWS

LPO Contemporaries launches this evening!

This evening the Orchestra is delighted to welcomeguests who are attending the launch of its newLPO Contemporariesmembership programme for thenext generation of arts supporters.

With membership starting at £150 per year, memberswill enjoy a wonderful range of perks, created especiallyfor the LPO Contemporaries. These will include a mix ofsocial and educational opportunities, both at concertsand bespoke events, to be enjoyed in the company ofother like-minded people in their 20s and 30s.

During each year of membership, LPO Contemporarieswill enjoy:

• Priority booking for a 3 concert subscription serieswith a dedicated space to meet before and after theperformance

• Two complimentary tickets to a concert with access onthat evening to the Orchestra’s private Corporate Bar

• An exclusive LPO Contemporaries ChampagneSaturday rehearsal with the opportunity to meetsome of the Orchestra’s musicians over a drinkafterwards

• Special events hosted by the Orchestra and itssponsors and partners throughout the year, plusmuch more!

At the same time, through their annual membership,LPO Contemporaries will support the LondonPhilharmonic Orchestra; a registered charity dedicatedto bringing music and education to people from allwalks of life.

For more information, or to become a member, visitwww.lpo.org.uk/lpocontemporaries or contact AnnaGover by telephone on 020 7840 4225 or [email protected]

We are grateful to all of our partners who have helped tolaunch the new LPO Contemporaries programme, inparticular Dr Catherine Høgel, Alexandra Menkes, SimonYates, Skylon Restaurant, Québec Government Office inLondon and Valerie Barber PR.

During theOrchestra’s recentAustralian tour agroup of players

(right) takes to thesea off the

Queensland coast fora whale watchingexpedition while

cellist Francis Bucknall(far right) prepares for

a trek into the JohnForrest National Park,

just to the east ofPerth inWestern

Australia, to study thefantastic array

of flora and fauna.



ADMINISTRATION

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Martin HöhmannChairmanStewart McIlwhamVice-ChairmanSue BohlingSimon CarringtonLord Currie*Jonathan Dawson*Anne McAneneyGeorge PenistonSir Bernard Rix*Kevin RundellSir Philip ThomasSir John Tooley*The Rt Hon. LordWakeham DL*Timothy Walker AM †*Non-Executive Directors

THE LONDONPHILHARMONIC TRUST

Pehr GyllenhammarChairmanDesmond Cecil CMGSir George Christie CHRichard Karl GoeltzJonathan Harris CBE FRICSDr Catherine C. HøgelMartin HöhmannAngela KesslerClive Marks OBE FCAVictoria SharpJulian SimmondsDr John VineyTimothy Walker AM †Laurence WattSimon Yates

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

Deloitte & ToucheAuditors

Dr Louise MillerHonorary Doctor

GENERAL ADMINISTRATION

Timothy Walker AM †Chief Executive andArtistic Director

Alison AtkinsonDigital Projects Manager

Julius HendriksenAssistant to the Chief Executiveand Artistic Director

FINANCE

David BurkeFinance Director

David GreensladeFinance and IT Manager

Joshua FoongFinance Officer

CONCERT MANAGEMENT

Ruth SansomArtistic Administrator

GrahamWoodConcerts, Recordings andGlyndebourne Manager

Alison JonesConcerts Co-ordinator

Hattie GarrardTours and EngagementsManager

Camilla BeggConcerts and Tours Assistant

Matthew FreemanRecordings Consultant

ORCHESTRA PERSONNEL

Andrew CheneryOrchestra Personnel Manager

Sarah ThomasLibrarian

Michael PattisonStage Manager

Hannah TuckerAssistant Orchestra PersonnelManager

Ken Graham TruckingInstrument Transportation(Tel: 01737 373305)

EDUCATION ANDCOMMUNITY PROGRAMME

Matthew ToddEducation andCommunity Director

Anne NewmanEducation Officer

Isobel TimmsCommunity Officer

Alec HaylorEducation andCommunity Assistant

Richard MallettEducation andCommunity Producer

DEVELOPMENT

Emma O’ConnellDevelopment Director

Georgina CervinCharitable Giving Manager

Phoebe RouseCorporate Relations Manager

Sarah TattersallCorporate Relations andEvents Manager

Anna GoverCharitable Giving Officer

Melissa Van EmdenCorporate Relations andEvents Officer

MARKETING

Kath TroutMarketing Director

Janine HowlettMarketing ManagerBrighton, Eastbourne,Community & Education

Frances CookPublications Manager

Samantha KendallBox Office Administrator(Tel: 020 7840 4242)

Heather BarstowMarketing Co-ordinator

Valerie BarberPress Consultant(Tel: 020 7586 8560)

ARCHIVES

Edmund PirouetConsultant

Philip StuartDiscographer

Gillian PoleRecordings Archive

INTERN

Christina HickmanMarketing

LONDON PHILHARMONICORCHESTRA

89 Albert EmbankmentLondon 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 Rautavaaracourtesy of Boosey & Hawkesand Bruckner courtesy of theRoyal College of Music,London.

Photograph on the front coverby Benjamin Ealovega.

Programmes printed byCantate.

†Supported by Macquarie Group



FUTURE CONCERTSAT SOUTHBANK CENTRE’S ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL

Wednesday 28 October 2009 | 7.30pm

Scriabin RêverieScriabin Piano ConcertoWagner (arr. de Vlieger) The Ring, an OrchestralAdventure

Neeme Järvi conductorYevgeny Sudbin piano

6.15pm | Royal Festival HallFREE Pre-Concert EventMusicologist John Deathridge introduces the elementsof Wagner’s Ring Cycle that appear in this evening’sperformance.

JTI Friday Series | Friday 30 October 2009 | 7.30pm

Prokofiev Classical SymphonyRachmaninoff Piano Concerto 2Tchaikovsky Symphony 4

Alexander Vedernikov conductorPiers Lane piano

Wednesday 4 November 2009 | 7.30pm

Wagner Overture, TannhäuserWagnerWesendonk-LiederBruckner Symphony 6

Christoph Eschenbach conductorPetra Langmezzo soprano

JTI Friday Series | Friday 6 November 2009 | 7.30pm

Verdi Overture, La forza del destinoTchaikovsky Piano Concerto 1Dvor̆ák Symphony 9 (From the NewWorld)

Yutaka Sado conductorDenis Matsuev piano

Wednesday 18 November 2009 | 7.30pm

Haydn Symphony 22 (The Philosopher)Wagner Prelude and Good Friday Spell from ‘Parsifal’Schnittke Excerpts from ‘The History of D. JohannFaustus’ (UK première)Sung in German with English surtitles.

Vladimir Jurowski conductorStephen Richardson Dr FaustusAnna LarssonMephistophilaMarco LazzaraMephistophilesMarkus Brutscher NarratorMoscow Conservatory Chamber Choir

6.15pm | Royal Festival HallFREE Pre-Concert EventA performance of Schnittke’s String Quartet 3 by theHarpham Quartet.

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

Neeme Järvi andYevgeny Sudbin

Yutaka Sado andDenis Matsuev

Vladimir Jurowskiand StephenRichardson

AlexanderVedernikov andPiers Lane


Documents

LPO Programme - 24Oct09