Michael Tilson Thomas Fifty Years of Music
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Michael Tilson Thomas Fifty years of music Thinking Big Orchestral works on an epic scale The magazine of the London Symphony Orchestra LSO Discovery JANUARY 2020 A celebration of 30 years LSO East London Academy Nurturing talent in the city January 2020 Letter from the Managing Director Kathryn McDowell 04 News 09 LSO Discovery at 30 his issue of Living Music There was a period of intense activity as the new provides you with a snapshot of term started at the Guildhall School of Music & some of the LSO’s achievements Drama, with colleagues welcoming the new intake 16 All Around the World over the past few months, as well on the Orchestral Artistry scheme as part some more personal reflections of Guildhall Artist Masters Degree delivered of some of the projects, tours in close collaboration with us. This programme and concerts that have taken combines the Guildhall School’s academic place during this time period. reputation and infrastructure with the practical skills and experience of the LSO’s musicians, A particularly significant string conductors and soloists to create a unique of firsts sums up the latter half academic offer, developing both professional of 2019 for the LSO, both at home and entrepreneurial skills. 10 Michael Tilson Thomas 12 Thinking Big and abroad. We undertook a tour to five Latin American countries in May – the first in the In addition to restarting the schemes engaging Orchestra’s 120-year history, as well as Sir Simon with emerging talented musicians, we kicked Rattle’s first tour with the LSO to Hong Kong, off a new cycle of activities for less advantaged mainland China and Vietnam in September. members of the community with LSO Create. And back in London, LSO Discovery’s exciting This offers exciting opportunities for adults with new initiative, the LSO East London Academy, learning disabilities and their supporters welcomed its first intake, offering an unprecedented and carers to engage with the LSO as audience opportunity for musical training to exceptionally members, active music-makers and performers. promising young instrumentalists from diverse Our Key Stage Concerts for schools begin again, cultural and socio-economic backgrounds from along with a host of other opportunities aimed our ten East London partner boroughs. at other age groups from newborns and under- 16 Developing Talent 18 All Around the World fives up to and including adult learning. September and October are always very busy months as we launch into a new season, and It just leaves me to thank all our readers – as the 2019/20 academic year began, the LSO LSO Patrons and Friends, corporate and continued its strong support of many young principal funders, Board members, past players, and emerging artists, with a new intake of students music industry colleagues, charitable trusts and musicians joining Discovery schemes. This and foundations, local and national government includes the String Experience scheme, which members. Thanks too to our partners, the offers paid side-by-side performance opportunities Barbican and the Guildhall School of Music & in LSO Barbican concerts to 15 string students Drama, as well as Arts Council England and auditioned from London music colleges. Then the City of London for their continuing support. Published by the London Symphony Orchestra Ltd the aforementioned East London Academy Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London EC2Y 8DS 24 LSO East London Academy 26 Meet Christine Pendrill established its first cohort of 20 young string All best wishes for a prosperous and Editor Emma Baker players who began their first term of work. healthy 2020. Graphic Design Justine Bannwart Print Tradewinds Photography Mark Allan, Phil Channing, Chris Christodoulou, Liam Hennebry, Sarah Hickson, Kevin Leighton, Ranald Mackechnie, Doug Peters, Tibor Pluto, Vahan Stepanyan, Clive Totman The LSO is funded by Arts Council England in partnership Kathryn McDowell CBE DL with the City of London Corporation, which also provides Managing Director the Orchestra’s permanent home at the Barbican LSO registered charity in England number 232391 lso.co.uk 3 The Cunning Little Vixen LSO & Guildhall Side-by-Side Huang Xiao at Soundhub Showcase THE CUNNING LITTLE VIXEN LSO DISCOVERY END-OF-YEAR OF JULY 2019 CELEBRATIONS The two final performances of the season, SOUNDHUB SHOWCASE semi-staged concerts of Janáček’s The summer hails the end of the academic The Cunning Little Vixen, certainly created year and for LSO Discovery that means A multi-artform showcase of new music a more intimate feeling between the some important end-of-year celebratory came to LSO St Luke’s in July. LSO audience and performers than a regular concerts and events. The annual Discovery Musicians took to the stage to perform concert. It was another highly acclaimed Showcase took place on a packed Barbican music by four composers on our LSO collaboration between Sir Simon Rattle stage on 6 June, conducted by Elim Chan. Soundhub scheme, which gives UK-based and director Peter Sellars, incorporating The evening featured music inspired by composers the opportunity to try out witty filmed projections and choreographed Rimsky-Korsakov’s evocative Scheherazade, new ideas, develop existing work and staging. In her review, The Observer’s with performances and compositions benefit from peer-to-peer networking Fiona Maddocks acknowledged the fine from Classical Meets Jazz, the Discovery and support. For Jamie Man’s Outrenoir II, contribution of the young talent on Senior Choir, LSO Create participants, the audience was plunged into darkness, stage: ‘high praise for the LSO Discovery the Discovery Digital Technology Group as whispered music grew to fill the space, children who participated – as woodland and On Track Next Generation. illuminated only by light sculptures creatures, thrillingly performed by the suspended from the ceiling. Alex Ho’s LSO and Simon Rattle and other rather LSO & GUILDHALL SCHOOL SIDE-BY-SIDE Spiralling Scrolls paired western and good adults (Lucy Crowe and Gerald Finley Chinese instruments to explore the for a start).’ The Barbican performances ‘All in all, an inspiring evening’ was how complexity of diasporic culture, while were followed up by a concert in Paris, Colin Anderson, Classical Source, summed Donal Sarsfield took a series of melodic IN THE LIFE OF THE LSO as part of our residency in the city, up the ‘side-by-side’ LSO & Guildhall lines, then deconstructed, reconstructed featuring the children's choir from School concert on 20 June, conducted by and overlapped them to create Off White’s La Maîtrise de Radio France. Sir Simon Rattle, adding to his already distinctive textures. For Sun Keting’s glowing description of the expanded Ensō, dancer Huang Xiao responded to JUNE 2019 DANIIL TRIFONOV ARTIST PORTRAIT Orchestra’s playing of Vaughan Williams’ the music by painting huge black arcs and Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis. circles on a canvas that stretched across SUMMER’S HERE This season’s LSO Artist Portrait series, ‘As intimate as it was voluptuous, this the floor of the Jerwood Hall. featuring pianist Daniil Trifonov, reached account of a masterpiece soared to ecstasy BMW Classics 2019, the annual free its climax in two concerts with Conductor with largesse and then a dying away to MEDITERRANEAN YOUTH ORCHESTRA concert at Trafalgar Square, kicked Laureate Michael Tilson Thomas and the nothingness from which it enters’. off London’s season of outdoor music Principal Guest Conductor Gianandrea This concert is always an excellent learning The Mediterranean Youth Orchestra in events on a beautiful sunny Sunday on Noseda, plus a stunning solo recital. experience for the players at the same Aix-en-Provence ran from 5 to 19 July, 30 June. Drawing another capacity crowd Futhermore, he wowed guests at our annual time as delivering a stunning exhibition an annual project where LSO musicians of 7,000 in the square, and a further summer fundraising gala. Following the of all sections of the gargantuan orchestra coach members of the Youth Orchestra. 6,000 viewers watching the YouTube and Michael Tilson Thomas evening on 2 June with Guildhall players on every desk, Ginette Decuyper, Matthew Gardner, Telegraph live stream online, it was a great The Times critic was moved to write: ‘slotting seamlessly within the ranks of Robert Turner, Hilary Jones, Jani Pensola, way to showcase the Orchestra’s work to ‘The Russian pianist dispatched Beethoven’s the LSO’ – Peter Quantrill, i newspaper. Joost Bosdijk, Paul Milner and David Londoners and passing tourists. Composer Emperor Concerto with a dazzling Jackson were involved, leading various Bushra El-Turk’s specially commissioned combination of virtuosic brilliance and workshops and lessons with them over piece Tuqus — written for mixed-ability poetic tenderness, the soft tone of his a fortnight, concluding with a concert orchestra — had its world premiere, chosen Fazioli instrument suiting his at the Grand Théâtre de Provence in performed by the Orchestra alongside mood of intimate rapture perfectly’, and Aix-en-Provence on 19 July. 55 young musicians from the LSO On Track duly awarded the evening the coveted David Elton programme and the Guildhall School. five stars. A great way to end the series. 4 Living Music January 2020 News lso.co.uk 5 TOUR TO ASIA The Orchestra embarked on a tour to LSO COMPOSERS Asia at the end of September, the first leg involving concerts in Hong Kong LSO JERWOOD COMPOSER+ LSO SOUNDHUB as part of the 30th Anniversary of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. Despite The LSO Soundhub programme concerns over whether the concert welcomed four new members schedule would be interrupted by for the new season: Clare Elton, the political demonstrations taking place Ryan Latimer, Ruaidhrí Mannion in the city, everything went smoothly. and Anselm McDonnell. Based at It was particularly special having Hong LSO St Luke’s, the LSO Soundhub Kong-native pianists Colleen Lee and programme provides a flexible Aristo Sham perform with the Orchestra, environment for four composers to and they were very popular with local develop and showcase new work audiences.