Sunday 19 January 2020 7–9.05pm Thursday 13 February 2020 7.30–9.35pm Barbican LSO SEASON CONCERT CHRIST ON THE MOUNT OF OLIVES Berg Violin Concerto Interval Beethoven Christ on the Mount of Olives Sir Simon Rattle conductor Lisa Batiashvili violin Elsa Dreisig soprano Pavol Breslik tenor David Soar bass London Symphony Chorus Simon Halsey chorus director Part of Beethoven 250 at the Barbican Thursday 13 February 2020 broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 Welcome Latest News On Our Blog will be recorded for LSO Live, the Orchestra DONATELLA FLICK LSO LUNAR NEW YEAR PREMIERES: is also joined by the full force of the London CONDUCTING COMPETITION LSO DISCOVERY COMPOSERS Symphony Chorus, led by Chorus Director PAST AND PRESENT Simon Halsey. Applications are now open for the 16th Donatella Flick LSO Conducting Competition Following a sold-out debut in January 2019, Berg’s Violin Concerto opens these concerts, in 2021, founded in 1990 by Donatella Flick artist collective Tangram return to LSO St for which we welcome soloist Lisa Batiashvili, and celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. Luke’s on 25 January to interweave folk who first performed with the Orchestra on the melodies with brand-new compositions. Barbican stage in 2006, and has appeared • lso.co.uk/more/news We caught up with composers Raymond Yiu, regularly in recent years. We look forward to Jasmin Kent Rodgman and Alex Ho – all LSO Lisa Batiashvili joining us on tour for further Discovery composers of past and present warm welcome to these LSO performances of this concerto in Europe. – to find out more about the music we’ll concerts, conducted by Music WELCOME TO OUR GROUP BOOKERS hear on Lunar New Year. Director Sir Simon Rattle, where We extend thanks to our media partners we continue our year-long celebrations of BBC Radio 3, who will broadcast the second Academy Travel SPRING’S CLASSIC FM the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth, performance live. RECOMMENDED CONCERTS as part of a wider series at the Barbican. Throughout January and February, Sir Simon I hope you enjoy these performances and Groups of ten or more receive exclusive At the LSO, we are proud to have been pairs the music of this great composer with that you are able to join us again soon. At discounts to LSO concerts, with 20% off Classic FM’s Orchestra in the City of London that of a 20th-century master, Alban Berg. the end of January, LSO Principal Guest tickets, or 30% off when booking two or for over 17 years. Each season, a selection of Conductor Gianandrea Noseda resumes his more concerts within the season at the our concerts come recommended by Classic In these concerts, Sir Simon conducts Shostakovich cycle with the Ninth Symphony, same time. Extra benefits are available FM. Don’t miss our round-up of spring’s Beethoven’s only oratorio, Christ on the recorded for LSO Live. Later in February, Elim to larger groups. suggested concerts and a look at where the Mount of Olives. These performances are the Chan conducts a programme featuring Ravel’s music – and more – sit in the LSO’s history. first in the Orchestra’s history, and an Daphnis and Chloe and Rachmaninov’s Piano Find out more at opportunity to hear a rarely performed work Concerto No 3, with Lukáš Vondráček. • • lso.co.uk/groups • lso.co.uk/more/blog in Beethoven’s anniversary year. It is a pleasure to welcome soloists Elsa Dreisig and David Soar, both making their LSO debut, Please ensure all phones are switched off. and Pavol Breslik, in his first performance Kathryn McDowell CBE DL Photography and audio/video recording with the Orchestra since 2006. For these Managing Director are not permitted during the performance. eagerly anticipated performances, which 2 Welcome 19 January & 13 February 2020 Tonight’s Concert In Brief / by Paul Griffiths Coming Up oth works in this concert look back A sombre prelude sets the scene, on the Friday 24 & 31 January 1pm Saturday 15 February 7pm to great predecessors: Bach in the night Jesus is arrested. Jesus prays to God to LSO St Luke’s LSO St Luke’s Berg Violin Concerto, Handel in save him from the test, to which an Angel the oratorio by Beethoven. Berg inscribed responds by leading the chorus in praise of BBC RADIO 3 LUNCHTIME CONCERT LSO DISCOVERY his concerto ‘To the Memory of an Angel’, him. The two solo voices come together, and BACH UP CLOSE SOUNDHUB SHOWCASE: PHASE II following the death at 18 of Manon Gropius, the soldiers arrive, to the disciples’ alarm. daughter of Alma Mahler and her second Peter draws his sword, but Jesus has him Discover the idiosyncrasies of Bach’s Composers on Phase II of LSO Discovery’s husband, the architect Walter Gropius. The hold back. There is another duet for Jesus chamber music with intimate performances Soundhub scheme showcase new music, first of the two movements is appropriately and the Angel before the final chorus. • from soloists and ensembles. joined by LSO musicians. diaphanous as it starts, suspended between the ladder of fifths to which the violin is Recorded for future broadcast by BBC Radio 3 LSO Soundhub is generously supported by tuned and a twelve-note row. It then turns PROGRAMME CONTRIBUTORS Susie Thomson into a country dance. Paul Griffiths has been a critic for nearly Thursday 27 February 7.30pm The second movement goes the other way, 40 years, including for The Times and The Thursday 30 January 7.30pm Barbican from fast to slow, and more extremely. New Yorker, and is an authority on 20th Barbican It begins with the catastrophe of death, and 21st-century music. Among his books DAPHNIS AND CHLOE out of which the solo instrument leads are studies of Boulez, Ligeti and Stravinsky. SHOSTAKOVICH NINTH SYMPHONY the way with a chorale tune, ‘Es ist genug’ He also writes novels and librettos. James Hoyle Thymiaterion (world premiere) * (‘It is enough’). This is then heard in a Prokofiev Symphony No 1, ‘Classical’ Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No 3 harmonisation by Bach, on clarinets, and Andrew Stewart is a freelance music journalist Mozart Violin Concerto No 3 Elizabeth Ogonek All These Lighted Things remains to the end. Manon is taken to her and writer. He is the author of The LSO at 90, Mussorgsky Prelude to ‘Khovanshchina’ – three little dances for orchestra rest, but Berg is also telling other stories and contributes to a wide variety of specialist Shostakovich Symphony No 9 Ravel Daphnis and Chloe – Suite No 2 here, of his own teenage years, when he classical music publications. made a kitchen maid pregnant, and of his Gianandrea Noseda conductor Elim Chan conductor current love affair, doomed because both Lindsay Kemp is a senior producer for Christian Tetzlaff violin Lukáš Vondráček piano those involved were already married. BBC Radio 3, including programming lunchtime concerts at Wigmore Hall and 6pm Barbican *Commissioned through the Panufnik Composers Beethoven wrote his only oratorio, Christ on LSO St Luke’s. He is also Artistic Advisor to LSO Platforms: Guildhall Artists Scheme, generously supported by Lady Hamlyn the Mount of Olives, in 1803 for the concert York Early Music Festival, Artistic Director of Free pre-concert recital and The Helen Hamlyn Trust at which he also presented his Second Baroque at the Edge Festival and a regular Symphony and Third Piano Concerto. contributor to Gramophone magazine. Tonight’s Concert 3 Beethoven 250 at the Barbican / by Dr Joanne Cormac COMING UP AT THE BARBICAN ELSA DREISIG Saturday 1 to Sunday 2 February ON ERATO This season the Barbican, London Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Academy of BEETHOVEN WEEKENDER Ancient Music and Guildhall School of Music & Drama celebrate 250 years since the birth of Ludwig van Beethoven. But what is his relevance today? Nine symphonies. Five orchestras. One extraordinary weekend celebrating Beethoven is the ultimate creative genius. social change. It is a powerful symbol of the original musical trailblazer. He epitomises the popular, romanticised hope, revisited in times of political struggle, image of the great composer. Beethoven a celebration of freedom and brotherhood. Sponsored by DHL suffered. He was taciturn, isolated, and lacking in social graces. He endured the The popular image can be problematic. Thursday 6 February 7.30pm worst affliction imaginable for a musician: Beethoven’s vocal and choral music, or deafness. In spite of all this (many, including simply the works that do not contain EVGENY KISSIN PLAYS BEETHOVEN Wagner, would argue because of all this), journeys of struggle to redemption, are he managed to compose some of the most rarely performed because they do not comply Beethoven Piano Sonata No 8 Op 13 breathtaking, transcendental, sublime with our perception of the heroic, suffering 15 Variations and a Fugue Op 35 music of the Western canon. At first, the artist. The Barbican’s innovative, inclusive Piano Sonata No 17 Op 31 composer's deafness was understood as a and occasionally irreverent programme, Piano Sonata No 21 Op 53 barrier to his compositional prowess: the in contrast, will question the myths. The reason for the bizarre, jarring sounds of the Beethoven we hear will be refreshingly Thursday 27 February 7.30pm late string quartets. Later, it was seen as the unfamiliar at times. Milton Court Concert Hall Soprano Elsa Dreisig follows her debut album Miroir(s) with a recital of songs in collaboration with pianist Jonathan Ware. key to his greatness, enabling Beethoven to Taking its title, Morgen, from one of Richard Strauss’s best-loved lieder, it interweaves his music (notably the Four Last Songs) access profound, inward truths.