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Japan Philharmonic Orchestra come to Edinburgh with eminent British

Japan Philharmonic Orchestra with John Lill Sunday Classics at the Usher Hall, Edinburgh 3:00pm, Sunday 14 April 2019

Rautavaara - In the Beginning Beethoven - Piano Concerto No. 3 Takemitsu - Requiem for Strings Sibelius - Symphony No. 2

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Beethoven’s fiercely dramatic Third Piano Concerto from the standout British pianist

With a career spanning more than half a century, eminent British pianist John Lill is a commanding figure throughout the international classical world. He’s revered for his enormous integrity, his profound insights, his captivating charisma – all brilliantly on show at his various appearances at the Usher Hall in the last 3 years.

Playing music by Beethoven – long a particular speciality – Lill is like a force of nature. In this his compelling return to the Usher Hall, full of connections and contrasts, Lill is soloist in the Third Piano Concerto, one of Beethoven’s most fiercely dramatic pieces – right from its stirring opening, it grabs you and never lets go. He began writing the concerto in 1800, but it wasn’t premiered until 1803; these were tempestuous years for the composer as his health worsened and he began to realise that his hearing was deteriorating. He tried taking a period of rest to recover, but when that didn’t work, he came close to suicidal. It’s a period of Beethoven’s life that massively contributed to the dark drama of the Third Piano Concerto.

Lill joins Tokyo’s fine Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, one of the country’s most respected symphony orchestras, under its vibrant young Finnish Chief Conductor Pietari Inkinen. The ensemble has been performing together from its base in Tokyo since 1956 and performs over 150 concerts a year in Japan, alongside some of the finest concert halls across the world.

Celebrated internationally for his enthralling performances full of passion and imagination, Pietari Inkinen is one of today’s most exciting classical figures. Inkinen opens with the evocative soundscapes of fellow Finn Rautavaara, and brings the concert to a joyful conclusion with the stirring optimism of his compatriot Sibelius’s Second Symphony. It’s a rousing piece, the sound of the composer’s native ’s nationalist struggle for independence against Tsarist Russia. In between, the fragile, austere beauty of Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu’s brief but potent Requiem for Strings will enrapture the Usher Hall audience.

/ENDS

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Will Moss / The Corner Shop PR / 0131 202 6220 /07443334085

Listings information: Japan Philharmonic Orchestra with John Lill Sunday Classics at the Usher Hall, Edinburgh 3:00pm, Sunday 14 April 2019

Door time: 2:00pm Programme: Japan Philharmonic Orchestra Pietari Inkinen - Conductor John Lill - Piano

Rautavaara - In the Beginning Beethoven - Piano Concerto No. 3 Takemitsu - Requiem for Strings

Sibelius - Symphony No. 2

Tickets available at www.usherhall.co.uk

Prices

£35 | £29 | £24 | £18 | £13.50

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Under 16s are entitled to free tickets when booked with a paying adult

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JOHN LILL

Unanimously described as one of the leading of his generation, John Lill's career spans over 55 years, during which time he has given over 4,000 concerts. Lill originally studied at the and with . His rare talent emerged at an early age, giving his first piano recital at the age of nine. At eighteen he performed Rachmaninov's 3rd piano concerto under Sir , immediately followed by his much-acclaimed début playing Beethoven's 'Emperor' piano concerto at the . His early career flourished and was enhanced by many prestigious international prizes and awards. In 1970 he won the most coveted of these: the Moscow International Tchaikovsky Competition, further consolidating his already busy international concert schedule. Since then he has given concerts in over fifty countries, both as a recitalist and as a soloist with the world's greatest orchestras.

John Lill's extensive repertoire includes more than eighty concertos, and he is acclaimed in particular as a leading interpreter of Beethoven, whose complete sonata cycle he has performed on several occasions in the UK, USA and Japan. In Britain he has given over 25 London Promenade concerts and regularly appears with all the major symphony orchestras. He has toured overseas with the London Symphony, London Philharmonic, BBC Symphony, City of Birmingham, Hallé, Royal Scottish National and BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestras. He regularly performs in the European capitals, Russia, the Far East, South America, Australasia, (including several ABC tours) and he is a frequent visitor to the United States, where he has worked with the and Orchestras, Symphony, Philharmonic and the Orchestras of , , Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Rochester, San Diego, Seattle and Washington.

More recently John Lill has performed with the St Petersburg, Rotterdam, Royal , Czech, Oslo, London and Royal Philharmonic Orchestras, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Hallé Orchestra, National Philharmonic of Russia, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Tonkünstler Orchestra and RTVE Orchestra Madrid, together with the Vancouver, Seattle, Indianapolis, Bournemouth, Royal Scottish National and Sapporo Symphony Orchestras. He also regularly gives recitals throughout the UK and Europe, USA, China,

Russia, Japan and Australia. In celebration of his 70th Birthday, the 2013-14 season saw John embark on much acclaimed Beethoven complete sonata cycles in London and Manchester, as well as recitals at Seattle’s Benaroya Hall, Dublin’s National Concert Hall, Warsaw’s Philharmonic Hall and the Grand Hall of St Petersburg Philharmonia. He also returned to Moscow to perform all the Beethoven concertos with the National Philharmonic of Russia and Vladimir Spivakov. Askonas Holt Limited Lincoln House, 300 High Holborn, London WC1V 7JH, United Kingdom T +44 (0)20 7400 1700 askonasholt.co.uk [email protected]

The 2017/18 season saw John give concerts with the Tchaikovsky Symphony, the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, and the St Petersburg Philharmonic in Edinburgh, as well as a UK tour with the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra and extensive solo tours. Other recent highlights include performances with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic at the Concertgebouw, the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra for their 125th Anniversary concert, as well as a debut performance with the Würth Philharmonic. Future highlights of the 2018-19 season include John’s return to the Liverpool Philharmonic, as well as performances with the Japan Philharmonic at Suntory Hall. John will also give a number of recitals across the UK, including at St. George’s Hall, Liverpool, and the Sage Gateshead.

John Lill has recorded for Deutsche Grammophon (Brahms solo works and second piano concerto), EMI (Complete Beethoven piano concertos with RSNO and Gibson), ASV (both Brahms piano concertos with the Hallé and Loughran plus the complete Beethoven sonatas) and Pickwick Records (Tchaikovsky first concerto with the LSO and Judd). More recently he has recorded the complete Prokofiev sonatas with ASV and his recording of the complete Beethoven Bagatelles and piano concertos with the CBSO and Weller is available on Chandos. He recorded 's Fantasy on a Theme of John Field (dedicated to John Lill) with the RPO and Handley for Conifer and the complete Rachmaninov concertos and solo piano works for Nimbus Records. His recent recording projects have been with EMI (piano works by Schumann) and Signum Records (works by Brahms and Schumann plus Haydn piano sonatas).

John Lill has been awarded many Honorary Doctorates and Fellowships from British Universities, Colleges and Academies. He lives in London and was awarded the OBE in 1977 and the CBE for his services to music in the 2005 New Year’s Honours’ List.

JAPAN PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

Japan Philharmonic Orchestra's history began in Tokyo in June 1956. Akeo WATANABE played an important role in founding the orchestra and became its first Principal Conductor. With a wide repertoire and its unique performing style, JPO has soon become one of the leading orchestras in Japan. Igor MARKEVITCH, Charles MUNCH, Jean FOURNET and many other world-class conductors have conducted the Orchestra. JPO had a very successful USA-Canada tour in 1964, making a dramatic breakthrough in just ten years from its founding. JPO also made an appearance to the renowned Hong Kong Arts Festival in 2011 with , one of Russia’s great maestros who led JPO as Chief Conductor for 8 years from 2008 through 2016, making a significant first step to develop good relationships with Asian countries. In recent years, JPO has received a number of great reviews for its high quality performances. From its founding, JPO started a commission series “Japan Phil Series” with wide variety of Japanese composers. Forty works have been premiered as of 2016, some of them now being regarded as regularly-performed repertoire, and the series has been highly rated as a commission system that is unprecedented in

Japan’s music history. JPO is now aiming for further development while preserving its 60 years of history and tradition.

Orchestra Concerts JPO performs 150 concerts a year, including subscription concerts in Tokyo, Yokohama, Saitama, and Sagamiono. With Chief Conductor Pietrai INKINEN, Conductor Laureate Alexander LAZAREV, Honorary Conductor Laureate Ken-ichiro KOBAYASHI, Permanent Conductor Kazuki YAMADA, and Music Partner Tomomi NISHIMOTO among other great conductors, JPO offers unique and attractive performances and aims for even higher performing skills.

Educational Programs JPO has held a family concert series every summer since 1975, attracting over 20,000 children and their family members each year. The Orchestra has also been successful in other educational programs with Communication Director Michael SPENCER, including the hands-on workshops that nurture children's creativity, communication, and cooperation skills and has gained a lot of attention not only to expose music to school children but also as a training method for company employees.

Regional Activities Over the years, JPO has focused on contributing to the local communities. In Kyushu region, JPO has a concert tour every year since 1975 in every prefecture. The tour plan and programs are created by thorough cooperation of the devoted local volunteer members each time. JPO also has a friendship agreement with Suginami Ward, Tokyo, since 1994, and holds "Suginami Kokaido Concert Series" and instrument classes for people over sixty years old. Since April 2011, members of the Orchestra have visited Tohoku region voluntarily to perform for the people in the disaster-stricken areas and teach instruments at schools in the region, making 217 visits at the time of writing.

Founded: June 22, 1956 Founding Conductor: WATANABE Akeo Honorary Conductor Laureate: KOBAYASHI Ken-ichiro Honorary Conductor: LUKÁCS Ervin Honorary Conductor: Chief Conductor: Pietari INKINEN Conductor Laureate: Alexander LAZAREV Permanent Conductor: YAMADA Kazuki Guest Chief Conductor: Neeme JÄRVI Principal Guest Conductor: Jiří BĚLOHLÁVEK Music Partner: NISHIMOTO Tomomi Solo Concertmaster: KINO Masayuki Solo Concertmaster: OGITANI Yasutomo Assistant Concertmaster: CHIBA Sayaka Communication Director: Michael SPENCER

PIETARI INKINEN

In September 2017 Pietari Inkinen became Chief Conductor of the Deutsche Radio Philharmonie Saarbruecken. Inkinen is also Chief Conductor of the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, a post he has held since the beginning of the 16-17 season, and Chief Conductor of the Symphony Orchestra and the Ludwigsburg Schlossfestspiele, posts he took up in 2015.

Recent and future highlights include debuts with the Pittsburgh Symphony, Concertgebouw Orchestra, Gurzenich Orchestra, NDR Hamburg, SWR Stuttgart and Budapest Festival Orchestra. 2017/2018 also featured the continuation of a complete Ring Cycle in concert with the Japan Philharmonic, as well as returns to the BBC Philharmonic and Finnish Radio Symphony orchestras. He also conducted the Finnish National Opera in their Independence Day 100th Anniversary Gala followed by a production of Madame Butterfly. The Finnish celebrations were also marked with performances of several recently-composed Finnish works including the world premieres of Rautavaara’s final completed symphonic work “In the Beginning” and a new work by Olli Vertaperko.

In previous seasons Inkinen has also conducted RSB , Staatskapelle Berlin, Munich Philharmonic, La Scala Philharmonic, Orchestra of Santa Cecilia, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Israel Philharmonic, Bavarian Radio Symphony, Radio Symphony, BBC Symphony, City of Birmingham Symphony, Spanish National Orchestra, Helsinki Philharmonic, Swedish Radio Symphony, Orchestra Verdi Milan and Oslo Philharmonic as well as the Staatskapelle Dresden and the Leipzig Gewandhaus.

In autumn 2018 Inkinen returns to Melbourne to conduct Die Meistersinger, following his acclaimed performances in 2016 of Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen, directed by Neil Armfield. This is the production which in August 2014 inspired Australia’s Helpmann Awards, recognising artistic excellence throughout Australia’s vibrant performing arts scene, to vote Inkinen as the award winner for Best Music Direction for Opera Australia’s Ring Cycle. The 2016 revival garnered Inkinen a further Green Room award for Best Conductor (Opera).

Other opera engagements have included the Finnish National Opera, La Monnaie in Brussels, Staatsoper in Berlin and the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich. He has conducted Wagner’s Walkure and Das Rheingold in Palermo's Teatro Massimo for which he was awarded Italy’s National Association of Music Critics’ Franco Abbiati Prize for “Best Show” for Das Rheingold. He also conducted performances of a highly successful new production of Eugene Onegin at the Dresden Semperoper.

From 2008 to 2016 Pietari was Music Director of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra where he now holds the title of Honorary Conductor. During his tenure, the orchestra rose to new levels with a highly acclaimed European tour, as well as the recording of a complete cycle of Sibelius Symphonies for Naxos. This, and other recordings for Naxos, including the premiere recording of Rautavaara’s Manhattan Trilogy and a further live Sibelius Cycle recorded with the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra in Suntory Hall, have been widely acclaimed. Inkinen has a large number of other recording credits, including Wagner arias and orchestral pieces with Simon O’Neill and the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra for EMI, which earned a rare double five-star review from BBC Music Magazine, and the Shostakovich Cello Concerto and Britten Cello Symphony with Johannes Moser for Haenssler.

Also an accomplished violin soloist, Inkinen studied at the Cologne Music Academy with Zakhar Bron, winning various awards and prizes for his solo work, before taking further studies in conducting at the in Helsinki. He continues to enjoy play- directing and performing chamber music with his regular musical partners.

Full biography 2018/2019 - please do not amend without consulting IMG Artists [email protected] or [email protected]

USHER HALL

The Usher Hall is Scotland's only five-star concert hall hosting a range of concerts from rock, pop, classical, jazz, world and folk music. The venue has hosted concerts and events since it opened way back in 1914! A beautiful Edwardian building with a modern twist, which is well loved by performers and audiences all over the world due to its magnificent acoustics.

It is said that Andrew Usher sparked the idea of a ‘concert hall for Edinburgh’ whilst chatting away over the counter of his jewellers in Rose Street. His ‘desire and intention’ was that this Hall ‘should become and remain a centre and attraction to musical artistes and performers and to the citizens of Edinburgh and others who may desire to hear good music...’

On 23 June 1896 it was formally announced that Andrew Usher had gifted £100,000 to The City of Edinburgh. The purpose of the money was to provide a City Hall, to be used for concerts, recitals, or other entertainments or performances of a musical nature, and for civic functions, or such other performances as the Lord Provost, Magistrates, and Council saw fit. Above all it was to be about the music. Edinburgh was very much lacking a hall for such musical and civic purposes, as stated in the Scotsman the following day; ‘The necessity for a great hall in Edinburgh under city management has been pressed upon the attention of the public for many years.’ Sadly Andrew Usher died before his dream was realised.

Today

Today, the much-praised acoustics make it one of the best concert halls in Europe with many of the world's finest musicians performing here. The Usher Hall is the city's key venue for visiting national and international orchestras and has been the main venue for the Edinburgh International Festival since 1947, hosting legendary artists such as composers Benjamin Britten and Dmitri Shostakovich, contralto singer Kathleen Ferrier and cellist Jacqueline Du Pre to name but a few.

The venue is a centre of excellence embracing the widest range of music and events, including rock, pop, jazz, world and blues. It is Edinburgh’s go-to venue for today’s mid-large scale rock and pop acts, with the likes of Queens of the Stone Age, The National, Radiohead’s Thom Yorke, George Ezra and Echo & the Bunnymen having performed on its stage. Usher Hall also hosts a broad spectrum of comedy, talks, school concerts, conferences, sponsorship events, ceremonies, lectures and recording sessions.