Thursday 28 March 2019 7.30–9.30pm Barbican LSO SEASON CONCERT RUSSIAN ROOTS Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No 2 Interval SHOST Balakirev arr Casella Islamey Shostakovich Symphony No 1 Gianandrea Noseda conductor Seong-Jin Cho piano OVICH Streamed live at youtube.com/lso and on medici.tv Welcome Latest News On Our Blog Shostakovich’s First Symphony completes OUR 2019/20 SEASON ORA SINGERS LAUNCH RESIDENCY AT the concert, an early work by the prodigious LSO ST LUKE’S teenage composer which, at its 1926 premiere, The LSO’s 2019/20 season is now on sale. promised one of the most prolific and varied Sir Simon Rattle continues his exploration of Suzi Digby, music director of the ORA Singers, careers of any symphonic composer. the roots and origins of music, including a explains how the choir launched their Design look back to the influence of Beethoven in Series – collaborating with stage designer At tonight’s concert we welcome the LSO’s his 250th anniversary year and a focus on Nicky Shaw earlier this month – and discusses wide family of generous supporters, so how folk music inspired Bartók and Percy how government funding has given rise to that members of the Orchestra can thank Grainger. François-Xavier Roth conducts a significant revival of singing in schools. them personally for their commitment to complementary programmes of Bartók our work. I add my thanks to theirs – you and Stravinsky, while Gianandrea Noseda elcome to tonight’s LSO concert make our achievements possible and we continues his survey of Russian works. WATCH THE LSO ON YOUTUBE at the Barbican. Principal Guest are immensely grateful. We also take the opportunity to celebrate Conductor Gianandrea Noseda the 50th anniversary of LSO Conductor Tonight’s concert will be streamed live continues his survey of Shostakovich’s Thank you to our media partner medici.tv, Laureate Michael Tilson Thomas’ first on our YouTube Channel and medici.tv. symphonies with the First, in an all-Russian who will be broadcasting this concert live to appearance with the Orchestra. The broadcast will be available to watch programme showcasing the expressive range an international audience on their channel, online for 90 days after the concert, with of this rich orchestral repertoire. as well as the LSO’s YouTube channel. • lso.co.uk/201920season an introduction from Rachel Leach and interviews with musicians during the Korean pianist Seong-Jin Cho makes his I hope that you enjoy the concert and that interval. The next live stream will be on concert debut with the LSO in Rachmaninov’s you will join us again soon. In April, Sir Mark WELCOME TO TONIGHT’S GROUPS Sunday 5 May, when Sir Simon Rattle Second Piano Concerto – a welcome return Elder conducts a programme of Charles Ives conducts two vast masterpieces: after his recording of Chopin’s First Piano and Beethoven, and François-Xavier Roth We are delighted to welcome the groups John Adams’ Harmonielehre and Berlioz’s Concerto made with the Orchestra in 2016. presents a triple-bill of Ravel’s Spanish- attending tonight’s concert: Symphonie fantastique. Gianandrea Noseda pairs the Concerto inspired masterpieces. with Casella’s orchestral arrangement of Noble Tours • youtube.com/lso the piano showpiece Islamey by Balakirev, Adele Friedland and Friends • medici.tv picking up the theme of folk music which Joanna Lewis and Friends runs through the LSO’s 2018/19 season. Kathryn McDowell CBE DL Managing Director 2 Welcome 28 March 2019 Tonight’s Concert In Brief Coming Up achmaninov’s Second Piano PROGRAMME CONTRIBUTORS Sunday 31 March 7–8.45pm Thursday 25 April 7.30–9.20pm Concerto opens tonight’s concert; Barbican Barbican it is one of the most popular Andrew Huth is a musican, writer and works in a concert pianist’s repertoire, translator who writes extensively on French, DAMRAU SINGS STRAUSS BOLÉRO and the success of its Moscow premiere Russian and Eastern European music. in 1901 enabled Rachmaninov to return Strauss Don Juan Ravel Rhapsodie espagnole to composition after a period self-doubt Andrew Stewart is a freelance music Iain Bell The Hidden Place (world premiere) Ravel Boléro brought on by the public failure of his journalist and writer. He is the author of The Strauss Till Eulenspiegel Ravel L’heure espagnole First Symphony. LSO at 90, and contributes to a wide variety Strauss Closing Scene from ‘Capriccio’ of specialist classical music publications. François-Xavier Roth conductor Afterwards comes Balakirev’s Islamey, Gianandrea Noseda conductor Isabelle Druet Conception a virtuoso piano fantasy translated Diana Damrau soprano Jean-Paul Fouchécourt Torquemade for orchestra in Alfredo Casella’s vivid Thomas Dolié Ramiro arrangement of 1912. The piece develops two Sunday 14 April 7–8.45pm Edgaras Montvidas Gonzalves related themes which Balakirev heard on a Barbican Nicolas Cavallier Gomez visit to the Caucasus mountains. IVES SYMPHONY NO 2 Wednesday 1 May 7.30–9.10pm Shostakovich composed his First Symphony Barbican at the age of 19 as his graduation piece at Beethoven Piano Concerto No 3 the Petrograd Conservatory, and shortly after Ives Symphony No 2 JOHN ADAMS & HARRISON BIRTWISTLE its premiere with the Leningrad Philharmonic it was programmed and performed by Sir Mark Elder conductor Stravinsky the Berlin Philharmonic and Philadelphia Kirill Gerstein piano Symphonies of Wind Instruments (1920) Orchestra. The atmospheric mood shifts of Harrison Birtwistle Shadow of Night the opening reflect Shostakovich’s work as a John Adams Harmonielehre silent film accompanist, and the Symphony’s mournful third movement joins onto a Sir Simon Rattle conductor frenetic finale with hardly a pause for breath. LSO Platforms: Guildhall Artists 6pm, Barbican Hall Free entry Tonight’s Concert 3 Sergei Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No 2 in C minor Op 18 1900–01 / note by Andrew Huth 1 Moderato — • RACHMANINOV’S PIANO CONCERTO 2 Adagio sostenuto – PiÙ animato – ‘Despite all the virtuosity demanded of the soloist, the piano is rarely NO 2 IN POPULAR CULTURE Tempo I 3 Allegro scherzando heard alone … the two elements are blended in an Rachmaninov's Second Piano Concerto ever-changing symphonic texture.’ is perhaps best known as the soundtrack Seong-Jin Cho piano — to David Lean's 1945 film Brief Encounter, which narrates the consequences of a love he Second Piano Concerto was the throughout the concerto, the lasting image is confessional intimacy. Rachmaninov always affair between two strangers after a chance major work marking Rachmaninov’s that of piano and orchestra playing together; maintained that the difficulties of the meeting at a train station. But it has also return to composition after the for despite all the virtuosity demanded of Second Concerto were just as great as those been widely quoted in popular culture over period of silence and self-doubt that followed the soloist, the piano is rarely heard alone, of the formidable Third, composed nine the course of the 20th century. the failure of his First Symphony in 1897. and the two elements are blended in an years later, but were of a different order: He wrote the second and third movements ever-changing symphonic texture. it is not a question of the technique needed The 1955 film The Seven Year Itch with quickly in the summer of 1900, but ran into to master the notes, but of judging the Marilyn Monroe uses the first movement in problems with the first movement and rather In the slow movement, after a hushed exact sonority and weight of the notes in a fantasy scene where Monroe's character is surprisingly he was persuaded by his cousin, string introduction, it is the sound of piano different registers to produce the gradations overcome by the music (although in reality the pianist and conductor Alexander Siloti, and solo wind instruments that sets the of tone that made the composer’s own she much prefers Chopsticks). to give a public performance of the concerto mood, the varied textures masking the close performances so outstanding. • in its incomplete form – surely a risky venture relationships between the themes of the The Concerto has even influenced pop music, for a composer so sensitive to criticism. first two movements. The introduction to the twice quoted by singer Eric Carmen in All By The success of the two completed movements finale hints at a march, but what emerges Myself (1975) and Never Gonna Fall in Love at a Moscow concert in December 1900 did after the opening orchestral gestures and a Again (1976). Rock band Muse, known for much to re-establish Rachmaninov’s self- brief piano cadenza is more in the nature of a their classical influences, also quoted the confidence, and the premiere of the completed vigorous dance which alternates with a long, piece in their 2001 song Space Dementia. concerto followed on 27 October 1901. vocal melody closely related to the big tune of the first movement. Each of the concerto’s three movements begins with an idea which leads subtly The Second Piano Concerto quickly became Interval – 20 minutes into the main theme. In the first movement one of the most popular works • in the There are bars on all levels. it is the magical wide-spread piano chords, repertory. The piano writing draws on all Visit the Barbican Shop to see our increasing in intensity until they plunge the resources of a late-Romantic keyboard range of Gifts and Accessories. into a great surging string melody. Here, as style, ranging from dazzling bravura to 4 Programme Notes 28 March 2019 Sergei Rachmaninov in Profile 1873–1943 / by Andrew Stewart elody is music,’ wrote Rachmaninov, the classic film Brief Encounter. Thereafter, ̒ ‘the basis of music as a whole, his creative imagination ran free to produce since a perfect melody implies a string of unashamedly romantic works and calls into being its own harmonic divorced from newer musical trends.