London Symphony Orchestra ‘The LSO at full tilt is a terrifying, glamorous beast.’ The Times on the LSO in concert at the Barbican London’s Symphony Orchestra lso.co.uk LSO Season 2015/16 Concert Guide ANTONIO PAPPANO From the An unrivalled family of artists The LSO is fortunate not only to be made up of the finest orchestral musicians – many of whom are solo artists in their own right – but to also work regularly with a renowned group of visiting international artists whose affection and respect concert hall … for the LSO is completely mutual. This season Valery Gergiev explores pivotal ballet 2014/15 to 2015/16 scores close to his heart, Bernard Haitink returns alongside pianists Murray Perahia and Imogen Cooper, The LSO continues its pioneering concert series in London at the Barbican and around the world. Sir John Eliot Gardiner continues his exploration of Mendelssohn’s orchestral works, Daniel Harding celebrates his 20th anniversary working with the LSO, SIR SIMON RATTLE John Adams and Thomas Adès conduct their own works, and there will be new programmes from Michael Tilson Thomas, Sir Antonio Pappano and Sir Mark Elder. Remembering World War I November 2014 was a poignant moment for people across Britain as the poppies at the Tower of London BERNARD HAITINK became a symbol for nations remembering those whose lives were so changed by the outbreak of World War I. MICHAEL TILSON THOMAS The LSO is the only London orchestra still in existence today that was in existence then, being ten years old in 1914; we therefore mark centenary moments until 2018, a century after the war ended. Sally Beamish’s Equal Voices launched our four-year tribute with a work for full orchestra and chorus based on Sir Andrew Motion’s intense poetry that uses extracts from the memoirs of soldiers who fought. Our commemorations this season mark the Battle of the Somme, featuring works by English composers with World War I connections and Ravel’s Piano Concerto for the Left Hand, written for pianist Paul Wittgenstein who lost his right arm in battle. SALLY BEAMISH & SIR ANDREW MOTION Opera in concert with Sir Simon Rattle January 2015 saw two landmark performances by Sir Simon Rattle with the LSO, including a work he champions – Schumann’s Das Paradies und die Peri – which has paved the way for an exciting On Tour – Australia, United States, annual opera focus for the LSO’s Music Director designate in the next three years. In January 2016, Sir Simon unites with visionary director Japan and beyond Peter Sellars for two semi-staged performances of Debussy’s The LSO visited the four corners of the world in the 2014/15 season, Pelléas et Melisande. The two have crafted momentous and truly including its first visit to Australia in 30 years with Principal Conductor memorable performances over the years – including Pelléas previously Valery Gergiev and pianist Denis Matsuev. Also, in celebration of at the BBC Proms, in Berlin and elsewhere – and this collaboration LSO Principal Guest Conductor Michael Tilson Thomas’ 70th birthday, with the Barbican will be a highlight of the LSO’s 2015/16 season. the Orchestra embarked on an extensive tour of the United States, LSO IN SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE alongside visits to many European cities and more. This season will see the Orchestra tour to Japan, with return visits to residencies in New York and Paris, among extensive concerts across Europe. 2 LSO.CO.UK 3 … to your home THE DIGITAL ORCHESTRA LSO PLAY On 1 October 2013 the LSO launched an innovative online platform which enables the viewer to get inside the orchestra. Using high definition footage LSO PLAY: DISCOVER THE ORCHESTRA of LSO concerts recorded at the Barbican, users can choose from a variety of camera angles across the stage, seeing what it’s like to follow a conductor or zoom in on what a single section is playing, and dig deep into finding out 11,475,807 692,885 Explore the Orchestra from the inside CONDUCTOR CAMERA ANGLE more about the orchestra’s instruments and make-up. LSO Play won a and view the conductor as LSO players Webby Award and a Lovie Award in 2014 for its unique take on exploring YouTube Views Social Network Likes STRINGS WOODWIND BRASS PERCUSSION the orchestra, and is generously supported by Reignwood Group. Watch interviews, concert excerpts, Say Hello! on Facebook, do whilst learning more about the music Violins Flutes Horns Timpani season overviews, talks, Twitter and Google Plus of Berlioz and Ravel. Violas Piccolo Trumpets Percussion DIGITAL THEATRE and much more Cellos Oboes Trombones Harps People across the globe can now access the full LSO concert experience Double Basses Cor Anglais Bass Trombone Piano in their living rooms on digitaltheatre.com. All performances are in HD Clarinets Tuba and are available through some SmartTVs, through the Digital Theatre E-flat Clarinet app on the Apple App Store, and through the Digital Theatre website. 554,873 Bassoons LSO LIVE 1m LSO Live has reached over a hundred releases in its fifteen-year history and many of them are available across multiple platforms including SACD, Mastered for iTunes, in ultra high-quality formats through specialist LSO Live Visits to LSO Play Bowers & Wilkins’ Society of Sound, on online MP3 stores such as Over one million downloads annually Dive into the orchestra and Amazon, and on streaming services such as Spotify. You can also and over a hundred albums of Live choose your seat explore the whole catalogue on the LSO Live App for iPad. classical music in high definition sound LSO Live 11,000 lsolive.lso.co.uk 20 LSO Play App play.lso.co.uk Downloads Hours Digital Theatre lso.co.uk/digitaltheatre Mastered for iTunes lso.co.uk/masteredforitunes Bowers & Wilkins Society of Sound iPad To watch on TV lso.co.uk/societyofsound Explore the entire LSO Live catalogue, Recent concerts available online read sleeve notes, and read and on SmartTV (Digital Theatre) Figures correct at time of going to press in June 2015 interviews with conductors or to watch via MezzoHD in Europe MOVING MUSIC THANK YOU BRINGING ORCHESTRAL Hundreds of people have donated to our Moving Music fundraising campaign over the past three years. We are deeply grateful MUSIC TO AS MANY for their generous support, which will enable us to share the LSO’s music in high definition digital formats with millions of PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE people across the world for years to come. Thank you to all our supporters for helping to secure the THROUGH DIGITAL brightest possible future for the LSO. INNOVATION 4 LSO.CO.UK 5 London’s Symphony Orchestra Since 1904 2015/16 LISTINGS Main Season Concert in the Barbican Hall | Please note, Sunday evening concerts start at 7pm throughout the 2015/16 season Thu 15 Oct 2015 1pm, LSO St Luke’s Thu 26 Nov 2015 1pm, LSO St Luke’s OCTOBER 2015 BBC RADIO 3 LUNCHTIME CONCERT NOVEMBER 2015 BBC RADIO 3 LUNCHTIME CONCERT LONDON RESOUNDING I CHOPIN, LISZT & BARTÓK IV Sun 4 Oct 2015 10.30am–4.30pm, LSO St Luke’s Baroque chamber ensemble Florilegium celebrates Thu 5 Nov 2015 1pm, LSO St Luke’s Liszt Vallée d’Obermann; Gnomenreigen * the life of concert-promoter extraordinaire Thomas BBC RADIO 3 LUNCHTIME CONCERT Chopin Three Nocturnes Op 9; Two Nocturnes Op 27 † LSO COMMUNITY SINGING DAY Britton in works by Handel, Pepusch, Banister and others. Bartók Piano duet *† A TASTE OF AMERICA CHOPIN, LISZT & BARTÓK III Ashley Solomon director Maria João Pires†, Ashot Khachatourian* piano David Lawrence conductor Chopin Ballade No 1 in G minor; Fantasie in F minor Florilegium Bartók Suite In partnership with Maria João Pires’ Partitura Project supported by Ghislaine Morgan vocal coach Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel, Belgium Liszt Après une lecture du Dante Includes choral works by some of America’s greatest Sun 18 Oct 2015 7pm Ashley Wass piano composers such as Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland Thu 26 Nov 2015 7.30pm and George Gershwin, accompanied by piano. Bartók The Miraculous Mandarin (complete ballet) Stravinsky Chant du rossignol LSO BRASS ENSEMBLE Fri 6 Nov 2015 7.30pm Bartók Concerto for Orchestra Original music and specially arranged works for Thu 8 Oct 2015 1pm, LSO St Luke’s Bernstein Prelude, Fugue and Riffs ten-piece brass, including a new commission by former Valery Gergiev conductor Wynton Marsalis Violin Concerto (world premiere) BBC RADIO 3 LUNCHTIME CONCERT LSO Soundhub composer Ayanna Witter-Johnson. CHOPIN, LISZT & BARTÓK I Stravinsky Symphony in Three Movements Thu 22 Oct 2015 1pm, LSO St Luke’s Bernstein Chichester Psalms Bartók Fifteen Hungarian Peasant Songs Chopin Nocturne in E-flat major; Nocturne in B major BBC RADIO 3 LUNCHTIME CONCERT James Gaffigan conductor Liszt Mephisto Waltz No 1; Petrarch Sonnet No 104; LONDON RESOUNDING II Nicola Benedetti violin Hexaméron Cramer Piano Sonata in E-flat major Op 43 No 3 London Symphony Chorus Simon Halsey chorus director Ingolf Wunder piano Clementi Piano Sonata in D major Op 25 No 6 SOILE ISOKOSKI (12 NOV) Field Piano Sonata in E-flat major Op 1 No 1 Haydn Piano Sonata in E-flat major Hob XVI/52 Sat 14 Nov 2015 11am–4.30pm, LSO St Luke’s IMOGEN COOPER (23 SEP) Ronald Brautigam fortepiano LSO CHORAL SINGING DAY THE SEASONS SEPTEMBER 2015 Thu 29 Oct 2015 1pm, LSO St Luke’s Haydn The Seasons BBC RADIO 3 LUNCHTIME CONCERT accompanied by piano CHOPIN, LISZT & BARTÓK II Simon Halsey conductor Tue 15 Sep 2015 7.30pm Bartók Romanian Folk Dances Mozart Piano Concerto No 24 Chopin Three Waltzes; Scherzo No 2 in B-flat minor Thu 19 Nov 2015 1pm, LSO St Luke’s Bruckner Symphony No 7 Liszt Six Consolations; Concert paraphrase BBC RADIO 3 LUNCHTIME