28 April 2010 programme notes

SOUTHBANK CENTRE’S ROYAL FESTIVAL HALLWednesday 28 April 2010 | 7.30 pm

VLADIMIR JUROWSKI conductor

DANJULO ISHIZAKA cello

LONDON PHILHARMONIC CHOIR

PROKOFIEVSymphony-Concerto in E minor for cello and orchestra (37’)

INTERVAL

MYASKOVSKYSymphony 6 in E flat minor (75’)

Barlines | FREE Post-Concert EventThe Clore Ballroom at Royal Festival HallAn informal discussion with Vladimir Jurowski reflecting on the evening’s performance of Myaskovsky’s Symphony 6.

PROGRAMME £3

CONTENTS2 List of Players3 Orchestra History4 Leader5 Vladimir Jurowski6 Danjulo Ishizaka7 London Philharmonic

Choir8 Programme Notes13 Supporters14 BBC Radio 3 /

Southbank Centre15 Administration16 Future Concerts

The timings shown are notprecise and are given only asa guide.

Principal Conductor VLADIMIR JUROWSKIPrincipal Guest Conductor YANNICK NÉZET-SÉGUINLeader PIETER SCHOEMANComposer in Residence MARK-ANTHONY TURNAGEPatron HRH THE DUKE OF KENT KG

Chief Executive and Artistic Director TIMOTHY WALKER AM†

† supported by Macquarie Group

CONCERT PRESENTED BY THE LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

This concert is being recordedby BBC Radio 3 for broadcaston 5 May 2010.

51718 LPO 28 April 10_51718 LPO 28 April 10 21/04/2010 08:47

2 | London Philharmonic Orchestra

LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

FIRST VIOLINSPieter Schoeman* LeaderVesselin Gellev Sub-LeaderJulia RumleyChair supported byMrs Steven Ward

Katalin VarnagyCatherine CraigThomas EisnerMartin HöhmannChair supported byRichard Karl Goeltz

Geoffrey LynnFlorence SchoemanRebecca ShorrockGalina TanneyMidori SugiyamaToby TramaseurJoanne ChenKay ChappellAlina Petrenko

SECOND VIOLINSFredrik Paulsson GuestPrincipalJeongmin KimJoseph MaherNancy ElanFiona HighamMarie-Anne MairesseAshley StevensAndrew ThurgoodDean WilliamsonSioni WilliamsHeather BadkePeter GrahamStephen StewartMila Mustakova

VIOLASAlexander Zemtsov* PrincipalRobert DuncanJulia McCarthyAnthony ByrneChair supported byJohn and Angela Kessler

Benedetto PollaniEmmanuella ReiterLaura VallejoDaniel CornfordAlistair ScahillIsabel PereiraNaomi HoltMiranda Davis

CELLOSKristina Blaumane PrincipalChair supported bySimon Yates and Kevin Roon

Susanne Beer Co-PrincipalFrancis BucknallLaura DonoghueSantiago Sabino Carvalho+

Jonathan AylingChair supported by Caroline,Jamie and Zander Sharp

Gregory WalmsleySusanna RiddellAleksei KiseliovTom Roff

DOUBLE BASSESKevin Rundell* PrincipalGeorge PenistonRichard LewisAnita MazzantiniDavid JohnsonHelen RowlandsLouis GarsonRebecca Welsh

FLUTESJaime Martin* PrincipalEilidh GillespieStewart McIlwham*

PICCOLOStewart McIlwham* Principal

OBOESIan Hardwick PrincipalAngela TennickMichael O’Donnell

COR ANGLAISSue Bohling PrincipalChair supported byJulian and Gill Simmonds

CLARINETSRobert Hill* PrincipalJames Burke

BASS CLARINETPaul Richards Principal

BASSOONSJohn Price PrincipalGareth Newman*Joanna Stark

CONTRA BASSOONChristopher Cooper

HORNSJohn Ryan PrincipalMartin HobbsAdrian UrenGareth MollisonJoseph WaltersAnthony Chidell

TRUMPETSNicholas Betts PrincipalAnne McAneney*Chair supported byGeoff and Meg Mann

Daniel NewellChair supported byMrs Steven Ward

TROMBONESMark Templeton* PrincipalDavid Whitehouse

BASS TROMBONELyndon Meredith Principal

TUBALee Tsarmaklis Principal

TIMPANISimon Carrington* Principal

PERCUSSIONRachel Gledhill PrincipalAndrew Barclay* Co-PrincipalKeith Millar

HARPRachel Masters* Principal

CELESTECatherine Edwards

ASSISTANT CONDUCTORRalf Sochaczewsky

* Holds a professorialappointment in London

+ Chevalier of the Brazilian Order of Rio Branco

Chair SupportersThe London Philharmonic Orchestra also acknowledges the following chair supporters whose players are notpresent at this concert:

David and Victoria Graham FullerRichard and Victoria Sharp


London Philharmonic Orchestra | 3


Seventy-seven years after Sir Thomas Beecham foundedthe London Philharmonic Orchestra, it is recognisedtoday as one of the finest orchestras on the internationalstage. Following Beecham’s influential founding tenurethe Orchestra’s Principal Conductorship has been passedfrom one illustrious musician to another, amongst themSir Adrian Boult, Bernard Haitink, Sir Georg Solti, KlausTennstedt and Kurt Masur. This impressive traditioncontinued in September 2007 when Vladimir Jurowskibecame the Orchestra’s Principal Conductor, and in afurther exciting move, the Orchestra appointed YannickNézet-Séguin, its new Principal Guest Conductor fromSeptember 2008.

The London Philharmonic Orchestra has been performingat Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall since it openedin 1951, becoming Resident Orchestra in 1992. It playsthere around 40 times each season with many of theworld’s most sought after conductors and soloists.Concert highlights in 2009/10 include Between TwoWorlds – an exploration of the music and times ofAlfred Schnittke; a Sibelius symphony cycle withOsmo Vänskä in January/February 2010; a perform-ance of Mendelssohn’s Elijah conducted by KurtMasur and dedicated to the 20th Anniversary of theFall of the Berlin Wall; and new works by Rautavaara,Philip Glass, Ravi Shankar and the Orchestra’sComposer in Residence, Mark-Anthony Turnage.

Imaginative programming and a commitment to newmusic are at the heart of the Orchestra’s activity, withregular commissions and world première performances.

In addition to its London season, the Orchestra hasflourishing residencies in Brighton and Eastbourne, andperforms regularly around the UK. It is unique incombining these concert activities with esteemed operaperformances each summer at Glyndebourne FestivalOpera where it has been the Resident SymphonyOrchestra since 1964.

The London Philharmonic Orchestra performs toenthusiastic audiences all round the world. In 1956 itbecame the first British orchestra to appear in SovietRussia and in 1973 it made the first ever visit to China bya Western orchestra. Touring continues to form asignificant part of the Orchestra's schedule and issupported by Aviva, the International Touring Partner of

© Richard Cannon

‘This pulsating concert was the best possibleadvertisement for the rest of Osmo Vänskä’sSibelius cycle ... If any musical event thisseason has a better Finnish than this, I’m aNorseman.’RICHARD MORRISON, THE TIMES, 29 JANUARY 2010




the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Tours in 2009/10include visits to Germany, Australia, France, China, theCanaries and the USA.

Having long been embraced by the recording,broadcasting and film industries, the LondonPhilharmonic Orchestra broadcasts regularly on domesticand international television and radio. It also worksextensively with the Hollywood and UK film industries,recording soundtracks for blockbuster motion picturesincluding the Oscar-winning score for The Lord of theRings trilogy and scores for Lawrence of Arabia, TheMission, Philadelphia and East is East.

The Orchestra also enjoys strong relationships with themajor record labels and in 2005 began reaching out tonew global audiences through the release of live, studioand archive recordings on its own CD label. Recentadditions to the catalogue have included acclaimedreleases of early Britten works conducted by VladimirJurowski; Mahler’s Symphony 6 under the baton of KlausTennstedt; Tchaikovsky’s Symphonies 1 and 6 conductedby Vladimir Jurowski; Sir Thomas Beecham recordings ofMozart, Delius and Rimsky-Korsakov from the 1930s; aCD of John Ireland’s works taken from his 70th BirthdayConcert in 1949; and Dvor̆ák’s Requiem conducted byNeeme Järvi. The Orchestra’s own-label releases areavailable to download by work or individual track from itswebsite: www.lpo.org.uk/shop.

The Orchestra reaches thousands of Londoners throughits rich programme of community and school-basedactivity in Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark, whichincludes the offshoot ensembles Renga and The Band, itsFoyle Future Firsts apprenticeship scheme foroutstanding young instrumentalists, and regular familyand schools concerts.

To help maintain its high standards and diverse workload,the Orchestra is committed to the welfare of itsmusicians and in December 2007 received theAssociation of British Orchestras/Musicians BenevolentFund Healthy Orchestra Bronze Charter Mark.

There are many ways to experience and stay in touchwith the Orchestra’s activities: visit www.lpo.org.uk,subscribe to our podcast series and join us on Facebook.

In 2002, PieterSchoeman joined theLondon PhilharmonicOrchestra as Co-Leader. In 2008 he was appointed Leader.

Born in South Africa, he made his solo debut with theCape Town Symphony Orchestra at the age of ten. Hestudied with Jack de Wet in South Africa, winningnumerous competitions, including the 1984 World YouthConcerto Competition in America. In 1987 he was offeredthe Heifetz Chair of Music scholarship to study withEdouard Schmieder in Los Angeles and in 1991 his talentwas spotted by Pinchas Zukerman who recommendedthat he move to New York to study with SylviaRosenberg. In 1994 he became her teaching assistant atIndiana University, Bloomington.

Pieter Schoeman has performed as a soloist and recitalistthroughout the world in such famous halls as theConcertgebouw in Amsterdam, Moscow’s RachmaninovHall, Capella Hall in St Petersburg, Staatsbibliothek inBerlin, Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles and QueenElizabeth Hall in London. As a chamber musician heregularly performs at London’s prestigious Wigmore Hall.As a soloist with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, hehas performed Arvo Pärt’s Double Concerto andBenjamin Britten’s Double Concerto, which was recordedfor the Orchestra’s own record label. Most recently healso played concertos with the Wiener Concertverein andOrchestre Philharmonique de Nice.

In 1995 Pieter Schoeman became Co-Leader of theOrchestre Philharmonique de Nice. During his tenurethere he performed frequently as Guest Leader with thesymphony orchestras of Barcelona, Bordeaux, Lyon,Baltimore and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. A frequent guest of the BBC Symphony Orchestra inLondon, Pieter Schoeman returned in October 2006 tolead that orchestra on a three week tour of Seoul, Beijing,Shanghai, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.

Pieter Schoeman has recorded numerous violin soloswith the London Philharmonic Orchestra for Chandos,Opera Rara, Naxos, the BBC and for American film andtelevision. He led the Orchestra in its soundtrackrecordings for The Lord of the Rings trilogy. He teaches atTrinity College of Music.

PIETERSCHOEMAN

LEADER



VLADIMIR JUROWSKICONDUCTOR

Born in Moscow, the son of conductor Mikhail Jurowski,Vladimir Jurowski completed the first part of hismusical studies at the Music College of the MoscowConservatory. In 1990 he relocated with his family toGermany where he continued his studies at HighSchools of Music in Dresden and in Berlin, studyingconducting with Rolf Reuter and vocal coaching withSemion Skigin. In 1995 he made his international debutat the Wexford Festival, where he conducted Rimsky-Korsakov’s May Night. The same year saw his brilliantdebut at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden inNabucco. In 1996 Jurowski joined the ensemble ofKomische Oper Berlin, becoming First Kapellmeister in1997 and continuing to work at the Komische Oper ona permanent basis until 2001.

Since 1997 Vladimir Jurowski has been a guest at someof the world's leading musical institutions including theRoyal Opera House Covent Garden, Teatro La FeniceVenice, Opéra Bastille Paris, Théâtre Royal de laMonnaie Brussels, Maggio Musicale Festival Florence,Rossini Opera Festival Pesaro, Edinburgh Festival,Semperoper Dresden and Teatro Comunale di Bologna(where he served as Principal Guest Conductor between2000 and 2003). In 1999 he made his debut at theMetropolitan Opera New York with Rigoletto.

In January 2001 Vladimir Jurowski took up the positionof Music Director of Glyndebourne Festival Opera andin 2003 was appointed Principal Guest Conductor ofthe London Philharmonic Orchestra, becoming theOrchestra's Principal Conductor in September 2007. Healso holds the title of Principal Artist of the Orchestra ofthe Age of Enlightenment, and from 2005 to 2009served as Principal Guest Conductor of the RussianNational Orchestra with whom he will continue to workin the years ahead.

Vladimir Jurowski has made highly successful debutswith a number of the world's leading orchestrasincluding the Berlin Philharmonic, RotterdamPhilharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw, GewandhausLeipzig, Chamber Orchestra of Europe and DresdenStaatskapelle, and in the USA with the Los AngelesPhilharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony and PhiladelphiaOrchestras. Highlights of the 2009/10 season andbeyond include his debuts with the Bavarian RadioSymphony, Chicago Symphony and ClevelandOrchestras, and return visits to the Berlin PhilharmonicOrchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, TonhalleOrchester Zurich, Accademia di Santa Cecilia, DresdenStaatskapelle and Philadelphia Orchestra.

His operatic work has included performances of Jenůfa,The Queen of Spades and Hänsel und Gretel at theMetropolitan Opera, Parsifal and Wozzeck at the WelshNational Opera, War and Peace at the Opéra Nationalde Paris, Eugene Onegin at La Scala Milan, and DieZauberflöte, La Cenerentola, Otello, Macbeth, Falstaff,Tristan und Isolde and Peter Eötvös’ Love and OtherDemons at Glyndebourne Opera. Future engagementsinclude new productions of Don Giovanni and DieMeistersinger and a revival of The Rake’s Progress atGlyndebourne, and Iolanta at the Dresden Semperoper.

Jurowski’s discography includes the first ever recordingof Giya Kancheli’s Exile for ECM (1994), Meyerbeer’sL’Etoile du nord for Naxos-Marco Polo (1996),Wertherfor BMG (1999), and live recordings of works byRachmaninoff, Turnage, Tchaikovsky, Britten andShostakovich on the London Philharmonic Orchestra’sown label, as well as Prokofiev’s Betrothal in aMonastery on Glyndebourne Opera’s own label. He alsorecords for PentaTone with the Russian NationalOrchestra, releases to date having included Stravinsky'sDivertimento from Le Baiser de la fée, Tchaikovsky'sSuite No. 3 and Shostakovich’s Symphonies Nos 1 and6, Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5, and Tchaikovsky’sIncidental Music from Hamlet. Glyndebourne havereleased DVD recordings of his performances of LaCenerentola, Gianni Schicchi, Die Fledermaus andRachmaninoff’s The Miserly Knight, and other recentDVD releases include Hänsel und Gretel from theMetropolitan Opera New York, and his first concert asthe London Philharmonic Orchestra’s PrincipalConductor featuring works by Wagner, Berg and Mahler(released by Medici Arts).

Roman Gontcharov



DANJULO ISHIZAKACELLO

The German-Japanese cellist, Danjulo Ishizaka, wasborn in 1979 and received his first cello lessons at theage of four. After completing his studies with HansChristian Schweiker, he spent time in the United Statesat Indiana University. Boris Pergamenschikov, withwhom he studied from 1998 to 2004 at the HannsEisler Conservatory in Berlin, was a fundamentalinfluence. From 2004 to 2006 Ishizaka continued hisstudies at the Conservatory with Antje Weithaas andTabea Zimmermann. He has also been stronglyinfluenced by Bernhard Greenhouse, György Kurtág,Menahem Pressler and the Amadeus Quartet.

After previously being awarded first prizes at the 1998International Gaspar Cassado Cello Competition inSpain and at the 1999 International Lutoslawski CelloCompetition in Warsaw, Danjulo Ishizaka won first prizeat the renowned ARD International Music Competitionin Munich. In 2002, he was awarded the Grand PrixEmanuel Feuermann of the Kronberg Academy and theUDK in Berlin. Most recently he was honoured with theYoung Artist of the Year award for ‘virtuosity,exceptional musicianship and artistic charisma’.

Based in Germany, Danjulo Ishizaka made hisinternational breakthrough in November 2003, playingconcerts in the Musikverein in Vienna with the ViennaSymphony Orchestra under the baton of KrzysztofPenderecki. Following a performance at Frankfurt's AlteOper, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung noted: ‘Geniusbreaks new ground.’ Since then Ishizaka has been busyperforming around the world with leading orchestrasand at renowned festivals. Recent successes haveincluded a tour of Japan with the NHK SymphonyOrchestra under the baton of Sir Roger Norrington,European tours with the Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra,

the Zurich Chamber Orchestra and the RoyalPhilharmonic Orchestra under Sir Andrew Davis, as wellas his debut performances with the LeipzigGewandhausorchester and at Carnegie Hall. Ishizaka’scollaboration with Sony Classical underscores theextraordinary success of this young artist. For his debutCD Ishizaka recorded sonatas by Britten, Franck andMendelssohn with pianist Martin Helmchen. In 2006the disc was awarded the ‘Echo Klassik’ award of theGerman Phono Academy.

In summer 2007 Danjulo Ishizaka appeared at Verbierand made his debut at the Lucerne Festival. In addition,he participated in the renowned BBC New GenerationArtists Scheme, providing him not only with numerousstudio recordings for the BBC but also solo appearanceswith the five BBC Symphony Orchestras and a debutrecital at Wigmore Hall. Ishizaka made his BBC Promsdebut in August 2008 to great acclaim. The Timescommenting on his performance as ‘emotionallyresonant no matter how small the composer’s gestures’.

Beyond his activities as a soloist, Ishizaka also enjoysperforming chamber music, collaborating with wellknown artists including Gidon Kremer, ChristophPoppen, Julia Fischer, Lars Vogt, Tabea Zimmermann andElena Bashkirova with the Jerusalem Chamber MusicFestival Ensemble. In March 2008 Ishizaka’s tour ofEurope with Lisa Batiashvili, Antoine Tamestit andFrançois Leleux included appearances at theConcertgebouw, the Konzerthaus and the WigmoreHall.

Danjulo Ishizaka is supported by the Kronberg Academywhich also provides him with the W. Schnabl cello,formerly played by Boris Pergamenschikov. In addition,he plays the Stradivarius cello from 1696, the LordAylesford, on loan to him from the Nippon MusicFoundation.



LONDON PHILHARMONIC CHOIRPATRON: HRH Princess Alexandra ACCOMPANIST: Iain FarringtonPRESIDENT: Sir Roger Norrington CHAIRMAN: Mary MooreARTISTIC DIRECTOR: Neville Creed CHOIR MANAGER: Kevin Darnell

Sopranos Catherine Allum, Lasma Anspoka, Annette Argent,Fiona Bantock, Tessa Bartley, Katjana Cleasby, Sally Cottam,Shelia Cox, Melanie Dargatz, Sarah Deane-Cutler, Boon KimFam, Sarah Fisher, Claudie Gheno, Rachel Gibbon, MarnieGreenrod, Simone Gregoire, Jane Hanson, Sally Harrison,Carolyn Hayman, Jenni Kilvert, Olivia Knibbs, IlonaKratochvilova, Frances Lake, Charlotte Lawrence, SophieMearing-Smith, Linda Park, Teresa Pells, Christine Scholes,Friesia Schuil, Tania Stanier, Rosanna Thomas, Susan Thomas,Jenny Torniainen, Fran Welch, Laura Westcott, Fran Wheare

Altos Phye Bell, Susannah Bellingham, Michelle Brockbank,Isabelle Cheetham, Noel Chow, Yvonne Cohen, Liz Cole, JanikDale, Lauren Dibbs, Moira Duckworth, Fiona Duffy, ElisaDunbar, Andrea Easey, Lynn Eaton, Carmel Edmonds, ClareGalton, Kathryn Gilfoy, Suzanne Healey, Sophy Holland, EricaHoward, Kasia Hunt, Kate Jackson, Marjana Jovanovic Morrison,Edith Judd, Alice Kershaw, Andrea Lane, Liz Lewis, LisaMacDonald, Laetitia Malan, Ruth Mariner, Liz Moloney, MaryMoore, Rachel Murray, Elisabeth Nicol, Angela Pascoe, Muriel

Swijghuisen Reigersberg, Helene Richards, Jenny Ryall,Stephanie Saffrey, Carolyn Saunders, Tamara Swire

Tenors David Aldred, Geir Andreassen, Robert Beale, ChrisBeynon, John Boyne, Tony Brewer, Keith Chaundy, BrianCoulstock, Lorne Cuthbert, Kevin Darnell, Jack Dixon, DwayneEngh, Philip Evans, Aloysius Fekete, Iain Handyside, Rob Home,Patrick Hughes, Andrew McCall, John Mcleod, Jon Meredith,Kevin Rainey, David Regan, Paul Thirer, Alex Thomas

Basses Julian Anderson, Jonathon Bird, Stephen Bonney, DerekBryanton, Gordon Buky-Webster, Raymond Choi, Geoff Clare,David Clark, Rob Collis, Marcus Daniels, Paul Gittens, NigelGrieve, Mark Hillier, Stephen Hines, Rylan Holey, Hugh Hudson,Martin Hudson, Aidan Jones, David Kent, Thorsten Laux,Alejandro Lopez Montoya, John Luff, Anthony McDonald, JohnMorris, Ashley Morrison, Will Parsons, Johan Pieters, DavidRegan, Daniel Snowman, Greg Thomas, Edwin Tomlins, JamesTorniainen, James Wilson, Hin-Yan Wong, John Wood

Founded in 1947, the London Philharmonic Choir iswidely regarded as one of Britain’s finest choirs andconsistently meets with great critical acclaim. It hasbeen involved in over 80 recordings and has performedunder leading international conductors throughout itshistory.

The Choir enjoys a close relationship with the LondonPhilharmonic Orchestra, joining it regularly forperformances in the UK and abroad. It also works withmany other leading orchestras and has enjoyed sharingthe stage with Daleks, dinosaurs and various othercreatures in 2008’s Doctor Who and last year’sEvolution! Proms.

The Choir often travels overseas and, in the last fewyears, its visits to Europe have included concerts inRome, Lucerne and Cologne. It has travelled as far afieldas Kuala Lumpur and Perth, Australia, and, in February2008, visited Hong Kong, where it gave two concerts atthe Hong Kong Arts Festival: a performance ofStravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms and Rachmaninov’sThe Bells with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestraunder Edo de Waart, and a programme of British choralmusic conducted by the Choir’s Artistic Director, NevilleCreed. Over the 2009 New Year, the Choir travelled toBudapest with the London Philharmonic Orchestra to

perform Haydn's Die Schöpfung at the Béla BartókNational Concert Hall.

Last season’s highlights included performances ofBeethoven’s Missa solemnis and Symphony 9, Dvořák’sRequiem, Brahms’s Ein deutsches Requiem, Holst’s ThePlanets, and Schoenberg’s Gurrelieder. This season theChoir has enjoyed performances of Mahler’s Symphony2, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Haydn’s Seven Last Words and aprogramme of Christmas music including Honegger’sUne Cantate de Noël. Most recently, the Choirperformed Poulenc’s Stabat Mater with Yannick Nézet-Séguin and Janáček’s The Eternal Gospel with VladimirJurowski.

In 2007, the Choir celebrated its 60th anniversary andpublished a book – Hallelujah: An Informal History ofthe London Philharmonic Choir. The book is availablefrom retail outlets here at the Southbank Centre andcan be ordered through the Choir’s website.

The Choir prides itself on achieving first-classperformances from its members, who are volunteersfrom all walks of life. For more information about theChoir, including details about how to join, please visitwww.lpc.org.uk.



Prokofiev’s Symphony-Concerto began life in Paris in thesummer of 1933 as a commission for a cello concertofrom fellow-émigré Gregor Piatigorsky. Though Prokofievmanaged to show Piatigorsky the completed firstmovement, he put the rest of the composition on hold.Back in the USSR, where he settled definitively aroundNew Year 1936, he dusted the score down, discardedhalf the material he had composed in Paris, andcompleted the concerto in September 1938. But thepremière two months later was coolly received, thanksin large part to the temperamental incompatibility ofthe soloist Lev Berezovsky (at least according toSviatoslav Richter, who rehearsed the piece with him).Prokofiev himself was unhappy with the result; themusical threads were not all gathered as he wanted,and he quite uncharacteristically withdrew the work.

There things rested until December 1947, when theyoung Mstislav Rostropovich played the concerto in itscello and piano version. The fruit of that initiative was

an artistic friendship between composer and cellist thatled first to the mellow C major Sonata for cello andpiano. Rostropovich persisted in lobbying for a revisionof the concerto, however, which Prokofiev, now in ailinghealth, finally got round to towards the end of 1951,working out many of the details in the cello writing inconsultation with the young virtuoso. In fact so muchchanged in this process of reworking that Prokofiev nowcalled the work Cello Concerto No. 2, and it wasperformed under this heading in February 1952, withRichter making his conducting debut (during anenforced break from his piano career since he hadbroken a finger on his right hand). Still dissatisfied,Prokofiev continued to make substantial alterations tothe orchestration and to the structure of the finale. Thedefinitive third version, with the title now changed toSymphony-Concerto in recognition of the expanded roleof the orchestra, was not heard until after thecomposer’s death.

PROGRAMME NOTES

SPEEDREAD

Prokofiev and Myaskovsky struck up a friendship asstudents in the decade before the Bolshevik Revolution.It was an unlikely conjunction of a trained military officerand a brash Wunderkind ten years his junior. And whileMyaskovsky remained firmly within the post-Tchaikovskian tradition of Russian symphonism,Prokofiev gleefully rebelled. But the association wasfounded on mutual respect, and each composer offeredthe other candid criticism. Prokofiev studiedMyaskovsky’s romantic-heroic Sixth Symphony closely

and expressed guarded admiration for it (though heteased his friend about its 75-minute duration). At itsfirst performance, under Nikolay Golovanov at Moscow’sBolshoi Theatre on 4 May 1924, the symphony wasgreeted by a 15-minute ovation, and the naturallyreticent Myaskovsky had to take seven curtain calls. Helater revised its scoring, conscious that it lacked thetransparency he always admired in Prokofiev’s orchestralwork. Myaskovsky did not live to hear Prokofiev’sSymphony-Concerto, but his criticisms of the originalversion of the piece were one main reason why Prokofievdetermined to revise it.

SYMPHONY-CONCERTO IN E MINOR FOR CELLOAND ORCHESTRA, OP. 125

DANJULO ISHIZAKA cello

Andante | Allegro giusto | Andante con moto – Allegretto – Allegro marcato

SergeiPROKOFIEV

1891-1953



Though the structure was tightened up in the finalrevision, the Symphony-Concerto remains an elusivework and a true hybrid. Less immediately graspablethan Prokofiev’s two violin concertos or his five forpiano, and less ostentatious in its gymnastics, itremains highly dependent on the focus given by thesoloist’s personality, which makes it also quite distinctfrom all his symphonies.

The opening at least is reassuringly familiar, in that itbases itself on a rising ostinato figure from Romeo andJuliet (a score Prokofiev was working on at the sametime as his earliest thoughts for the Concerto), from thescene near the end where Juliet first begins to feel theeffects of her sleeping potion. This idea, together withthe wiry cello theme overlaid on it, dominates much ofthe progress of the first movement. Soon brought intocontact with it is the veiled, atmospheric string writingthat was originally held back for the later stages of themovement.

The Allegro giusto, much expanded in the revision,begins in etude-like fashion but now has a more highlydeveloped lyrical counterweight than in the originalversion and touches greater emotional depths. After ashort but demanding cadenza, placed quite early on,both themes undergo phantasmagoric transformation,and as in the opening Andante, painful emotionaldepths are probed before the movement is over.

By comparison with all this instability, the lastmovement strikes a tone of noble equilibrium andmaintains it far more consistently than in its earlierincarnations. Cast as a theme and variations, but withnew episodes to link the disparate characters, the finaleculminates in broken chords for the soloist in itsextreme high register, capping Prokofiev’s output withone last display of unrepentant individualism.

PROGRAMME NOTES

INTERVAL 20 minutes

An announcement will be made five minutes before the end of the interval.

LSO St Luke’s 161 Old Street EC1V 9NG Box Office 020 7638 8891 | lso.co.uk/lsostlukes

Dan

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© J

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BBC Radio 3 Thursday Lunchtime ConcertsSummer Cello series

6 May 1pm: Raphael Wallfisch cello | John York piano

13 May 1pm: Daniel Müller-Schott cello | Nicholas Angelich piano

20 May 1pm: Natalie Clein solo cello

27 May 1pm: Danjulo Ishizaka solo cello

Tickets £9 (£7 concessions)



PROGRAMME NOTES

Myaskovsky was born in a fortress in Poland (where hisfather was a military engineer), studied in the cadetcorps and joined a Moscow sapper’s battalion. Soonafter entering the St Petersburg Conservatory in 1906,he resigned his commission, but his promising career asa symphonist and music critic was suspended by theoutbreak of war, when he was drafted to serve at theAustrian front. After the Bolshevik coup he wastransferred to the Naval General Staff, moving with it toMoscow in 1918, where he also became involved withthe re-organisation of music. With the end of the CivilWar in 1921 he was finally demobilised, and he joinedthe teaching staff at the Moscow Conservatory, wherehe was to train generations of composers, includingKabalevsky, Khachaturian and Shebalin.

The basic emotional tenor of the Sixth Symphony(composed 1921-3) is clear. The key of E flat minor,extremely rare in symphonic music, has well-establishedtragic connotations in Russian opera. In this chosenarena, Myaskovsky’s seething chromaticism creates apassionate drama of struggle and sorrow, reinforced bya succession of Scriabinesque performance markings(precipitato, feroce, desiderato, smanioso, con amarezzaand addolorato in the first movement alone).

After its portentous opening, the first movement isimmediately caught up in whirling currents that mightremind British listeners of Elgar, German ones of Straussor Mahler, and French ones of César Franck. Highlycharacteristic of Myaskovsky are the early glimpses of aredemptive-sounding theme on horns and trumpet andthe halting, breathless transition to the horn’s secondsubject. In the middle of the movement it becomesevident that the accumulating accelerations and suddengasps for breath are not weaknesses but convey thedramatic essence of the music. At length a massivedeclamation on horns and trumpet (actually a slowed-

down version of the main allegro feroce theme) heraldsa full-length recapitulation. The profoundly disconsolatecoda alludes both to the death scene from Mussorgsky’sBoris Godunov and to the final pages of Tchaikovsky’sPathétique.

In the early phases of composition Myaskovsky heard ofthe death of his aunt. He travelled to Petrograd for thefuneral, and his diary records that ‘in the ice-cold flatthe ideas for the middle movements of the SixthSymphony came to me’. Russian commentators haveseen the presto tenebroso second movement as theevocation of a snow-storm. But the most memorablemusic comes in the Trio section, where the skies clear,the flute soars like a bird, the oboe remembers theredemptive trumpet theme from the first movement,and violins and celesta creep in with a nostalgic,chorale-like theme that sounds like a Russian cousin tothe first movement of Mahler’s Sixth.

The slow movement begins by laying two false trails – achromatic unison heaving idea, followed by a reworkingof the first movement’s second subject. Only with theclarinet’s achingly beautiful music is the main themereached. These ideas and the trio section from theScherzo are intensively developed, and the horn’smemory of the redemptive theme tells us that thisemotionally unstable phase of the work is about toclose.

As if in psychological denial of all these upheavals, thefinale launches straight into a swinging theme on sixhorns, and the party mood continues with the march-like second theme on the brass. These are in fact tworevolutionary French songs – ‘Carmagnole’ and ‘Ça ira’ –adopted, like the ‘Marseillaise’ and others, as anthemsfor the young Soviet state. Their appearance in asymphonic finale seems to betoken the bright dawn of

SYMPHONY 6 IN E FLAT MINOR

LONDON PHILHARMONIC CHOIR

Poco largamente – Allegro feroce | Presto tenebroso |Andante appassionato | Allegro vivace

NikolaiMYASKOVSKY

1881-1950



PROGRAMME NOTES

socialism supplanting bourgeois individualism. ButMyaskovsky had other ideas, apparently deriving fromhis reading of the Belgian poet Emile Verhaeren’s LesAubes, with its depiction of the death of a revolutionaryhero and the honour paid to him by the People. So thewind goes out of the revolutionary sails and the dies iraemotif, a time-honoured symbol of death, appears inharp, cellos and double basses. Painful sighs follow,echoing the laments of the Holy Fool in Boris Godunov,and the clarinet intones the Russian sacred chant, ‘Ofthe separation of the Soul from the Body’. Myaskovskythen reruns the early stages of the finale, as though

once again in denial. This time, however, a sharperconflict develops, the dies irae is more assertive, thesighs are more graphic, and the chant is now given(optionally) to a chorus. The first movement’s allusionsto the death of Boris Godunov make one lastappearance, as does the slow movement’s poignantclarinet theme, as if to depict the words of the chant:the Body goes to Mother Earth, but the Soul ascends tobe judged by God on high.

Programme notes by David Fanning © 2010

O, quid vidimus?Mirum prodigium, et portentum bonum,corpus mortuum.Quod abs te, anima,quod relinquebatur,quod relinquebatur,et deserebatur.Tibi, anima, ad Deijudicium est eundum,o corpusin humum humidum.

Latin text by V.J. Sokolov

© Copyright Boosey and Hawkes/Editions Le Chant duMonde. Reproduced by permision of Boosey & HawkesMusic Publishers Ltd.

Oh, what did we see?A wonderful signand portent of good,a dead body.For you, soul,left the body behind,separated from the bodyand abandoned it.You, soul, to God’sjudgement are going,the bodyinto moist earth.

English translation © Eric Mason 2010

Download London Philharmonic Orchestra recordings from www.lpo.org.uk/shop

It’s easy to take the London Philharmonic Orchestra with you wherever you go! Visit ourdownloads site to choose the works (or even single movements) you’d like to buy, anddownload high quality MP3s to your computer for transfer to an MP3 player or CD. Withregular additions of new recordings with conductors from Beecham to Jurowski you’ll alwayshave a selection of great music to choose from.



Our season ends with a new beginning – the first performance

of Ravi Shankar’s Symphony.

Thursday 1 July 2010 | 7.30pmRoyal Festival Hall

John Adams Shaker LoopsPhilip Glass Violin Concerto 1Ravi Shankar Symphony (worldpremière)

David Murphy conductorRobert McDuffie violinAnoushka Shankar sitar

FREE Pre-Concert Event6.15pm | Royal Festival HallAn introduction to the music of RaviShankar.

Tickets £9-£38 / Premium seats £55

For booking details see page 16.

FUNharmonics Family Concert

JourneysSaturday 8 May 2010 | 11.30amRoyal Festival Hall

Adams Short Ride in a Fast MachineDvořák Symphony 9 (From the NewWorld) – ScherzoMendelssohn Symphony 3 (Scottish) –Second MovementMarianelli The Seahorse’s JourneyDebussy Ibéria – Le Matin d’un jour de fêteRozsa The Golden Voyage of SinbadSchifrin (arr. Townend) Mission Impossible

Ralf Sochaczewsky conductorChris Jarvis presenter

Foyer Events from 10amYou can try your hand at playing an orchestralinstrument in one of our Have-a-Go sessions, getyour face painted or join our human orchestra – allin the foyers before and after the performance.Generously supported by The Jeniffer & JonathanHarris Charitable Trust.

TICKETSChild £4-£7; Adult £8-£14For booking details see page 16.



Corporate MembersAppleyard & Trew llpBritish American BusinessBrown Brothers HarrimanCharles RussellDestination Québec – UKDiagonal ConsultingLazardLeventis OverseasMan Group plcQuébec Government Office in London

Corporate DonorsLombard Street ResearchRedpoint Energy Limited

In-kind SponsorsHeinekenLindt & Sprüngli LtdSela Sweets LtdVilla Maria

Education PartnersLambeth City Learning CentreLondon Borough of LambethSouthwark EiC

Trusts and FoundationsAdam Mickiewicz InstituteAllianz Cultural FoundationThe Andor Charitable TrustThe Bernard Sunley CharitableFoundationBorletti-Buitoni TrustThe Candide Charitable TrustThe John S Cohen FoundationThe Coutts Charitable TrustThe Dorset FoundationThe D’Oyly Carte Charitable TrustDunard FundThe Emmanuel Kaye FoundationThe Equitable Charitable TrustThe Eranda FoundationThe Ernest Cook TrustThe Fenton Arts TrustThe Foyle FoundationGarfield Weston FoundationThe Henry Smith CharityThe Idlewild TrustJohn Lyon’s CharityJohn Thaw FoundationThe Jonathan & Jeniffer Harris Trust

The Sir Jules Thorn Charitable TrustLord Ashdown CharitableSettlementMarsh Christian TrustMaurice Marks Charitable TrustMaxwell Morrison Charitable TrustThe Michael Marks Charitable TrustMusicians Benevolent FundPaul Morgan Charitable TrustThe R K Charitable TrustThe Rubin FoundationRuth Berkowitz Charitable TrustThe Samuel Sebba Charitable TrustSerge Rachmaninoff FoundationSound ConnectionsStansfield TrustUK Friends of the Felix-Mendelssohn-Bartholdy-FoundationThe Underwood Trust

and others who wish to remainanonymous.

The generosity of our Sponsors, Corporate Members, supporters and donors is gratefully acknowledged.

Thomas Beecham GroupMr & Mrs Richard & Victoria SharpJulian & Gill SimmondsMrs Steven WardSimon Yates & Kevin Roon

Garf & Gill CollinsDavid & Victoria Graham FullerRichard Karl GoeltzJohn & Angela KesslerMr & Mrs MakharinskyGeoff & Meg MannCaroline, Jamie and Zander SharpEric Tomsett

Guy & Utti Whittaker

Principal BenefactorsMark & Elizabeth AdamsJane AttiasLady Jane BerrillDesmond & Ruth CecilMr John H CookAndrew DavenportMrs Sonja DrexlerMr Charles DumasDavid EllenCommander Vincent Evans

Mr Daniel GoldsteinMrs Barbara GreenMr Ray HarsantOliver HeatonPeter MacDonald EggersMr & Mrs David MalpasAndrew T MillsMr Maxwell MorrisonMr Michael PosenMr & Mrs Thierry SciardMr John Soderquist & Mr CostasMichaelidesMr & Mrs G SteinMr & Mrs John C TuckerHoward & Sheelagh WatsonMr Laurie WattMr Anthony Yolland

BenefactorsMrs A BeareDr & Mrs Alan CarringtonCBE FRSMarika Cobbold & Michael Patchett-JoyceMr & Mrs Stewart CohenMr Alistair CorbettMr David EdgecombeMr Richard Fernyhough

Ken FollettMichael & Christine HenryMr Glenn HurstfieldMr R K JehaMr & Mrs Maurice LambertMr Gerald LevinSheila Ashley LewisWg. Cdr. & Mrs M T LiddiardOBE JP RAFMr Frank LimPaul & Brigitta LockMr Brian MarshJohn MontgomeryMr & Mrs Egil OldeideEdmund PirouetMr Peter TausigMrs Kazue TurnerLady Marina VaizeyMr D Whitelock

Hon. BenefactorElliott Bernerd

Hon. Life MembersKenneth GoodeMrs Jackie Rosenfeld OBE

We would like to acknowledge the generous support of the following Thomas Beecham Group Patrons, PrincipalBenefactors and Benefactors:



WELCOME TO SOUTHBANK CENTRE

We hope you enjoy your visit. We have a DutyManager available at all times. If you have any queriesplease ask any member of staff for assistance.

Eating, drinking and shopping? Southbank Centreshops and restaurants include: MDC music andmovies, Foyles, EAT, Giraffe, Strada, wagamama, LePain Quotidien, Las Iguanas, ping pong, Canteen, CafféVergnano 1882, Skylon and Feng Sushi, as well ascafes, restaurants and shops inside Royal Festival Hall,Queen Elizabeth Hall and Hayward Gallery.

If you wish to get in touch with us following your visitplease contact our Head of Customer Relations atSouthbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London SE1 8XX, byphone on 020 7960 4250 or by email [email protected]

We look forward to seeing you again soon.

A few points to note for your comfort and enjoyment:

PHOTOGRAPHY is not allowed in the auditorium

LATECOMERS will only be admitted to the auditoriumif there is a suitable break in the performance

RECORDING is not permitted in the auditoriumwithout the prior consent of Southbank Centre.Southbank Centre reserves the right to confiscate videoor sound equipment and hold it in safekeeping until theperformance has ended

MOBILES, PAGERS AND WATCHES should beswitched off before the performance begins

SOUTHBANK CENTRE

Orchestral concerts are a vital part of BBC

Radio 3’s output and I’m delighted that the

station will continue its long association

with the London Philharmonic Orchestra

by bringing performances from this season

to the widest possible audience, including

those listening at home, on air and online.

Roger Wright

Controller, BBC Radio 3

Tonight’s concert will be broadcast in

Performance on 3 on Wednesday 5 May at

7pm, and is available online for 7 days

after broadcast at bbc.co.uk/radio3



ADMINISTRATION

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Martin HöhmannChairmanStewart McIlwhamVice-ChairmanSue BohlingSimon CarringtonLord Currie*Jonathan Dawson*Anne McAneneyGeorge PenistonSir Bernard Rix*Kevin RundellSir Philip Thomas*Sir John Tooley*The Rt Hon. Lord Wakeham DL*Timothy Walker AM †*Non-Executive Directors

THE LONDON PHILHARMONIC TRUST

Pehr Gyllenhammar ChairmanDesmond Cecil CMGRichard Karl GoeltzJonathan Harris CBE FRICSDr Catherine C. HøgelMartin HöhmannAngela KesslerClive Marks OBE FCAVictoria SharpJulian SimmondsTimothy Walker AM †Laurence WattSimon Yates

AMERICAN FRIENDS OF THELONDON PHILHARMONICORCHESTRA, INC.

We are very grateful to theBoard of the American Friendsof the London PhilharmonicOrchestra for its support ofthe Orchestra’s activities inthe USA.

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

Charles RussellSolicitors

Horwath Clark Whitehill LLPAuditors

Dr Louise MillerHonorary Doctor

GENERAL ADMINISTRATION

Timothy Walker AM †Chief Executive and Artistic Director

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Julius HendriksenAssistant to the Chief Executiveand Artistic Director

FINANCE

David BurkeGeneral Manager andFinance Director

David GreensladeFinance and IT Manager

Joshua FoongFinance Officer

CONCERT MANAGEMENT

Roanna ChandlerConcerts Director

Ruth SansomArtistic Administrator

Graham WoodConcerts, Recordings andGlyndebourne Manager

Alison JonesConcerts Co-ordinator

Matthew FreemanRecordings Consultant

ORCHESTRA PERSONNEL

Andrew CheneryOrchestra Personnel Manager

Sarah ThomasLibrarian

Michael PattisonStage Manager

Camilla BeggAssistant Orchestra PersonnelManager

Ken Graham TruckingInstrument Transportation(Tel: 01737 373305)

EDUCATION ANDCOMMUNITY PROGRAMME

Matthew ToddEducation and Community Director

Anne NewmanEducation Officer

Isobel TimmsCommunity Officer

Alec HaylorEducation and Community Assistant

Richard MallettEducation and Community Producer

DEVELOPMENT

Nick JackmanDevelopment Director

Phoebe RouseCorporate Relations Manager

Sarah TattersallCorporate Relations and Events Manager

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Anna GoverCharitable Giving Officer

MARKETING

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INTERN

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ARCHIVES

Edmund PirouetConsultant

Philip StuartDiscographer

Gillian PoleRecordings Archive


89 Albert Embankment London SE1 7TPTel: 020 7840 4200Fax: 020 7840 4201Box Office: 020 7840 4242

www.lpo.org.ukVisit the website for fulldetails of LondonPhilharmonic Orchestraactivities.

The London PhilharmonicOrchestra Limited is aregistered charity No. 238045.

Photograph of Prokofievcourtesy of the Royal Collegeof Music, London, and ofMyaskovsky courtesy of RAINovosti/Lebrecht Music &Arts.

Photograph on the front cover by Roman Gontcharov.

Programmes printed by Cantate.

†Supported by Macquarie Group



FUTURE CONCERTSAT SOUTHBANK CENTRE’S ROYAL FESTIVAL HALL

Saturday 1 May 2010 | 7.30pm

Wagner Overture to FaustBrahms Alto RhapsodyLiszt Faust Symphony

Vladimir Jurowski conductorAnna Larsson contraltoPeter Auty tenorLondon Philharmonic Choir

FREE Pre-Concert Event6.15pm | Royal Festival HallAn exploration of Faust in music.

JTI Friday Series | Friday 7 May 2010 | 7.30pm

Tchaikovsky Francesca da RiminiLiszt Piano Concerto 2Vaughan Williams Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas TallisDvořák Symphonic Variations

Benjamin Northey conductorArnaldo Cohen piano

Saturday 22 May 2010 | 7.30pm

Debussy IbériaLalo Symphonie espagnoleStrauss Don JuanRavel Boléro

Christoph Eschenbach conductorChristian Tetzlaff violin

JTI Friday Series | Friday 28 May 2010 | 7.30pm

Rachmaninoff (arr. Dumbraveanu) Variations on aTheme of CorelliRachmaninoff Piano Concerto 4 (revised version)Rachmaninoff Symphony 1

Neeme Järvi conductorAlexei Lubimov piano

Suppported by the Serge Rachmaninoff Foundation.

Thursday 1 July 2010 | 7.30pm

Adams Shaker LoopsGlass Violin Concerto 1Shankar Symphony (world première)

David Murphy conductorRobert McDuffie violinAnoushka Shankar sitar

FREE Pre-Concert Event6.15pm | Royal Festival HallAn introduction to the music of Ravi Shankar.

TO BOOKTickets £9-£38 / Premium seats £55

London Philharmonic Orchestra Ticket Office020 7840 4242 | www.lpo.org.ukMon-Fri 10am-5pm; no booking fee

Southbank Centre Ticket Office | 0844 847 9920www.southbankcentre.co.uk/lpoDaily, 9am-8pm. £2.50 telephone / £1.45 online bookingfees; no fee for Southbank Centre Members

Vladimir Jurowskiand Anna Larsson

Neeme Järvi andAlexei Lubimov

Benjamin Northeyand Arnaldo Cohen

David Murphy andRobert McDuffie


28 April 2010 programme notes

Documents

Transcript of 28 April 2010 programme notes