LCO - London Chamber Orchestra

Newsletter

Newsletter - Summer 2005
Welcome to the London Chamber Orchestra’s newsletter, which we hope you will find informative and entertaining. I believe that many of you will agree with me that this past season has been a very fine one in which LCO, once again, thrived under the baton of Principal Conductor Christopher Warren-Green.

2004-2005 St. John’s, Smith Square Season

Royal Double

2005 - 2006 St. John’s, Smith Square Season

Worksop Priory

Canary Wharf - Summer Serenade

The Hong Kong International Piano Competition 2005

Waitrose Concerts

Welcome John Hall - Honorary Secretary, LCO Friends

Group Bookings - Jenny Withington (Audience Liaison Manager)

You, the critic!

Designed to Win!

Thank you MFI - ‘A Chance to Play’

LCO Chair Endowment Scheme

Player Profile

Some dates for the diary

2004-2005 St. John’s, Smith Square Season

It always seems a little sad to tell people how wonderful concerts were, especially if they missed them! We know that Vivaldi’s ‘Four Seasons’ is a favourite for many people, but bring it together with Britain’s most vibrant chamber orchestra and perhaps the UK’s best loved violinist, Tasmin Little, and you have a recipe for success. LCO were thrilled to host a full house for this performance at St. John’s in April and all without a conductor! LCO is fortunate to have many experienced hands and heads amongst a plethora of young stars; this concert was directed by LCO Concertmaster Rosemary Furniss who, just this once, was not allowed to show off her young ‘A Chance to Play’ students. Instead, Rosemary directed an absolutely mesmerising performance of Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No.3 and went on to accompany Tasmin Little’s flawless Vivaldi.

Natalie Clein’s performance of Haydn’s Cello Concerto in C major captivated and thrilled LCO’s audience on 25th May. Many people commented on Natalie’s outstanding talent, both technically and as a communicator. These thoughts were readily confirmed as Natalie rushed off to the Royal Albert Hall, directly after her LCO performance, to receive the prestigious ‘Young Classical Performer’ award at the Classical Brits ceremony.

Royal Double

LCO’s concert at St. John’s last December (in aid of The Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability) was sponsored by philanthropist Ms Sarah St George and attended by Her Royal Highness, Princess Michael of Kent. I particularly liked the bandaged violin featured on the cover of the concert programme and have chosen to share this image with you again here – particularly apt also was the reverse side.

In February LCO and St. John’s saw more Royal connections. John Wates promoted his passion for the French horn and sponsored what might be termed a ‘horn highlights’ concert – featuring Haydn’s rarely performed Symphony No. 31, nicknamed the ‘Horn Signal’, for reasons that were obvious to those sitting in the audience. Congratulations all round, but in particular to LCO’s amazing horn section and to Principal Trumpet Alison Balsom, who partnered the incredible pianist Peter Jablonski in the extraordinarily witty and ironic ‘Concerto for Piano, Trumpet and Strings’ by Shostakovitch. Christopher Warren-Green ended this concert by offering the encore – Grieg’s ‘Last Spring’ – as a small engagement gift to a special member of the audience; Christopher was of course seen on the television a few weeks later, conducting at this lady’s marriage to HRH, The Prince of Wales!

2005 – 2006 St. John’s, Smith Square Season

Prepare yourselves for another sell out season at St. John’s, Smith Square. Pekka Kuusisto will join LCO for the first concert of the season on Wednesday 28th September – hearing this charismatic young violinist is a must.

LCO are delighted that three of next seasons St. John’s concerts, starting in March 06, will be supported by Waitrose and these concerts will have special offers for Waitrose and John Lewis account and partnership card holders. You will also have another opportunity (by huge demand!) to hear Natalie Clein on 26th April and if you are of a mind to travel to Symphony Hall in Birmingham on Firday 28th April, you will be able to hear this concert for a second time. My personal ‘concert of the season’, (Editor’s Choice…) is on 24th May - a chance to hear Beethoven’s Violin Concerto played by the celebrated young violinist Chloë Hanslip – put the date firmly in your diary!

John Wates, Chairman of LCO’s Board of Trustees and a stalwart force behind the orchestra, is sponsoring concerts in December 05 and June 06. December’s concert features the wonderful soprano Rebcecca Evans in Mozart’s Exsultate Jubilate K.165 and anotherpopular soloist, Michael Collins, makes a welcome return in June for a performance of Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto.

Worksop Priory

‘Music in Quiet Places’ sounds like a contradiction in terms; nevertheless, LCO, with their Principal Oboist Gordon Hunt, agreed to spoil the quiet as nicely as possible with a concert on the 10th June at Worksop Priory. The musical menu included Mozart’s Oboe Concerto and a performance of ‘La Passione’ – Haydn’s 49th Symphony. 1103 was a little while ago and doubtless a few concerts have taken place at the Priory since the first stone was set; we hope that LCO and Mr Hunt will not have disturbed the ambience too much...

Canary Wharf – Summer Serenade

Go on, give the Docklands Light Railway system a try - just in case you have not visited Canary Wharf, it is truly a wonder to behold. And possibly you would also like to hear LCO’s Principal Trumpet Alison Balsom who (aside from running her own music festival in Studland, Dorset this June) is performing Hummel’s Trumpet Concerto with LCO, conducted by Christopher Warren-Green, on 22nd July. The programme also includes works by Mozart, Handel and Mendelssohn. Admission is free - and don’t forget to take a picnic!

The Hong Kong International Piano Competition 2005

What a magnificent setting for an International Piano Competition. Hosted by Vladimir Ashkenazy and the Chopin Society of Hong Kong, Christopher Warren-Green has been invited to take the fine musicians of LCO to Hong Kong to accompany some of the world’s most talented young pianists, in the final round of this prestigious competition. Unusually, contestants who reach the semi-final round are required to play chamber music and LCO are the perfect match for this creative nuance. Utilising the members’ inherent skills as chamber musicians, LCO principal players will perform piano chamber works with competitors and then re-join the full LCO to accompany the concertos in the grand final; a fascinating idea and an exciting prospect. If you are in Hong Kong during September do join us for what is certain to be a week of riveting music making.

RAC club

It has always been my mission to visit the RAC Club in London’s Pall Mall – I envisage myself dressed in goggles and a long leather coat having just climbed down from my Buccatti... Instead it looks as though it will be in the Editor’s suit, following the concert tails of Christopher Warren-Green! On 23rd September the RAC will host LCO and the brilliant Alina Ibragimova, who will perform Mozart’s 4th Violin Concerto.

You will need to be an RAC Club member of course, but it may be worth keeping an eye on LCO’s website as you never know, they might just open the concert to non members.

Waitrose Concerts

If you found yourself wandering around the well-adorned shelves of your local Waitrose, might you be somewhat surprised to find the London Chamber Orchestra as an item that you could place neatly in the basket? It was not quite that simple, but buying your concert tickets in unusual places is becoming more commonplace and, once again, Waitrose supported a Spring Season of inspiring LCO concerts. I was hoping to run a competition to see which product you might place next to LCO on the supermarket shelf; indeed a recent audience member said that ideally, she would like to see the concerts advertised next to where she picks up her ‘scanner’ - this is how ‘cutting edge’ we have become.

As I write, the Waitrose Spring Series is coming to a close with what is certain to be a memorable experience in the sublime Wye Valley near Monmouth. Tasmin Little, who has been a regular performer with LCO this season, will conclude the series with a performance of Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto.

Northampton Guildhall, St. Andrews Hall in Norwich and Winchester Cathedral, all fabulous buildings in their own right, hosted LCO concerts with conductor Christopher Warren-Green, cellist Robert Cohen and violinist Tasmin Little; a better combination of architectural splendour and cultural endeavour would be hard to find.

Welcome John Hall – Honorary Secretary, LCO Friends

With an ever-expanding group of LCO Friends, we are delighted to welcome John Hall as the association’s new Honorary Secretary. Coming on board from the beginning of the new season, John will be charged with looking after our much-valued existing members whilst encourage others to join. Alongside the sterling work that Jenny Withington does with LCO group audience members, we hope to ensure that everyone is well looked after. Welcome John – tell us your plans:

"I am delighted and honoured to be involved with LCO in a voluntary capacity. I first attended an LCO concert at St. John’s just over two years ago and was immediately captivated. I started taking parties of work colleagues along and managed nearly fifty for one concert. Their reactions made my efforts worthwhile - they were ecstatic!"

I believe LCO, with its inspirational playing, is hugely deserving of support. My aim is to increase the number of Friends of the orchestra by meeting and talking to as many of the audience as possible and to help Friends to gain the maximum enjoyment from their association with the orchestra. Friends should feel valued – organised visits to rehearsals and having the opportunity to talk to the players will help to achieve this. Your ideas on this are welcome. Please contact me at john@lco.co.uk or via LCO’s office.

Group Bookings - Jenny Withington
(Audience Liaison Manager)
Just in case confusion reigns, the new Jenny Withington is of course the old Jenny Turner – now married! Jenny looks after LCO group leaders and bookings and has the following message:

The 2004/05 LCO season at St. John’s, Smith Square has played host to many groups, who very much enjoy the concerts and who come back time and again to experience the thrill of hearing LCO playing live in the beautiful baroque surroundings.

Some of the groups who have enjoyed LCO over the past year include Spelthorne U3A, Rose Street Theatre Club, West Surrey National Trust, Enfield National Trust, Elmbridge Music Club, Orpington WI and Len Bickley Theatre and Concerts. From the many complimentary comments I have received after the concerts, I can only assume you have all enjoyed yourselves!

Group reservations for next season are already going well and the March concert, in particular, looks set to be very popular. Groups of 10 or more receive £3 off all ticket prices (except the lowest) and everyone in the party receives a complimentary programme. Don’t forget that you can reserve as many seats as you like, with confirmation of numbers and payment not required until a month before the concert, giving the Group Organiser maximum flexibility. We also offer the Organiser a complimentary LCO CD in recognition of their sterling work!

We are always looking to expand our Group Mailing List, so if you know of any other groups who might be interested in coming to LCO concerts, do let me have their details. One U3A Group organiser whose group regularly attends the concerts suggested we contact all the Greater London U3As and we now have a number of U3A groups who enjoy coming. If your Group is part of a bigger network, we’d love to hear from you!

We are also very keen to hear your views about the concerts and are constantly striving to make your concert-going experience as relaxed and enjoyable as possible. Don’t hesitate to contact me with any suggestions for future repertoire or soloists, which we will then try and incorporate into next season’s programmes. Equally, if there’s any way in which we can improve our service to you, do let me know! My telephone number is 07958 491 559 or email: jenny@lco.co.uk

I very much look forward to welcoming you to LCO’s 2005/06 SJSS Season, which promises to be as enjoyable and inspiring as this season has been!

You, the critic!
In our bid to encourage a new breed of music critic, we have been encouraging you to send us your concert reviews. Why leave it to a handful of overworked music critics, who do not always concur with the public’s opinion? With this in mind we are pleased to publish the following:

Heidi Comfort. Age 12. S.Wales
Dear LCO, I thought the concert at Wyastone hall was superb. I went with my dad and enjoyed it very much. I hope when I'm older to be in an orchestra like yours keep up the brilliant playing, and this from a brand new concertgoer:

St. John’s, Smith Square, a Thomas Archer masterpiece of English Baroque architecture in built 1728, is imposing and stylish and provides the perfect setting for a performance by the London Chamber Orchestra. Inside, the towering columns lift your eyes to the ceiling high above you, but for all the grandeur of the architecture, it is an intimate setting suitable for the 30 or so players of a chamber orchestra and you feel in touch with the music in a way that is impossible in the grander concert halls.

And the music...? Superb. From the moment the first chords were played, I was lost in the music! After the first piece, the beautiful grand piano was rolled to centre stage and Christian Blackshaw treated us to a wonderful performance of the Piano Concerto. The second half started with the Divertimento, which Mozart wrote when he was 16! We were in row F which was close enough to the front to allow you to see the musician’s faces, a fact which allowed you to share the cellist's enjoyment of the Divertimento - she was grinning from ear to ear all the way through the piece. And finally the 'Italian' Symphony, which provided an exciting end to an excellent evening. Charlotte Kyberd – London.

And finally: Joan Wild’s response to her first ever LCO concert:
'My sister and I were just blown away by the whole thing, the beauty of the music, the precision, enthusiasm and skill of the musicians, the venue, everything was so memorable. We just floated away.

We have seen the Philharmonia and the Philharmonic a few times live, but last night was so different and unique. Natalie Clein was amazing and so talented and passionate and took us with her, but I must say that theconductor and the orchestra master's skills also gained our attention and appreciation. Thank you so much for a wonderful evening, the music is still floating in my head as I type this. Joan Wilde

Designed to Win!

Congratulations to LCO programme designers CDT! Their designs for the past two years have proved a winner not only with our audience, but also with ‘those who know’ in the design world. So, if you find yourself sitting next to someone at St. John’s next season who seems to be over-covetous of their concert programme, you will know that they are from the cognisant design world. Indeed, I have seen people staring at the circles trying to work it all out. Unlike many other organisations, LCO likes to ensure that everyone in the hall can take away a piece of this creative design for free – strangely some of you just leave them behind…

Thank you MFI – ‘A Chance to Play’

LCO would like to offer huge thanks to MFI for their longstanding sponsorship of the ‘A Chance to Play’ project. Pioneered jointly by Rosemary Furniss (LCO’s Concertmaster) and the late Lord Menuhin, the project, once entitled ‘Menuhin’s Children’ and featured in a BBC TV documentary, has been developed with incredible energy and commitment by Rosemary over the last 3 years. Sadly without the considerable funds needed to develop and train other like-minded teachers, the project gave its final LCO concert appearance at St. John’s this May.

LCO Chair Endowment Scheme

This season has seen the continuation of the hugely important LCO Chair Endowment Scheme. LCO is now actively encouraging more of its audience members and fan base to ‘own a piece of the action’. We are thrilled that Fred Davis, a longstanding LCO supporter, has chosen to continue his generous endowment of the Concertmaster Chair. We very much hope that this will encourage more people to join the scheme which gives ‘chair owners’ all the Benefactor benefits, plus more besides and ensures them of a mention in LCO own-promotion concert programmes. This kind of support contributes to the lifeblood of the orchestra and starts from as little as £750 per annum. I would like to auction the Timpani Chair, currently available at £3000, but my office colleagues are holding me firmly down from such reckless commercialism – who would not want to buy a bit of LCO’s immensely talented timpanist - Tristan Fry?!

If you would like more information about this scheme, contact LCO’s office on 020 8806 9923 and we will be happy to discuss the different options available. It would make the already exciting LCO concert experience even more pleasurable, knowing that YOU have helped make it happen and to see your ‘chair’ giving its all! See Player Profile for hot news on the latest Chair endowment.

What do I hear for the timp chair…?

Player Profile

Meet Robert Max (Principal Cello) with his colleagues John Heley and Joely Koos. If they look as though they are a little warm, it is because they have just played Mendelssohn’s ‘Scottish Symphony’ to end this season’s LCO concerts at St. John’s Smith Square. And well might they look happy, since long-standing friends of the orchestra, Philip and Liz Stephens, have just endowed LCO’s Principal Cello Chair.

Robert studied cello with, amongst others, Florence Hooton, at the Royal Academy of Music, Ralph Kirshbaum at the Royal Northern College of Music and Zara Nelsova at the Juilliard School in New York. His childhood, spent in North London, was full of music in a household with three brothers and a Mother who was, and still is, a passionate music educationalist. Robert has continued this passion and is now involved in a number of educationally based endeavours in the music profession, including ‘MusicWorks’ - imaginative chamber music courses for children. Many of you will have heard the Barbican Piano Trio either broadcasting or performing live – keep an eye on the Wigmore Hall this season if you would like to hear some more very fine playing from Robert and his colleagues.

Robert is married to the pianist Zoe Solomon; they have two children and a house in Hampstead Garden Suburb with a little white fence and a wine fridge in the garden. Never far from Robert’s person is a corkscrew and a bunch of grapes, which has been turned into a decent chateau or other. In his other hand you will often find an orchestral score; Robert leads another life where he hands out directions to musicians with a little white stick (and sometimes with his bow from the solo cello chair!). Christopher Warren-Green may have a successor sitting not too far away…. Robert’s conducting talent takes him all over the world and has recently seen him appointed as conductor to the Oxford Symphony Orchestra.

It is just possible of course that you have noticed other members of the Max family in the media this year, but we will leave you to come up with the answer to that little mystery... (Clue: ‘You’re fired!’)

Some dates for the diary
Friday 22nd July - Canary Wharf
Friday 9th - 18th September - Hong Kong
Saturday 24th September - RAC Club
Wednesday 28th September - St. John’s, Smith Square
Wednesday 2nd November - St. John’s, Smith Square
Thursday 1st December - St. John’s, Smith Square

Well, that’s it for this newsletter. I hope you’ve enjoyed looking backwards and forwards and maybe finding out a few things that you didn’t already know about LCO.

Your feedback on all aspects of LCO’s work is very much welcomed and your support is greatly appreciated.

Have an enjoyable summer and I look forward to making your acquaintance again in the not too distant future.

Ian Pressland
General Manager
e ipressland@lco.co.uk