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Newsletter - Spring 2006
'Spring is here, Spring is here.....' So said Tom Lehrer in his song, which went on to suggest 'poisoning the pigeons in the park'! We suggest an alternative, slightly less drastic, pastime - catch up with all the latest news in LCO's hot off the press Spring News Letter, published below. Enjoy!
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Royal Patronage
Vladimir Ashkenazy
Christopher Warren-Green
05/06 Season at St. John's, Smith Square
HM The Queen's Birthday Concert - Windsor Castle
Back to Hong Kong and off to Italy
Symphony Hall, Birmingham April 2006 &
Orchard Theatre, Dartford May 2006
Alison Balsom - Player Profile
LCO iPod?
Friends and Benefactors (we can not manage without you!)
Groups
Royal Patronage
LCO are thrilled and honoured to have The Duchess of Cornwall as their new Patron. This is a tremendous endorsement and we look forward to welcoming The Duchess to future LCO performances. Look out for other LCO royal connections this year (see below). The announcement of the new patronage took place at the end of last year so possibly you are already aware of this wonderful news.
LCO receives no public subsidy and relies on Friends, Benefactors, sponsors and, of course, its audience. You can all imagine how important it is for LCO to continue to be recognised nationally and internationally for its daring, flare and integrity. The Duchess’s patronage will help ensure future support for LCO.
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Vladimir Ashkenazy
The term President sometimes has rough connotations, but not when associated with this wonderful new appointment. During their stint as orchestra in residence at the first Hong Kong International Piano Competition last September, LCO so impressed Maestro Ashkenazy that he immediately agreed to become the orchestra’s President. There will be opportunities to hear him in action with LCO in the not too distant future, so keep your ear to the ‘wall’ – or at least your eye on the website.
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Christopher Warren-Green
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There will be no prizes for guessing who was seen on our television screens conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra at last year’s service of Dedication and Prayer celebrating the marriage of HRH The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall. LCO’s Principal Conductor is of course no newcomer to royal occasions; he is often consulted regarding the musical input for such events and has conducted at Buckingham Palace, Highgrove House and St James Palace many times. We constantly get asked about Maestro Warren-Green and what he does when he is not conducting LCO. Some of your questions were answered in last year’s web profile, but just to keep you updated here are a few other interesting things you may not know. Much of the year Christopher is abroad conducting a variety of orchestras, including several North American symphony orchestras such as Seattle, Vancouver, Indianapolis, St Louis, Victoria, Calgary and Charlotte. He has strong ties with the Athens Camerata (Orchestra of the Megaron) where he is Principal Conductor. Those of you who have been to the Megaron in Athens will know what an extraordinary artistic complex the Megaron is – in many ways putting the UK to shame. Christopher also regularly visits Sweden, Switzerland, France, Japan and Hong Kong. In the UK he conducts the Philharmonia, Royal Philharmonic, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, BBC Concert Orchestra and of course the London Chamber Orchestra. You will find the name Christopher Warren-Green on numerous recordings including discs for BMG, EMI, Philips, Chandos, Virgin and more recently Deutsche Grammophon.
How does he find the time to keep ducks, regularly present programmes on radio and television (including the BBC’s Young Musician of the Year and televised Proms) and look after a number of delightful children…? We just don’t know. If you have any specific questions about Christopher you would like answered drop us an e-mail from the LCO website and we will endeavour to find you an answer.
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05/06 Season at St. John's, Smith Square
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This part of the newsletter kicks off with a ticket sales warning - the St. John’s, Smith Square concerts are selling faster than ever before. We are appealing to Friends and Benefactors not to leave it too late to book. If in doubt, please give us a call or send us an email and we will endeavour to find you a seat. This is great news for the orchestra, but we are keen not to disappoint loyal supporters!
Waitrose continue to be fine supporters of LCO; the concerts in March, April and May would not be possible without their commitment. Mind you, the concerts now need to come with a health warning! Waitrose have been providing boxes of delicious chocolates for each and every LCO audience member. This, coupled with Waitrose’s generous support of the arts, has impressed some audience members so much that they have switched allegiance from other supermarkets to Waitrose. I wonder if we can propose an organic free range Carnival of the Animals for the March concert?!
LCO’s biggest stalwart is John Wates, Chairman of The London Chamber Orchestra Trust. Apart from possibly being the biggest enthusiast of horn playing anywhere in the world (and one of the few alphorn players in this country), John is a tower of strength to LCO. In June he is once again supporting a concert at St. John’s. I don’t know how we managed it, (possibly he has not noticed yet!) but Michael Collins and his clarinet have usurped the horn as soloist for the concert (see details below). Allow me to take this chance to thank John on LCO’s behalf for everything that he does for the orchestra.
Wednesday 22nd March 2006
This concert at St. John’s is a true celebration of what LCO stands for - a concert where most of the soloists come from the wealth of incredible talent within the orchestra. When it comes to pianists we could hope for none better than the talents of Simon Crawford-Phillips and Philip Moore taking the solo parts in what promises to be a stylish parade ‘Carnival of the Animals’. Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 4, Vivaldi’s Concerto for Four Violins and, a personal favourite of The Editor, Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings – some of you may have heard LCO’s wonderful recording which was broadcast recently on BBC Radio 3 – make up the rest of the programme.
Wednesday 26th April 2006
Cellist Natalie Clein was a huge audience favourite last year and her return in April 2006 is a much-anticipated event. Once again we will be able to enjoy her totally committed performance of Haydn’s effervescent Concerto in C major. Those of you who have heard LCO perform Beethoven’s symphonies at St. John’s during the last three seasons will know that experiencing their interpretation of Symphony No.6 ‘The Pastoral’ is a must. We will also be celebrating Spring with the help of Delius and his mesmerising ‘On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring’ and, of course, Mozart’s 250th anniversary with his Overture ‘The Impresario’.
Wednesday 24th May 2006
John Wates may be a horn fan, but put me down as a Beethoven Violin Concerto fan! How many of you could tell me which instrument starts this piece rolling? If in doubt ask LCO musician Mr Tristan Fry and keep your eyes very firmly on him as Maestro Warren-Green lifts his Beethoven baton. The brilliant young violinist Chloë Hanslip is soloist and she will be preceded on stage by Mr Rossini and his overture ‘The Italian Girl in Algiers’. What could possibly complete the menu? Of course - Mozart’s sublime Symphony No. 41 ‘Jupiter’.
Wednesday 21st June 2006
A Mendelssohn / Mozart sandwich; delicious, especially when the filling is Michael Collins and his wonderful basset clarinet. Nothing to do with liquorice allsorts… Michael prefers the original timbre of the basset clarinet, which is so large that it has an endpin like a cello; it certainly adds to the aural and visual sensation of Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto. We were implored to bring him back this season as Michael’s musicianship and playing are second to none. To help us deal with the sultry heat, this midsummer evening treat begins with excerpts from ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ – and Mendelssohn will whisk us into the sunset at the end of the evening with his compelling and vital ‘Italian’ Symphony. Somewhere in the mix Mozart squeezes in his Serenata Notturna – not heard very often, but a complete delight.
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HM The Queen's 80th Birthday Concert - Windsor Castle
At the request of Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, Master of the Queens Music, LCO has been asked to give a performance at Windsor Castle in September to celebrate the Queen’s 80th birthday. Of course, unlike most of us, the Queen has two birthdays a year, which means two parties. LCO have been invited to perform at both and hope that you too may be able to share some of the honour. But more news of this when it comes in! ‘Hot off the press’ items can be found on LCO’s website – keep your eye on the bottom right hand corner of the Home page and you could be one of the first to find out!
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Back to Hong Kong and Off to Italy
I wonder how many of you would like regular trips to Hong Kong? The LCO were so lauded during their first visit there last year that they have been invited to take up an annual residency, which will hopefully also incorporate some Asian touring.
If Hong Kong is a little too far, how about an Autumn trip to Italy with LCO’s strings? They will be meeting up with superstar percussionist Evelyn Glennie here and there, as they tour for a week in October.
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Symphony Hall, Birmingham April 2006
Orchard Theatre, Dartford May 2006
If you would like to hear more from the wondrous Natalie Clein, might I suggest a trip to Symphony Hall in Birmingham on Friday 28th April? Or, maybe a trip to Dartford would be more convenient? In which case make your way to the Orchard Theatre on Wednesday 31st May, to hear Michael Collins again, but this time playing Weber’s exuberant Concerto No.2 on a conventional clarinet.
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Alison Balsom - Player profile
We had so many questions for our wonderful principal trumpet that we didn’t know where to start – hence we have postponed posting her ‘player profile’ on the website whilst we see how best to deal with all her fans’ questions! It’s not too late to get in on the act, though we can’t guarantee a response I’m afraid. Keep your eye on the 06/07 schedule if you would like to hear Alison’s superlative playing and visit ‘Player Profile’ on the website soon if you would like to know more about what makes Alison tick - or should I say blow?
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LCO iPod?
Would you:- consider investing ahead in future LCO recording? Value having your name associated with an LCO recording? Vote for the repertoire?
I have been encouraged to start an informal poll to see how many of our audience have iPods and how they might use them in conjunction with LCO. I suspect that over the last two years many of you have acquired such things and I would like to find a way of ensuring that you can hear some LCO through those earphones. Not that one can ever beat the thrill of a live concert, but possibly having a concert (or part there of) you attended available to hear again might be an enticing prospect? We were very taken by the clamour for copies of the recording after LCO’s live broadcast on BBC Radio 3 last year; sadly, the recording of that broadcast is not commercially available. Nevertheless, the future seems to hold some very clever procedures when it comes to recording and even now, some events enable you to take away a CD immediately after the concert. This could mean having access to live recordings; not flawless edited studio versions but, in my opinion, something even more valuable.
Would you be interested in this future? The possibility of downloading some or all of a concert you attended just after the event? Send me an e-mail from LCO’s website and let me know your thoughts and iPod habits…. Please! Your input is invaluable in making decisions about such things as these.
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Friends and Benefactors (we can not manage without you!)
The lifeblood of most artistic organisations is its Friends; and LCO are no exception to this rule. John Hall, Hon. Sec., has been quietly working away at ensuring LCO Friends are kept up to date and informed about benefits and activities. Becoming a Friend is almost free - well of course I would say that! Annual membership includes two top price tickets (value £42) to LCO’s own promotion concerts at St. John’s, Smith Square, leaving a mere £8 to cover all the other benefits. 10% off ticket prices (again, to LCO own promotions) and 10% off LCO CDs purchased from LCO.
You might well ask why we bother? It makes an enormous difference to orchestra finances to have membership funds ahead of concerts, because as you can imagine ticket income (which only covers a small part of the considerable cost of putting on a performance) is held in the hall box office until after the concert, whereas membership fees are held by LCO’s Trust. Many of the concert costs have to be met up front – hence by becoming a Friend you gain and so does the orchestra.
One of my favourite Friends and Benefactor benefits is the Advance Notes from the Programme (but then it was my idea!). This is an “opt-in” benefit for posted copies but is available to all Friends on the Friends section of the website. Advance Notes from the Programme not only allow you to read about repertoire, composers and soloists in advance of concerts, but gives you the longer unedited version not available even to programme readers; – the website also holds an archive of the current season’s notes. The Friends section on LCO’s website is in its infancy and will develop over time. Here again your input is essential; we need to know what would be useful (and even what is not useful) to you as an LCO Friend.
All this and more for £50?! See you at the Friend’s party? Please come and talk to us if joining the Friends is of interest or if you would like to take things a bit further and become a Benefactor or even endow a chair. More information about all these options can be found at www.lco.co.uk - follow the ‘support LCO’ link.
And if you are already a Friend… why not gift LCO Friend Membership as a wonderful present!
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Groups
We are delighted with the take up in LCO group ticket sales. Jenny Withington, LCO audience liaison manager, has been contacting a whole variety of groups around the country over the last three years and ensuring that group leaders are offered the opportunity to experience the thrill of LCO live at St.John’s, Smith Square. With the closure of the Festival Hall it was obvious that groups would be looking for alternatives and we believe St. John’s has been one of London’s best-kept secrets. Groups of 10 and more benefit from a £3 reduction on all ticket prices except the £8 unreserved seats. Tickets are purchased through Jenny not through the box office since LCO holds a number of seats solely for this purpose.
LCO is also offering groups a reduction on Friend membership, which if used in the right way offers real savings on top price tickets and access to all the Friends benefits. If you would like more information do visit www.lco.co.uk - follow the Group Bookings link or contact Jenny Withington on jenny@lco.co.uk or call her on 07958 491559.
Jenny Withington asked some of the group leaders if they would care to make comment in this issue of LCO Newsletter – I think the comments speak for themselves. We in turn would like to thank the groups with their trusty leaders for showing such commitment to LCO and hope that they will continue to enjoy these concerts at St.John’s, Smith Square.
' The LCO playing is of the finest possible standard. It is always evident that the musicians thoroughly enjoy the concerts as much as we do and the orchestra is clearly held in high regard since it regularly attracts the highest quality soloists. '
Len Bickley
‘LCO exhibits such enthusiasm and warmth in its playing. The quality of the music and soloists, the venue and the acoustics are all wonderful and there seems to be an almost family-like atmosphere between the members of the orchestra on stage. '
Elizabeth Douglas
' We had never been to a concert at St John's Smith Square before December and were knocked out by the building and impressed at how well-adapted it is for concert use. We were entranced by the cellar restaurant and loved seeing the members of the orchestra negotiating through the audience to get to the stage. The vigour of the playing, the eye contact and the obvious close relationships between the players resulted in a fantastic evening of music-making. '
Jack Wood
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I do hope you have enjoyed reading this newsletter; please feel free to send us any thoughts or feedback. If you would like to be considered as a concert critic we are happy to receive written contributions from you – there’s no reason why audience member’s point of view should be left to the National Newspapers…. and of course do bring to our attention anything which you feel might improve your LCO concert experience.
Best wishes from the editor
Ian Pressland
e ipressland@lco.co.uk
t 020 8806 9923
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