ROYALPHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

Resident Orchestra at Cadogan HallMAY 2010 – NOVEMBER 2010

www.rpo.co.uk

Resident Orchestra at Cadogan Hall FEBRUARY – JULY 2012

Orchestral excellence in London’s award-winning venue

Welcome to the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra’s new season of concerts at Cadogan Hall, one of London’s most prestigious venues. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is renowned throughout the world for its exceptional interpretations of repertoire ranging from classic masterpieces to rare discoveries. During this season at Cadogan Hall, the Orchestra will be celebrating British film music, with two concerts devoted to some of the most exciting scores written for the big – and small – screens. Multiple award-winning composers Christopher Gunning and Nigel Hess will be featured in a programme brimming with colourful and evocative film music, while John Scott’s Robin Hood is bound to delight audiences of all ages with its thrilling sense of adventure.

The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra remains devoted to the finest classical repertoire and there is much to enjoy in this coming season. Joined by highly-acclaimed soloists, the Orchestra will perform an array of sublime concertos, including Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto, Elgar’s Cello Concerto and Rachmaninov’s Piano Concertos Nos.2 and 3. There is also the rare opportunity to hear the sparkling Concerto for Two Pianos by Poulenc. As always, there is a sumptuous selection of orchestral music on offer too, including Strauss’ tone poem Don Juan, Brahms’ First Symphony and the exhilarating Symphony No.5 by Sibelius. Lovers of Tchaikovsky’s music are spoilt for choice, with performances of his Violin Concerto, ‘Winter Daydreams’ Symphony and the powerful Symphony No.4. Following last season’s outstanding series of collaborations, pianist Freddy Kempf returns to join the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in an all-Beethoven programme.

Notes supplied by Joanna Wyld

Meet the artists:

Edward Seckerson (Chief Critic, Independent, and BBC presenter) chats informally to the artists in his free pre-concert talks.

From 6.30pm in the main auditorium, Edward can be heard enlightening audiences with interesting facts about the evening’s programme, and engaging in discussion with the artists themselves.

See individual concerts for details:

Tuesday 21st February 2012

Tuesday 17th April 2012

Welcome

May-JulyFreddy Kempf Christopher Gunning Nigel Hess John Scott

aprilAlexander Shelley Guy Johnston Josep Caballé Domenech Horus Piano Duo

March-aprilGrzegorz Nowak Roustem Saitkoulov Yuki Miyagi Kemal Gekic

FebruaryDirk Joeres Julian Bliss Alessandro Fabrizi Yoon-Hee Kim

The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is the only London orchestra to offer a 50% discount on tickets for every own-promotion concert for a year.

Become a member from only £25 per year and enjoy benefits including:

• 50% off all RPO own promotion concerts (two tickets per concert)

• Exclusive RPO friends’ bar

• Priority booking

• FREE rehearsal passes to selected concerts

• Discounted RPO CDs

• Regular newsletters and updates on the Orchestra’s activities and forthcoming events

To join the RPO friends, please telephone 020 7608 8855 or visit www.rpo.co.uk/friends

More music for less!riendsff

tuesday 21st February 20127.30pmMendelssohn A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Overture, Nocturne and ScherzoMozart Clarinet Concerto in A major Dvorák Symphony No.8

Dirk Joeres ConductorJulian Bliss Clarinet

Glinka was one of the most celebrated Russian composers of his time, influencing younger figures such as Rimsky-Korsakov and Borodin. The story goes that the plot to Glinka’s opera Ruslan and Lyudmila was concocted in minutes by a drunken poet, but Glinka’s music, in the Overture especially, shines through, full of infectious energy. Despite winning Glinka’s composition prize, Tchaikovsky’s music was not always appreciated during his lifetime. His ravishing Violin Concerto was criticised at first, yet has since become one of his most popular works. Overwhelmed by the example of Beethoven, Brahms took years to complete his First Symphony – but it was worth the wait. With its noble themes and rhythmic subtleties, Brahms proved himself a master of the genre.

tuesday 28th February 20127.30pmGlinka Ruslan and Lyudmila OvertureTchaikovsky Violin Concerto in D major Brahms Symphony No.1

Alessandro Fabrizi ConductorYoon-Hee Kim Violin

RPO friends’ discounts apply

RPO friends’ discounts apply

Mendelssohn’s charming score to Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is as magical as the play itself, with its gleaming sonorities, fairytale delicacy and a dancing, skittish Scherzo. The Clarinet Concerto by Mozart is one of the last works he wrote and one of the finest. His instinct for the clarinet’s mellow tone and sinuous flexibility is unsurpassed and the slow movement is justly famous for its exquisite lyricism. Then bask in the musical sunshine of Dvorák’s Eighth Symphony, which evokes bird-song and the undulating Czech landscape. Full of Bohemian folk-tunes and exhilarating, spacious orchestral sounds, this is one of Dvorák’s most delightful, carefree works.

Meet the artists: Free pre-concert talk from 6.30pm presented by Edward Seckerson.

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“The opening shimmered with mysterious delights: slithering harmonics from the strings; the bubbling mud of winds and brass” The Times

tuesday 13th March 20127.30pmBrahms Academic Festival OvertureRachmaninov Piano Concerto No.3 Tchaikovsky Symphony No.1, ‘Winter Daydreams’

Grzegorz Nowak Conductor

Roustem Saitkoulov Piano

Weber’s opera Der Freischütz was a breakthrough in the history of music. Considered by many to be the first German Romantic opera, it influenced composers including Richard Wagner. The work’s Overture contrasts lilting pastoral serenity with moments of drama and suspense. Few can resist Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No.2, a work which overflows with aching emotion, communicated through a piano part ranging from gentle poignancy to glittering display. Brahms was unsure of his Second Symphony, writing to a friend expressing ‘I don’t know whether I have a pretty symphony.’ Its lyrical beauty however makes it one of his most popular works, with soaring melody, pastoral imagery and a blazing brass fanfare to close.

Wednesday 4th april 20127.30pmWeber Der Freischütz OvertureRachmaninov Piano Concerto No.2 Brahms Symphony No.2

Yuki Miyagi Conductor

Kemal Gekic Piano

RPO friends’ discounts apply

RPO friends’ discounts apply

For his Academic Festival Overture, Brahms emphasised the festive rather than the scholarly. Written to contrast with the more sober Tragic Overture, the work is full of ebullient high spirits, using student drinking songs as lively inspiration. At the heart of this programme is the glorious Piano Concerto No.3 by Rachmaninov. Like Rachmaninov’s Concerto No.2, this work brims with yearning passion, as well as showcasing the soloist’s dazzling dexterity. Tchaikovsky’s First Symphony rounds off the concert with one of the composer’s most vividly descriptive scores. He called the work ‘Winter Daydreams’, and the music charts a wintry journey through bare landscapes and cold mists, with folk-tunes raising the temperature in the finale. M

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“The RPO in full bloom of sonority and thoroughly in control of the music” The Telegraph

An irresistible programme boasting three gems of the repertoire. Don Juan is one of the most technically demanding works written for the orchestra, requiring huge skill from every single musician. Marvel at the virtuosity of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra as it tells the story of the unfortunate philanderer, portrayed by Strauss with great wit and energy. Then cellist Guy Johnston takes centre stage for Elgar’s Cello Concerto, a work of intense beauty and searing emotion. Sibelius made numerous wonderful contributions to the symphonic repertoire, none more glorious than the Fifth Symphony, culminating in a breathtaking finale with its sweeping French horn theme.

tuesday 17th april 2012 7.30pm

Strauss Don Juan

Elgar Cello Concerto

Sibelius Symphony No.5

Alexander Shelley Conductor

Guy Johnston Cello

Finlandia was written by Sibelius not simply as a celebration of Finland but as a sort of extended protest song against Russian rule. It was an instant hit with his fellow countrymen and features the famous hymn tune of the composer’s own creation. Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony is one of his most powerful works, charting a journey that begins with intense struggle against the caprices of Fate but ends with an electrifying finale in which the battle seems to have been won. Sandwiched between these great works is Poulenc’s Concerto for Two Pianos: a rare treat. A work of sparkling colours and seductive harmonies, Poulenc’s work is a revelation – not to be missed.

RPO friends’ discounts apply

RPO friends’ discounts apply

Meet the artists: Free pre-concert talk from 6.30pm presented by Edward Seckerson.

thursday 26th april 20127.30pm

Sibelius Finlandia

Poulenc Concerto for Two Pianos

Tchaikovsky Symphony No.4

Josep Caballé-Domenech Conductor

Horus Piano Duo Nóra Emödy & Ahmed Abou-Zahra

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Freddy Kempf’s Complete Beethoven Piano Concerto series Part 2 When it comes to interpreting Beethoven, Freddy Kempf and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra have shown themselves to be a musical match made in heaven. Following the success of their collaborations last season, Kempf and the RPO present two of Beethoven’s most majestic piano concertos: No.4 and No.5, the ‘Emperor’. To set the scene, the Orchestra performs Beethoven’s Egmont Overture. Written to accompany Goethe’s play, the writer himself acknowledged Beethoven’s ‘remarkable genius’.

sunday 13th May 2012 7.00pm

Beethoven Egmont Overture

Beethoven Piano Concerto No.4

Beethoven Piano Concerto No.5

Freddy Kempf Piano / Director

a Celebration of British Film Celebrate British cinema with a gala concert of sparkling film scores by some of our best home-grown composers. This glorious programme will include the music of Richard Rodney Bennett, William Walton and Eric Coates alongside award-winning scores by tonight’s composer / conductors. Nigel Hess composed the timeless soundtrack to Ladies in Lavender and has won two Ivor Novello Awards for his many memorable television scores, while Christopher Gunning, known for his music for Agatha Christie’s Poirot, has won three Ivor Novello Awards and four BAFTAs, including one for the Edith Piaf biopic, La Vie en Rose.

thursday 14th June 20127.30pm

Christopher Gunning Conductor / Composer

Nigel Hess Conductor / Composer

RPO friends’ discounts apply

RPO friends’ discounts apply

CaDOGaN haLL BOOKiNG iNFOrMatiON

Ticket prices £37.50, £30, £22, £12.50 (Booking fees apply, RPO friends’ and Encore discounts apply)

Telephone bookings 020 7730 4500 Online bookings www.cadoganhall.comSubscription discounts Generous discounts are available for booking multiple concerts from the RPO’s Resident Season. Please ask at the Box Office when booking. 2 or 3 concerts – 15% discount 4 or 5 concerts – 25% discount 6 or more concerts – 30% discountCadogan Hall 5 Sloane Terrace, London SW1X 9DQ 2 minutes’ walk from Sloane Square Underground

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Cadogan hall seating Plan

Gallery Stalls

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robin hood: Music to the filmThe story of Robin Hood has fascinated and inspired generations of artists. Legend of the silent film Douglas Fairbanks was no exception, his classic 1922 film featuring a most impressive display of pageantry in which the hero defeats Sir Guy of Gisbourne to win the heart of Maid Marian. For one night only, Cadogan Hall is transformed with a screening of the film accompanied by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra performing John Scott’s colourful score. In the composer’s own words ‘the film calls for an action packed score. There is romance, intrigue, terror, spectacle, suspense, and as the story progresses it demands more and more, culminating in the spectacle of a Royal wedding.’

thursday 12th July 20127.30pm

John Scott Conductor / Composer

RPO friends’ discounts apply

www.rpo.co.uk

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, 16 Clerkenwell Green, London EC1R 0QT

The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra gratefully acknowledges the generous support of Arts Council England

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