OCTOBER 2016–JUNE 2017
RESIDENT ORCHESTRA AT CADOGAN HALL
www.rpo.co.uk
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AT A GLANCE OCTOBER 2016–JUNE 2017
OCTOBER
JANUARY
Sunday 2nd
A Letter from America with Garrison Keillor
Wednesday 18th
Wolfgang David performs Mendelssohn
Wednesday 12th
Elizabeth Sombart performs Chopin
Wednesday 25th
Chloë Hanslip performs Sibelius
Friday 21st
City of London Choir performs Haydn’s
Heiligmesse
Sunday 29th
Ning Feng performs Prokofiev
Sunday 23rd
Yi-Jia Susanne Hou performs The Butterfly
Lovers Concerto
Tuesday 25th
Anna Fedorova performs Prokofiev
FEBRUARY
Tuesday 14th
Everlasting Love: Songs of the Sixties
MARCH
NOVEMBER
Tuesday 14th
Raphael Wallfisch performs Elgar
Tuesday 29th
Jennifer Pike performs Bruch
RPO Legacy Concert
Thursday 23rd
City of London Choir performs
Haydn’s Theresienmesse
DECEMBER
Thursday 30th
Vadym Kholodenko performs Prokofiev
Tuesday 6th
A Choral Christmas
APRIL
Thursday 6th
Natasha Paremski performs Rachmaninov
Sunday 18th
Christmas Cracker
MAY
Thursday 4th
Tasmin Little performs Tchaikovsky
Tuesday 23rd
Danny Driver performs Beethoven
JUNE
Friday 16th
Jan Mráček performs Beethoven
Photography: Nick Rutter
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WELCOME
From October 2016 through to June 2017 the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
(RPO) continues the celebration of its 70th Anniversary at its resident
home, Cadogan Hall, bringing you a variety of repertoire from outstanding
international artists.
As always, the RPO’s concert series at Cadogan Hall is electric and varied.
We are delighted to welcome back distinguished conductor Hilary Davan Wetton
to continue his Haydn and Mozart series with the City of London Choir, including
a performance of Haydn’s great Theresienmesse. On violin we have Chloë Hanslip
performing Sibelius’ immortal Violin Concerto and Tasmin Little performing
Tchaikovsky, as other guest soloists include pianists Elizabeth Sombart and Natasha
Paremski performing Chopin and Rachmaninov. It is also with great excitement
that we welcome the young and dynamic Alexander Shelley who will explore music
by eminent composers Prokofiev and Sibelius in a new four-part concert series;
Symphonic Soundscapes: The Music of Prokofiev and Sibelius.
We look forward to sharing this concert series at Cadogan Hall with you soon.
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OCTOBER05
Ensure to book early for this rare opportunity to see
American author, storyteller, humourist and radio
personality, Garrison Keillor in concert. His first in
the UK since his sell-out performance at the Royal
Festival Hall brings something new and exciting to
the Cadogan Hall stage. Garrison Keillor is bestknown for his comic stories based on the fictional
Lake Wobegon and his radio programme
A Prairie Home Companion. In A Letter from
America Garrison casts his eye over small town
American life, as he narrates between orchestral
interludes and sings humorous songs. This concert
is light-hearted, fun and full of whimsical wit.
Philip Brunelle
Garrison Keillor
Conductor
Narrator f
Including songs
SURVEYING LAKE WOBEGON
WHOOPI TI YI YO
WALTZ ME AROUND AGAIN WILLIE
GOODBYE TO MY UNCLES
PASS ME NOT
O LOVE THAT WILT NOT LET ME GO
AUNT EVA and many more
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OCTOBER
WEDNESDAY 12TH OCTOBER 2016, 7.30PM
Wagner
Chopin
Beethoven
Tannhäuser Overture
Piano Concerto No.2
Symphony No.4
Pierre Vallet
Conductor
Elizabeth Sombart Piano
In typical Wagnerian style, the Tannhäuser Overture
encapsulates the drama of this greatly admired opera
with its quasi-Bach chorale opening and dazzling,
tormenting middle. Composed at the mere age of twenty,
Chopin’s Piano Concerto No.2 harks back to the likes of
Hummel and Mozart whilst including Chopin’s patriotic
hallmark, as the finale inhabits the world of Polish folk
music. The concert finishes with Beethoven’s sunny and
joyous Fourth Symphony.
FRIDAY 21ST OCTOBER 2016, 7.30PM
Mozart
Mozart
Mozart
Haydn
Don Giovanni Overture
Ave verum corpus
Piano Concerto No.20
Mass in B-flat major, ‘Heiligmesse’
Hilary Davan Wetton Conductor
Alexandra Dariescu Piano
City of London Choir
Vocal solos performed by students at the Royal Academy
of Music
Back by popular demand, Hilary Davan Wetton conducts
the leading City of London Choir for another instalment
of music from masters of the Classical era. What better
way to open the concert than with Mozart’s Don Giovanni
Overture, full of orchestral gravitas and oomph. Also
joined by vivacious pianist Alexandra Dariescu, the
programme includes Mozart’s immensely popular and
influential Piano Concerto No.20, his exquisite Ave verum corpus and
Haydn’s majestic and moving Heiligmesse. This concert shows off the
Classical choral tradition at its best.
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This concert is promoted
in association with
City of London Choir
OCTOBER07
SUNDAY 23RD OCTOBER 2016, 7PM
Berlioz
Chen Gang/He Zhanhao
Saint-Saëns
Dvořák
Le Corsaire Overture
The Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto
Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso
Symphony No.9, ‘From the
New World’
John Nelson
Yi-Jia Susanne Hou
Conductor
Violin
Berlioz’s concert overture is remarkable for its rhythmic
verve and energy. Composed while holidaying in Nice,
this exuberant seascape evokes the play of wind, sea and
waves. From French beaches to the Orient, Chen Gang/
He Zhanhao’s programmatic Violin Concerto encapsulates
ancient China with its use of oriental sonorities and techniques. This beautiful work is played
here by Yi-Jia Susanne Hou, who was praised by world-renowned virtuoso Yehudi Menuhin as
‘absolutely phenomenal’. The lively showpiece Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso is followed
by the perennial favourite, Dvořák’s ‘New World’ Symphony.
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JUNE – JULY
OCTOBER–NOVEMBER
TUESDAY 25TH OCTOBER 2016, 7.30PM
Symphonic Soundscapes:
The Music of Prokofiev and Sibelius
Sibelius
Prokofiev
Sibelius
The Swan of Tuonela
Piano Concerto No.3
Symphony No.2
Alexander Shelley Conductor
Anna Fedorova
Piano
After roaring success with his From Paris to New York,
Alexander Shelley has compiled another series, focusing
on music by eminent composers Sibelius and Prokofiev.
Conducting and presenting these concerts, the RPO’s
Principal Associate Conductor is knowledgeable, dynamic
and engaging. Also joining him on stage is the young pianist Anna Fedorova performing
Prokofiev’s sublime Third Piano Concerto. From calm and melancholic to powerful and
passionate, this concert has something for everyone.
TUESDAY 29TH NOVEMBER 2016, 7.30PM
RPO Legacy Concert
Mozart
Tchaikovsky
Bruch
Saint-Saëns
The Magic Flute Overture
Eugene Onegin: Polonaise
Violin Concerto No.1
Symphony No.3, ‘Organ’
Jean-Luc Tingaud
Jennifer Pike
Jonathan Scott
Conductor
Violin
Organ
Hailed by The Independent as ‘simply spectacular’,
Jennifer Pike joins the RPO for Bruch’s fiendish and
heart-wrenching Violin Concerto. Under the direction
of Jean-Luc Tingaud, this concert includes much-adored
orchestral repertoire as the lively Overture to Mozart’s The
Magic Flute and Polonaise from Tchaikovsky’s opera Eugene Onegin. Rounding out the concert
is Saint-Saëns’ epic ‘Organ’ Symphony, famous for pushing the composer to his limits: ‘I gave
everything to it I was able to give. What I have accomplished here, I will never achieve again.’
This is the RPO’s designated 2016 Legacy Concert, which aims to create awareness around the
importance of legacy giving and to thank supporters (members of the RPO 1946 Club) who
have pledged to leave a gift to the Orchestra in their Will. For further information, please visit: www.rpo.co.uk/support-us
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DECEMBER09
TUESDAY 6TH DECEMBER 2016, 7.30PM
A Choral Christmas
Hilary Davan Wetton Conductor
Grace Davidson
Soprano
City of London Choir
Join the Orchestra and the City of London Choir for
a classical Christmas celebration. Led by Hilary Davan
Wetton, the programme includes extracts from
Handel’s Messiah, Britten’s Ceremony of Carols,
Victor Hely-Hutchinson’s Carol Symphony,
Berlioz’s L’enfance du Christ and Bach’s
Christmas Oratorio along with a selection of carols
by John Rutter, Peter Warlock, John Gardner,
William Mathias, Frederick Delius and more.
SUNDAY 18TH DECEMBER 2016, 3PM & 7PM
Christmas er
k
Crac
Nick Davies
Anna-Jane Casey Graham Bickley Conductor
Vocalist
Vocalist
New for 2016, we have several additions to the Christmas Cracker programme, including
arrangements of Michael Bublé’s Christmas (Baby Please Come Home), the Eighties’
festive favourite Last Christmas by Wham! and Mariah Carey’s immortal ballad
All I Want For Christmas Is You – not forgetting the sing-along carols!
With special guest vocalists, this fun, festive concert is back for two delightful
performances of sparkling festive songs and music. With Sloane Square in all its
Christmassy glory, Christmas Cracker is sure to fill you with good cheer and get your
Yuletide celebrations off to a joyful start.
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JANUARY
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WEDNESDAY 18TH JANUARY 2017, 7.30PM
David Gompper
Mendelssohn
Tchaikovsky
Sunburst (UK premiere)
Violin Concerto
Symphony No.4
Emmanuel Siffert
Wolfgang David
Conductor
Violin
Opening tonight’s concert is David Gompper’s energetic
Sunburst which depicts star formation through an
explosive array of tonal colours. The fantastic Austrian
violinist, Wolfgang David, continues the drama as he
joins the Orchestra for Mendelssohn’s much-loved Violin
Concerto; a work of flawless craftsmanship, it moves
from passionate longing in the first movement, through soaring melodies in the second, to
a whirlwind finish. Concluding the concert is Tchaikovsky’s magnificent Fourth Symphony; a
symphony that is dominated by the opening ‘Fate’ motif, but concluding with a jubilant finale.
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JANUARY
The Music of Prokofiev and Sibelius
WEDNESDAY 25TH JANUARY 2017, 7.30PM
Prokofiev
Sibelius
Prokofiev
Symphony No.1, ‘Classical’
Violin Concerto
Symphony No.3
Alexander Shelley Conductor
Chloë Hanslip
Violin
One of the most naturally gifted of all Russian composers, Sergei
Prokofiev once described his musical personality as a mixture
of ‘the classical, innovative, motoric, lyrical and grotesque’.
Tonight the RPO performs two contrasting pieces and experience two different sides of his
personality. Firstly beginning with his delightful Symphony No.1, ‘Classical’, its classical and
lyrical style is completely different to his energetic and bustling Symphony No.3. In between the
two symphonies we welcome outstanding British violinist Chloë Hanslip to perform Sibelius’
passionate Violin Concerto.
SUNDAY 29TH JANUARY 2017, 3PM
Sibelius
Prokofiev
Sibelius
Symphony No.1
Violin Concerto No.1
Symphony No.7
Alexander Shelley Conductor
Ning Feng
Violin
Sibelius’ First Symphony opens the concert with a striking,
brooding clarinet solo setting the scene for this melodic
masterpiece. Beginning in an equally dramatic vein is
Prokofiev’s First Violin Concerto, remarkable for its constraint and lyricism, the whole being
coloured by a magical, fairytale quality. Sibelius’ tempestuous Symphony No.7 provides a
dramatic finish, its single movement full of swelling strings and noble brass, showing off the
power and magnitude of the symphony orchestra.
FEBRUARY
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TUESDAY 14TH FEBRUARY 2017, 7.30PM
Richard Balcombe
Abbie Osmon
Alison Jiear
Mary Carewe
Graham Bickley
Conductor
Vocalist
Vocalist
Vocalist
Vocalist
Join the Orchestra for a perfect way to celebrate
Valentine’s Day as the RPO performs a sparkling
programme of 60s Love Songs. Led by distinguished
conductor Richard Balcombe and vocals from Mary Carewe,
Abbie Osmon, Alison Jiear and Graham Bickley, this evening’s concert
will overflow with unforgettable melodies. The programme consists of
many hits including Music To Watch Girls By, At Last, Downtown,
MacArthur Park, Everlasting Love, Something Stupid, It’s Not
Unusual, God Only Knows along with a medley of
60s TV themes and more.
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MARCH
TUESDAY 14TH MARCH 2017, 7.30PM
Wagner
Elgar
Beethoven
Lohengrin: Prelude to Act 1
Cello Concerto
Symphony No.7
Jac van Steen
Raphael Wallfisch
Conductor
Cello
Wagner likened the strings in his opera Lohengrin to
‘streams of gold, ravishing the senses of the beholder’,
and ravish the senses they certainly do! Following this
we experience the passion and intensity of Elgar’s Cello
Concerto – played here by Raphael Wallfisch – with its
opening torturous chords immediately revealing the work’s
heart-wrenching emotion. And the drama doesn’t end
there, as maestro Jac van Steen leads the Orchestra for Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony,
a work of nobility and orchestral gravitas.
THURSDAY 23RD MARCH 2017, 7.30PM
Mozart Tantum Ergo
Mozart Piano Concerto No.24
Haydn Mass in B-flat major, ‘Theresienmesse’
Hilary Davan Wetton Conductor
Leon McCawley
Piano
Grace Davidson
Soprano
Catherine Carby Mezzo-soprano
Nick Pritchard
Tenor
Tristan HambletonBaritone
City of London Choir
The brooding darkness of this work makes it unique
among Mozart’s concertos. Beginning quietly but
menacingly, the broadly spanned first movement stands
a world apart from the beautiful second movement with
its charm and pure tranquillity. Closing the Concerto,
Mozart returns to the tragic mood of the opening
movement in a whirlwind finale.
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This concert is promoted
in association with
City of London Choir
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MARCH-APRIL
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THURSDAY 30TH MARCH 2017, 7.30PM
Symphonic Soundscapes:
The Music of Prokofiev and Sibelius
Sibelius
Prokofiev
Sibelius
Tapiola
Piano Concerto No.5
Symphony No.5
Alexander Shelley Conductor
Vadym Kholodenko Piano
Alexander Shelley continues his series exploring the works
of Sibelius and Prokofiev, this time welcoming the young
and dynamic Vadym Kholodenko to join him on the
main stage. Opening the concert is Sibelius’ Tapiola tone
poem, evoking the mysterious world of Finnish mythology.
Prokofiev’s Fifth Piano Concerto sets a different scene, exuding a boisterous, buoyant and
blustering atmosphere. With Sibelius’ orchestral writing he wanted to capture the whole world
and with his Fifth Symphony, he did just that.
THURSDAY 6TH APRIL 2017, 7.30PM
Sibelius
Rachmaninov
Tchaikovsky
Karelia: Suite
Piano Concerto No.1
Swan Lake: Ballet Excerpts
Barry Wordsworth Conductor
Natasha Paremski Piano
Tonight’s concert opens with Sibelius’ delightful Karelia
Suite, which with its boldly scored music and theatrical
build ups is somewhat far removed from its original
incarnation as a set of musical tableaux depicting significant
moments in Finnish history. Next Natasha Paremski takes
the lead in Rachmaninov’s youthful First Piano Concerto
which is brimming with an audacious energy that pulses
throughout the piece. Tchaikovsky’s magnificent Swan Lake: Ballet Excerpts concludes the
concert with its instantly recognisable themes, featuring the ever-popular Mazurka, Neapolitan
Dance, Spanish Dance and Black Swan.
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MAY
THURSDAY 4TH MAY 2017, 7.30PM
Wagner
Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg: Overture
Tchaikovsky
Violin Concerto
Rachmaninov
Symphony No.2
Christoph König
Tasmin Little
Conductor
Violin
It seems only apt that we begin this summer concert with
Wagner’s rousing orchestral opening as we welcome
Tasmin Little, an international star of great prestige, to
Cadogan Hall. Under Christoph König – a conductor
of ‘deep intelligence and musicality’ – Tasmin Little will
perform Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto, one of the foremost
concertos of the Romantic era. Another Romantic gem rounds out this
concert in style, as we hear Rachmaninov’s Second Symphony, one of the best loved
symphonies of its kind.
TUESDAY 23RD MAY 2017, 7.30PM
Schubert
Beethoven
Brahms
Symphony No.8, ‘Unfinished’
Piano Concerto No.4
Symphony No.4
Mario Venzago
Danny Driver
Conductor
Piano
The incomplete state of Schubert’s Eighth Symphony
has captured the romantic imagination like no other
piece of music. With its universally loved themes, it has
been the subject of many attempts to complete it; none
of them completely successful. In complete contrast
follows Beethoven’s glorious Piano Concerto No.4, which
abolished formal traditions with a simple statement for
solo piano. Closing the concert is Brahms’ Fourth and
final Symphony, its finale, a radiant passacaglia, uses every
instrument of the orchestra to drive towards the roaring and joyful conclusion.
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JUNE
17
FRIDAY 16TH JUNE 2017, 7.30PM
Debussy
Beethoven
Shostakovich
Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune
Violin Concerto
Symphony No.5
Martyn Brabbins
Jan Mráček
Conductor
Violin
Debussy’s symphonic poem tells the tale of a mythical
faun, playing his pipes alone in the woods. From the
dreamy opening flute tune, the sleepy calm of an
afternoon in the forest is evoked through smooth melodies
and almost improvisatory passages. Beethoven’s Violin
Concerto, meanwhile, bridges the gap between Classical
and Romantic concerto styles with elegance and wit, culminating in a zesty and spirited finale.
This summer concert concludes with Shostakovich’s imposing Fifth Symphony, filled with
wonderful melodies and stirring rhythms, it bursts with power and rebellious beauty.
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friends
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JULY
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BOOKING INFORMATION
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6 or more concerts – 30% discount
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Christmas Cracker, Everlasting Love:
Songs of the Sixties
£48 £38 £28 £18
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SEATING PLAN
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The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra gratefully acknowledges
the generous support of Arts Council England
All details correct at the time of going to press