London Symphony Orchestra
The London Symphony Orchestra held its first concert on June 9, 1904, with Hans Richter as conductor. Richter remained principal conductor till 1911, after which Edward Elgar took over the mantle for a year.
Other distinguished conductors who followed Richter and Elgar included Artur Nikisch, Sir Thomas Beecham, Albert Coates, Sir Hamilton Harty, Josef Krips, Pierre Monteux, Istv�¡n Kert�©sz; and in recent times Andr�© Previn, Claudio Abbado, Michael Tilson Thomas and Sir Colin Davis. Ever since its birth, the LSO has honored well-known musical personalities like Sir William Walton, Sir Arthur Bliss, Karl Bohm by making them honorary presidents of the organization.
Going abroad
The London Symphony Orchestra was the first British orchestra to tour abroad when it was only two years old. It visited Paris in 1906, and later became the first British orchestra to travel to the United States (1912), Israel (1960) and Japan (1963). In 1966 the LSO received invitation to take up a biennial residency at the Florida International Festival, and in 1973 was the first to take part in the prestigious Salzburg Festival. The LSO tours about a dozen times a year, holding concerts all over the globe.
Characteristics of LSO music
The London Symphony Orchestra consists of more than a hundred players and gives around 90 concerts a year in the Barbican, its home since 1982 in London. One of the main characteristics of the LSO music is its youthfulness that can be found in performances of composers like Berlioz and Prokofiev. The LSO has mastered the art of varying its sound, producing a variety of tone colors under different conductors like Stokowski, Boult, Solti, Previn, and of course Karl Bohm. It has often rightfully prided itself for having world famous wind soloists like James Galway (flute), Gervase de Peyer (clarinet), and Barry Tuckwell (horn).
The London Symphony Orchestra has always been known for attracting highly talented players. The founding principals of the LSO were known as no less than ‘God’s own’. In recent years, a ‘joint principal’ scheme has been introduced that enables the orchestra to secure musicians of top calibers. It also allows the players the flexibility to pursue solo and chamber careers, and boosts the musical value of the orchestra’s performances.
Motion picture music and recordings
The London Symphony Orchestra has also recorded several motion picture scores, that include all the Star Wars films, Braveheart, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and Superman. The LSO has also performed on many pop recordings, among them being The Beatles’ album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. The LSO maintains its prolific recording activity, with many of the greatest composers and conductors having recorded with it since before the First World War. In 1999, the LSO launched its own CD brand, LSO Live, so that music lovers can have a taste of its finest live performances on disc at an affordable price.
Recent releases
The recent releases by the London Symphony Orchestra include Sibelius Kullervo (CD/SACD), and Smetana M�¡ vlast (CD/SACD) Shostakovich Symphony No 8 (CD/SACD). All of them have been highly appreciated by the critics and general public as well.
Education and community program
The London Symphony Orchestra’s award-winning education and community program, LSO Discovery, brings more than 25,000 to 30,000 people into its contact each year. Recently, the program conducts its operations from LSO St Luke’s, the UBS and LSO Music Education Centre.
LSO Discovery adds one more dimension to its work, dedicating itself to take music to people of every age and from all walks of life. It has recently started work on converting the derelict 18th century Grade I listed church, St. Luke’s in Old Street, to a modern, sophisticated music education facility which will enable the LSO’s education program to expand both nationally and globally. It is to house LSO rehearsals and a diverse mix of evening concerts, and free public lunchtime concerts and community events as well.
Other orchestras
Apart from the London Symphony Orchestra, there are some other London-based orchestras that include the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the English Chamber Orchestra, the Philharmonia and the BBC Symphony Orchestra.
London Symphony Chorus
Established in 1965, the London Symphony Chorus is closely connected with the London Symphony Orchestra. It comprises more than 160 amateur singers from all walks of life. Self-managed, the chorus is run by a council of nine elected representatives. Although it maintains a close link with the LSO, the London Symphony Chorus has carved out an independent entity for itself which enables it to work with other leading orchestras.
The London Symphony Chorus has already earned international acclaim both in concerts and on record. Its music has been described as technically superb, exhilarating, thrilling, lithe, energetic, powerful, and dynamic by the international media.
From its early days, the Chorus has come under the direction of eminent musicians like John Alldis, Arthur Oldham, Richard Hickox, and Stephen Westrop. Since 2001 Joseph Cullen, has added to its rich repertoire of music including the commissioning of new works: John Tavener’s The Myrrh Bearer, for chorus, viola and percussion, was premiÃ?¨red in October 1994, with Yuri Bashmet as viola soloist. Richard Hickox conducted the world premiÃ?¨re of Sir Peter Maxwell Davies’ The Three Kings, a Christmas cantata to a text by George Mackay Brown in October 1995.
Its repertoire includes the great 20th century choral classics like Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius, Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast, Mahler’s Second, Third and Eighth Symphonies, Ravel’s Daphnis et ChloÃ?©, Vaughan Williams’ A Sea Symphony, Britten’s War Requiem and Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana. It can also be identified with Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Berlioz’ Requiem and Te Deum, Brahm’s Requiem, Mozart’s Requiem, Mendelssohn’s Elijah and Verdi’s Requiem.
