TICKETS are now on sale for the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra 2014/15 season - and it promises to be a something of a jackpot for lovers of classical music, fans of the hall and, of course, the orchestra and its principal conductor, Vasily Petrenko.
He picks up the baton for the ninth season which celebrates the 175th anniversary of the founding of the Liverpool Philharmonic in 1840 and also that of Tchaikovsky who was born in the very same year. Sibelius came along a good 25 years later and his 150th anniversary will also be marked.
Russian Petrenko will conduct all six of the Tchaikovsky symphonies during this season and the next. Alina Ibragimova performs his Violin Concerto on the composer’s 175thbirthday (7 May); and Nikolai Lugansky performs his Piano Concerto No. 1 (4 March) and Piano Concerto No. 2 (8 March).
Meanwhile, Thomas Dausgaard conducts the orchestra in Sibelius’ last three symphonies, Nos. 5, 6 and 7 (21 May).
And yet another notable date: 2014 would have been the 200th birthday of Adolphe Sax, inventor of the saxophone. US saxophone star Timothy McAllister make his Liverpool debut in the Saxophone Concerto that John Adams wrote for him in 2013, in a concert with Gershwin’s An American in Paris and Strauss’ Symphonie Domestica all conducted by Vasily Petrenko, (27 November).
Yan Pascal TortelierBefore the wraps come off the revamped hall in November, the season gets under way at the Anglican Cathedral on October 25 at a concert conducted by Petrenko which includes the world premiere of Nico Muhly’s Magnificat and Nunc dimittis.
A concert in Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral under the baton of Yan Pascal Tortelier (November 8) is devoted to the music of remembrance.
The newly refurbished hall opens on November 12 with a two-night concert conducted by Vasily Petrenko that includes the world premiere of Double Concerto by James Horner, composer of the film scores for Titanic and Avatar, and performed by brother and sister team Mari (violin) and Håkon (cello) Samuelsen.
Michael Torke (20 November), and former Liverpool Philharmonic Composer-in-Residence Graham Fitkin (7 May) have each composed a Concerto for Orchestra, part of a series of four written for the anniversary to be continued in the 2015-16 season.
Gone But Not Forgotten...TchaikovskyDouble Bass Concerto, written by the celebrated Chinese composer and conductor Tan Dun, whose music includes the film score for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, receives its UK premiere (12 February), performed by Principal Double Bass Marcel Becker, as part of the ongoing series of concerti for the orchestra’s principal players. It is conducted by Darrell Ang and is co-commissioned by Liverpool Philharmonic with the Royal
Concertgebouw Orchestra.
James MacMillan’s A Little Mass has been written especially for Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Choir, Training Choir and Melody Makers and will be conducted by MacMillan in a concert of music for Easter that includes Beethoven’s Overture, Leonore No. 3 and Wagner’s Prelude to Parsifal and Good Friday Music. The MacMillan commission is supported by Sally, Mary and Jonathan Groves to mark the centenary of the Orchestra’s former principal conductor, Sir Charles Groves, and is performed in the month he would have celebrated his 100th birthday (28 March).
Liverpool Philharmonic’s very first concert took place on 12 March, 1840. On the same date in 2015, 175 years later, Vasily Petrenko will conduct the Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Choir and a quartet of world-class soloists in Mendelssohn’s Die Erste Walpurgisnacht, and Beethoven’s Symphony No.9 (10 & 12 March), a work that was one of the highlights of the Orchestra’s early years.
A new partnership with Opera North will see a performance of Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman at Liverpool Philharmonic Hall (8 July). Like Opera North’s highly-acclaimed Ring, the production will presented in a concert staging by Peter Mumford, and conducted by the Company’s Music Director, Richard Farnes.
Petrenko continues his exploration of the music of Elgar in performances of Symphony No. 1 in a concert with Janáček’s House of the Dead, and Berg’s Early Songs performed by soprano Lisa Larsson (29 May); and The Dream of Gerontius (13 June) with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Choir and guest soloists.
Sax Appeal Timothy Mcallister
Other concerts featuring the choir include the season opening concerts in Liverpool’s two Cathedrals, Handel’s Messiah and Rossini’s Stabat Mater.
Classic FM’s John Suchet presents the annual Spirit of Christmas Carol Concerts for the third consecutive year with the Choir, Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Choir, and South African soprano Pumeza Matshikiza also making her Liverpool debut. Liverpool Philharmonic’s festive season also sees jazz royalty, Jacqui Dankworth bring in the New Year with the Orchestra with a concert of swing classics (31 December); and Liverpool Philharmonic’s Family Concerts includes a screening with live orchestral accompaniment of the Disney animation Fantasia (3 January).
View full concert and event listings and buy tickets here.
