Programme information Saturday 7 April to Friday 13 April 2018 WEEK 15 Photo credit: Philharmonia Orchestra / Camilla Greenwell PHILHARMONIA WEEK David Mellor: Sunday 8 April, 7pm to 9pm The Full Works Concert: Monday 9 to Friday 13 April, 8pm to 10pm Classic FM is broadcasting a week-long celebration of the Philharmonia Orchestra, to mark 15 years of the ensemble being known as Classic FM s Orchestra on Tour. During that time, Classic FM and the Philharmonia have worked together to encourage audiences across the UK to experience this wonderful orchestra s live music-making. Over the course of six nights, we ll hear some of their finest performances: from recent, acclaimed releases to archive recordings with great conductors of the past, as we discover more about what makes this world-class orchestra truly special. Classic FM is available across the UK on 100-102 FM, DAB digital radio and TV, at ClassicFM.com and on the Classic FM app. 1
WEEK 15 SATURDAY 7 APRIL 5pm to 7pm: SATURDAY NIGHT AT THE MOVIES with ANDREW COLLINS Andrew Collins has an open-door policy for programme theme ideas, and this week he s following the lead of Classic FM listener Alex O Neill in Shropshire, who has suggested a show celebrating scores from gothic films. This special programme will feature Patrick Doyle s music for Mary Shelley s Frankenstein; Franz Waxman s score for Rebecca; Wojciech Kilar s music for Bram Stoker s Dracula; and a number of collaborations between director Tim Burton and composer Danny Elfman, such as Sleepy Hollow and Edward Scissorhands. 7pm to 9pm: COWAN S CLASSICS with ROB COWAN Rob Cowan delves into his record collection to select two hours of hand-picked recordings. Rob s Artist of the Week is the Latvian conductor Mariss Jansons, whose career stretches back almost fifty years. Over the course of that period, Jansons has been responsible for some of the finest classical recordings ever made; we ll enjoy a selection of those tonight. Rob also selects a favourite by Gabriel Fauré from the annual Classic FM poll to start Beyond the Hall of Fame and follows it up with a lesser-known piece that will surely appeal to fans of the famous Pavane. 9pm to 10pm: DAVID MELLOR S LIGHT MUSIC MASTERS David Mellor hosts the first episode in a brand new series of his Light Music Masters programme. Over the weeks ahead, David will celebrate this often-maligned but much- loved genre of music, shining the spotlight on esteemed British composers of the genre such as Eric Coates, Ronald Binge and Angela Morley. He ll also be taking us Stateside for a selection of recordings from the famous Boston Pops Orchestra and will venture even further afield to discover some rarely-heard Light Music gems from around the world. 2
SUNDAY 8 APRIL 3pm to 5pm: CHARLOTTE HAWKINS Charlotte plays the perfect selection of Classic FM favourites and new discoveries, with a particular focus on young artists as demonstrated with her Young Classical Star. This week, Charlotte shines the spotlight on the Swiss violinist Sebastian Bohren. With ninety concerts each year both as a soloist and chamber musician, he has been described as one of the most interesting talents of his generation. His recording of Beethoven s Violin Concerto in 2016 won him enthusiastic acclaim from the media. This was followed by another recording, released last year, featuring the violin concertos of Mendelssohn, Hartmann and Schubert. 7pm to 9pm: DAVID MELLOR The Philharmonia Orchestra has one of the greatest archives of commercial recordings of any orchestra in the world. Tonight, David Mellor dedicates his programme to the Philharmonia, featuring two of their earliest recordings: Sir Laurence Olivier joining forces with the orchestra for Walton s Henry V, and a young Leonard Bernstein as soloist for Ravel s Piano Concerto. David also recalls great recordings from Herbert Von Karajan, Otto Klemperer, Carlo Maria Giulini and Sir Charles Mackerras, in this two-hour celebration of the Philharmonia s extraordinary back-catalogue. 9pm to 10pm: EVERYTHING YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT CLASSICAL MUSIC with CATHERINE BOTT Catherine Bott explores a different question or theme every Sunday night and this week, she responds to Classic FM listener Nathaniel who has asked about the Strauss dynasty: How many Strauss composers were there? And were they all related? Prepare to find out more about Johann Junior, Josef, Eduard and Richard, as Catherine selects an hour of their finest music. 3
MONDAY 9 APRIL Tonight, Jane Jones begins Classic FM s week-long celebration of the Philharmonia Orchestra, to mark 15 years of the ensemble being known as Classic FM s Orchestra on Tour. During that time, Classic FM and the Philharmonia have worked together to encourage audiences across the UK to experience this wonderful orchestra s live music-making. Over the course of the next five nights, we ll hear some of their finest performances: from recent, acclaimed releases with current Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor Esa-Pekka Salonen, to archive recordings with great conductors of the past including Carlo Maria Giulini and Otto Klemperer as we also discover more about what makes this world-class orchestra truly special. This evening, we open with two fine recordings from Salonen, including a beautiful interpretation of Rachmaninov s Piano Concerto No.2 alongside the Israeli-American pianist Yefim Bronfman. The breadth of the Philharmonia s work is then amply demonstrated: as we ll discover, this is an orchestra equally at home performing film and TV music as it is collaborating with world-class soloists such as Anne-Sophie Mutter. Ludwig van Beethoven Leonore Overture No.2 Conductor: Esa-Pekka Salonen Sergei Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No.2 in C minor Opus 18 Piano: Yefim Bronfman Conductor: Esa-Pekka Salonen Frederick Delius The Walk to the Paradise Garden Conductor: Owain Arwel Hughes Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Violin Concerto No.2 in D major Violin: Anne-Sophie Mutter Conductor: Riccardo Muti Geoffrey Burgon Brideshead Revisited Variations Conductor: Geoffrey Burgon Tomaso Albinoni Oboe Concerto in D major Opus 7 No.6 Oboe: John Anderson Conductor: Simon Wright Gabriel Fauré Apres un reve Opus 7 No.1 Cello: Han-Na Chang Conductor: Leonard Slatkin 4
TUESDAY 10 APRIL Jane Jones presents night two of Philharmonia Week and this evening, we ll enjoy eight very different full works from Classic FM s Orchestra on Tour. The Italian conductor Carlo Maria Giulini had a very happy relationship with the Philharmonia, making a slew of fine recordings with the orchestra in the 1960s. Tonight s concert opens with a selection from his collection of Rossini overtures, still popular to this day. Pastoral, reflective English music comes courtesy of both Elgar and Vaughan Williams; we ll enjoy Romantic music by Ravel and Bruch; and there s a chance to discover a Mozart delight that s rarely performed nowadays: his ebullient Concerto for 2 Pianos. Plus Joshua Bell transports us to the glitz and glamour of New York, with music by the composer whose centenary we re marking this year: Leonard Bernstein. Gioachino Rossini The Silken Ladder Overture Conductor: Carlo Maria Giulini Edward Elgar Serenade in E minor for Strings Conductor: Sir Andrew Davis West Side Story Suite for Violin and Orchestra Violin: Joshua Bell Conductor: David Zinman Maurice Ravel Pavane Pour Une Infante Defunte Conductor: Libor Pesek Johann Nepomuk Hummel Trumpet Concerto in E-flat major Trumpet: John Wallace Conductor: Christopher Warren Green Ralph Vaughan Williams Fantasia on Greensleeves Conductor: Leonard Slatkin Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Concerto for 2 Pianos in E-flat major Pianos: Guher and Suher Pekinel Conductor: Sir Neville Marriner Max Bruch Kol Nidrei Cello: Lynn Harrell Conductor: Vladimir Ashkenazy 5
WEDNESDAY 11 APRIL It s night three of Philharmonia Week and tonight s concert is a collection of some of the world s most popular music, all expertly performed by Classic FM s Orchestra on Tour. We open with the thundering chords of Tchaikovsky s Piano Concerto No.1, before going on to hear the reflective music of Vaughan Williams. A young Itzhak Perlman is our soloist for the famous Beethoven Violin Concerto; the great Luciano Pavarotti treats us to a Neapolitan song; and in between, an endearing performance of music by the oft-neglected English composer Sir Malcolm Arnold. Jane Jones presents. Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No.1 in B-flat minor Opus 23 Piano: Andrei Gavrilov Conductor: Riccardo Muti Ralph Vaughan Williams 5 Variants of Dives and Lazarus Conductor: Leonard Slatkin Ludwig van Beethoven Violin Concerto in D major Opus 61 Violin: Itzhak Perlman Conductor: Carlo Maria Giulini Malcolm Arnold English Dances Opus 33 Conductor: Bryden Thomson Ruggero Leoncavallo Mattinata Tenor: Luciano Pavarotti Conductor: Piero Gamba 6
THURSDAY 12 APRIL Catherine Bott continues Classic FM s celebration of the Philharmonia Orchestra, and she begins with a curtain-raiser by Weber. Further highlights include a beautiful, historic recording of Debussy; a delightful suite of tunes from the TV adaptation of Pride and Prejudice; and a spirited take on the Karelia Suite by Sibelius. The centrepiece of tonight s Full Works Concert, though, is a historic performance of Beethoven s Piano Concerto No.5 ( Emperor ), which sees the Philharmonia conducted by Otto Klemperer joining forces with, a then young, Daniel Barenboim. Carl Maria von Weber Oberon Overture Conductor: Neeme Jarvi Ludwig van Beethoven Piano Concerto No.5 in E-flat major Opus 73 ( Emperor ) Piano: Daniel Barenboim Conductor: Otto Klemperer Jean Sibelius Karelia Suite Conductor: Vladimir Ashkenazy Ottorino Respigh Adagio with Variations for Cello and Orchestra Cello: Alexander Baillie Conductor: Geoffrey Simon Carl Davis Pride and Prejudice Suite Piano: Melvyn Tan Conductor: Carl Davis Ralph Vaughan Williams Norfolk Rhapsody No.1 Conductor: Leonard Slatkin 7
FRIDAY 13 APRIL Catherine Bott concludes Philharmonia Week on Classic FM with a real treat: a complete performance of the Orchestra s new recording of Rachmaninov s Symphony No.2, released just a few days ago. It features the conductor Vladimir Ashkenazy who, as we ll hear, is equally at home at the keyboard as he is on the podium. Ashkenazy s performance of Mozart s Piano Concerto No.23, which precedes the Rachmaninov, is a delight. We open, though, with a rare chance to hear William Walton conducting his own music; also on the programme, two famous works by Elgar and Bizet. William Walton Orb and Sceptre Conductor: William Walton Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Concerto No.23 in A major Piano: Vladimir Ashkenazy (directing the orchestra from the keyboard) Edward Elgar Pomp and Circumstance March No.4 in G major Conductor: Giuseppe Sinopoli Georges Bizet The Pearlfishers Duet Soloists: Placido Domingo, Thomas Hampson Conductor: Eugene Kohn Sergei Rachmaninov Symphony No.2 in E minor Opus 27 Conductor: Vladimir Ashkenazy 8