It was almost 80 years ago that Thomas Beecham founded the London Philharmonic Orchestra, which gave its first concert on 7 October 1932; since 1951 it has been based at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall. Such internationally renowned conductors as Adrian Boult, Bernard Haitink, Georg Solti, Klaus Tennstedt, and Kurt Masur have left their stamp on the LPO during their tenures. In 2007 Vladimir Jurowski was appointed Principal Conductor and since then has introduced numerous new works into its repertoire, including compositions by Korngold, Hartmann, Kancheli, Turnage, and Pintscher. In 2008 Yannick Nézet-Séguin was named Principal Guest Conductor; since 2010 Julian Anderson has served as composer-in-residence. Along with its concert series in Royal Festival Hall, the LPO has regular residencies in Brighton and Eastbourne, and every summer it performs operas as the orchestra for the Glyndebourne Festival. The LPO has given tours around the world: In 1956 it was the first British orchestra to perform in the Soviet Union and in 1973 the first Western orchestra overall to perform in China. The 2010-11 season included tours to Finland, Germany, South Korea, France, Belgium, and Luxembourg, which were generously supported by Aviva as International Touring Partner. The LPO has maintained a busy recording schedule, which includes collaboration with the film industry, since 1932, when it made its first recordings—just three days after its inaugural concert; in 2005 the London Philharmonic established its own label. Through its youth programs, which include student and family concerts and a training program for highly talented emerging musicians, the LPO annually reaches thousands of young people.
LUCERNE FESTIVAL (IMF) debut on 17 August 1992 in works by Beethoven and Strauss under the direction of Klaus Tennstedt; last appearance on 7 September 2005 with Kurt Masur conducting works by Beethoven, Shostakovich, and Tchaikovsky.
June 2011