'the Orchestra played like a dream'----The Telegraph
The London Philharmonic Orchestra
Recognized today as one of the finest orchestras on the international stage and the oldest orchestra in London, the London Philharmonic Orchestra is among the three top orchestras in Europe besides the Wiener Philharmoniker and the Berliner Philharmoniker.
Following Sir Thomas Beecham's founding tenure, the ensemble's Principal Conductorship has been passed from one celebrated musician to another, amongst them Sir Adrian Boult, Bernard Haitink, Sir Georg Solti, Klaus Tennstedt, Kurt Masur and this time Christoph Eschenbach.
Touring forms a significant part of the Orchestra's performing schedule, and it regularly appears in North America, Europe and the Far East, often headlining at major festivals and concert-hall openings. As a counterpoint to its travels, the Orchestra's membership has itself benefited from increased migratory freedoms, today including outstandingly talented musicians of varying world nationalities from Brazilian to Hungarian.
The London Philharmonic Orchestra has long been embraced by the recording, broadcasting and film industries. It enjoys strong relationships with major record labels and in 2005 began releasing live, studio and archive recordings on its own label CDs which are distributed worldwide. The Orchestra has broadcast regularly on domestic and international television and radio from both the concert hall and the opera house, and has worked extensively with both Hollywood and the UK film industries, recording soundtracks for blockbuster motion pictures including the Oscar-winning score for "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy and scores for "Lawrence of Arabia", "The Mission", "East is East" and "In the Name of the Father".
The London Philharmonic Orchestra has been performing at Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall since its opening, becoming Resident Orchestra in 1992. It plays there around 40 times each season with many of the world's most sought after conductors and soloists. The Orchestra reaches thousands through its varied and extensive program of education work, both community and school-based, which includes the acclaimed offshoot ensembles Renga and the Open Ear Orchestra. Education activities also nurture budding excellence, and in 2005 the Orchestra launched its apprenticeship scheme for young instrumentalists, Future Firsts, who benefit from a year of mentoring and performance opportunities.
Conductor: Christoph Eschenbach
 Christoph Eschenbach, a world-renowned conductor, is one of the most popular music maestros in the international musical circle. Born in Breslau, Germany in 1940, Eschenbach was one of the uprising German pianists after World War II and enjoyed high reputation before he became a conductor. Maestro Eschenbach has collaborated with almost every top symphony orchestra in the world. In 1998, he became the chief conductor of the NDR Symphony Orchestra Hamburg; from 1988 to 1999, he was Music Director of the Houston Symphony Orchestra. In 2000, he served as Music Director of the Orchestre de Paris. In 2003, Christoph Eschenbach was named Music Director of the Philadelphia Orchestra.
Maestro Eschenbach has collaborated with many world-renowned opera houses. In 1984, He made his debut at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in London with Così Fan Tutte. As a regular guest conductor of the Houston Grand Opera, Eschenbach also wielded the baton for Le Nozze di Figaro, Don Juan, Così Fan Tutte, Der Rosenkavalier, Lohengrin, Parsifal, Salomé, and Elektra. In November 2001, Eschenbach conducted the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra with Arabella. In 2005, he conducted the Orchestre de Paris to present Wagner's Lohengrin.
A prolific recording artist over five decades, Christoph Eschenbach has an impressive discography as both a conductor and a pianist on a number of prominent labels. His recordings include works ranging from J.S. Bach to music of our time and reflect his commitment to not just canonical works but the music of the late-20th and early-21st-century as well. Eschenbach's discography includes recordings with the Orchestre de Paris, on the Ondine and Deutsche Gramophone labels and with the London Symphony (Sony/BMG), the Vienna Philharmonic (Decca), the Hamburg NDR Symphony (BMG/Sony & Warner) and the Houston Symphony (Koch) orchestras, among others. Over the past five years, Ondine has released sixteen critically acclaimed recordings featuring Mr. Eschenbach with the Orchestre de Paris and the Philadelphia Orchestra, a number of which have received prestigious honors including BBC Magazine "Disc of the Month," Gramophone "Editors Choice," and the German Record Critics' Award, among others. His recent Ondine recording of the music of Kaija Saariaho with the Orchestre de Paris and soprano Karita Mattila won the 2009 MIDEM Classical Award in Contemporary Music.
Christoph Eschenbach has been granted many honors include the Légion d' Honneur; Commandeur dans l' Ordre des Arts et des Lettres; the Officer's Cross with Star and Ribbon of the German Order of Merit; and the Commander's Cross of the German Order of Merit for outstanding achievements as pianist and conductor. He also received the Leonard Bernstein Award from the Pacific Music Festival, where he was co-artistic director from 1992 to 1998.
In demand as a distinguished guest conductor with the finest orchestras and opera houses throughout the world, Christoph Eschenbach is currently Music Director Designate of the National Symphony Orchestra as well as Music Director Designate of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C. He assumes these posts beginning with the 2010-11 season, and is already playing a key role in planning future seasons, international festivals and special projects for these two prestigious institutions.
Program
Dvorak Carnival Overture
Dvorak Symphony No. 8 in G major
I. Allegro con brio
II. Adagio
III. Allegretto grazioso-Molto vivace
IV. Allegro ma non troppo
Dvorak Symphony No. 9 in E minor "From the New World"
I. Adagio-Allegro molto
II. Largo
III. Scherzo: Molto vivace-Poco sostenuto
IV. Allegro con fuoco
* The concert is held by Publicity Department of Shenzhen Municipal Party Committee and Bureau of Culture of Shenzhen Municipality; sponsored by Special Foundation for the Development of Shenzhen Publicizing and Cultural Undertakings.
London Philharmonic Orchestra - China Tour 2009/10 sponsored by Aviva |