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No. 10, Big Tree Wharf and the ��̳ Symphony Orchestra

2015-10-20T14:02:31+00:00

��̳ Symphony Orchestra rehearsing with conductor Adrian Boult in ‘No.10’ their new studio on the south bank of the Thames at Big Tree Wharf

It’s 85 years since the ��̳ Symphony Orchestra began life and, its first ever broadcast on the ��̳. The new orchestra was staffed by musicians discovered from across the UK – a first for the UK orchestral scene. We document the orchestra’s first concert and its first home in south London.

The Radio Times lists the first broadcast of the ��̳ Symphony Orchestra given on 22 October 1930 at the Queen’s Hall (now the site of the ��̳’s former office Henry Wood House).

In an article which was later used in ��̳ Symphony Orchestra concert programmes in late-1930, the ��̳ declared:

“It is the aim of the ��̳ that this orchestra should set a standard for English orchestral playing, and should bear comparison with the finest orchestras in the world. With this object in view, not only have the best players obtainable been secured for the principal positions, but the choice of every rank-and-file player has been most carefully considered.”

W.J. Turner introduced the newly formed orchestra in the 14 October edition of the magazine.

“At the Promenades we have had a foretaste of what the ��̳’s new permanent orchestra can do. It’s true that at these concerts only about ninety out of the hundred and fourteen players have been taking part, but the new orchestra on the old Promenade orchestra, and musicians may already congratulate the ��̳ on possessing now a magnificent body of players from whom one may expect excellent things.”

Of the orchestra’s new season, Turner commented:

“The programmes are very well blended, and are, as a rule, not too long. This last is a great merit, for, as a great musician has remarked, music is not to be consumed, but experienced … to listen properly, with due concentration and attention, to music is really tiring.

An hour and three-quarters of intensive listening to exacting music is about as much as most people can manage. After that the attention is apt to wander, and then both playing and listening can become a mere waste of time.”

The opening concert featured Ravel’s Fragments Symphoniques, a suite from the composer’s ballet Daphnis et Chloe which had premiered 18 years before. The programme also included Wagner’s Flying Dutchman Overture, the Saint-Saens Cello Concerto, and Brahms’s fourth Symphony.

Of the concert, the Daily Mail reviewer wrote on 23 October, “So far as the sheer physical quality of the sound is concerned, the reputation of the new ��̳ Symphony Orchestra was made so soon as it had played the National Anthem at the beginning of last night’s concert at Queen’s Hall.” The Daily Express had this to say: “If the ��̳ Orchestra continue as they have begun, we should have a combination second to none in Europe.”

Big Tree Wharf under renovation, soon to be the home of the new ��̳ Symphony Orchestra

The orchestra’s new rehearsal venue also doubled up as a dedicated studio for the band. ‘Big Tree Wharf’ situated back from the Thames close to Waterloo station, accessed via a dingy alleyway. It was a vast space, suitable to accommodate the orchestra’s 114 players. The orchestra began using the ‘rudimentary’ premises after a month of renovations. According to the Radio Times that week, ‘No.10’ was, “the largest studio in the world”, with 4,600 square feet of ‘emerald green carpet’ and ‘primrose walls 30 feet high’

Former Radio 3 Controller Nicholas Kenyon shared anecdotes of rats scurrying up and down the stairs down to the studio which often caught the attention of alarmed players during rehearsals and “a big cloth draped from the ceiling about 20 feet from the ground” contributing to the good acoustics. An on-site strong room provided secure storage for the brass players’ instruments, something of a surprise to a policeman in the area who was reported: “Many a time’s that roof been stripped of lead. They’ll have to be careful of their brass.” It was here that Schonberg, Webern, Stravinsky, Richard Strauss and Bruno Walter visited, rehearsing and performing with the orchestra. According to Kenyon, “No.10 is remembered with much affection.”

The ��̳ Symphony Orchestra began a long series of Sunday evening concerts the following weekend which ran until June the following year. The series was advertised as including,

“… much of the best-loved orchestral music in the world, music which is so often heard that only its own intrinsic beauty keeps it from any fear of growing stale. And if some names appear, of which the simple-hearted listener is still a little shy, there is no cause for alarm; only such new works will be included as have proved already that they are liked on their own merits.”

Jon Jacob is Editor, About the ��̳ Blog

The ��̳ Symphony Orchestra’s 2015/16 season is currently underway, tickets can be booked via the orchestra’s website. The next concert at the Barbican Concert Hall is on Wednesday 21 October.
Listen to clips of the Orchestra online
Find out more about the ��̳ Symphony Orchestra on the ��̳ Music website

��̳ Scottish Symphony Orchestra's and guests to tour India

2014-02-13T12:18:54+00:00

In just under two months, the ��̳ Scottish Symphony Orchestra flies to India - taking with us three of Scotland’s greatest musical ambassadors; the wonderful Nicola Benedetti, the brilliant James MacMillan and the inspirational Paul Rissmann, plus 16 students from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS) - for two weeks of incredible musical encounters in Chennai, Delhi and Mumbai.

We’re not the first orchestra to visit India; many have gone before us. We think though, that our project is maybe one of the most distinctive and ambitious.

Over three years in the planning – thanks here to the British Council for their unending support - the prospect of taking the ��̳ SSO to India has grown steadily larger in my mind and many of my colleagues. For months now, rarely a day has gone by when the subject of India hasn’t been raised. On 25^th March, it becomes a reality.

There will of course be public concerts in each city – we’re taking with us music by Mendelssohn, Mozart and Tchaikovsky amongst many others – but there will also be full scale orchestral concerts for thousands of local school children, smaller-scale ensemble concerts, demonstrations and creative workshops, as well as talks and masterclasses.

I mentioned 16 students from the RCS. 14 of them will be sitting beside the professionals of the ��̳ Scottish Symphony Orchestra (��̳ SSO) - each one selected by rigorous, professional-standard audition and each one playing an integral and crucial role in our performances. This very special and unique orchestra will not only perform to thousands of people of all ages in each city, they will also be contributing to a huge variety of content for radio, television and online. That’s where the other 2 students come in.

Working hand in hand with our ��̳ SSO production team, and colleagues from ��̳ Learning, plus many others, the students – from the RCS Screen department – will help us to make sure as much of this extraordinary project is captured and broadcast across as many UK and international networks as possible.

It all begins in Chennai, with a three-day residency at the Sir Mutha Venkatassubba Rao Concert Hall. This 1,100 seater hall is a fairly recent addition to the Lady Andal Trust, an extraordinary organisation which devotes its time and energies to supporting underprivileged children. As we have come to realise, music plays a huge role in developing young lives in India too.

We’ll also visit the KM Music Conservatory in Chennai - a state of the art higher education music and technology college, founded and led by the incomparable A.R.Rahman. Known to many of us for his Academy Award winning score to Slumdog Millionaire, he was named by TIME magazine in 2009 as one of the world’s 100 most influential people. Rahman is a phenomenon – unbelievably successful as composer, performer and music producer. As well as working with his higher education students, we’ll meet the Sunshine Orchestra – a group of 50 young Sistema-like string players from local schools.

Slumdog Millionaire composer and founder of KM Music Conservatory, A R Rahman

We have in fact already met some of the KM students in Glasgow. At the end of January, 22 of them travelled to Glasgow for the Celtic Connections Festival. Joining up with the ��̳ Scottish Symphony Orchestra, vocal students from the RCS and Rahman himself, they took part in an extraordinary concert of the great man’s music at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. In front of a wildly enthusiastic audience – Rahman's 16.5million Facebook friends don’t do ticket sales any harm – the concert was broadcast live on the ��̳ Asian Network, brilliantly presented by Bobby Friction.

After Chennai, we’ll set off for Delhi, with three performances in the 1,700 seat Siri Fort Auditorium.

The third and final leg of our takes us to Mumbai and the National Centre for the Performing Arts, where we’re planning what may turn out to be the most ambitious and hair-raising bit of the entire trip! A live broadcast on Sunday 6^th April for ��̳ Radio 3’s Live in Concert. Mendelssohn Hebrides Overture, Mozart’s 5^th Violin Concerto with Nicola Benedetti and Tchaikovsky’s 4^th Symphony – plus some Scottish surprises at the end.

The roots of this project are firmly in education, opportunity and cultural exchange. We’re doing it now because the 2014 Commonwealth Games gives us the perfect opportunity to celebrate the cultures of our two great nations. We’re hoping we can play a small part in nurturing and inspiring future generations, helping to develop cultural and educational links across continents and most importantly of all, make some new friends.

Professor John Wallace, Principal of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland sums it up rather nicely: “The tour of India is the most incredible opportunity for our students. Our partnership with ��̳ Scotland is enabling them to experience first-hand, mentored by professionals, the interface between the West and one of the most dynamic cultures in the world. With James MacMillan conducting and Nicola Benedetti as soloist, it does not get any better than this.”

Gavin Reid is Director of the ��̳ Scottish Symphony Orchestra.

Nicola Benedetti discusses Szymanowski on the ��̳ SSO Youtube channel.
Read violinist Julian Gregory's blog about the ��̳ Philharmonic's tour of Japan.

'Sondheim: Inside Out' on ��̳ Radio 3

2013-12-16T11:12:40+00:00

Laura Michelle-Kelly, Kim Criswell, Michael Xavier, Maria Friedman and Turlough Convery

Stephen Sondheim occupies a special place in a musical theatre fan's heart. Stage productions or concerts featuring the man's music are notable in the first instance by a palpable sense of excitement amongst the audience as they wait for events to unfold on stage. It is as though something very special, very dear and something incredibly personal is being laid on especially for us. It's Christmas morning scheduled earlier for us than everyone else, whether it be in the height of summer or when the leaves start to fall.

Of course, I'm biased. I was introduced to the music of Stephen Sondheim when I met my partner who - during the 'You play me your favourite music after I've played you mine' phase - introduced me to every one of Sondheim's musicals, helpfully pointing out the witticisms in every single lyric. Sondheim's music is now hard-wired, now the musical soundtrack to an important part of my life. If you're wondering ... my favourite is A Little Night Music. I think.

Little wonder then that Sondheim-related events not only conjure up happy wistful memories which in turn reconnect me with the sense of excitement and wonder I experienced when we first met, but also make me feel as though I'm getting a taste of what the many London productions I missed before I was introduced to Sondheim's music might have been like.

Such potent memories are encapsulated in a variety of clips from the 80th birthday celebration concert for Stephen Sondheim mounted by the ��̳ Proms in 2010. From the plea to the 4,500 strong audience to switch off their mobile phones in Invocations and Instructions to the Audience, to the endearing camp of Everybody Ought To Have A Maid, via an electrifying performance of Being Alive by Julian Ovendon, and a heart-breaking rendition of Send in the Clowns from Judi Dench, the audience reaction not only acknowledges world-class, and in some cases definitive, performances in my opinion, but also illustrates the warmth for Stephen Sondheim (he was sat in the stalls during the performance) and the collective enthusiasm for his work. (For the sake of balance, it's worth pointing out that not everyone is as fanatical about Sondheim's music as I am, necessarily.)

The ��̳ Concert Orchestra reprised some elements of that 2010 concert a few weeks back in October for an event which formed part of the landmark Rest Is Noise festival - the major examination of 20th century music staged by Southbank London this year of which the ��̳ Four series The Sound and the Fury also formed part of. The concert was recorded 'as live' for broadcast on ��̳ Radio 3 on Friday 20 December at 2pm. I can confirm, because I went along, that the audience was just as excited then as they were for the Prom concert four years before. Bliss.

The programme was - inevitably - a little different. It wasn't intended to be a strict repeat. Instead, the Sondheim: Inside Out concert contained a handful of standards, a couple of relative unknown numbers and a whole host other treats bound to make a fan's heart beat a little faster than normal. Musical stalwarts Kim Criswell and Maria Friedman led the line-up, aided and abetted by Michael Xavier and Laura Michelle-Kelly. This in itself was a treat - a chance to see hugely talented and experienced individuals demonstrate their art for an eager audience.

But this event was special for another reason. A relative newcomer to the musical theatre scene also joined the line-up, singing in - what I later learnt was his first show with a full-scale orchestra just months after graduation: Turlough Convery won the Stephen Sondheim Society award this year and was invited to perform in the concert by the show's producer (and soon to appear in Gangsta Granny), Julia McKenzie.

Turlough Convery talks about his appearance at the 'Sondheim:Inside Out' concert.

Turlough's first song? A hilarious and rather touching rendition of I'm Calm from A Funny Thing Happened On the Way To the Forum, with him offsetting his character's obvious nerves by frantically blowing into a paper bag in between phrases. A must-listen in the run-up to Christmas.

Jon Jacob is Editor, About the ��̳ Blog and website.

Listen to Sondheim: Inside Out' on ��̳ Radio 3 on Friday 20 December at 2pm

Finishing what we started - The ��̳ Philharmonic in Japan

2013-05-14T14:57:27+00:00

In March of 2011, The ��̳ Philharmonic's concert tour of Japanese cities was curtailed by the earthquake and ensuing tsunami. There was nothing an orchestra could do to help; but, two years later, the band returned to finish the tour, fill in the gaps, and deliver a positive message.

Maybe this time they could do something.

Orchestra leader, Yuri Torchinsky, inadvertantly passes an advert that sums up the reason for our trip

What was the ��̳ Philharmonic doing in Japan anyway? Doesn’t Japan have their own orchestras?

Well, yes, they do; and very good ones too. But touring is an integral part of orchestral life; as a herd of unlikely diplomats we perform our peculiarly feisty British take on music across the world, saying 'hello' in the one true international language. Music is an intimate connection, and we like to say hello; audiences across the world like to say it back. The system works well.

That's what the ��̳ Philharmonic were up to on the 11th of March 2011, heading across Yokohama suspension bridge for the rehearsal to the evening show of Mendelsshon, Rachmaninov and Berlioz, in three coaches, when the earth moved, and the world stopped. Yokohama performed an enthusiastic parody of the Tacoma Narrows bridge, with us on it, and left the team of over one hundred musicians and organisers in no doubt that something profound had just happened. It had.

This is where the edit happens- we rehearsed for the concert, fearful, dazed and baffled, as the news rolled in of the disaster further North in Sendai and Fukushima. The concert was off, and, it slowly dawned, so was the tour, and the ��̳'s high risk unit rushed us home in one breath.

Two years passed, with a promise that we'd return and finish the job. Cue the edit … and suddenly here we were, rehearsing the same programme, with the same conductor and soloist, for the same concert. 'Hey, we're puttin' the band back together!' The edit was seamless.

And so, with Yutaka Sado, inspiringly positive and smiliest of conductors, and Nobuyuki Tsuji, the most exquisite and beautiful of piano players, we were off, making our way across Japan, town by city; 12 concerts, 11 venues, 25 coach journeys, bullet trains at 165mph, queues at 0mph, and a total audience of thousands. There was something significant to the Japanese people about our return; we had a reason to do this tour and they understood that. The tickets for each concert sold out a year ago, in 40 minutes or less. Is it possible to feel more welcome?

Every concert began with a piece that wasn't printed in the programme, and each time Yutaka spoke to the audience about the reason for it; that we were about to say something to them, in memory of the tsunami victims. From the silence that followed his words, we began Nimrod from Elgar's Enigma variations, and it wasn't so easy and straightforward as it is at the Proms. Why? Because, finally, we had a way to speak directly to the heart of the people, having experienced the unfolding disaster of 2011 and having retreated helplessly to the safety of home. The emotions felt on both sides were deep and lasting, and no-one escaped. Nimrod is noble and unsentimental, yet profound and personal, written by a friend for a friend. It was the right piece to play, and it set up the feel of the concerts; we were friends.

Japanese audiences are, as you might expect, technically the best in the world. Either they cough in the loud bits with great precision, or they are healthy beyond belief. They are perfectly quiet and focused- they don't drop programmes and their phones don't go off; they stay afterwards to applaud the stage hands as they de-rig, and they line up in the car park to wave the orchestra off in their coaches. They gasp in appreciation when the orchestra stands to take their applause, and they moisten up around the eyes at the appropriate moments in the music. Add to this the unspoken understanding of the reason for our visit, and you have no ordinary tour. The concerts were magic.

Our tour managers, Crystal Arts in Japan, ran the logistics with breathtaking efficiency. Despite the damage done by the earthquake, Japan still runs at a powerful and dynamic pace. But our hosts were not only efficient, they were generous, on one occasion unloading an entire symphony orchestra from three coaches into the bar featured in that famous fight sequence from Tarantino's Kill Bill, for a surreal experience involving seafood and Taittinger, but without the fighting.

This tour was business, with pleasure.

Every concert was a special event for us, and that's the glue that helps to keep an orchestra what it is; a unit of many different people pursuing a unified end. We don't produce anything you can use or even shake a stick at; our CDs and recordings are permanent, but what we really do is something you have to be there for. We can say 'hello' in any language you care to name, and we say it with one voice; in this visit to Japan we had something important to say, and I think we said it well. We were all touched in some way by the experience; one hardened pro observed that this tour had made him feel like a student again, and he wasn't alone. The connection between one island and another was bridged, like Yokohama and the world before the earthquake, by music, and the connection feels permanent.

Julian Gregory is a violinist in the ��̳ Philharmonic Orchestra.

He also documented the orchestra’s tour to Japan on Tumblr.
Listen to performances recorded in Japan on Radio 3’s Afternoon on 3 all this week and via ��̳ iPlayer.
Find out more about the ��̳ Philharmonic’s concert programme including appearances at the 2013 ��̳ Proms.
The ��̳ Philharmonic is also on Twitter - @��̳Philharmonic - and Facebook.

��̳ Philharmonic Presents ... Pet Shop Boys

2012-12-06T16:02:35+00:00

One of the great joys of working in radio at the ��̳ is the simplicity that drives so much of its programming. Picture this: I walk into Jeff Smith’s office (Head of Music, Radio 2) to discuss the ��̳ Philharmonic Presents… festival, he lists a dozen big time artists, I like the suggestion of the Pet Shop Boys (not least as they came to our Radio 1 collaboration with Nero for last year’s festival), and a few weeks later it’s settled.

��̳ Philharmonic Presents...Pet Shop Boys

Of course, the complexity then begins as the teams at the Philharmonic and Radio 2 dovetail to connect the spiderweb of detail that builds the concept into a concert.

��̳ Philharmonic Presents… is a radio festival that places the orchestra on all the national ��̳ networks where we deliver the full power and emotion of the 90 orchestra musicians for the full gamut of audiences. So far we’ve collaborated with Richard Hawley, The xx, Kermode and Mayo’s Film Review (for a James Bond Special), the Guy Barker Big Band playing Miles Davis, QB for the Asian Network and, later this month, The Listening Project for Radio 4. From Bridlington to Blackpool with Bradford in between, and in Sheffield and Salford, we’ve cut a swathe across the north of England with thrilling live and unique shows.

In Concert, from the orchestra's perspective

The usual ‘day’ job for the ��̳ Philharmonic comprises 75 broadcast concerts and recordings for Radio 3. The orchestra creates the broadcasts from a full schedule including its annual concert season in Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall; international tours twice a year (including a return to Japan in 2013 to complete our 2011 tour that was cut short by the earthquake); concerts across the north of England, in our studio and at regular ��̳ Proms appearances.

Neil Tennant

The eight ��̳ Philharmonic Presents… shows provide a welcome change of style for the musicians, with the expectation of plenty of flexibility, as well as new ways of working for the orchestra’s team as a whole. And meeting Pet Shop Boys to put the finishing touches on the show provided me with a delightful moment; Neil Tennant offering to make a cup of tea.

With nearly 25,000 applications for tickets there is the highest of expectations; no problems, we’ll meet it.

Richard Wigley is General Manager, ��̳ Philharmonic

The Pet Shop Boys concert with the ��̳ Philharmonic was broadcast on ��̳ Radio 2 on Thursday 6 December 2012. It's now available via the ��̳ iPlayer.

More pictures of the event can be found on the ��̳ Philharmonic Facebook page.

The ��̳ Symphony Orchestra rehearsing for the Last Night of the Proms

2011-09-09T15:45:01+00:00

Tomorrow night sees the climax of this year's ��̳ Proms. It's been a record-breaking season - with 94% attendance for evenings at the Royal Albert Hall. Over 300,000 will have attended a Prom by the time the season finishes. In July, on the day of the First Night, we spoke to Proms Director Roger Wright about his hopes for the season. Yesterday we spent the afternoon with Conductor Edward Gardner as he rehearsed the ��̳ Symphony Orchestra and soprano Susan Bullock for the Last Night. Click 'play' for the result. It's going to be a remarkable evening.

Steve Bowbrick is editor of About the ��̳

The Last Night of the Proms - featuring Bartok, Britten, Wagner, Grainger and, of course, all the traditional pomp and circumstance - begins at 7.30pm tomorrow evening. You can listen live on Radio 3 (or in HD Sound on the Radio 3 web site) or watch on ��̳ 1 and ��̳ 2. Details on the Proms web site.
More about the record-breaking audiences for Proms 2011 on the ��̳ Press Office web site.
Phil Hall, the ��̳ Symphony Orchestra's sub-principal viola player, reflects on twenty years of Last Nights on the ��̳ TV blog.

This Time Eighty Years Ago

2010-10-22T07:39:19+00:00

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/aboutthebbc/violins_at_barbican_credit_lara_platman.jpg

As I sit here in Maida Vale's Studio 1 watching the load-in of what looks like the national supply of percussion instruments, I wonder what my predecessor might have been thinking 80 years ago today in the lead up to the very first concert by the newly-created ��̳ Symphony Orchestra. The Orchestra had been formed from the finest players in the land (and beyond) to bring a range of quality orchestral performance to the widest possible audience as part of the fledgling ��̳'s commitment to inform, educate and entertain. Created in a time of economic difficulty when the ��̳ wanted to enrich people's lives through its public service ethos, on 22 October 1930 the ��̳ Symphony Orchestra embarked on that mission to great acclaim and changed the landscape of British orchestral life for ever.

The opportunity to celebrate the ��̳ Symphony Orchestra's 80th birthday gives us a chance to reflect on that original mission and how central it still is to what the orchestra does today. If bold programming alone were enough to demonstrate our distinctiveness, then we've thrown down the gauntlet this time. On Friday we open with the very first piece the orchestra performed, the overture to Wagner's opera The Flying Dutchman. We close with Stravinsky's massive ballet score The Rite of Spring (which also changed the course of musical history and caused a riot in doing so), which many people will have first heard as part of Walt Disney's animated classic Fantasia (remember the scary bit with the dinosaurs, the earthquake and the volcanoes?)

Now - I have a terrific management team here; second to none. They can handle just about anything and, like the players, they are usually up for a 'challenge'. Indeed the concert will be as much a showcase of their work as it will of the Orchestra's. So when we co-commissioned Stephen McNeff to write a concerto for the Orchestra and percussionists Owen Gunnell and Oliver Cox (collectively known as O Duo) and then co-commissioned a brand-new concerto by Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho for her compatriot, the astonishing virtuoso clarinettist Kari Kriikku, they barely blanched.

Maybe when we invited the distinguished American director Peter Sellars to stage the work, with lighting, movement for soloist and orchestra and decided to show short archive films of the orchestra in action with each of its twelve chief conductors going back to Adrian Boult, the team's collective brow furrowed for a moment. But they're all downstairs rehearsing it now; the stage management team are smiling and conductor David Robertson is in control. I think it'll be an event to remember.

That's why I love this job and this Orchestra; there isn't another one like it anywhere and there probably never was. They have the right attitude; they play magnificently and are backed by a first class team. If a drink or two is enjoyed after the concert on Friday it will be richly deserved and, when I hear a composer sigh with pleasure and remark 'only the ��̳ could do such a programme', I think we've got it right still.

Paul Hughes is General Manager of the ��̳ Symphony Orchestra

The ��̳ Symphony Orchestra's 80th birthday celebrations are taking place today at the Barbican in London and the concert is broadcast on ��̳ Radio 3 on 27 October at 7pm.

Visit the ��̳ Symphony website for more about the celebrations

The photograph of Paul Hughes was taken by Tony Gamble and the violins at the Barbican photograph was taken by Lara Platman.

About the ������̳ Feed

No. 10, Big Tree Wharf and the ������̳ Symphony Orchestra

������̳ Scottish Symphony Orchestra's and guests to tour India

'Sondheim: Inside Out' on ������̳ Radio 3

Finishing what we started - The ������̳ Philharmonic in Japan

������̳ Philharmonic Presents ... Pet Shop Boys

The ������̳ Symphony Orchestra rehearsing for the Last Night of the Proms