The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is delighted to bring you its latest

news, including highlights of recent tours, education projects and more. Please

see below for a reminder about the Orchestra’s upcoming series of captivating

concerts at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall from January–June 2015,

featuring a host of critically acclaimed artists and conductors (full details can be

found in the enclosed brochure). RPO friends save 50% on tickets – we look

forward to seeing you at an RPO concert soon!

W

More music for less!

Tuesday 27th January 2015, 7.30pmArtistic Director and Principal

Conductor Charles Dutoit, who is

renowned for his impressive

interpretations of modern

repertoire, conducts a 20th-

century operatic masterpiece:

Bartók's Duke Bluebeard's Castle

– a haunting and intriguing tale of a duke whose dark

secrets, which lie behind seven locked doors of his

dark castle, are gradually unveiled by his new wife.

elcome

ROYAL

PHILHARMONIC

ORCHESTRA

RPO friends’ newsletter – December 2014

- Half-price tickets to RPO ‘own-promotion’ concerts in London (up to two tickets per concert)

- Priority ticket allocation and dedicated booking line

- FREE passes to RPO ‘own-promotion’ rehearsals in London (two per rehearsal; please contact us to book)

- 10% off house wine and the tea/coffee & cake deal at Cadogan Hall (please show your friends’ card at the bar)

- Discounted CDs

RPO friends’ benefits – at a glance!

RPO friends save 50% on tickets. Visit www.rpo.co.uk/friends, phone 020 7608 8855 (M–F, 10–6) or email friends@rpo.co.uk.

Charles Dutoit conducts

Duke Bluebeard’s Castle

Tuesday 14th April 2015, 7.30pmFollowing the magnificent RPO

concert of Beethoven’s

Symphony No.9 with Canada’s

National Art Centre Orchestra on

27th October 2014, the

phenomenal soloist Pinchas

Zukerman returns to the Royal

Festival Hall to perform Elgar’s Violin Concerto, a

work of great lyricism and power, and of which

Zukerman’s masterful interpretation is celebrated.

Pinchas Zukerman performs

Elgar’s Violin Concerto

Wednesday 6th May 2015, 7.30pmWorld-renowned conductor

Tadaaki Otaka conducts William

Walton's masterpiece

Belshazzar's Feast, which tells

the story of Belshazzar, the

Babylonian king who commits

sacrilege alongside the Jews who

are in exile in Babylon. The Orchestra is also joined

by the outstanding The Bach Choir and mesmerising

bass-baritone Neal Davies.

Tadaaki Otaka conducts

Belshazzar's Feast

Tuesday 9th June 2015, 7.30pmJoin internationally acclaimed

conductor Thomas Dausgaard

for a sublime performance of

Schubert's C major Symphony,

‘The Great’, which reveals the

composer at the peak of his

powers, unfolding an array of

wonderful melodies. Plus, the outstanding pianist

Natasha Paremski will perform Brahms' dramatic

Piano Concerto No.1.

Thomas Dausgaard

conducts The Great Symphony

How did you become involved

with the RPO?

After leaving the Royal College of

Music, I went back to Singapore

to fulfil my National Service in the

army. I then returned to London

to work as a freelance musician,

before becoming a member of

the RPO in January 2014.

What inspired you to become a

musician as a child?

It was my Dad – he used to listen

to the classical music radio station

in Singapore every day when I

was growing up. Belonging to the

youth orchestra there as a

teenager also inspired me to

become a professional musician.

Who have you enjoyed working

with the most whilst in the RPO?

Charles Dutoit, our Artistic

Director and Principal Conductor,

and soloists like Martha Argerich

and Radu Lupu. I love the

sincerity of their music-making.

What has been the most

valuable piece of advice you

have been given in relation to

music?

I think the phrase ‘If you make a

mistake in performance, forgive

yourself immediately’ is very

good advice.

What do you listen to in your

spare time?

I often have music on during the

day, whether it’s whilst I’m

travelling or cooking or having a

rare spare moment. It could be

anything from Rameau to

Radiohead.

Chian Lim

– Tutti Viola

A collection of the greatest Christmas carols written

by John Rutter, a composer/conductor whose music

has, for many, been greatly associated with

Christmas. The special festive CD features The Bach

Choir and is conducted by Rutter himself.

Order now! Just £10 for RPO friends (R.R.P. £12).

RPO friends save 50% on tickets. Visit www.rpo.co.uk/friends, phone 020 7608 8855 (M–F, 10–6) or email friends@rpo.co.uk.

RPO Christmas CDs

Set one snowy Christmas Eve, the evocative score of

Tchaikovsky's magical ballet charmingly brings to life

the fantasy world of Clara and her Nutcracker Prince.

Highlights include Waltz of the Flowers and Dance

of the Sugar Plum Fairy.

Just £10 for RPO friends (2 CD set, R.R.P. £12).

All your festive favourites on one CD! Tracks

include: Let It Snow, Mary's Boy Child, Winter

Wonderland, Sussex Carol, A Babe is Born and

The Nutcracker Suite, featuring guest vocalists and

the Royal Choral Society.

Just £10 for RPO friends (2 CD set, R.R.P. £12).

To order any of these CDs in time for Christmas, please place your order

by Monday 15th December at the latest by calling 020 7608 8837

(Mon–Fri, 10am–6pm) or emailing cdsales@rpo.co.uk.

If you haven’t yet booked for one

of the RPO’s upcoming Yuletide

concerts, there are a few last seats

remaining, on which RPO friends

save 50%!

Forthcoming festive highlights

include: John Rutter’s Christmas

Celebration on Thursday 11th

December, 3pm & 7.30pm at the Royal Albert Hall, Swinging Sixties at

Christmas on Wednesday 17th December, 7.30pm, and Christmas

Cracker on Saturday 20th December, 3pm & 7.30pm – both at Cadogan

Hall. Book now to avoid disappointment!

RPO Christmas concerts

Christmas Classics

The Nutcracker

John Rutter – The Colours of Christmas

The Orchestra warmly welcomes

Christopher West (No.2 Double

Bass) this December and says a

very sad goodbye to Russell

Gilbert (First Violin), who has

recently retired. Russell joined

the RPO in 1989; his dedication

and fine playing will be greatly

missed by us all. We wish him a

happy and fulfilling retirement.

The RPO office welcomes

Rebecca Leshures as our new

Marketing Volunteer. Rebecca, a

pianist, recently moved to London

from New York City to further her

career in arts administration.

Thank you very much to John

Bowker who has now finished his

work experience here; we wish

him all the best for the future.

Sophie Plumb (Community and Education Coordinator) tells us about

RPO resound’s recent project called ‘ConneXXions’:

“RPO resound joined forces with the National Arts Centre Orchestra of

Ottawa (NACO) to mark the centenary of World War I. On 28th October

(the morning after the RPO’s concert with NACO at the Royal Festival

Hall), two youth ensembles – one from the UK and the other from

Canada – joined together through a live high-definition internet relay to

perform their brand-new compositions to each other.

“In the UK, workshop leader Tim Steiner

led Brent Youth Concert Band (pictured

right and below) in creating a new piece,

inspired by the music of Elgar (in

particular, Nimrod from ‘Enigma’

Variations and Pomp and Circumstance

Marches) and also by the themes of

resilience and strength during times of

great adversity, which they performed at

the Royal College of Music. Across the

Atlantic, renowned Canadian composer

Abigail Richardson worked alongside the

Colonel By Secondary School Band to

create their piece, inspired by the story of

one of the band members’ own

grandfather’s experience on the front line during the Great War.

“Not only were both ensembles able to listen to each other perform

their new works, they were also treated to a ‘Q&A’ session with and a

world premiere performance by virtuoso percussionist Dame Evelyn

Glennie. The memories of this very special project will no doubt remain

with the young people involved for many years to come.”

If you would like to watch these performances online, please visit

www.nac-cna.ca/en/orchestra/event/9102.

News &

Moves

RPO friends save 50% on tickets. Visit www.rpo.co.uk/friends, phone 020 7608 8855 (M–F, 10–6) or email friends@rpo.co.uk.

RPO resound

Don’t miss the RPO’s epic

Symphonic Rock show on Friday

1st May 2015, 7.30pm, held

within the awe-inspiring

surroundings of the Royal Albert

Hall. Including hits by: The Verve,

Coldplay, Adele, Elbow, U2,

Procol Harum, Survivor, Bon Jovi,

Queen and Led Zeppelin!

New for 2015: A special tribute to

The Beatles' No.1 hits, including

All You Need Is Love, Let It Be,

Help! and Penny Lane.

Tickets: £58.33–£16.18 (before

discounts and booking fees).

Symphonic

Rock 2015

RPO friends have exclusive access to

rehearsals of all RPO ‘own-promotion’

concerts in London. Usually held between

3–6pm on the day of the concert, this is

an excellent (not to mention FREE!)

opportunity to see the Orchestra up close

and to gain further insight into its

performances. Please contact the RPO office to book your place!

FREE rehearsal passes

We hope you have enjoyed this issue of fortissimo and we would like to take this opportunity to wish you

all a very Merry Christmas from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra! If you have booked for one of our

upcoming festive shows this December, then we very much look forward to seeing you there. Otherwise,

we look forward to seeing you at an RPO concert during 2015!

With best wishes,

Jo Thomson (Friends’ & Groups’ Manager) and the rest of the RPO marketing team.

Chris Evans Rosalie Carter Natasha Allery Rebecca Leshures Doran Crowhurst

Director of Press &

Marketing

Regional Marketing

Co-ordinatorMarketing Assistant Marketing Volunteer Programme Editor

RPO friends save 50% on tickets. Visit www.rpo.co.uk/friends, phone 020 7608 8855 (M–F, 10–6) or email friends@rpo.co.uk.

An RPO friends membership is the perfect gift for someone special this Christmas. Why

not take this opportunity to share all the benefits that you receive as an RPO friend with

your nearest and dearest? We will send you a FREE RPO CD to say thank you for helping

us spread the word!

To purchase a gift membership (starting from just £35) in time for it to be delivered by

Christmas, please contact us on 020 7608 8855 (Mon–Fri, 10am–6pm) or at

friends@rpo.co.uk by Monday 15th December at the latest.

Make your friend an RPO Friend this Christmas!

Rosi Callery (Tours and Special Projects Assistant) brings us the recent highlights:

“This autumn, the RPO toured Europe with Charles Dutoit. September saw the

continuation of our residency in the beautiful Montreux, on Lake Geneva. Here, the

Orchestra performed with exquisite soloists Radu Lupu (piano) and James Ehnes (violin),

who performed Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No.3 and Saint-Saens’ Violin Concerto No.3,

respectively. The RPO then performed Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No.5 and Dvořák’s

Symphony No.9 during a week-long tour of Switzerland, Italy and Austria, which

included a performance at the opening of the new concert hall Le Rosey in Rolle,

Switzerland, which is really quite spectacular! (pictured right).

“Next up is our film music tour to Russia, for which we are now deep in preparations.”

RPO on Tour

BBC Children in Need 2014

The RPO was delighted to perform in the official BBC Children In Need 2014 single, a

cover version of Avicii's Wake Me Up. The chart-topping hit was sung by choirmaster

Gareth Malone's All Star Choir, which included Great British Bake Off host Mel Giedroyc,

actress Linda Robson, Countryfile host John Craven and ex-footballer Fabrice Muamba.

BBC Children in Need 2014 has, so far, raised over £30million to help disadvantaged

children and young people in the UK. You can still purchase Wake Me Up online and

in-store. All proceeds go to supporting BBC Children in Need 2014.