News Archives - Page 13 of 15 - London Firebird Orchestra

Join us at the Firebird’s Oxford debut!

03/02/2017

The next concert is our Oxford debut and features a symphony by the great Austrian composer, Josef Haydn. Nicholas Keyworth takes a closer look at his time as Kapellmeister with the wealthy Esterházy family where Haydn spent most of his working life.

Prince Nikolaus & Prince Anton Esterhàzy

From 1761 Haydn began working for Prince Nikolaus Esterhàzy where, as Kapellmeister he was in charge of their musical activities which included composition, running the orchestra, playing chamber music for and with his patrons, and mounting operatic productions in the theatre the Prince had built at Esterháza.

Prince Nikolaus and his son Prince Anton were musical connoisseurs who appreciated and supported the development of Haydn’s work. During the nearly thirty years that Haydn worked at the Esterházy court, he produced a flood of compositions.

Schloss Esterházy

Haydn wore livery and followed the family as they moved among their various palaces, firstly at the family’s ancestral seat of Schloss Esterházy in Eisenstadt.

But towards the end of the 1760s, Prince Nikolaus built a grand new palace in rural Hungary at Esterháza. The remoteness of the Esterháza estate isolated Haydn from other composers and trends in music so that he was, as he put it, ‘forced to become original’.

Esterháza Palace

In 1779 Haydn renegotiated his contract. Previously, all his compositions were the property of the Esterházy family, he now was permitted to write for others and sell his work to publishers. This enabled Haydn’s music to be circulated much more widely.

In 1790 Prince Nikolaus died. Prince Anton sought to downscale the lavish expenses of the court but retained a nominal appointment with Haydn at a reduced salary of 400 florins, in addition to a pension of 1000 florins from Nikolaus. This enabled Haydn to travel more widely and when a lucrative offer arrived from the German violinist and impresario, Salomon to visit England and conduct new symphonies with a large orchestra, the next chapter in Haydn’s career was opened such that Haydn’s fame rocketed to become the most celebrated composer in all Europe.

Hear Haydn’s magnificent Symphony no. 103 ‘The Drum Roll’ in From London to Vienna in Oxford.

Sunday 12 February 6pm, St John the Evangelist, 109A Iffley Road, Oxford, OX4 1EH

This concert is generously sponsored by the Morris-Venables Charitable Foundation

Mozart
Overture to Cosí fan Tutte, K. 588

Mendelssohn
Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64

Mozart
“Come Scoglio” (from Cosí fan Tutte) & “Porgi Amor” (from Le Nozze di Figaro)

Haydn
Symphony no. 103 in E flat, H. 1/103 (‘The Drum Roll’)

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The Rise of the Virtuoso

20/01/2017

The next two concerts from London Firebird Orchestra feature some of the most virtuosic concertos from the repertoire. But where did the concept of the ‘virtuoso’ come from? Nicholas Keyworth explores…

The origin of this word from ‘virtue’ implies excellence and skill. Back in 16th century Italy the term was applied to any person distinguished in any intellectual or artistic field. So, any highly accomplished musician would be considered a virtuoso.

‘Virtuoso violence’ by Egil Paulsen (2007)

However, by the 19th century the meaning of the term changed so that it became associated with performers equipped with almost magical powers whose technical accomplishments were so pronounced as to dazzle and captivate their public.

Composers too were compelled to write increasingly difficult music to show off these talents in incredible feats of skill which only the most highly accomplished musicians could tackle.

Paganini

Many of these virtuosi such as the violinist Paganini built up an almost pop star level of fame and were frequently mobbed by their fans.

One of the most famous 19th century virtuosi, the pianist Franz Liszt considered that “virtuosity is not an outgrowth, but an indispensable element of music” – much to the disapproval of composer Richard Wagner who opposed such triviality and exhibitionist talents of the performer.

It took Felix Mendelssohn six years to write his Violin Concerto in E minor, for his friend the German virtuoso violinist, composer and concertmaster of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Ferdinand David.

Ferdinand David

Mendelssohn relied heavily for technical and compositional advice from Ferdinand David’s (pictured left) in the creation of the work which was finally premiered in 1845.

This dazzling work will be performed by our modern day virtuoso, violinist Benjamin Baker with the Firebird on 12 February in Oxford with From London to Vienna.

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The following month in London cellist Steffan Morris performs Haydn’s beautiful Cello Concerto No. 1 in C Major with the Firebird. Written nearly 100 years before the Mendelssohn, this work was also written for a longtime friend of the composer – Joseph Franz Weigl, principal cellist of the orchestra of the court of Prince Nicolaus‘s Esterházy. In fact, Haydn was godfather to the cellist’s son!

Steffan Morris

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Wishing you a Happy New Year from Firebird

30/12/2016

Dear Friends

On behalf of the players, conductors, soloists and the Board of Trustees of London Firebird Orchestra, may I wish you all the very best for 2017. Thank you also for all your support over what has been an exceptional year in 2016.

With your 2017 diary at the ready, you might perhaps like to take a note of our 2017 concert dates. I know that many of our supporters plan their diaries well in advance and we have therefore finalised all of the 2017-18 season dates.

Please install the The Events Calendar or The Events Calendar Pro Plugin to display a list of upcoming Events

We look forward to seeing you at the orchestra’s exciting performances over the year ahead.

Warmest regards

Marc Corbett-Weaver
Artistic Director & Chief Executive
London Firebird Orchestra

Christmas greetings from Firebird

17/12/2016

A very Merry Christmas from all at London Firebird Orchestra. In between your mince pies and mulled wine, check out our upcoming events – we have some fabulous concerts lined up in 2017:

From London to Vienna

Sunday 12 February 2017, St John the Evangelist, Oxford

Conductor George Jackson
Violin Benjamin Baker
Soprano Suzanne Fischer

Our Oxford debut celebrates a musical journey to some of the great cities of Europe starting with Vienna and the birthplace of Mozart’s operas, to Leipzig the musical heart of Germany which hosted the premiere of Mendelssohn’s dazzling violin concerto and culminating with one of Haydn’s greatest London symphonies – the ‘Drum Roll’.

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Heroics and Hijinx

Thursday 16 March 2017

Conductor George Jackson
Cello Steffan Morris

Excerpts from Handel’s magnificent operas Alcina and Ariodante, set on the island of the enchantress Alcina, sets the scene for this concert in the perfect period setting of St George’s Hanover Square. Alongside two classical masterworks by Haydn and Mozart we are delighted to premiere the winner of the Firebird Young Composer of the Year.

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Celestial Grandeur

Tuesday 13 June 2017 St Paul’s Covent Garden

Conductor Michael Thrift
Piano Marc Corbett-Weaver

Music on the grand scale – heavenly, earthly and supernatural – sets the tone of this terrific finale to the 2016/17 season. The soloist in Beethoven’s majestic 5th piano concerto, originally dedicated to Napoleon, will be performed by LFO artistic director Marc Corbett Weaver before an excerpt from Mozart’s mystical opera ‘The Magic Flute’ and his magnificent ‘Jupiter’ symphony.

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And another date for your diary…

Firebird concert at St Paul’s Covent Garden, Tuesday 10 October 2017

We look forward to seeing you at our concerts in 2017. In the meantime a very Merry Christmas to all our supporters!

Haydn in London

13/12/2016

The next two London Firebird Orchestra concerts both feature music by Josef Haydn, by the end of the 18th century Europe’s most celebrated composer.

But how did a man from such humble beginnings end up taking the cultural scene in London by storm?

Joseph Haydn by Thomas Hardy 1791

Haydn’s life started unpromisingly as the son of a wheelright and a cook in a remote village on the borders of Austria and Hungary. But Josef Haydn was not only exceptionally talented, he was also extremely lucky. From 1761-1790 he worked for one of the great aristocratic houses of Europe – the immensely wealthy Esterházy family headed by two musical connoisseurs, the Esterházy princes.

The Palace of Eszterházy

But when Prince Nikolous died in 1790 Haydn’s role was reduced which enabled him to travel. He accepted a lucrative offer from the German violinist and impresario, Johann Peter Salomon, to visit England and conduct new symphonies with a large orchestra.

Actually, Haydn’s work was already well known in London circles and was said that ‘hardly a concert did not feature a work by him’. But his arrival on New Year’s Day of 1791 really captured the public’s attention. Haydn stayed at Salomon’s apartments in Great Pulteney Street, Soho and with a nearby studio at the Broadwood piano firm.

Audiences flocked to Haydn’s concerts with Charles Burney reviewing his first concert with the words:

‘Haydn himself presided at the piano-forte; and the sight of that renowned composer so electrified the audience, as to excite an attention and a pleasure superior to any that had ever been caused by instrumental music in England.’

It was during his time based in England that Haydn composed some of his most successful works including the Surprise, Military, Drumroll and London symphonies.

By 1794 Haydn had become a familiar figure on the London concert scene which was dominated by Salomon’s concert series at the Hanover Square Rooms. Yet more symphonies were premiered earning Haydn the epithet ‘The Father of the Symphony’ and culminating in a final benefit concert entitled ‘Dr. Haydn’s night’ at the end of the 1795 season. This was perhaps the peak of his English career with Haydn’s biographer Griesinger writing that he:

‘considered the days spent in England the happiest of his life. He was everywhere appreciated there; it opened a new world to him’.

Hanover Square Rooms, principal venue of Haydn’s performances in London

Hear George Jackson conduct some of Haydn’s greatest works – his Symphony no. 103 ‘The Drum Roll’ and the Cello Concerto No. 1 in From London to Vienna in Oxford (generously supported by the Morris-Venables Charitable Foundation) and Heroic and Hijinx in London.

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Mozart’s Vienna

29/11/2016

The next two London Firebird Orchestra concerts both feature music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart who spent most of his short life in that great city of music: Vienna.

But what attracted Mozart to Vienna?

Vienna was once the glittering capital of a great empire where the patronage of the Habsburg dynasty and other aristocrats at the Imperial Court created the perfect environment for talented musicians and artists.

Mozart

In March 1781, Mozart was summoned to Vienna, where his employer, Archbishop Colloredo, was attending the celebrations for the accession of Emperor Joseph II to the Austrian throne. However, Mozart had other plans for his career as he wrote to his father:

“My main goal right now is to meet the emperor in some agreeable fashion, I am absolutely determined he should get to know me… I would be so happy if I could whip through my opera for him and then play a fugue or two, for that’s what he likes”.

Mozart did meet the Emperor who supported his career with commissions and a part-time position as ‘chamber composer’, but neither the Archbishop nor Mozart’s father, Leopold were happy and quarrels with the archbishop soon came to a head. Mozart dug his heels in until he was eventually dismissed “with a kick in the arse” and was able to settle in Vienna as a freelance performer and composer.

The Burgtheater in 1790

This was a turning point for Mozart^.as he soon established himself as the ‘finest keyboard player in Vienna’ mounting concerts with himself as soloist and presenting several new piano concertos and symphonies each season to enthusiastic audiences. Times were good and Mozart and his family moved into an expensive apartment, buying a fine new fortepiano – and a billiard table. Mozart also met the composer Haydn – they sometimes played together in an impromptu string quartet – and the young Beethoven.

Mozart lived at a dozen different addresses in the city one of which survives at Domgasse No 5. It was here that he penned what is perhaps his most popular opera The Marriage of Figaro in 1785 – the first in his famous collaboration with the librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte

Domgasse no 5

However, by the following year Mozart’s fortunes started to change drastically for the worse. He was having to travel more for work and was borrowing money. His last collaboration with Da Ponte saw the premiere of their opera Così fan tutte in 1790 but the following year he died aged only 35. He was buried in an unmarked common grave outside of the city.

But Mozart’s legacy lives on. Today, Vienna’s musical heritage is of international renown and Mozart’s works are performed all over the world.

Così fan Tutte

Hear George Jackson conduct arias, an overture and a symphony by Mozart in FROM LONDON TO VIENNA in Oxford (generously supported by the Morris-Venables Charitable Foundation) and HEROICS AND HIJINX in London. Tickets are now on sale.

Firebird Composer of the Year Competition 2017

29/11/2016

London Firebird Orchestra launches its 2017 Firebird Composer of the Year Competition with a winner’s prize of a live début public performance of the winning composition. This will take place as part of Heroics and Hijinx on Thursday 16 March 2017 at St George’s Hanover Square with London Firebird Orchestra conducted by George Jackson.

The prizewinner will receive an AV recording of their work which will also . be uploaded to YouTube. The composer will be invited to attend the concert, share the applause, feature in the programme and publicity and receive 4 complimentary tickets.

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The Leipzig Hotspot

22/11/2016

The next two London Firebird Orchestra concerts both feature music by composers connected to one of the great cities of Europe – Leipzig – the musical heart of Germany.

But what lies behind Leipzig’s claim to be the so-called ‘city of music’?

This is the city where Johann Sebastian Bach was Cantor of the Thomaskirche from 1723 to 1750. Since 1950, the Bach-Archiv has become an international documentation and research centre for the life and work of Bach and the Bach family. An offshoot of this, the prestigious International Johann Sebastian Bach Competition is part of a bi-annual music festival

Bach and the Thomaskirche, Leipzig

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart visited the city twice in 1789, playing on Bach’s organ at the Thomaskirche and performing at the Gewandhaus – although complaining “from the point of view of applause and glory this concert was absolutely magnificent but the profits were wretchedly meager”

Robert and Clara Schumann were also active in Leipzig music, having been invited by Felix Mendelssohn, a director of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra from 1735, establishing Germany’s first musical conservatoire in the city and instigating the great J S Bach revival. In 1845 the city hosted the premiere of Mendelssohn’s dazzling violin concerto.

Richard Wagner was born in Leipzig in 1813 and in 1886 Gustav Mahler worked under Artur Nikisch as deputy conductor at the Leipzig Theatre whilst also completed his 1st Symphony.

Despite heavy damage by Allied bombing during the Second World War the city has been rebuilt and restored and today stands proud as one of the vibrant ‘boomtowns’ of a reunified Germany.

The city’s musical tradition is still reflected in its world famous Leipzig Opera as well as its two great symphony orchestras: The MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra whose origins can be traced back to 1743 making it the oldest continuous orchestra in Germany.

Gewandhaus, Leipzig

Hear magnificent music by Mozart, Mendelssohn, Handel and Haydn played by the London Firebird Orchestra concerts in Oxford in February and London in March 2017.

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The Course of Empire - The Savage State by Thomas Cole 1836

The Rise of Romanticism

07/10/2016

It’s just a few days before the opening concert of the 2016-17 London Firebird Orchestra season on 11 October. Here we take a closer look at some of the music in the concert which heralded the dawn of a new musical style: Romanticism.

In Classical Landscapes we shall be hearing music by Beethoven and Mendelssohn, written 22 years apart but both pioneering works in their own right and taking musical style in a new direction.

In the Classical age of Mozart and Haydn, instrumental music was rarely ‘about’ anything. Music was rational and followed formal structures with composers writing symphonies, quartets, sonatas etc which were ‘pure’ music.

Around the turn of the C19 music became more expressive and emotional, often embracing literary, artistic, and philosophical themes. The Romantic movement saw people were turning against the social and political norms of the Age of Enlightenment and becoming preoccupied with nature, being fascinated with the past, of the mystic and supernatural, the unusual and fabulous, the strange and surprising.

Beethoven in 1804

Beethoven explored the themes of nature with programmatic titles to each movement The composer said of his symphony that it is “more the expression of feeling than painting”.

Mendelssohn’s sketch

By the time Mendelssohn was being inspired by the dramatic landscapes of Scotland, the orchestra was becoming larger, louder and more diverse with new and innovative instruments. Additionally, public concerts became part of urban middle class society, whereas earlier concerts were generally paid for and enjoyed by the aristocracy.

Witness this extraordinary period of musical evolution from Mozart, through Beethoven to Mendelssohn with Classical Landscapes.

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Introducing our vibrant 2016-17 season

03/10/2016

London Firebird’s 2016/17 season kicks off with Classical Landscapes on Tuesday 11 October at St Paul’s Covent Garden.

Join us for a vibrant programme of Mendelssohn, Mozart and Beethoven featuring one of Britain’s leading clarinettists, Matthew Hunt and conductor Jonathan Bloxham, recently appointed as Associate conductor of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.

Watch Artistic Director, Marc Corbett-Weaver telling us more about what we can look forward to in the forthcoming season in our short video.

Find out more about this concert and buy your tickets here:

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