It’s more than the music: announcing our 25/26 season with Jonathan Bloxham in new position of Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor.

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We are pleased to announce full details of our 2025/26 season, marking a new chapter with Jonathan Bloxham and deepening his long-standing collaboration with us.

 

Flynn Le Brocq, LMP Chief Executive, commented:

“LMP is informed by our wonderful audiences, supporters, collaborative artists and players and we wanted to programme a season that reflected the stories and people who make our orchestra unique. The LMP experience continues to lie at the heart of what we do, and we are committed to ensuring that everything we present is distinctive and accessible to all.”

For the new season, Jonathan Bloxham steps into a new role as Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor, building on his three-year tenure as Conductor in Residence and Artistic Advisor. His pivotal influence at LMP has resulted in the creation of a new flagship series at St Martin-in-the-Fields, new touring opportunities in the UK and abroad and the creation of large-scale community events in our home borough, Croydon.

 

Jonathan Bloxham comments:

“I’ve had the most wonderful first three seasons with LMP, full of many highlights from touring in Europe together to our fantastic 75th Birthday Concert with very special soloists. It’s an honour to continue my relationship with this fantastic chamber orchestra in a new role as Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor – and I’m grateful to all the players and management for their trust and commitment to our work going forward.”

We will open our season with Mozart, Master of Drama at St Martin-in-the-Fields (18 Sep) featuring soprano Danielle de Niese in all-Mozart programme. The following month, Bach’s Brandenburgs (17 October) are given an immersive treatment as live, bespoke visuals fill the walls as the orchestra plays.

 

Danielle De Niese commented:

“I am absolutely delighted to perform with LMP in an all-Mozart program. Having made my Metropolitan Opera debut at 19 in Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro with James Levine, I feel such a strong affinity with Mozart. However, this concert will be the first all-Mozart programme I will perform in London. Sharing this with LMP who have a lifelong commitment of excellence in the performance of Mozart’s music is something I have long wanted to do.”

Two world premieres of new commissions feature in the St Martin’s series: Stephen McNeff (21 November) and Anna Clyne (8 May). Fenella Humphreys and Ben Goldscheider are respective soloists for each premiere. Other concerts in the series include solos from pianist Cédric Tiberghien (6 March) and LMP Leader Ruth Rogers (17 April).

 

Stephen McNeff commented:

“I have long admired the playing of Fenella Humphreys and wanted to write a work for her. She has a great affinity with living composers and is a real champion of new music. The special challenges presented by using a basically baroque string ensemble (with additional percussion!) seems ideally suited to Fenella’s approach and that of LMP and presented opportunities for intriguing sound combinations and instrumental groupings.

 

Anna Clyne commented:

“Writing  Sirens for Ben has been a wonderful experience, and we look forward to bringing it to life with LMP this season!

 

In October, with Croydon Council, we will present a celebration of local composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor 150 years after his birth at Fairfield Halls, where the orchestra is Resident. The programme includes his Violin Concerto with soloist Braimah Kanneh-Mason, alongside world premieres by Tunde Jegede and Ryan Morgan, the first winner of our Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Prize for young composers from under-represented backgrounds. Later in the season, Thomas Allery directs Bach’s ever-enduring St John Passion (8 March) from the harpsichord.

 

The Christmas Brass Extravaganza (8 December) brings festive cheer to Smith Square Hall with a dazzling programme from our brass ensemble. Our popular Tasting Notes series – their unique musical wine tasting experience – celebrates its 10th edition (30 October) at Smith Square Hall, following a sell-out 24/25 season. Also returning this season is Piano Explored with Howard Shelley at St Paul’s, Knightsbridge, now in its 11th year, and children’s concerts at our community base St John’s, Upper Norwood.

Flynn Le Brocq to step down as Chief Executive of LMP

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Today, we announce that Flynn Le Brocq will be stepping down as our Chief Executive at the end of August 2025. Flynn has accepted an exciting new position as Director of Admissions at Uppingham School where he will continue to inspire and lead in a new capacity with a return to the education sector.

“It has been an absolute privilege to lead this wonderful orchestra. LMP’s culture is truly special and that is down to the incredible versatility and creativity of both our players and management team. Whether it has been building snow machines, taking the orchestra overseas, putting an organ in a shopping centre, sending GoPros inside instruments or pushing the boundaries of what it means to be an orchestra in the 21st century, LMP is able to turn its hand to almost anything.

I’m immensely proud of the collaborations and the artistic partnerships we’ve built, and I feel confident about the future of this extraordinary organisation. While I may be stepping away from my role as CEO, I’ll still keep in touch with LMP from the sidelines – you might even spot me raising a glass of wine at a Tasting Notes event soon.”

– Flynn Le Brocq, Chief Executive

“We are incredibly grateful for the significant impact Flynn has had during his time with LMP. His leadership has been instrumental in securing the orchestra’s financial future, streamlining its governance, and pushing us to reach ambitious goals. Thanks to his dedication and tireless work, LMP is well positioned for the future. While we are sad to see him leave, we are excited for what lies ahead for him and have no doubt he will excel in his next role.”

– Sir Robert Lechler, Chair of LMP Board

Since joining LMP in 2021, Flynn has been a transformative force, guiding LMP through a period of artistic innovation, community engagement and organisational growth. Building on the orchestra’s distinguished 76-year history, Flynn has continued to combine legacy with evolution.

Oratorio of Hope, the opening event for Croydon’s term as London Borough of Culture in 2023, pushed the orchestra’s artistic boundaries, creating a multi-genre spectacular that was later shortlisted for a prestigious Royal Philharmonic Society Award.

The following year, in celebration of our 75th anniversary, the orchestra launched 100 Faces of Croydon – a community-led photography and music project that reflected the diversity and spirit of Croydon, reinforcing our 35-year legacy as the borough’s Resident Orchestra.

“While naturally I’m sad that Flynn is leaving, the resounding feeling I have is one of immense gratitude. Flynn has led LMP with great vision, passion and agility. The collaborative spirit which has defined our work together will no doubt continue as one of his many legacies as CEO, and I’m sure will afford him great success in his next exciting venture. I look forward to fulfilling the many shared goals we have created together, and am excited at what is next to come here at LMP.”

– Jonathan Bloxham, Conductor in Residence and Artistic Advisor

“Flynn works tirelessly to promote the voices of the players, putting us at the heart of LMP. His door is always open and no problem is too small. Flynn’s infectious enthusiasm has created a team that champions its orchestra, resulting in an organisation where players and management can unite in their vision. Working with Flynn has been a pure joy. His energy, charisma and good humour will be deeply missed.”

– Jessica Coleman, Chair of the LMP Player Committee

Flynn’s time at LMP also saw the launch Tasting Notes in 2022, an innovative musical wine tasting experience that quickly became one of our most popular offerings. Under his leadership, we have forged new relationships with promoters and agents, enabling a return to international touring and the creation of a growing network of supporters in the United States – the American Friends of LMP.

“Flynn has made an enormous impact in his time at LMP. With his boundless energy, his enthusiasm, his creativity, his clear thinking and his sound instincts, he has become someone we can trust and feel confident in at all times. He has led from the front and been an inspiration to those around him. We’ll miss him enormously, but wish him all the very best in his new life.”

– Simon Blendis, LMP Leader

“Flynn has an incredible way of making everyone feel valued, respected and supported. He has done so much for LMP with his positive energy, enthusiasm and passion. I think he has made us feel that anything is possible and we should reach for the stars. He will be hugely missed.”

– Ruth Rogers, LMP Leader

We look forward to continuing the journey Flynn helped shape and wish him every success in this exciting new chapter

A full search for a new Chief Executive will commence shortly.

The launch of our American Friends of LMP

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Sebastian Comberti

Sebastian Comberti to leave LMP after 40 memorable years as Principal Cello

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All of us at LMP wish Sebastian Comberti a very fond farewell as he steps down as our Principal Cello in Summer 2025. Sebastian joined LMP as Principal Cello in 1983 and has played a crucial role in shaping who LMP are today.

 

“It’s no easy task summarising the impact Sebastian has had on LMP – not least because he has been an integral part of our orchestra for over 40 years. Sebastian’s involvement, ranging from his role as Principal Cello, contributing to our meaningful education work, programming our much loved Eastbourne residency and of course his important role on the LMP Board, is admirable and we are so grateful for his dedication. I speak for many when I say Sebastian will be much missed and we wish him the very best for the future.”
– Flynn Le Brocq, Chief Executive

 

“Sebastian has been an integral part of LMP for over four decades. He has been a source of inspiration to me with his musical integrity, his wealth of knowledge and experience as well as his inimitable honesty and charm. Sebastian played a vital role in steering the LMP out of murky waters and into the warmer seas it currently sails. He has curated many sensational Eastbourne programmes with informative, interesting and educational talks. I have loved playing chamber music with him and have learnt a huge amount from him. It is impossible to measure just how much he has given to LMP and the orchestra owes him a huge debt of gratitude. He will be deeply missed.”
– Ruth Rogers, Leader

 

“Sebastian is an LMP legend – in my mind he is synonymous with the orchestra. He has been principal cello for over 40 years, and brings his accumulated wisdom and experience to every concert, yet still arrives at rehearsals buzzing with new ideas, constantly searching out new repertoire and finding ways to refresh the old. It’s hard to imagine LMP without him!”
– Simon Blendis, Leader

 

“Sebastian is so full of knowledge and joy for the music he is performing, not to mention an utterly fearless cellist. It has been an amazing time being in a section with him these last 25 years. His enthusiasm for the cello, his thirst for discovering new repertoire and his stylistic awareness has been inspiring. Many good and happy memories. It is the end of an era!”
– Sarah Butcher, Cello

 

“Sebastian joined LMP about 40 years ago and as I was already member, I was delighted when this young, fresh and superb Cellist joined us. He then played consistently beautifully ever since. When the players took over running the orchestra in 2016, Sebastian became an invaluable member of the Board of Directors. His clear thinking, combined with his ability to offer thoughtful and often refreshing alternative perspectives, made a significant contribution to the group. Sebastian has also always been a very kind and caring person and will be missed hugely. Thank you for everything.”
– Peter Wright, Trumpet

Jessica Coleman (Chair sponsored by Alistair & Liz Milliken)

New Appointment – Jessica Coleman as Violin 1, No.3

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We’re very excited to announce that Jessica Coleman has been appointed as LMP Violin 1, No.3.

Born in Aberdeen, Jessica was fortunate enough to grow up in a musical household. Her first orchestra tour was to China when she was 9 years old, and it would seem she never looked back! Now, Jessica enjoys performing and touring with groups such as London Philharmonic Orchestra, Academy of St Martin in the Fields, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and BBC Symphony Orchestra.

After attending Chetham’s School of Music, Jessica spent some time in Oslo studying with Stephan Barratt-Due, then went on to complete her undergraduate degree at the Royal College of Music with teachers Detlef Hahn and Gaby Lester. Whilst at RCM, Jessica formed a successful string quartet with friends. The quartet performed together for five years at venues such as Wigmore Hall, Kings Place, Conway Hall and the Elgar Room at the Royal Albert Hall.

Jessica feels her passions for both orchestral playing and chamber music come together in her work at LMP, and she is delighted to continue her journey with us.

New appointment – Christine Anderson as Viola No.2

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We’re very excited to announce that Christine Anderson has been appointed as LMP Viola No.2.

Glaswegian violist Christine joined the viola section of the Hallé Orchestra in 2015, shortly after graduating from the Royal College of Music, where she studied with Simon Rowland Jones. Last year, she moved to London, where she enjoys a varied freelance career as an orchestral and chamber musician. Her orchestral work includes performing with Aurora Orchestra, the Philharmonia, and the RPO. She recently joined the Gildas Quartet, and also regularly plays with ground-breaking chamber ensembles such as Manchester Collective, Twelve Ensemble, the United Strings of Europe, and Her Ensemble. Christine is passionate about the importance of the classical music world being a place where everybody can feel included and represented.

Christine plays on a beautiful English viola, made by David Milward in 2011.

Antonia Kesel

New appointment – Antonia Kesel as Principal Second Violin

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We’re very excited to announce that Antonia Kesel has been appointed as LMP Principal Second Violin.

Antonia graduated from the Royal Academy of Music with a First Class honours degree in 2015 having studied with International Soloist, Jack Liebeck for 4 years. Since her graduation, she has been a chamber music fellow at the Royal Academy of Music and has won many prizes as a chamber musician, including the St Martin-in-the Fields chamber music competition and the Malta International Music Competition. 

Antonia enjoys working in the West End as a member of the band at Phantom of the Opera as well as being a freelance Violinist in London playing for commercial recording sessions and for orchestras such as the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Royal Opera House and Britten Sinfonia.

 Antonia plays on a Francois Fent violin from Paris, circa 1780.

A chat with Isata Kanneh-Mason and Jonathan Bloxham

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Beethoven and Mendelssohn with Isata Kanneh-Mason at St John’s Smith Square

Friday 3 November 2023

Isata Kanneh-Mason piano
Jonathan Bloxham conductor
Ruth Rogers leader
London Mozart Players (LMP)
Arvo Pärt Cantus in Memorium Benjamin Britten
Anna Clyne Stride
Mendelssohn Piano Concerto No.1
Beethoven Symphony No.5

Before our concert together at St John’s Smith Square, we sat down with our soloist Isata Kanneh-Mason and conductor Jonathan Bloxham to talk about the concert, the music, and pre-concert rituals…

Isata Kanneh-Mason

  1. Can you tell us about your favourite moment in the Mendelssohn Piano Concerto?
    It’s the opening.  It’s so dramatic and exciting and I like the way the piano states its presence. Actually I also have another moment in the second movement where the piano is playing slow chords and there is a solo cello line – the harmonies there are so incredibly beautiful.
  2. We performed the Mendelssohn two years ago with you at Cadogan Hall. How does it feel to be playing this piece together again?
    It’s really lovely to perform this piece with the same group of people.  I feel I have developed as a musician over the last two years so it will be nice to be able to bring something different to the performance.
  3. Do you have a pre-concert ritual, and if so, what is it?
    I try not to stick to a specific pre-concert ritual in case I don’t have time. I always make sure I stretch, warm up my fingers and drink water. I don’t tend to eat too much before going on stage as I don’t want to feel full. And I also put away my phone quite a while before a performance as well, so there are no distractions!

Jonathan Bloxham

  1. In your role as Conductor in Residence and Artistic Advisor of LMP, you developed the programme for this concert. Can you explain how you chose the pieces and put them together?
    Programming is one of the great joys of my work as a conductor, and devising each programme comes with its own intellectual or emotional journey. The inspiration for this concert began with Mendelssohn. Not only a prodigious composer, he was also a virtuosic pianist, and as a young boy he discovered and formed a deep appreciation of Beethoven’s piano sonatas. From then on Beethoven’s music had a huge influence on his own compositions, and Mendelssohn continued to perform the master’s works throughout his life. In 1847, the year of his death, he took his final visit to Britain and performed Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4. This ties in themes of London, Mendelssohn, the piano and Beethoven. Taking the second two of these we arrive at Anna Clyne’s wonderful piece – Stride – a piece for strings based on the themes from Beethoven’s Pathetique Sonata. And finally, our opening piece, Pärt’s Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten is not only one of the most atmospheric openings of a concert, but it is also a little nod to the 110th Anniversary of Britten’s birth. This is a programme I adore.
  1. Beethoven’s Symphony No.5 is such an iconic work. How do you take on the challenge of conducting it?
    It is of course an iconic work to play as well as conduct! Even just the opening is an infamously treacherous moment for us all. But what an honour it is to have the chance to perform this majestic piece with LMP. For me personally, it was in the second half of the very first symphonic concert I conducted as a student and so brings back many memories. This piece has taught me a great deal about the craft of conducting.
  1. You’re also conducting Mendelssohn’s Piano Concerto, which will be played by Isata Kanneh-Mason. What’s the relationship like between the conductor, soloist and orchestra when performing this piece?
    Every player in the LMP is a fantastic chamber musician. And every time they perform, be it with or without a conductor, they are making chamber music. And so it is no different when a soloist joins. As a conductor in this scenario I feel my role is to help focus all our listening, to facilitate the connection between soloist and orchestra and to be a conduit for the flow of ideas between them…and adding a few of my own now and then too!

LMP, conducted by Jonathan Bloxham, play Beethoven and Mendelssohn with Isata Kanneh-Mason on 3 November 2023. Tickets can be purchased here.

100 Faces of Croydon

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Welcoming George White as our Viola No.5

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George grew up in the South West and was immersed in music from an early age, singing in his local church choir and later as a chorister at Salisbury Cathedral. He went on to hold a scholarship at Wells Cathedral School, later gaining a place at the Royal Academy of Music where he studied with Garfield Jackson. An alumnus of Southbank Sinfonia, George now freelances with ensembles across the UK and Europe, including us, the Philharmonia, Paraorchestra and Friends, the European Union Chamber Orchestra, La Folia and the Edington Ensemble. George was also a Monteverdi Apprentice – he worked closely with mentors from the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique and Sir John Eliot Gardiner on historical performance practice. He now performs with period groups such as the ORR, the Dunedin Consort, Oxford Bach Soloists, Eboracum, Sounds Baroque and Hampstead Garden Opera.

Our 23/24 Season Announcement

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It’s our 75th birthday next year, and our 23/24 season is all about reflecting on how we’ve developed out artistic and community-based work over the years.

Flynn Le Brocq, LMP Chief Executive, commented:

“As we celebrate 75 years of music making, we’re using this season to look back on our past and particularly on our historic connection with Croydon. The Launch of the London Borough of Culture in 2023 gave us a chance to re-establish ourselves firmly in the local community and further develop our partnership with Fairfield Halls and we’re looking forward to another year of adventurous and exciting programmes.

Jonathan Bloxham, LMP Conductor-in-Residence and Artistic Advisor, commented:

“I am thrilled to share the 23/24 season with our audiences today – a programme that celebrates our wonderful musicians and the impressively wide range of work that LMP is known for. In this birthday season, it is exciting to welcome so many top soloists to share the stage with us, many of whom have a long-standing relationship with the ensemble. This season is extra special for me as I begin my first full year as Conductor-in-Residence and Artistic Advisor – I can’t wait to be back on stage with LMP in the Autumn!”

Our season opens with Story of the Fair Field (Saturday 7 October 2023, Fairfield Halls), featuring Matilda Lloyd, one of our Education Ambassadors, as the soloist for Haydn’s Trumpet Concerto in E flat. The live narrator and music in this concert, which includes Malcolm Arnold’s inaugural composition for the opening of Fairfield Halls in 1962, The Fair Field, traces through Fairfield Halls’ history as a bustling medieval fair and our history as an orchestra set up to play Haydn and Mozart.

Pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason joins us for Mendelssohn’s Piano Concerto No.1 in Beethoven and Mendelssohn (Friday 3 November 2023, St John’s Smith Square). Jonathan Bloxham also conducts our orchestra through Beethoven’s Symphony No.5, Anna Clyne’s Stride and Arvo Pärt’s Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten.

Isata Kanneh-Mason commented:

“Performing with LMP is always something I look forward to and this next season is no exception when I’m thrilled to be playing Mendelssohn’s brilliant Piano Concerto No1. It’s an immediately engrossing work with its explosive start and wonderfully captivating melodies threaded through the flamboyant piano part – I can’t wait to start playing it to a live audience!”

In the leadup to Christmas, we’re presenting A Very Croydon Christmas in partnership with Fairfield Halls (Friday 8 December 2023, Fairfield Halls), featuring a festive selection of music with local choirs and performers taking to the stage.

Mozart: The Mixtape (Saturday 10 February 2024, Fairfield Halls) celebrates our birthday with a recreation of the Mozart’s ‘playlist’ concert from 1783. Pianists Imogen Cooper and Martin James Bartlett and soprano Anna Prohaska join us as the soloists for this concert. This concert will also include a selection of short videos which reflect on our legacy and look forwards to their future.

Imogen Cooper commented:

“My history with LMP goes back a long way – I won the Mozart Memorial Prize, now revived, in the late 60s, which lead me to many wonderful concerto performances with Harry Blech; I could safely say that my early Mozart performing experience came almost solely through this collaboration, and I learned a lot from it. Happily the association continued with Jane Glover, with whom I now play regularly in the US. So LMP has been only a source for the good, and I am happy to be playing with them again – not least the gorgeous K415 in C major!”

Tasting Notes, our musical wine tasting experience, returns to St John’s Smith Square with three dates this season (11 October 2023, 16 February 2024, 4 April 2024). In each event, we will pair a selection of wines with music for string quartet, accompanied by lively talks from a wine expert and LMP Leader, Simon Blendis, followed by live jazz music in the Crypt.

Continuing his 48-year-long relationship with LMP, Howard Shelley returns for another series of Mozart Explored at St Paul’s Knightsbridge (January 2024-May 2024). Howard directs the orchestra from the piano through Mozart’s final five Piano Concertos (No.23 – No.27), preceding each Concerto with an insightful talk about the music.

Our community residencies in in Upper Norwood and the South East coast continue in this season. The winning composer of our new award, the Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Prize, will have their work performed as part of Music Through the Ages (Saturday 27 January, St Johns, Upper Norwood). The prize, which is part of our Equal Play campaign, has been created to support young composers from underrepresented backgrounds.

Other concerts in our Upper Norwood series include a children’s concert, The Musical Adventures of Stan the Dog & Mabel the Cat (Saturday 8 June 2024, St John’s, Upper Norwood), and Eleanor Alberga’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: A Musical Revolting Rhyme (Saturday 6 April 2024, St John’s, Upper Norwood).

We’re working with Create Music, the lead partner of the Music Education Hub in Brighton & Hove and East Sussex, to deliver education projects in the South East. Students from Create Music perform alongside us in Christmas Crackers with LMP (Thursday 14 December 2023, De La Warr Pavilion) and Marvellous Maestros includes a selection GCSE set-works to help local students prepare for their exams (Friday 22 March 2024, De La Warr Pavilion).

Full details of the season can be found on this page.

Alan Thomas

Welcoming Alan Thomas as our Principal Trumpet

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Alan is a former Principal Trumpet of both the BBC Symphony Orchestra and City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra performing under Conductors Sakari Oramo and Andris Nelson’s. He is also a member of two of the countries leading brass chamber groups in Onyx Brass and Septura Brass Septet.

He is a Trumpet Professor at the Royal College of Music and Tutor at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. He is also a trumpet tutor to the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain. 

During his studies Alan was Principal of the European Union Youth Orchestra and a winner of the Shell/LSO Scholarship where he performed the Hummel Trumpet Concerto with the LSO in the final at The Barbican. 

During the Covid Pandemic Alan joined Royal Air Force Music Services and is currently Principal Trumpet of the Central Band of the Royal Air Force. During this time he’s been part of the State Funerals of HM Queen Elizabeth and HM Duke of Edinburgh, The Platinum Jubilee Celebrations and was in the RAF Fanfare Team in Westminster Abbey for The Coronation of King Charles III. 

In any spare time Alan loves keeping fit, running and cycling, being outdoors and spending time with his very patient wife Amy (a viola player in the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra) and three sons. 

London Borough of Culture Showcase – Sunday 2 April

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Sunday 2 April
Free performances from 2-6pm
Fairfield Halls

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As part of the opening weekend celebrations for Croydon’s year as London Borough of Culture we’re hosting a free afternoon showcase in the public open spaces of Fairfield Halls featuring local talent from across Croydon, including choirs, sea shanties, solo performances, dance groups and bands.

Bloch’s Building Blocks

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BLOCK 1

Ernest Bloch was a Swiss-born composer who gained popularity in the 20th century. As with most composers, he went through something of an identity crisis as he tried to find his unique musical voice. We’d like to think of his life as a series of Building Blocks that led him to writing the music that you can hear in Building Blochs and Birkenstocks on Saturday 4 February at Fairfield Halls.

BLOCK 2

On 24 July 1880, Ernest Bloch was born in Geneva to Maurice and Sophie Bloch, both of whom were of Jewish heritage. The young Ernest was a keen musician, first picking up the violin aged 9 and starting to compose soon after. Ernest had a strong religious upbringing; Maurice had even intended to become a rabbi at one stage and this influence can be heard in his later music.

Ernest had a desire to travel and moved to Germany in 1903. During his Germanic years, he began his lifelong confrontation with issues of spirituality and religion. His compositional style up to this point spoke to post-romantic influences including Debussy, Mahler and Strauss but he began to break away from this from 1911-26. Commonly referred to as his ‘Jewish Cycle’ (although not titled this by the composer himself), the compositions in these years marked a turning point for the young composer and included Schelomo and ‘Prayer’.

BLOCK 3

The ‘Jewish Cycle’ put Ernest on the musical map, but the composer had his own feelings about how his music should be interpreted:

‘It is not my purpose, not my desire, to attempt a ‘reconstitution’ of Jewish music or to base my works on melodies more or less authentic. It is the Jewish soul that interests me…In my work termed Jewish…I have listened to an inner voice, deep, secret, insistent, ardent…a voice which seemed to come from far beyond myself, far beyond my parents…a voice which surged up in me upon reading certain passages in the Bible…This entire Jewish heritage moved me deeply; it was reborn in my music. To what extent it is Jewish or to what extent is it just Ernest Bloch, of that I know nothing. The future alone will decide.

BLOCK 4

Bloch is gaining more and more recognition as time goes on. He received acclaim, prizes and honour during his lifetime and his music was performed regularly. His best-known works are becoming popular with a whole host of orchestras, including us! You may not have known much about him before, but we hope you’ve enjoyed learning a bit more about the man and his music.

Mendelssohn and his Birkenstocks

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(Other shoe brands are available)

In his early twenties, Felix Mendelssohn did what most of us dream of doing and packed his bags, donned his Birkenstocks, waved goodbye to his home country Germany and set off on a grand tour of Italy. He spent nine months as a proper tourist: seeing the sights, speaking the language very badly and getting scammed by his taxi driver.

For anyone else, such an experience would be complete. But the former child prodigy Mendelssohn strove valiantly to make his holiday into a research trip. Five months into his stay, he wrote to his sister:

I now try to reflect whether I have made the best use of my time, and on every side I perceive a deficiency. If I could only compose one of my two symphonies! I must and will reserve the Italian one till I have seen Naples, which must play a part in it.

Mendelssohn’s Fourth Symphony, known as the ‘Italian’, was completed two years later. Each of its four movements corresponds to a different city he saw on his trip. For those of us unable to embark on our own continental tours, listening to Mendelssohn’s ‘Italian’ Symphony is the next best thing.

 

Venice to meet you

(First movement, Allegro vivace)

Mendelssohn’s first stop was Venice. His first impressions were ‘the whole country had a gay festive air, as if a Prince were expected to make his grand entry’. Prince or no prince, the people welcomed Mendelssohn anyway and his letters brim with delight at finally being in Italy.

Venice was always busy. When Mendelssohn went to the Piazza of St Mark, he observed that ‘in the twilight there is always an immense crowd and crush of people’. There was plenty to see and do as well: ‘I hurry from one enjoyment to another hour by hour,’ he wrote.

The lively opening movement recalls the busy streets that greeted Mendelssohn on his arrival, as well as the energy he expounded in his indefatigable visiting of local galleries, palaces, gardens and churches.

 

There’s no place like Rome

(Second movement, Andante con moto)

Mendelssohn’s stay in Rome coincided with the death of Pius VIII, who has the dubious honour of being the shortest-ruling pope of the nineteenth century. The people of Rome took the news rather lightly, telling themselves: “We shall soon get a new one”.

Mendelssohn went to St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican where the Pope lay in state. He wrote:

Those who place themselves among the singers (as I do) and watch them, are forcibly impressed by the scene: for they all stand round a colossal book from which they sing, and this book is in turn lit up by a colossal torch that burns before it; while the choir are eagerly pressing forward in their vestments, in order to see and to sing properly.

The ‘simple and monotonous’ music he heard here no doubt influenced the slow and restrained second movement.

 

Going with the Flo(rence)

(Third movement, Con moto moderato)

Florence syndrome is a slightly dubious condition where people faint upon seeing sights of great beauty. In Florence, Mendelssohn frequented the Uffizi Gallery, a prime spot for aesthetically charged swooning. His own health remained intact, but he did report ‘feelings of reverence’ when sitting at his favourite spot.

Mendelssohn encountered many who had low opinions of Titian and Mozart. He found these impertinent, writing: ‘I am at all events determined to say the most harsh and cutting things to those who show no reverence towards their masters’. His own work was openly indebted to the Classical tradition that came before him.

The third movement of the ‘Italian’ Symphony is set as a stately minuet and trio in the style of Mozart. It pays homage to his musical predecessors, Renaissance painters and their shared elegant style.

 

See Naples and die

(Fourth movement, Saltarello. Presto)

The final stretch of Mendelssohn’s Italian journey saw him leaving Rome for the south. He applied his usual shrewdness to the new sights there, writing:

Yesterday we went to Pompeii. It looks as if it had been burnt down.

But it was in the local traditions of the more rural south that Mendelssohn found his inspiration for the finale of his ‘Italian’ Symphony. He wrote ‘lively Naples is indeed a pleasant contrast’ to ashy Pompeii and he spent many evenings there dancing the night away with village girls, with the sweet sounds of the accordion for accompaniment.

The final movement of Mendelssohn’s ‘Italian’ Symphony is based on the saltarello, an Italian folk dance popular in the south. Its relentlessly high tempo barrels towards an exuberant finish, concluding Mendelssohn’s colourful nine months in Italy.

 

LMP play Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 4, ‘Italian’ at Fairfield Halls, Croydon, on Saturday 4 February 2023. Tickets can be purchased here.

 

by Jessica Peng