London Chamber Orchestra
| London Chamber Orchestra | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | LCO |
| Origin | London, England, United Kingdom |
| Genres | Classical |
| Years active | 1921-present |
| Website | www.lco.co.uk |
| Members | |
| Music Director & Prinicipal Conductor Christopher Warren-Green |
|
The London Chamber Orchestra (LCO) is the longest established professional chamber orchestra in the UK. Based in London, LCO has a residency at St John's Smith Square in Westminster.[1][2]
Contents |
[edit] History
The London Chamber Orchestra was founded in 1921 by the English conductor, organist, pianist and composer Anthony Bernard.[3][4] He conducted the LCO's first performance, in the salon of No. 4 St. James's Square on 11 May 1921.[5]
[edit] Performances
The LCO has given more than 100 UK premieres, including works by Malcolm Arnold, Manuel de Falla, Gabriel Fauré, Leoš Janáček, Maurice Ravel, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Igor Stravinsky, and, most recently, Graham Fitkin and James Francis Brown. In 2006 the LCO premiered Sir Peter Maxwell Davies's The Golden Rule, written to mark Queen Elizabeth's 80th birthday.[6]
The LCO performed at Buckingham Palace at the invitation of the Prince of Wales in April 2006, and has performed for the Queen at Kew Palace.[7]
The LCO receives no grants and is not supported by any public body. Instead, the orchestra depends upon its audiences and on the support of corporate sponsors and donors. These include HSBC, Waitrose, Petro-Canada, CNN, Lazard and Endeavour.[8]
[edit] Royal Wedding
On April 2011 it was announced that the London Chamber Orchestra would perform at the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton at Westminster Abbey on 29 April 2011.[9]
Christopher Warren-Green conducted the LCO in a special program of music during the ceremony. Warren-Green has previously performed for Royal audiences, The Prince of Wales invited him to give a concert in the ballroom of Buckingham Palace.[10]
Music played at the royal wedding was recorded and released digitally by Decca Records on 5 May 2011.[11]
[edit] Residencies
The LCO was in residence for the Hong Kong International Piano Competition in October 2008. In addition to touring Asia, the London Chamber Orchestra tours across the UK, Europe and the USA.[12]
[edit] Direction
The London Chamber Orchestra's principal conductor, Christopher Warren-Green, has held the position of Music Director since 1988.[13] The President of the Orchestra is Vladimir Ashkenazy. Rosemary Furniss and Vasko Vassilev share the position of Artistic Director Concertmasters.[14]
[edit] Discography
- Mozart: Symphony No. 29 and concertos,
- Vivaldi: The Four Seasons,
- String Serenades: Tchaikovsky, Elgar, Dvořák, Vaughan Williams, Josef Suk
- Minimalist: Philip Glass, John Adams, Steve Reich, Dave Heath
The LCO has been recorded by Virgin Records and BMG and has been broadcast by BBC Radio 3 and ITV.
