London’ s oldest symphony orchestra marks its golden jubilee of first visit to Japan
MUSIC
By Julian Ryall
• More focus on community, family, education
• Director lauds warmth, friendliness, trust
• Japan is ensemble’ s top foreign market
PHOTOS: SUNTORY HALL
The 50-year Friendship
London’ s oldest symphony orchestra marks its golden jubilee of first visit to Japan
As the final note of Bruckner’ s Symphony No 9 died away in the highest reaches of the Yokohama Minato Mirai Hall, the crowd erupted into applause.
Japanese audiences have a deep knowledge of, and appreciation for, exceptional classical music— and in particular, it seems, when it is performed by the London Symphony Orchestra( LSO).
This regard for the oldest symphony orchestra in London, combined with the many friends and supporters it has found here, keeps the orchestra coming back to Japan.
“ Japanese audiences are immensely well informed about classical music, which is deeply rooted in the culture for many people here”, Kathryn McDowell CBE, managing director of the orchestra, told BCCJ ACUMEN.
“ There is always a strong connection with audiences in Japan when we step onto the platform, and because there are so many beautiful concert halls here, the orchestra sounds so good in these palaces of art”, McDowell explained.
The orchestra marked the 50th anniversary of its first visit to Japan with a series of performances in Osaka, Fukui, Tokyo and Yokohama in early March, following two successful performances in South Korea.
Bernard Haitink, one of the world’ s most celebrated conductors, put the musicians through their paces with the Bruckner symphony, while Portuguese pianist Maria João Pires— a Japanophile and classical artist— performed solo pieces by Mozart and Beethoven.
At Tokyo’ s Suntory Hall, the orchestra put on its first Family Concert. Aimed at families and children aged between seven and 12, the event was part of its LSO Discovery award-winning education and community programme. This community
44 | BCCJ ACUMEN | JUNE 2013