Episodes
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What does an orchestra do when it's not on stage?
Since its inception, the Philharmonia has been renowned for its work as a recording orchestra. We can regularly be found in the studio recording for film and video games, as well as recording concert works. Join Patrick Bailey to explore the off-stage work of the orchestra, featuring music by composer Jessica Curry.
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We’re in this together. As a charity, we rely on the generosity of individuals like you to support the work we do through successes as well as these periods of difficulty. Please consider making a donation to our Keep the Philharmonia Playing appeal to secure our future and help us stay digitally connected with our audiences around the world.
Like many performing arts organisations, the Philharmonia is facing significant disruption during the COVID-19 pandemic. We want to thank all of our supporters, Friends, audience members and wider community at this challenging time. We are doing everything possible to be performing live again soon.
https://tickets.philharmonia.co.uk/contributions/donations
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How do 60 individual violins, violas, cellos and basses transform into the lush sound of an orchestral string section? Who do they follow? What makes them all move together?
Find out all of their secrets in this film. And subscribe to our YouTube channel to be alerted when our brand new series on the sections of the orchestra continues with the woodwind section.
Keep the Philharmonia Playing: https://www.philharmonia.co.uk/donate
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Missing episodes?
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Mahler’s The Song of the Earth is an hour-long, soul-searching journey in the company of a composer examining his own mortality and love for life from all angles.
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While we can't perform it for you tonight, conductor Xian Zhang spoke to us about the challenges of conducting the piece, as well as her time learning her craft under the tuition of Lorin Maazel.
Like many performing arts organisations, the Philharmonia is facing significant disruption during the COVID-19 pandemic. We want to thank all of our supporters, Friends, audience members and wider community at this challenging time. We are doing everything possible to be performing live again soon.
https://philharmonia.co.uk/donate
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Last, but certainly not least. Join presenter Paul Rissmann to discover the final symphony from the remarkably prolific composer, Joseph Haydn. You’ll learn the importance of symmetry within the work, Haydn’s creative use of tiny motifs, and the importance of silence.
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“If after this concert you don’t fall in love with classical music, you never will.” – Pablo Heras-Casado
Meet Spanish conductor Pablo Heras-Casado ahead of his concerts of Russian classics this April. Maestro Heras-Casado shares his appreciation of the Philharmonia, his thoughts on the accessibility of classical music, and chats about Mussorgsky’s colourful classic, Pictures at an Exhibition, arranged by composer Maurice Ravel.
Concerts:
1 April, Leicester: https://philharmonia.co.uk/whats-on/200401_pictures-at-an-exhibition/
2 April, London: https://philharmonia.co.uk/whats-on/190402-heras-casado/
3 April, Cardiff: https://philharmonia.co.uk/whats-on/cardiff-liszt-stravinsky/
5 April, Basingstoke: https://philharmonia.co.uk/whats-on/200405-pictures-at-an-exhibition/
With thanks to Sea Containers London.
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Perfectionism... Swans... Finland... What do these all have to do with music? Discover the story behind Jean Sibelius’s famous 5th Symphony as described by presenter Paul Rissmann. You’ll learn what to listen out for and how this masterful work was written. Featuring extracts played in the studio by Philharmonia musicians.
Catch Sibelius Symphony No. 5 live in concert on 21 May 2020 in London at Royal Festival Hall, conducted by our Principal Conductor Designate, Santtu-Matias Rouvali: https://philharmonia.co.uk/whats-on/philharmonia-21-05-20/
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The Virtual Orchestra travelled to our UK residencies in 2018 and 2019, offering audiences the chance to experience a symphony orchestra from the inside. We worked with local partners including community centres, charities, arts organisations and councils to bring orchestral music to new audiences. Check out this film to find out more about the project or head to the website to read our new report that shares our highlights, challenges, and outcomes from the project. https://philharmonia.co.uk/initial-report-into-the-virtual-orchestra
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“The moment Lise sang the first phrase, everybody’s jaw dropped in the orchestra. I have never seen this kind of thing before.” – Esa-Pekka Salonen
Hear Lise Davidsen and Esa-Pekka Salonen in concert with the Philharmonia Orchestra on 19 March 2020 at Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London: https://philharmonia.co.uk/whats-on/200319-esa-pekka-salonen-mahler-and-schumann/
Link to the recording of Lise Davidsen with the Philharmonia Orchestra on Decca: https://decca.lnk.to/LiseDavidsen0F
The Mahler: Songs of Life concerts are supported by members of the Mahler Syndicate: Naomi and Christophe Kasolowsky, Caroline Tate, Marina Vaizey, John and Carol Wates, and others who wish to remain anonymous.
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Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor, Esa-Pekka Salonen, chats about how composer Gustav Mahler used and re-used vocal music. Music from his song cycles can later be heard in his symphonies.
Discover more in this film and join us for in London for our concert series, Mahler: Songs of Life, throughout our 2019/20 season: https://philharmonia.co.uk/whats-on/?date=all&location=all&type=all&event-group=1562
The Mahler: Songs of Life concerts are supported by members of the Mahler Syndicate: Naomi and Christophe Kasolowsky, Caroline Tate, Marina Vaizey, John and Carol Wates, and others who wish to remain anonymous.
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“Everything was just a disaster. Most likely, people who survived it, when they walked out of there, they were completely confused and bewildered. There is something really attractive about the total excess of it.” – Esa-Pekka Salonen
Listen to Esa-Pekka Salonen, our Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor, talk about why he’s reconstructing one of the most famous concerts ever: Beethoven’s legendary 1808 concert in Vienna. The concert was plagued by mishaps and ran for four hours, but those who were there heard the premieres of some of the greatest music of all time: Beethoven’s 5th and 6th Symphonies and the 4th Piano Concerto, performed by Beethoven himself.
You can join us for a reconstruction of this concert in March 2020, conducted by our Principal Conductor, Esa-Pekka Salonen.
14 March 2020, The Anvil, Basingstoke: https://www.philharmonia.co.uk/concerts/2658/basingstoke_beethoven_250
15 March 2020, Royal Festival Hall, London: https://www.philharmonia.co.uk/concerts/2528/beethoven_1808_reconstructed
Watch our animated film telling the story of this concert in our podcast feed.
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Vienna, 22 December 1808. Franz and Katarina are on their way to hear a concert that the famous composer and pianist, Ludwig van Beethoven, is putting on at the Teater an der Wien. They are in for a night they will never forget.
Discover the story behind one of the most famous concerts of all time in our animated film. You can join us for a reconstruction of this concert in March 2020, conducted by our Principal Conductor, Esa-Pekka Salonen.
14 March 2020, The Anvil, Basingstoke: https://www.philharmonia.co.uk/concerts/2658/basingstoke_beethoven_250
15 March 2020, Royal Festival Hall, London: https://www.philharmonia.co.uk/concerts/2528/beethoven_1808_reconstructed
Listen to Principal Conductor & Artistic Advisor, Esa-Pekka Salonen, talk about why he wanted to reconstruct this famous concert in our next podcast, also out today.
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In 2020 we mark 75 years since the Philharmonia Orchestra was founded - three quarters of a century of brilliant live music-making, definitive recordings, technological innovation and artistic adventure.
Our Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor, Esa-Pekka Salonen, reflects on the founding ethos of the Philharmonia and how it has continued to attract the finest musicians to play in its ranks.
Discover our concert series here: http://www.philharmonia.co.uk/POat75
Watch more films about our story here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqR22EoucCycOGFfrFJY587duxWWBYhvu
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Seasons Greetings from everyone at the Philharmonia Orchestra!
Enjoy our 2019 Christmas Card, filmed in the ancient church of St Bartholomew the Great in London, with the Philharmonia’s four horns – Nigel Black, Kira Doherty, Diego Incertis Sánchez and Carsten Williams. In Dulci Jubilo was arranged by Philharmonia No. 3 Cello, Richard Birchall.
Hear more from our fantastic horn section in Horn Calls, featuring Richard Strauss’s Till Eulenspiegel, Thu 16 Jan, 7.30pm, Royal Festival Hall, London.
Book here: https://www.philharmonia.co.uk/concerts/2508/horn_calls
www.philharmonia.co.uk/christmas
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Meet Tom Blomfield, Principal Oboe of the Philharmonia Orchestra, to learn more about what it’s like to be an oboist and to discover the fascinating story behind the Strauss Oboe Concerto. Created in the aftermath of World War II, this nostalgic piece is one of the few opportunities an oboe soloist gets to stand in front of a symphony orchestra. The concerto also forms a part of the Philharmonia Orchestra’s great recording legacy – the Philharmonia made the first recording of the piece in 1947.
Tom Blomfield performs the Strauss Oboe Concerto on 19 January 2020 as part of the Philharmonia Orchestra’s 75th Anniversary celebrations, conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen. Find out more and book here: https://www.philharmonia.co.uk/concerts/2510/voices_of_1945
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Philharmonia No. 2 Horn, Kira Doherty, meets up with Richard Watkins, Principal Horn of the Philharmonia Orchestra from 1985-1996, at the Museum of the Royal Academy of Music in London to dive into the legacy of the first Principal Horn of the Philharmonia, Dennis Brain.
This is a rare opportunity to hear the instrument Brain played in the 1950s before his early death.
The Philharmonia Orchestra celebrates 75 years in 2020. On 16 January 2020, Richard Watkins performs the Serenade for Horn, Tenor and Strings by Benjamin Britten and a new piece for horn, 'Towards Alba', by composer Mark-Anthony Turnage. Esa-Pekka Salonen conducts. https://www.philharmonia.co.uk/concerts/2508/horn_calls
Full chat between Kira Doherty and Richard Watkins: https://youtu.be/fmo7Dk4uR1E
Watch a chat between Richard Watkins and Mark-Anthony Turnage here: https://youtu.be/mNL7L916078 -
Meet Richard Watkins, Principal Horn of the Philharmonia Orchestra from 1985-1996, as he chats with composer and friend, Mark-Anthony Turnage at the Philharmonia offices in London.
Turnage has composed a new piece for horn and orchestra called 'Towards Alba', which he wrote for Richard Watkins. The piece was commissioned by the Philharmonia Orchestra with support from John and Carol Wates as part of the Orchestra's 75th birthday celebrations in 2020.
Find out all about this new piece and how these artists have worked together in our film, and then join us in London for the world premiere on 16 January 2020, conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen: https://www.philharmonia.co.uk/concerts/2508/horn_calls
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By popular demand, we present a full-length guide to the bass clarinet, presented by Philharmonia Orchestra Principal Bass Clarinet, Laurent Ben Slimane.
CHAPTERS:
00:00 Intro
00:48 – What is a bass clarinet?
01:13 – How do you put it together?
02:33 – How does the sound get created?
03:55 – How does the pitch get changed?
04:43 – What is a transposing instrument?
05:08 – How did you get started on the bass clarinet?
05:50 – What are the keys like?
06:36 – How do you hold your instrument?
08:35 – Playing other woodwind instruments
08:57 – Doubling on other clarinets
09:49 – Articulations
10:34 – Embouchure & Puffing Cheeks
12:39 – Special techniques
14:04 – Tchaikovsky, Manfred Symphony
14:46 – Shostakovich, Violin Concerto No. 1, Scherzo
15:31 – Shostakovich, 7th Symphony
17:35 – Stravinsky, The Rite of Spring
19:17 – Richard Strauss, Don Quixote
21:08 – Learning the bass clarinet
21:40 – Different models
Watch the full instrument playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqR22EoucCyccs5J639SCefaM7mD9dMSz
Subscribe: www.youtube.com/philharmonialondon
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The Philharmonia Orchestra and Raze Collective present a queer extravaganza of contemporary cabaret on Mon 23 Sept in the Queen Elizabeth Hall Foyer, Southbank Centre, London, at 8:45pm. This free show is inspired by the cabaret scene of Weimar Berlin and is a collaboration between Philharmonia players and London-based performance artists. Our documentary goes behind-the-scenes on the rehearsals: meet the artists and hear what they have been working on!
Cabaret artists:
Bourgeois & Maurice
Sadie Sinner The Songbird and Rudy Jeevanjee
Alicia Jane Turner and RODENTPhilharmonia musicians:
Nicholas Bootiman, viola
Kira Doherty, horn
Louise Goodwin, percussion
John Evans, arrangements & keysThis is a FREE event:https://www.philharmonia.co.uk/concerts/2574/free_performance_post-show_cabaret
Full Weimar Berlin series: https://www.philharmonia.co.uk/weimar_berlin -
The Weimar Republic was a time of great social and artistic advances, but shaky politics and a disastrous economy made it ripe for the rise of National Socialism – the Nazis. Adolf Hitler became Chancellor of Germany in 1933, which brought an end to the Weimar Republic. As part of his swift project of cultural eradication, books were burned and people contrary to the regime, or who simply did not fit the Nazi’s ideal of the “Aryan” race, were arrested, murdered or forced to flee Germany. In our last film we explore the effects of the rise of the Nazis, and Weimar’s legacy.
These six films form the introduction to the Philharmonia’s concert series Weimar Berlin: Bittersweet Metropolis, which returns 23 September 2019 at Southbank Centre, London: https://www.philharmonia.co.uk/concerts/series/82/weimar_berlin_bittersweet_metropolis
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Cabaret was hugely important during the Weimar Republic as a form of social protest and social critique. Its influence went beyond bars and music halls – film and theatre quickly adopted its rougher aesthetic and its subject matter. One of the most prominent collaborations of the day was between composer Kurt Weill and playwright Bertolt Brecht, who created The Threepenny Opera, which was later turned into a film. This period also launched the career of legendary singer and actor Marlene Dietrich, famous for her role in film The Blue Angel.
These six films form the introduction to the Philharmonia’s concert series Weimar Berlin: Bittersweet Metropolis, which continues 23 September 2019 at Southbank Centre, London: https://www.philharmonia.co.uk/concerts/series/82/weimar_berlin_bittersweet_metropolis
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