Wednesday 22 May: Concert Programme - London Symphony ...

Welcome
Welcome to tonight’s special LSO concert celebrating the 60th
birthday of the Orchestra’s Principal Conductor, Valery Gergiev.
Happy birthday Valery! And many congratulations on the recent
opening of your fabulous new theatre in St Petersburg. The LSO is
much looking forward to being the first international orchestra to
play on your new stage next week.
It is a pleasure to welcome two soloists in the first half of tonight’s
concert who are particularly special to Gergiev: his long-time friend
and musical partner, the pianist Alexander Toradze, and the violinist
with whom he has so often shared the LSO platform in London and
abroad: Leonidas Kavakos. No birthday celebration for Gergiev would
be complete without opera, so we have devoted the second half
of tonight’s performance to the fifth act from Berlioz’s The Trojans,
and extend a warm welcome to Ekaterina Semenchuck and Sergei
Semishkur, who have sung these roles with Gergiev many times;
and to our other vocal soloists and the London Symphony Chorus.
I would like to take the opportunity to thank Lord Rothermere for
generously supporting tonight’s concert. His late father, the Third
Viscount, was passionate about music and enjoyed very much his
friendship with Valery Gergiev.
I hope you enjoy tonight’s performance. Join us again on Bank Holiday
Monday when Gergiev conducts more Berlioz with the Orchestra
in Trafalgar Square in the second of its BMW LSO Open Air Classics
concerts at 6.30pm.
Kathryn McDowell
LSO Managing Director
2 Welcome
Kathryn McDowell © Camilla Panufnik