LSO East London Academy

Thank you for coming to the
LSO East London Academy Showcase

Programme & Performers

6pm, Pre-Concert String Chamber Performances

Luigi Boccherini arr A Gillies Night Music of the Streets of Madrid
Michael Haydn Minuet from Divertimento in C major
Grażyna Bacewicz Violin Quartet
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Quartet No 17 in B-flat major, 'The Hunt'
Elena Kats-Chernin Russian Rag arranged for string quintet

6.30pm, Showcase Concert

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Dance; Funeral March from Othello – Suite
Yuma and Nahuel Angius-Thomas Sunrise
Melchior Franck arr J Maynard Intrada
Scott Joplin arr J Maynard The Easy Winners
Chris Stock Rumble
Elena Kats-Chernin Moon Feather Magic
Claude Debussy arr W Harries Prélude from Bergamasque – Suite
Dmitri Shostakovich Allegretto from Chamber Symphony
Johannes Brahms Hungarian Dance No 5

Kerem Hasan conductor
LSO East London Academy young musicians
London Symphony Orchestra musicians

The LSO East London Academy, launched in 2019, aims to identify and develop the potential of young East Londoners between the ages of 11 and 18. Through the provision of free, inspirational coaching delivered by world-class musicians from the London Symphony Orchestra, the Academy offers high-level training and mentoring to young musicians who show exceptional promise, accelerating their instrumental learning, confidence and aspirations.

The LSO East London Academy aims to represent the diversity of east London, particularly encouraging young musicians from backgrounds currently under-represented in professional orchestras to take part and continue their instrumental learning, including those from Black, Asian and ethnically diverse backgrounds, and those who may experience financial, cultural and practical barriers – a step towards facilitating wider diversification of the professional classical music sector.

To find out more, contact beth.kershaw@lso.co.uk or visit our website.

Discover more about LSO ELA's activities in their blog.

The LSO East London Academy is developed by the London Symphony Orchestra in partnership with the local Music Services in ten East London boroughs: Bexley, Barking & Dagenham, Greenwich, Hackney, Havering, Lewisham, Newham, Redbridge, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest.

The LSO East London Academy is made possible through the generous support of the Henocq Law Trust, The Steel Charitable Trust, The Irving Memorial Trust, the Harold Hyam Wingate Foundation and The Radcliffe Trust.

Luigi Boccherini (1743–1805)

Night Music of the Streets of Madrid

Luigi Boccherini was an Italian composer and cellist, who worked throughout Europe, moving from Italy to Austria, France and finally Spain. Working under the patronage of royals and a wealthy ambassador, he wrote a large body of music – over 20 symphonies and 100 string quartets, and from operas to guitar quintets. His Night Music of the Streets of Madrid conjures up the sounds of a summer night in Madrid. Tonight the East London Academy perform Allison Gillies' arrangement for string trio written for the film Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World.

Michael Haydn (1737–1806)

Minuet from Divertimento in C major

Michael Haydn lived and worked in Austria. Although he was the younger brother of the more famous Joseph Haydn, he was a respected composer in his own right, particularly admired for his sacred music (music written for the church, or with a religious subject). Tonight we hear a movement from his Divertimento – a piece of music written in a light-hearted style. 

Grażyna Bacewicz (1909–69)

Violin Quartet

Grażyna Bacewicz, a composer and violinist, lived and worked in the 20th century. She was a key figure in Polish music throughout her career: during World War II, she held underground concerts of her music in the occupied city of Warsaw, and she held a number of influential positions after the War. At one point in her career she was Principal Violin in the Polish Radio Orchestra, and the Violin Quartet that we hear tonight showcases her instrument. 

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–91)

Quartet No 17 in B-flat major, 'The Hunt'

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who lived and worked in 17th-century Austria, is one of the most well-known composers in history, a proponent of the ‘Classical’ style, with a body of work numbering over 600 pieces of music. His String Quartet in B-flat major was nicknamed ‘The Hunt’ because of the opening phrase, which suggests the sound of a hunting call. 

Elena Kats-Chernin (b 1957)

Russian Rag arranged for string quintet

Elena Kats-Chernin was born in Uzbekistan in 1957, and studied music in Moscow, Germany and Australia, where she is now based. She has written music in nearly every classical genre, from opera and symphonies to ballet music, and even silent film soundtracks. On her Russian Rag, the composer said, ‘Ragtimes are such fun to write and they have a somewhat dark melancholy’. 

Kats-Chernin has been very supportive of the LSO ELA programme and recently put together a short video introducing herself and her music for the group.

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875–1912)

Dance

Funeral March from Othello – Suite

London-born composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor grew up in a musical family, playing the violin and singing in choirs in his hometown of Croydon, later studying at the Royal College of Music. He made his name as a composer with works like the trilogy of cantatas The Song of Hiawatha, which proved especially popular in the United States. While in the US, Coleridge-Taylor became particularly interested in exploring the African-American heritage on his father’s side, and absorbed the influence of African-American folk music into his compositions.   

Yuma and Nahuel Angius-Thomas

Sunrise

Yuma and Nahuel Angius-Thomas are twin brothers from London who love music – between them they play drum kit, percussion, piano and bassoon – and members of the LSO East London Academy. We hear their piece Sunrise in this evening's concert.

The brothers composed this piece for the LSO ELA percussion ensemble. The title Sunrise refers to the different moments of the sun's journey. The marimba starts with a motivic idea which is then passed throughout all the instruments.

Melchior Franck (1579–1639)

Intrada arr J Maynard

Melchior Franck was a German composer, particularly known in his time for his sacred choral music. This evening we hear his Intrada – a piece of music, evoking the sound of a fanfare, that acts as an introduction to a larger set of pieces – in an arrangement by LSO Second Trombone, James Maynard.  

Scott Joplin (1868–1917)

The Easy Winners arr J Maynard

Scott Joplin was an African-American composer and pianist, who is known to this day as the ‘king of ragtime’ and will be familiar to many through his piano works The Entertainer and Maple Leaf Rag, among others. He composed over 100 pieces of music inspired by ragtime – a style that uses syncopated (off-the-beat) rhythms and originated in African-American communities in the late-19th century. The Easy Winners is an example of ragtime, originally written for solo piano, arranged here by James Maynard.

Chris Stock

Rumble

Chris Stock is principal percussionist of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and percussion tutor at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama. He was born in Chelmsford, Essex and studied at the Royal College of Music.

Struggling to find anything that encapsulated the energy of the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama Percussion Ensemble, Stock took it upon himself to write Rumble for the group to perform. The piece was composed on two coach journeys to and from Swansea and was Stock's first ensemble piece.

Elena Kats-Chernin

Moon Feather Magic

Moon Feather Magic by Elena Kats-Chernin is a piece for strings, written for the Australian Hush Foundation as part of their National Composers in Residence Project, which uses music to engage with young people with chronic illness and mental health challenges.  

Claude Debussy (1862–1918)

Prélude from Bergamasque – Suite arr W Harries

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Claude Debussy was a French composer, working at the turn of the 19th into the 20th century, whose music and stylistic innovations proved influential to generations of composers after him. Famous works include the ‘symphonic poem’ Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune, Clair de lune, and the rich evocation of the sea, La mer. Although Debussy’s works are often labelled ‘Impressionist’, the composer himself rejected the term. The Prélude we hear tonight is taken from a larger suite of music originally written for piano. 

Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-75)

Allegretto from Chamber Symphony

Dmitri Shostakovich was a Russian composer, whose life and career spanned much of the 20th century, including a turbulent period of Russian history and artistic control that profoundly affected his music. Shostakovich wrote the first of his 15 symphonies at the age of just 19, and is also known for his controversial opera Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, his Preludes and Fugues for piano, and his deeply personal chamber (small-scale) music, particularly the String Quartets. The Chamber Symphony is an arrangement of a String Quartet. The third movement – which we hear tonight – quotes Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No 1.

Johannes Brahms (1833–97)

Hungarian Dance No 5

Johannes Brahms was a German composer writing during the Romantic era, whose four symphonies, Violin Concerto, chamber music and choral German Requiem have continued to be both popular and influential. Brahms was particularly inspired by a meeting with the Hungarian violinist Eduard Reményi, who introduced him to Hungarian folk dances and songs. Brahms poured these influences into his set of Hungarian Dances, including the lively rhythms of No 5, which rounds off this LSO East London Academy performance.