Sir Colin Davis and the London Symphony Orchestra celebrate 50 year anniversary

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17 & 21 June 2009, 7.30pm, Barbican

[of] concerts given by Davis and the orchestra…there are qualities that are guaranteed – impressive ensemble, strong orchestral playing and a tough resilience to the artistic vision" - Financial Times, January 2009

On 21 June 1959, Sir Colin Davis conducted his first concert with the LSO, a performance of Vaughan Williams’ Concerto for Bass Tuba and Stravinsky Symphony in Three Movements; John Addison and Malcolm Arnold conducted the remainder of the programme. There began a relationship that has grown and developed, and thrives to this day. Sir Colin is President of the LSO and was Principal Conductor from 1995 to 2006, the longest serving in the Orchestra’s history. Sir Colin has conducted the LSO in peerless concert performances of opera, which have included Berlioz’s The Trojans, Benjamin Britten’s Peter Grimes, Saint-Saëns’s Samson and Delilah and Verdi’s Falstaff. His festivals of the music of Sibelius, Elgar, Berlioz, Czech music, Tippett and Beethoven have been dramatic highlights of the LSO’s artistic achievements under his leadership. Sir Colin Davis has been awarded international honours by Italy, France, Germany and Finland. He was named a Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2001. Sir Colin’s recent releases on LSO Live include Handel’s Messiah, Mozart’s Requiem, Berlioz’s Benvenuto Cellini and Tippett’s A Child of Our Time. Sir Colin’s recording of Sibelius’s Kullervo Symphony received a BBC Music Magazine Award in April 2007. In the 2009/10 season, Sir Colin and the LSO will launch a cycle of Nielsen Symphonies and works by Sibelius.

Paul Lewis is now well established as one of the most sought after artists of his generation, appearing regularly in recital, chamber music, and as a concerto soloist at the world's major musical venues and festivals. His career has taken him all over Europe, Australia and the US, and he has performed at all of the UK's major concert venues and festivals. In recent seasons he has appeared at the Salzburg Festival, Edinburgh International Festival, the La Roque d'Antheron Festival in France, and both the Risor and Vancouver Chamber Music Festivals and at the Last Night of the BBC Proms.

Born in Brazil, Nelson Freire began piano studies at the age of three with Nise Obino and Lucia Branco, who had worked with a pupil of Liszt. Nelson Freire was nominated "Soloist of the Year 2002" by French Victoires de la Musique and received in January 2005 a special "Honours Award" for his career. His Chopin recording was nominated by Grammy Awards 2006. His Brahms Concertos with Riccardo Chailly were nominated by Grammy Awards 2007 and announced as "Record of the Year" and "Winner of the Concerto Category" by Classic FM Gramophone Awards 2007.

17 June 2009, 7.30pm, Barbican
BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No 5 (‘Emperor’)
BRAHMS Symphony No 3
Sir Colin Davis conductor
Paul Lewis piano

21 June 2009, 7.30pm, Barbican, Sir Colin Davis 50th Anniversary Concert
MOZART Symphony No 40 in G minor
BRAHMS Piano Concerto No 2
Sir Colin Davis conductor
Nelson Freire piano

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