User:Noelypole/LPChistory

The London Philharmonic Choir was officially founded on 15th May 1947 at the Choir's first performance with the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

Introduction
In December 1946, a new choir was formed by former members of the ‘Philharmonic Choir’ (founded in 1919 by Charles Kennedy Scott and disbanded in 1939 due to World War II) in collaboration with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. The appointed choir master was Professor Frederic Jackson as Charles Kennedy Scott was unable to resume conductorship. The Choir commenced membership drive with the placement of an advertisement in the February 1947 issue of "The Musical Times" journal. It was noted in the article that "There are vacancies, especially for tenors.", which still rings true in any choir recruitment today.

This alliance made the London Philharmonic Choir the first major choir to be attached to one of the big independent London orchestras.

The Jackson era (1947 – 1969)
In the founding years, the choir was comprised of amateur and professional singers, the latter being paid a sum of ten shillings and sixpence per rehearsal session. The annual subscription was one guinea. On Wednesdays, the choir rehearsed at the Livingstone Hall in Westminster.

The LPC debuted on 15th May 1947 performing Beethoven's Ninth with the LPO conducted by Victor De Sabata at the Royal Albert Hall. This was followed by their first season with the LPO of works that included Bruckner’s Te Deum, Verdi’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah and in October that year,Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms under Ernest Anserment. The performance of Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms, became the Choir’s first recording for Decca.

The LPC’s first broadcast was of Vaughan Williams’ Sancta Civitas and Verdi’s Stabat Mater in March 1948 with the BBC Symphony Orchestra under Sir Adrian Boult.

In May 1951, 30 members of the LPC were invited along with other choirs to sing in the inaugural concert of the Royal Festival Hall as part of the Festival of Britain.

In 1953, the male chorus of the LPC and LPO recorded the Alto Rhapsody conducted by Clemens Krauss, with Kathleen Ferrier for the Decca label.

By the late 50’s, the LPO was struggling financially. Despite LPO’s loyalty to the LPC, the crisis resulted in the choir being used less during this period ‘Because of the number of professional choristers, the cost of putting a concert with the Choir had become so great that it was difficult to maintain its interest.’ Frederic Jackson was now paid by engagement rather than a fixed salary. The crisis also resulted in the LPO board reluctantly agreeing ‘that in the circumstances no objection could be raised if the choir found work for themselves, provided reference was made to the Orchestra before any engagement was accepted’.

The LPC continued its partnership with the LPO throughout the 60’s, however their performance standards were slipping. Despite this, the choir continued to be involved in some memorable concerts. In the spring of 1967, Bernard Haitink was appointed principal conductor of the LPO. The LPC performed Britten’s Spring Symphony, Bruckner’s E Minor Mass and Mahler’s ‘Resurrection’ symphony in the first season under his reign. Another noted LPC performance was Brian Large’s production of Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius in March 1968 at Canterbury Cathedral with the LPO conducted by Sir Adrian Boult with soloists Peter Pears, Dame Janet Baker and John Shirley-Quirk. The performance was filmed in colour for the BBC.

By the late 60’s the LPO board were dissatisfied with the quality of the LPC and by implication, with Frederic Jackson. Jackson's relinquishment from his post as Chorus Master was announced in May 1969, "... after 21 years owing to the pressure of other engagements..." . John Alldis, who was Founding Chorus Master of the London Symphony Chorus (LSC), left the LSC to become Chorus Master of the LPC that same year.

Frederic Jackson passed away on 10th February 1972 while conducting Verdi's Requiem at the Royal Academy of Music. He was 67 years old.

The Alldis era (1969 – 1982)
The arrival of John Alldis fostered a new era for the LPC. The existing members were re-auditioned. Out of the existing hundred-odd members, 70 members survived the cull. Some LSC members followed Alldis to the LPC. Recruitment for singers commenced in May 1969. One such member joining as a tenor in 1972 was David Temple, who now is the conductor and musical director of the Crouch End Festival Chorus. It was at this time, Malcolm Hicks joined as accompanist and Deputy Chorus Master.

Along with standard choral repertoire, Alldis encouraged the Choir to undertake contemporary works such as David Bedford’s Star Clusters, Nebulae and Places in Devon, which was performed in March 1972.

In August of 1972, the LPC took part in the International Carnival of Experimental Sound - ICES-72 performing David Rowland's Cantate Laetantes Alleluia at the Chalk Farm Roundhouse.

The LPC performed with some major soloists of the decade. These included, Kiri Te Kanawa, Heather Harper, Sheila Armstrong, Margaret Price, Norma Procter, Helen Watts, Peter Pears, Richard Lewis, Robert Tear, John Carol Case, John Shirley-Quirk, Norman Bailey and Raimund Herincx.

The 70’s decade also ushered in a spate of recordings by the LPC including the award winning Vaughan Williams’ Sea Symphony conducted by Haitink. However the best selling of all LPC’s recording was ‘Sounds of Glory’. This 1976 recording was a compilation of hymns and songs arranged for choir and orchestra for the purpose of use in television advertisements and the like. This recording is still marketed under the title Praise - 18 Choral Masterpieces.

In August 1979, the LPC undertook their first overseas tour. They performed Bruckner’s E Minor Mass, with the local wind ensemble at Wilhelmshaven, Northern Germany. It was to be the first of many tours to come.

The Cooke era (1982 – 1991)
In 1982, the year of the LPO’s golden jubilee, Richard Cooke became Chorus Master of the LPC. His tenure commenced on 10th March 1982.

During this period, recordings became less frequent as most were given to professional ensembles. However, touring became more lucrative. One such tour was in 1985 to Italy where the Choir performed Beethoven's Ninth in Perugia and Pompeii.

The 80’s were good years for the LPO and they were appointed first ‘resident’ orchestra at the South Bank which meant that the LPO and LPC had first choices in dates, rehearsals and repertoire.

The LPC worked with some great conductors such as Sir Georg Solti and LPO’s principal conductor, Klaus Tennstedt. It was with Tennstedt that the choir recorded the Mahler’s Eighth Symphony together with the Tiffin School boys’ choir and the LPO for EMI in 1987.

Tennstedt stood down from the LPO in 1987 due to ill health, having fostered good rapport with Cooke and the LPC during his tenure. He was to reappear again in 1991 to conduct the LPC and LPO in three performances of Mahler’s Eighth Symphony at the Royal Festival Hall. One of these performances was attended by Mahler’s granddaughter, Anna.

In 1990, Franz Welser-Möst was appointed the LPO’s Principal conductor. From the outset Welser-Möst and Cooke had a strained working relationship. Political disputes both between the choir and orchestra and within the choir itself led to the eventual resignation of Cooke.

In August 1991, after the prom performance of Beethoven’s Ninth conducted by Tennstedt, Cooke concluded his engagement with the LPC. Richard Cooke is now Music Director of the Royal Choral Society.

The Jackman era (1992 – 1994)
The early 90’s was a turbulent period for both the LPC and LPO. Economic recession meant that funding by the Arts Council for the LPO was tight and sponsorship limited. High level resignations at the LPO management fostered uncertainty for the LPC.

In December 1991, the LPO appointed Jeremy Jackman, a former King's Singers, as the next LPC Chorus Master. It was not until beginning of 1992 that Jackman commenced his tenure. The LPO did not program any concerts involving the LPC in the 1992/93 season to allow the Choir time to regroup.

Jackman’s tenure was initially seen as a smoothing of growing tension between the LPO and LPC. However, with the departure of Cooke, members of the LPC loyal to Cooke took against Jackman and defected to other choirs. Recruitment was made all the more challenging as the Choir’s difficulties were widely advertised.

Despite this setback, Jackman and the fragmented Choir worked hard to achieve decent results for Beethoven's Ninth with Tennstedt, Janáček’s Glagolitic Mass with Jiří Bělohlávek and Haydn’s Creation with Sir Roger Norrington.

In early 1994, just as relations were beginning to stabilise for the LPC, a board meeting between members of the LPO and LPC concluded that Jackman’s services were no longer required. Jackman subsequently resigned upon hearing the news.

Jackman’s last association with the LPC culminated with the tour to Spain in April 1994, performing Haydn’s Te Deum and Beethoven’s Mass in C. The music critic of ‘El Correo’ commended the LPC’s ‘excellent choral singing. The security of line, musical mastery and good vocal technique produced a magnificent performance.

The Creed era (1994 – Present)
After an exhaustive search, the LPC eventually appointed Neville Creed. Creed was the former head of music at Tiffin School and conductor of the Bournemouth and Guildford choirs. He collaborated with the LPC by preparing the boys’ choir on the Mahler Eighth recording in 1987. His brother, Marcus Creed, is also a noted English conductor, now based in Germany.

Neville Creed’s enthusiasm and drive enabled the LPC to give creditable performances with the LPO at the Royal Festival Hall in 1994/95 of the Britten and Verdi Requiems under Welser-Möst, Berlioz concerts with Norrington, Beethoven’s Ninth and Bruckner’s Te Deum with Haitink, and two performances of Verdi’s Aida with Zubin Mehta.

The turning point of the relationship between the LPC and LPO occurred in 1996 coinciding with the year of Welser-Möst’s departure. The financially beleaguered LPO decided to sever support as it could not guarantee work for the Choir and felt that the LPC performance standards were not up to expectations. Before long, LPC and LPO parted ways and the Choir’s affiliation with the Orchestra now existed in name only.

Faced with the decision to fold or to carry on, the LPC chose the latter. The LPC Chairman along with the aid of Creed and the younger generation of LPC members, underwent a drive to increase membership and seek work for the choir. The LPC learnt to sing in various unfamiliar venues such as Guildford Cathedral, Petworth, the Milton Keynes Bowl, Hampton Court and many others. London Orchestras such as the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, The London Symphony Orchestra and the Philharmonia came to the LPC’s aid by engaging them for performances throughout the late 1990s. The choir also obtained singing gigs such as sponsored caroling for the City of London law firms and banks. LPC members were also likely to be augmenting other larger choirs and their respective orchestras, such as the Royal Choral Society or the London Symphony Chorus if a large force was required for a particular performance.

Financial rescue came in the form of UK classical promoter, Raymond Gubbay. The organisation responsible for the popular "Classical Spectaculars" and "Christmas Classics" at the Royal Albert Hall and the annual Beethoven ‘Ninth’s’ at the Barbican, engaged the LPC for many of these annual concerts and still does so to this day.

The LPC’s relationship with the LPO began to settle into one of mutual goodwill and respect, such that the LPO started using the choir once more. Serge Dorny, the former Artistic Director and Chief Executive of the LPO said that “… The London Philharmonic Choir has become an independent artistic ensemble – one of Britain’s’ best choirs which blends the best of amateur enthusiasm with the rigour of a highly professional organisation”.

In 1997, The LPC celebrated their golden jubilee at the Royal Albert Hall with a performance of Vaughan Williams’ Sea Symphony. This performance was conducted by Neville Creed replacing Vernon Handley, who had to pull out the day before. Princess Alexandra, the choir patron and Ursula, Vaughan Williams’ widow, were in attendance.

The late 90’s also brought a surge of foreign tours. The Choir performed Verdi’s Requiem in Dresden, In 1998 and 2000, they travelled to Spain to performed the Tippett’s A Child of our Time and Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis respectively. Both performances were conducted by the late Maestro García Navarro.

In the early 2000’s, British composer, Professor Julian Anderson, joined as a member of the Bass section of the LPC by invitation from his former student, composer and conductor, Richard FitzHugh. Both FitzHugh’s and Anderson’s association with the LPC resulted in a few commissioned pieces. "Where everything is Music" conducted by Creed was FitzHugh’s piece just before he left the choir. Anderson’s "I saw Eternity" was premiered at St Boltoph’s Church Aldgate in 2003. Anderson is still a member of the LPC albeit as an occasional visitor.

In August 2002, the Choir adopted a new constitution and became a registered charity while having the legal protection of a limited company.

In January 2003, The LPC headed to Tenerife and performed Verdi’s Requiem under Víctor Pablo Pérez, along with soloists María Bayo, Massimo Giordano, René Pape and Petra Lang, at the Canary Islands International Music Festival.

The Creed and Rowe Period (2003 – 2008)
Neville Creed’s role changed from Chorus Master to Artistic Director. This enabled him to have a say on the type of programming the choir was to undertake. However, Creed’s increasing commitments with his young family and as Director of Cultural Activities at St Edward's School in Oxford, resulted in the choir employing an Associate Chorus Director in the form of Matthew Rowe. His tenure commenced in 2003.

2004 proved to be the LPC’s annus mirabilis for most members as tours and performances took over their lives. In January 2004, Rowe prepared and accompanied the LPC for the Rome tour, to perform Mahler’s Resurrection symphony for Pope John Paul II as part of the "Papal Concert of Reconciliation" at the Vatican. This was followed by a tour to Hong Kong a few months later to perform Haydn’s Creation. They returned to London to perform La Damnation de Faust with Mark Elder. Days later it was Mahler’s Resurrection symphony with the Philharmonia under Esa-Pekka Salonen in Paris and at the Royal Festival Hall. The next month was Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis under Kurt Masur and finally Janáček’s Glagolitic Mass with Sir Charles Mackerras.

2005 was the LPC’s annus mirabilis for tours. January was a trip to Athens performing Beethoven’s ‘Choral symphony’ with Kurt Masur. In May, The LPC made a trip to Kuala Lumpur performing the ‘Choral symphony’ three times and a concert of a cappella works before heading to Perth, Australia for two concerts of Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis with the Western Australian Symphony Orchestra (WASO) and WASO Chorus conducted by Matthias Bamert. This was shortly followed in July by a performance of the same work in Cologne Cathedral; the ‘Choral symphony’ at the Lucerne Festival in September (a repeat performance of that year’s LPC prom) and Rossini’s Stabat Mater in Rome in November.

In May 2005, The LPO and LPC performed Britten’s War Requiem under Kurt Masur, marking the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. This was the last performance at the Royal Festival Hall for 2005 prior to closure for refurbishment. The performance was also recorded for the recently launched LPO’s CD label. The LPO and LPC subsequently undertook performances in the Queen Elizabeth Hall situated next door. The reduced size of the QEH meant that the numbers required were also reduced.

The LPC performed at the August 2006 Proms performance of Rachmaninov’s The Bells (with the Philharmonia Chorus) and the UK première of "A Relic of Memory" by British composer, Mark-Anthony Turnage with the LPO at the Royal Albert Hall conducted by Vladimir Jurowski. It was well received     and the LPC held up to the expectations of the young conductor who was soon to take up the role of Principal conductor of the LPO in September 2007.

In 2006, Julian Anderson was commissioned by the LPO to compose a piece for Orchestra and Choir to open the refurbished Royal Festival Hall for the summer of 2007. This piece would also be part of the LPO’s 75th anniversary season as well as the 60th anniversary of the LPC. The resultant work was called ‘Alleluia’. The Royal Festival Hall re-opened in June 2007 to much fanfare      and the piece conducted by Vladimir Jurowski, received positive acclaim.

In May 2007, the LPC celebrated their 60th anniversary with a choral concert at the Queen Elizabeth Hall performing Bach’s Lobet den Herrn, Bruckner Motets, and Mozart’s Requiem,. This event also coincided with the book launch of "Halleluiah! An informal history of the London Philharmonic Choir" written by author and long standing member of the Choir, Daniel Snowman.

In September 2007, The LPC were involved with their first Mayor of London Open Rehearsal at Bishopsgate Institute.

In February 2008, the Choir made an 8 day trip to Hong Kong and performed the Rachmaninov Bells with the Hong Kong Philharmonic under Edo De Waart as part of the 36th Hong Kong Arts Festival. The Choir also hosted an open rehearsal on 'The Art of Choral Conducting' with Neville Creed supported by the British Council at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre concert hall.

In May 2008, the Choir performed Poulenc’s Gloria and Britten’s Spring Symphony under David Parry in Salisbury Cathedral as part of the Salisbury International Arts Festival. Soloists were Elizabeth Watts, Patricia Bardon and Andrew Kennedy. A noted incident was Parry’s enthusiastic baton waving accidentally striking Watts on the back of her head at the beginning of the fourth movement of the Spring Symphony.

The LPC was involved in ‘Excite!’ conducted by Jurowski at the Royal Festival Hall in June 2008. The “Excite!” project was devised as a triple celebration: of the London Philharmonic Orchestra’s 75th-Anniversary Season; of the 21st-birthday of the LPO’s Education and Community Programme; and of the Orchestra’s first full season back in the Royal Festival Hall. It was also designed to emphasise the growing role that the Education and Community Programme in the Orchestra’s outreach to the "many diverse communities" of Lambeth and Southwark.

In July 2008, The LPC sang in the Doctor Who Prom with the BBC Philharmonic under conductors Stephen Bell and Ben Foster held at the Royal Albert Hall. Soloists were Melanie Pappenheim and Tim Phillips.

2008 proved to be a busy period for Rowe as his increasing workload with other organisations and as a mentor for BBC 2’s production of Maestro meant that he could not commit his time effectively with the choir. He left the post at the end of 2008. In January 2009, he took up the position of symphony orchestra conductor for the San Diego State University School of Music and Dance.

Creed returned to full duties as Artistic Director after the departure of Rowe. The role of Associate Chorus Director was made redundant.

Creed Period (2009 - Present)
On New Year’s Day 2009, The LPC performed Haydn’s Creation (Die Schöpfung) with the LPO under Ádám Fischer in Budapest.

In February 2009, The LPC performed Dvořák Requiem under Neeme Järvi at the Royal Festival Hall. This performance was recorded as part of the LPO’s CD Label. The recording was released in January 2010 and was featured in the January edition of Gramophone Magazine Editor’s choice.

The Choir’s first engagement under LPO’s Principal Guest Conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin occurred in April 2009 of Brahms’ Requiem with the LPO at the Royal Festival Hall. This performance was recorded for the LPO label and released on 29th March 2010.

The LPC participated in the "Evolution!" Prom which featured Goldie’s composition "Sine Tempore" in August 2009. The creation of this work was featured in the two part series ‘Classic Goldie’ on BBC 2.

In September 2009, the LPC, augmented by the Royal Choral Society, recorded ‘50 greatest pieces of classical music’ with the LPO under David Parry at Henry Wood Hall. This ‘available for download only’ recording released in December 2009, was the first for the LPC.