© Alberto Venzago/LSO (2010)
The London Symphony Orchestra lives in the Barbican, its home since 1982, and is considered to be one of the world’s more flamboyant orchestras. It was founded in 1904 and was the first self-governing orchestra in the UK. In 1912, The LSO was booked onto The Titanic, to transport it across the Atlantic for an American tour, but last minute changes of plans averted the sinking of the orchestra.
The LSO has recorded some very distinctive film scores, such as the original Star Wars trilogy (and some of James Cameron’s Titanic, of course) and has appeared on various pop recordings, including The Beatles’ Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. LSO Live was established in 2000 and is the best-selling record label owned by an orchestra in the world. Composer Valery Gergiev will be introducing the 2010-2011 season, bringing together the greatest works by four great composers, whose lives overlapped: Tchaikovsky, Mahler, Shostakovich and Shchedrin.