Information about pieces and composers, and the OrchMap, an interactive map of the orchestra with LPO players introducing their instruments.
Gustav Holst: The Planets Suite English composer Gustav Holst (1874–1934) wrote one of the most famous and popular orchestral pieces ever – The Planets Suite. It has been performed by professional orchestras all over the world since Holst finished it in 1916. It has hugely influenced music written for film by modern day composers. For instance, John Williams’s
Posted in Listen & Discover, Resources
‘Uranus: The Magician’ is the sixth movement of The Planets Suite by Gustav Holst. You can read all about The Planets in our Listening Guide. ‘Uranus: The Magician’ ‘Uranus: The Magician’ starts off with a dramatic statement of four notes (G, Eb, A and B), which represent Holst’s name. Holst converted some of the letters of his name into that four-note
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‘Mercury: The Winged Messenger’ is the third movement of The Planets Suite by Gustav Holst. You can read all about The Planets in our Listening Guide. ‘Mercury: The Winged Messenger’ In Ancient Rome, the god Mercury was the winged messenger, taking messages from one god to another. This gives Holst the chance to compose some very fast music which jumps
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‘Mars: The Bringer of War’ is the first movement of The Planets Suite by Gustav Holst. You can read all about The Planets in our Listening Guide. ‘Mars: The Bringer of War’ ‘Mars’ starts with a repeated rhythm played by the strings – listen for the unusual tapping sound from them. For this opening, Holst asks all the string players
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In June 2020 the OrchLab team had planned to run live workshops with Garwood Foundation and St Cecilia’s Leonard Cheshire centre, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic we took our workshops online instead. As part of these sessions we had a ‘Listening Party’ where we watched specially created videos of LPO musicians making music together
Posted in Listen & Discover, Resources
In June 2020 the OrchLab team had planned to run live workshops with Garwood Foundation and St Cecilia’s Leonard Cheshire centre, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic we took our workshops online instead. As part of these sessions we had a ‘Listening Party’ where we watched specially created videos of LPO musicians making music together
Posted in Listen & Discover, Resources
In June 2020 the OrchLab team had planned to run live workshops with Garwood Foundation and St Cecilia’s Leonard Cheshire centre, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic we took our workshops online instead. As part of these sessions we had a ‘Listening Party’ where we watched specially created videos of LPO musicians making music together
Posted in Listen & Discover, Resources
When OrchLab visited St Cecilia’s and Garwood Foundation in early 2020, we used Mahler’s Symphony No.5 as our project inspiration. This Listening Guide gives some background information about Gustav Mahler and his fifth symphony, and takes you through the beautiful Adagietto movement. Gustav Mahler Gustav Mahler was an Austro-German composer who lived between 1860–1911. He
Posted in Listen & Discover, Resources, Staff guidance & training
Explore the instruments of the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Select an instrument shaded dark grey, and watch videos of LPO players introducing their instruments.