Lennox Mackenzie

Image: Alberto Venzago

From 23 November to 1 December 2010, The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) will embark upon their first tour of Japan since 2008. The tour will see them visit Tokyo as well as Osaka, Saitama, Niigata and Nagano and highlights will include Mahler's Symphony No 1 'The Titan' and Sibelius' Violin Concerto Op 47. The London Symphony Orchestra first visited Japan in 1963; it was the first British orchestra ever to have performed in Japan. The last visit was in 2008 with Principal Conductor Valery Gergiev when the Orchestra presented all the Prokofiev symphonies. The upcoming 2010 tour is the Orchestra's 21st visit in 47 years and will celebrate 200 LSO concerts sponsored by Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited.

I have been visiting Japan for thirty years now with the LSO (never missing a trip) and have witnessed the burgeoning interest in Western music in Japan with great excitement. The LSO has nurtured and hugely appreciated Japanese business companies supporting the orchestra's concerts and education events at home in London, in Japan and also worldwide. We visit Japan in November with the support of Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited for which we are most grateful. As well as the concerts around the Japanese cities the support from Takeda provides for the LSO's much lauded "Musicians on Call" programme, where musicians from the orchestra visit homes and facilities of people who are unable to attend the regular concerts through disability or illness and we perform private concerts for them

2. Have you had any experience of working with musicians from Japan?

The LSO has had the pleasure of being conducted by the great Japanese maestro Seiji Ozawa on several occasions. I particularly remember a thrilling performance of Strauss's opera Elektra under his baton, as well as collaborations with the great Russian cellist Mstislav Rostropovich and Ozawa on stage and in the recording studio. The wonderful pianist Mitsuko Uchida is a regular performer with the LSO as is the celebrated violinist Midori who was the subject of an LSO Artist Portrait recently, performing concerti, chamber music and leading masterclasses and discussions about her life for LSO audiences. The LSO has often performed music by the late Toru Takemitsu. Younger soloists who have appeared with the LSO include Sayaka Shoji, Ayako Uehara and we very much look forward to our performances of the Sibelius Violin Concerto in Japan with Akiko Suwanai under Maestro Gergiev's baton. Of course we also have a wonderful Japanese violinist within our orchestra, Miya Ichinose.

On a personal note I do remember exploring the streets of Tokyo once and chancing on a Japanese wedding ceremony where I was surprisingly welcomed. I was enthralled by the beautiful sound of the sho, the Japanese wind instrument made from bamboo.

3. What are your expectations of the upcoming tour of Japan?

I feel this will be a very thrilling trip for us. Japan is very fortunate indeed to have so many acoustically impressive concerts halls.
It seems every city has at least one special hall and it is a real pleasure for the LSO musicians to experience such fine facilities.
Maestro Gergiev's thoughtful and exciting interpretations of Mahler's symphonies (which we are now presenting on our record label LSO Live) alongside his deep understanding of Ravel's arrangement of Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition" fill us with a sense of anticipation coupled with pride. The warm welcome we always receive from the Japanese people is something we all treasure deeply.

4. Do you find Japanese audiences different from those in the UK?

Japanese audiences are very attentive and very knowledgeable and are most respectful and generous in their appreciation of the music. I have made friends of audience members at concerts in Tokyo and Osaka and am always impressed by the depth of understanding they exhibit. I have the impression that the Japanese audiences are very focussed on the music and rarely move at all. I suppose UK audiences can be more boisterous at the end of the performance but I find the whole respectful demeanour we experience in Japan very appealing indeed.

5. What aspects of Japan do you like?

I love to explore the various areas of Tokyo, all with their own specialities. The food is amazing. The choice of different styles of cooking allied with the freshness of the food makes Japanese cuisine one of the very best in the world. Visits to shrines, temples, gardens and a view of Mount Fuji are always necessities when exploring Japan. I have enjoyed Sumo honbashos, Sapporo snow (and Sapporo beer), the Asakasa Sanja Festival and learning of the history of Japan enormously and I can't wait to be back in the country!