Yesterday on 9 June 2014, the LSO celebrated 110 years since its first concert on 9 June 1904, and we marked the occasion with a series of Tweets of interesting facts about the LSO, dug out of the less explored corners of our archive.
We have been thinking a lot about our archives recently, because we increasingly feel that it’s important for our present and future to know where the Orchestra has come from and why the company is like it is.
The LSO was born from a rebellion and a desire to create an orchestra that was run by the musicians for the musicians – not unlike the model that was already in place in the centres of European orchestral excellence in Berlin and Vienna. The founders held a desire that the LSO would be formed from the elite members of the profession in London, that it would attract the best soloists and conductors, and be ‘second to none in Europe’. These values are still very much in place today, with the governance structure still largely as it was 110 years ago, and certainly with the desire to be among the best in the world.
Here for your interest are the complete set of tweeted facts and pictures with which we celebrated 110 years of musical excellence:
Discover more
From the Archive: Thomas Busby's Speech
Images and transcript of the never-before-seen speech from our archive, written by founding member, Thomas Busby.
From the Archive: Sergei Prokofiev performs with the LSO, January 1924
Browse through a programme from 100 years ago today, when Prokofiev performed his First Piano Concerto with the LSO.
From the Archive: A violin signed by 43 original Members
An intriguing instrument in the LSO’s archive, and the only physical piece of evidence that stretches back to the Orchestra’s genesis in 1904.
