First Performances
Since 1904 we have given hundreds of first performances of some of the most important music written in the last century, and have commissioned many works from the brightest musical talents.
1905 World premiere, Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance, conducted by the composer
1908 London premiere, Elgar’s Symphony No 1, conducted by Hans Richter
1908 World premiere, Delius’ A Dance of Life, conducted by Enrique Fernández Arbós
1909 World premiere, Delius’ Dance Rhapsody No 1, conducted by the composer
1910 UK premiere, Scriabin’s Le poeme de l’extase, conducted by Serge Koussevitzky
1910 World premiere, Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis, conducted by the composer
1912 UK premiere, Rimsky-Korsakov’s Russian Easter Festival Overture, conducted by Wassily Safonoff
1913 World premiere, Butterworth’s A Shropshire Lad, conducted by Arthur Nikisch
1913 World premiere, Elgar’s Falstaff, conducted by the composer
1915 World premiere, Delius’ North Country Sketches, conducted by Thomas Beecham
1918 World premiere, the first revised version of Vaughan Williams’ ‘London’ Symphony, conducted by Adrian Boult
1919 World premiere, Elgar’s Cello Concerto with soloist Felix Salmond, conducted by the composer
1920 The first complete performance of Holst’s The Planets, conducted by Albert Coates at the Queen’s Hall
1920 World premiere, the second revised version of Vaughan Williams’ ‘London’ Symphony
1922 UK premiere, Prokofiev’s Third Piano Concerto with the composer as soloist, conducted by Albert Coates
1922 World premiere, Bax’s Symphony No 1, conducted by Albert Coates
1922 World premiere, Bliss’ A Colour Symphony, conducted by the composer
1923 UK premiere, Ravel’s orchestration of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition (this arrangement originally called The Paintings from the Picture Show), conducted by Serge Koussevitzky
1925 London premiere, Respighi’s Pines of Rome, conducted by Albert Coates
1929 London premiere, Rachmaninoff’s Fourth Piano Concerto with the composer as soloists, conducted by Albert Coates
1930 World premiere, Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance March No 5, conducted by the composer
1931 World premiere, Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast, conducted by Malcolm Sargent in Leeds
1931 UK premiere of Stravinsky’s Suite from The Firebird, conducted by the composer
1934 World premiere, Walton’s Symphony No 1 (first three movements), conducted by Sir Hamilton Harty
1938 World premiere, Vaughan Williams’ Serenade to Music, combined London Orchestras conducted by Sir Henry Wood
1943 World premiere, Britten’s Matinées Musicales (Suite No 2), conducted by Anatole Fistoulari
1946 World premiere, Britten’s The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra featured in a film called Instruments of the Orchestra, conducted by Malcolm Sargent
1946 World premiere, Vaughan Williams’ Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra with Cyril Smith and Phyllis Sellick, conducted by Adrian Boult
1953 UK premiere, Strauss’ Symphonic Fragment, The Legend of Joseph, conducted by Eugene Goossens
1953 UK premiere, Messiaen’s Turangalîla-Symphonie with soloists Yvonne Loriod and Ginette Martenot, conducted by Walter Goehr
1956 UK premiere, Mahler’s Das klagende Lied, conducted by Walter Goehr
1962 World premiere, Alexander Goehr’s Violin Concerto with Manoug Parikian, conducted by Antal Dorati
1963 World premiere, Khachaturian’s Concerto-Rhapsody for Cello and Orchestra with Mstislav Rostropovich, conducted by George Hurst
1963 UK premiere, Hans Werner Henze’s Symphony No 5, conducted by the composer
1963 World premiere, Tippett’s Concerto for Orchestra, conducted by Colin Davis at the Edinburgh Festival
1964 World premiere, Henze’s Ariosi, conducted by Colin Davis
1964 World premiere, Copland’s Music for a Great City, conducted by the composer
1965 World premiere, Britten’s Voices for Today, conducted by István Kertész, relayed from United Nations HQ in New York
1966 World premiere, Richard Rodney Bennett’s Symphony, conducted by István Kertész
1966 UK premiere, Bernstein’s ‘Jeremiah’ Symphony, conducted by Seiji Ozawa
1967 First Western performance, Shostakovich’s Second Violin Concerto with David Oistrakh, conducted by Eugene Ormandy
1968 World premiere, Oliver Knussen’s Symphony No 1, conducted by the 15-year-old composer
1968 UK premiere, Aaron Copland’s Inscape, conducted by the composer
1969 UK premiere, Webern’s Three Pieces for Orchestra, conducted by Pierre Boulez
1969 World premiere, the concert suite of Luigi Nono’s Intolleranza, conducted by Claudio Abbado
1970 World premiere, Benjamin Frankel’s Symphony No 7, conducted by André Previn
1970 World premiere, Previn’s Cello Concerto with Douglas Cummings, conducted by the composer
1971 London premiere, John McCabe’s Notturni ed Alba with Sheila Armstrong, conducted by André Previn
1971 World premiere, Ravi Shankar’s Sitar Concerto with the composer as soloists, conducted by André Previn
1971 London premiere, Shostakovich’s Symphony No 13 ‘Babi Yar’, conducted by André Previn
1972 World premiere, Michael Tippett’s Symphony No 3 with Heather Harper, conducted by Colin Davis
1973 World premiere, Krzyzstof Penderecki’s Symphony No 1, conducted by the composer
1973 World premiere, Bliss’s Metamorphic Variations, conducted by Leopold Stoko wski
1976 World premiere, Walton’s Varii Capricci, conducted by André Previn
1976 World premiere, Andrzej Panufnik’s Sinfonia di sfere, conducted by David Atherton
1977 World premiere, André Previn’s Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, conducted by the composer
1980 World premiere, Tippett’s Triple Concerto with György Pauk, Nobuko Imai and Ralph Kirshbaum, conducted by Colin Davis
1989 World premiere, Colin Matthews’ Quatrain, conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas
1989 UK premiere, Rimsky-Korsakov’s Mlada, conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas
1991 World premiere, John Taverner’s The Repentant Thief with LSO Principal Clarinet Andrew Marriner, conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas
1992 World premiere, Panufnik’s Cello Concerto with Mstislav Rostropovich, conducted by Hugh Wolff
1993 World premiere, Robert Saxton’s Cello Concerto with Mstislav Rostropovich, conducted by Oliver Knussen
1994 World premiere, James MacMillan’s Britannia, conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas
1994 World premiere, Rodion Shchedrin’s Cello Concerto with Mstislav Rostropovich, conducted by Seiji Ozawa
1994 European premiere, John Adams’ Violin Concerto with Gidon Kremer, conducted by Kent Nagano
1995 World premiere, Tippett’s The Rose Lake, conducted by Colin Davis
1995 World premiere, Peter Maxwell Davies’ The Three Kings, conducted by Richard Hickox
1996 World premiere, James MacMillan’s Cello Concerto with Mstislav Rostropovich, conducted by Colin Davis
1996 World premiere, James Macmillan’s The World’s Ransoming with LSO Principal Cor Anglais Christine Pendrill, conducted by Kent Nagano
1997 World premiere, Bernstein’s A White House Cantata, conducted by Kent Nagano
1997 World premiere, James MacMillan’s‘Vigil’ Symphony, conducted by Mstislav Rostropovich
1997 World premiere, Paul McCartney’s Standing Stone, conducted by Lawrence Foster
2000 World premiere, George Benjamin’s Palimpsest, conducted by Pierre Boulez
2002 European premiere, Previn’s Violin Concerto with Anne-Sophie Mutter, conducted by the composer
2003 World premiere, George Benjamin’s Shadowlines, conducted by the composer
2003 World premiere, James MacMillan’s A Deep But Dazzling Darkness at LSO St Luke’s, conducted by the composer
2003 UK premiere, Previn’s A Streetcar Named Desire, conducted by the composer
2004 LSO Centenary Year commissions include: Dmitri Smirnov’s Triple Concerto No 2 for double bass, harp and violin; Richard Bissill’s Sinfonia concertante for trumpet, horn and clarinet; Karl Jenkins’s LSO Centenary Concertante for percussion, flute and piano; Huw Watkins’ LSO Centenary Concertante for bassoon, violin and harp
2005 The LSO and UBS Sound Adventures scheme launches, giving 18 composers over three years the opportunity to compose for the LSO. Premieres include Tansy Davies’ Tilting and Luke Stoneham’s Proem
2006 World premieres through Sound Adventures scheme, Tim Garland’s Overture to the Life of a Real Boy, Joe Culter’s Ulf, James Olsen’s Composition (30 January 2006), Daniel Basford’s Shift, Bryn Harrison’s Shifting Light and Anna Meredith’s noisy
2007 World premiere, Jonathan Dove’s Stargazer, conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas
2007 British premiere, Sofia Gubaidulina’s Violin Concerto In tempus praesens with Anne-Sophie Mutter, conduted by André Previn
2008 World premiere, James MacMillian’s St John Passion, commissioned by the LSO for the 80th birthday of Colin Davis, who conducted
2008 European premiere, Matthias Pintscher’s Osiris, conducted by Pierre Boulez
2008 World premiere, Augusta Reid Thomas’ Helios Choros II, conducted by Daniel Harding
2009 Concert premiere, Tan Dan’s Internet Symphony ‘Eroica’, written for the YouTube Symphony Orchestra project. The same concert also includes the European premiere of Tan Dun’s Piano Concerto with Lang Lang, both conducted by Tan Dun
2010 European premiere, John Adams’s City Noir, conducted by the composer.
2010 World premire, James MacMillan’s Violin Concerto with Vadim Repin
2010 World premiere, Eric Whitacre’s Songs of Immortality commissioned by the London Symphony Chorus, conducted by the composer
2011 World premiere, Tim Garland’s Concerto for Percussion, Saxophone and Orchestra, conducted by François-Xavier Roth
2012 UK premiere, Dutilleux’s Le temps l’horloge at the City of London Festival
2012 UK premiere, Wynton Marsalis’ Swing Symphony (Symphony No 3) during the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad
2012 World premiere, Peter Maxwell Davies’ Fanfare: Her Majesty’s Welcome written for joint forces of LSO On Track and the LSO wind and brass players to perform at the Queen’s Medal for Music Gala Concert in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II
2013 World premiere, Mark-Anthony Turnage’s Speranza commissioned by the LSO with support from Susie Thomson, conducted by Daniel Harding
2013 The first LSO Futures concert features two world premieres, Jason Yarde’s Modo Hit Blow and Colin Matthews’ Panufnik Variations, a work which contained ten variations based on a work by Andrzej Panufnik by ten Panufnik Composers Scheme alumni
2014 World premiere, Peter Maxwell Davies’ Symphony No 10, conducted by Sir Antonio Pappano
2014 World premiere, Huw Watkins’ Flute Concerto performed by LSO Principal Flute Adam Walker
2014 World premiere, Sally Beamish’s Equal Voices marking 100 years since the start of World War I, conducted by Gianandrea Noseda
2015 World premiere, Wynton Marsalis’ Violin Concerto with Nicola Benedetti, conducted by James Gaffigan
2015 UK premiere, Jonathan Dove’s The Monster in the Maze, a joint commission between LSO, Berlin Philharmonic and Aix-en-Provence Festival, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle
2016 World premiere (posthumous), Peter Maxwell Davies’ The Hogboon, an opera for children, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle
2017 World premiere, Mark-Anthony Turnage’s Remembering: in memoriam Evan Scofield, a co-commission between the LSO, Berlin Philharmonic and Boston Symphony Orchestra supported by Susie Thomson, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle
2017 UK premiere, Mark-Anthony Turnage’s Håkan performed by its dedicatee Håkan Hardenberger, conducted by John Wilson
2017 World premiere, Helen Grime’s Fanfare, which opens Sir Simon Rattle’s first season as Music Director
2018 World premiere, Helen Grime’s Woven Space, expanded from her Fanfare, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle
2018 World premiere, Harrison Birtwistle’s Fanfare, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle
2018 World premiere, the orchestral version of James MacMillan’s All the Hills and Vales Along, written to mark the centenary of the end of World War I and commissioned by the LSO and 14-18 Now
2018 UK premieres, Philip Glass’ Third Piano Concerto and Steve Reich’s Music for Ensemble and Orchestra, conducted by Kristjan Järvi
2019 UK premiere, David Lang’s the public domain, performed by over 500 singers from the local community, the LSC and LSO Community Choir in the Barbican foyers, conducted by Simon Halsey and a team of ten choral conductors
2019 World premiere, Emily Howard’s Antisphere, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle
2021 World premiere, Mark Simpson’s Violin Concerto with Nicola Benedetti, conducted by Gianandrea Noseda
2021 World premiere, Soweto Kinch’s White Juju, conducted by Lee Reynolds
2022 World premiere, Unsuk Chin’s Violin Concerto No 2 ‘Scherben der Stille’ with Leonidas Kavakos, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle
2022 UK premiere, Wynton Marsalis’s Tuba Concerto with Ben Thomson, conducted by André J Thomas
2023 UK premiere, Magnus Lindberg’s Piano Concerto No 3 with Yuja Wang, conducted by François-Xavier Roth
2023 World premiere, Betsy Jolas’s Ces belles années …, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle
2024 World premiere, John Adams’ Frenzy, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle
2024 UK premiere, Thomas Adès Air – Homage to Sibelius (Violin Concerto) with Anne-Sophie Mutter, conducted by Thomas Adès
2024 UK premiere, Sally Beamish Distans: Concerto for Violin and Clarinet with Janine Jansen and Martin Fröst, conducted by Gianandrea Noseda
