More recently, its principal conductors have included Pierre Monteux (1961–64), Istvan Kertesz (1965–68), André Previn (1968–79) and Claudio Abbado (1979–88). From 1988-1995, the American Michael Tilson-Thomas took over, and in 1995, became principal guest conductor. Sir Colin Davis served as the LSO's Principal Conductor from 1995-2006, and in 2007 took the post of President of the orchestra. On 1 January 2007, Valery Gergiev became the LSO's Principal Conductor. Previn holds the title of Conductor Laureate. In 2006, Daniel Harding became the co-principal guest conductor alongside Tilson Thomas. Richard Hickox is the Associate Guest Conductor of the LSO.
The LSO became the first British orchestra to play overseas when it went to Paris in 1906. The LSO was due to sail on the RMS Titanic for a concert in New York in April 1912 but fortunately had to change the booking at the last minute. It was also the first to play in the United States, in 1912, and in 1973 it was the first to be invited to take part in the Salzburg Festival. It continues to make tours around the world.
In 1966 the London Symphony Chorus (LSC) was formed to complement the work of the LSO. with more that two hundred amateur singers, the LSC maintains a close association with the LSO; however it has developed an independent life, which allows it to partner other leading orchestras.
The LSO has long been considered the most extraverted of the London orchestras. For most of its life it refused to allow women to become members, ostensibly on the grounds that women would affect the sound of the orchestra (there has been a similar controversy at the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra). There is an air of youthful high spirits to much of its music-making that is shown off in performances of such composers as Berlioz and Prokofiev. The LSO has often had internationally-known players as wind soloists, including such artists as James Galway (flute), Gervase de Peyer (clarinet), Roger Lord (oboe), Osian Ellis (harp), John Georgiadis (violin) and Barry Tuckwell (horn). Like most ensembles, the orchestra has a great ability to vary its sound, producing very different tone colours under such diverse conductors as Stokowski (with whom it made a series of memorable recordings), Adrian Boult, Jascha Horenstein, Georg Solti, André Previn, George Szell, Claudio Abbado, Leonard Bernstein, John Barbirolli, and Karl Böhm, who developed a close relationship with the orchestra late in his life. Böhm and Bernstein each held the title of LSO President in their later years.
Clive Gillinson, a former cellist with the orchestra, served as the LSO's Managing Director from 1984 to 2005, and is widely credited with bringing great stability to the LSO's organization after severe fiscal troubles.[1] Since 2005, Kathryn McDowell is the Managing Director of the LSO.[2]
A Whiter Shade of Pale
London Symphony Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Turned cartwheels 'cross the floor
I was feeling kinda seasick
But the crowd called out for more
The room was humming harder
As the ceiling flew away
When we called out for another drink
The waiter brought a tray
And so it was that later
As the miller told his tale
That her face, at first just ghostly,
Turned a whiter shade of pale
She said, 'There is no reason
And the truth is plain to see.'
But I wandered through my playing cards
And would not let her be
One of sixteen vestal virgins
Who were leaving for the coast
And although my eyes were open
They might have just as well've been closed
And so it was that later
As the miller told his tale
That her face, at first just ghostly,
Turned a whiter shade of pale
And so it was that later
, as the miller told his tale, the singer and the woman he is with experience a surreal and psychedelic scene where they dance, drink, and feel almost as if they are floating as the ceiling disappears. The singer is feeling slightly unwell but is urged on by the cheering crowd. As they order another drink, a waiter brings a tray.
Later, the woman becomes ghostly and turns a "whiter shade of pale" as the miller tells his tale. She claims there is no reason for her paleness, which to the singer seems untrue, as he is distracted by his own thoughts and "playing cards". Though his eyes are open, it is as though he is not really seeing or experiencing what is happening around him. The song is open to interpretation, but many have suggested that it is about a failed romantic relationship or a deeper reflection on the nature of existence and mortality.
Line by Line Meaning
We skipped the light fandango
We danced joyfully and energetically
Turned cartwheels 'cross the floor
We were so enthusiastic that we were doing cartwheels on the dance floor
I was feeling kinda seasick
I was feeling a bit dizzy and disoriented
But the crowd called out for more
Despite feeling sick, the audience wanted us to keep performing
The room was humming harder
The excitement in the room was increasing
As the ceiling flew away
The atmosphere was so thrilling that it felt like the ceiling was disappearing
When we called out for another drink
We were thirsty and wanted more to drink
The waiter brought a tray
The waiter brought us a tray of drinks
And so it was that later
Later on, after the dancing had ended
As the miller told his tale
As the storyteller began to spin his yarn
That her face, at first just ghostly,
The woman's face, which had seemed pale and almost transparent before
Turned a whiter shade of pale
Became even paler, as if the blood had drained from her face
She said, 'There is no reason
The woman said there was no explanation
And the truth is plain to see.'
And the truth was obvious
But I wandered through my playing cards
But I was preoccupied with my own thoughts and concerns
And would not let her be
And was ignoring her or not paying attention to her concerns
One of sixteen vestal virgins
The woman may have been one of a group of sixteen chaste young women
Who were leaving for the coast
Who were departing for a journey to the seashore
And although my eyes were open
And even though I was looking at her
They might have just as well've been closed
I was so distracted that it was as if my eyes were closed
And so it was that later
Later on, after the events had passed
As the miller told his tale
As the storyteller recounted his story
That her face, at first just ghostly,
The woman's face, which had appeared pale and almost transparent before
Turned a whiter shade of pale
Became even paler, as if the blood had drained from her face
Lyrics © Onward Music Limited
Written by: Gary Brooker, Keith Reid, Matthew Fisher
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind