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]
As Tears Go By
London Symphony Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I sit and watch the children play.
Smiling faces I can see,
but not for me.
I sit and watch as tears go by.
My riches can't buy everything.
I want to hear the children sing.
falling on the ground.
I sit and watch as tears go by.
It is the evening of the day.
I sit and watch the children play.
Smiling faces I can see,
but not for me.
I sit and watch as tears go by.
Na Na Na
Na Na Na
Doing Things I used to do
They think are new.
I sit and watch as tears go by
The song As Tears Go By by the London Symphony Orchestra & Maire Brennan (Clannad) is a melancholic ballad that talks about the emptiness felt by the singer as they watch the children play. The opening line 'This is the evening of the day,' sets the tone for the rest of the song, indicating that the day is almost over and the singer is reflecting on their life. The smiling faces of the children playing are a stark contrast to the emptiness felt by the singer. They cannot feel the joy that the children are feeling, as their wealth cannot buy everything that they yearn for. The singer longs to hear the children sing, conveying the nostalgia they feel for their own childhood. The sound of the rain adds to the melancholy of the situation, suggesting that the singer feels that their life is like rain falling on the ground, wasted and of no use.
Line by Line Meaning
This is the evening of the day.
The singer is indicating that it is the end of the day.
I sit and watch the children play.
The singer is observing the children's games from a distance.
Smiling faces I can see, but not for me.
The singer sees the happy faces of the children, but they are not directed at them.
I sit and watch as tears go by.
The artist is crying while observing the children's joy.
My riches can't buy everything.
The artist acknowledges that their wealth cannot obtain all things, specifically the joy of the children's singing.
I want to hear the children sing.
The singer desires to hear the children's singing.
All I hear is the sound of rain falling on the ground.
The only sound the singer can hear is raindrops falling onto the surface beneath them.
It is the evening of the day.
The artist is reiterating that night has fallen.
Na Na Na
This is an instrumental interlude without lyrics.
Na Na Na
This is an instrumental interlude without lyrics.
Doing Things I used to do
The singer is reminiscing about past actions.
They think are new.
Others believe that these actions are novel, but the artist knows that they are not.
I sit and watch as tears go by.
The singer continues to cry while reflecting on their past and observing the children's games.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Andrew Loog Oldham, Keith Richards, Mick Jagger
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind