The LSO was founded in 1904 as an independent, self governing organization,… Read Full Bio ↴The LSO was founded in 1904 as an independent, self governing organization, the first such orchestra in the UK. It played its first concert on 9 June of that year, with Hans Richter conducting. He remained principal conductor until 1911, when Edward Elgar took over for a year, leading six concerts as principal conductor.

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]

Don't Cry for Me Argentina
London Symphony Orchestra Lyrics

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It won't be easy, you'll think it strange
When I try to explain how I feel
That I still need your love after all that I've done
You won't believe me, all you will see is a girl you once knew
Although she's dressed up to the nines
At sixes and sevens with you
I had to let it happen, I had to change
Couldn't stay all my life down at heel

Looking out of the window, staying out of the sun
So I chose freedom, running around trying everything new
But nothing impressed me at all
I never expected it to
Don't cry for me, Argentina
The truth is, I never left you
All through my wild days, my mad existence
I kept my promise. Don't keep your distance
And as for fortune, and as for fame
I never invited them in
Though it seemed to the world they were all I desired
They are illusions, they're not the solutions they promised to be
The answer was here all the time:
I love you, and hope you love me
Don't cry for me, Argentina...

Don't cry for me, Argentina
The truth is, I never left you
All through my wild days, my mad existence
I kept my promise. Don't keep your distance
Have I said too much?
There's nothing more I can think of to say to you

But all you have to do is look at me to know
That every word is true

Overall Meaning

The song Don't Cry for Me Argentina from the musical Evita, is a ballad sung by the character Eva Perón addressing the Argentinian people from the balcony of the Casa Rosada. The lyrics are an emotional plea from Evita to the people she loves, begging them not to mourn her departure and to understand the life choices she made. She acknowledges that her decisions were difficult to understand, but were necessary for her to make in order to find her own freedom and fulfillment.

The lyrics describe the internal struggle that Evita faced as she chose between love, fame, and fortune. She admits that she still needs the love of those she has walked away from, despite the fact that she has done things that would make them doubt her sincerity. She also acknowledges the illusion of fame and fortune, saying that they are not the answers to life's problems that they promise to be. In the end, she reaffirms her love for Argentina and the people who loved her, promising to keep her distance no matter how much she achieved.

Overall, the song is a message of love and regret, showcasing the complex emotions and difficult choices that each person must make in life.

Line by Line Meaning

It won't be easy, you'll think it strange
You might find it difficult to understand my emotions when I tell you that I still love you despite everything that has happened.

When I try to explain how I feel
I'll try to convey my feelings to you, but it may not be easy to understand them.

That I still need your love after all that I've done
Despite whatever mistakes I've made or whatever I've done wrong, I still need your love.

You won't believe me, all you will see is a girl you once knew
You might not believe me and only see the person I used to be rather than who I am now.

Although she's dressed up to the nines
Even though I've changed and I'm dressed very nicely.

At sixes and sevens with you
I feel confused and disoriented in my relationship with you.

I had to let it happen, I had to change
I had to let changes happen in my life and change as a person.

Couldn't stay all my life down at heel
I couldn't continue living a life of poverty and hardship.

Looking out of the window, staying out of the sun
I spent my time dreaming and avoiding the difficulties of life.

So I chose freedom, running around trying everything new
I chose to embrace freedom by trying out new things and exploring new possibilities.

But nothing impressed me at all
Despite all of the new things I tried, I wasn't impressed by any of them.

I never expected it to
I didn't have high expectations for my new experiences.

Don't cry for me, Argentina
Please don't feel bad for me, Argentina

The truth is, I never left you
The truth is, even though I changed and explored new things, I never stopped loving you.

All through my wild days, my mad existence
Even through my wild and crazy days, I never forgot about you.

I kept my promise. Don't keep your distance
I stayed true to my word, please don't push me away.

And as for fortune, and as for fame
I wasn't seeking fortune or fame.

I never invited them in
I never actively pursued these things.

Though it seemed to the world they were all I desired
Even though it may have seemed like I wanted these things, I didn't.

They are illusions, they're not the solutions they promised to be
Fortune and fame are not the solutions to life's problems that they are often believed to be.

The answer was here all the time:
The solution to my problems was right in front of me all along.

I love you, and hope you love me
I love you, and I hope that you still love me despite everything.

Don't cry for me, Argentina...
Please don't feel bad for me, Argentina

Have I said too much?
Did I say too much, or have I conveyed my feelings clearly?

There's nothing more I can think of to say to you
I can't think of anything else to say to you to convey how I feel.

But all you have to do is look at me to know
If you just look at me, you'll know how I truly feel.

That every word is true
Every single word I've said is true and sincere.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Andrew Lloyd Webber, Tim Rice

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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