| London Mozart Players | |
| Type: | Chamber orchestra |
| Concert Hall: | Fairfield Halls, Croydon |
London Mozart Players (LMP) are a British chamber orchestra founded in 1949. LMP are the longest-established chamber orchestra in the United Kingdom.[1] Since 1989, the orchestra has been Resident Orchestra at Fairfield Halls, Croydon.[2]
The orchestra was formed in 1949 by violinist Harry Blech. Having just branched out into conducting, he was approached by pianist Dorothea Braus to arrange and conduct an all-Mozart concert at Wigmore Hall.[3] Blech continued to arrange and perform increasingly successful concerts with the London Mozart Players, which lead to regular broadcasts by the BBC. The orchestra performed in the opening week's events at the Royal Festival Hall in 1951 and became regulars there and later at the Queen Elizabeth Hall.
Musicians associated with the Players include James Galway, Felicity Lott, Jane Glover, Howard Shelley, John Suchet and Simon Callow. Nicola Benedetti, Jacqueline du Pré and Jan Pascal Tortelier played early in their careers with the orchestra. At present, it welcomes soloists such as Sheku Kanneh-Mason, Jess Gillam and Anna Lapwood. Leia Zhu is the current Artist-in-Residence.[4] It tours Europe and the Far East, and records for Naxos, Chandos and Hyperion Records.
In London, the orchestra performs in venues including the Royal Festival Hall, St Martin-in-the-Fields, St John's Smith Square and Cadogan Hall, as well as in cathedrals and other concert venues across the UK. LMP are the resident orchestra at Croydon's Fairfield Halls. In 2016, it temporarily relocated its offices to St John the Evangelist, Upper Norwood. It is managed both operationally and artistically by the players. The orchestra has enjoyed the patronage of Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh since 1988.[5]
In 1993, the London Mozart Players began a series of recordings for Chandos Records of works by lesser-known eighteenth-century composers, entitled the Contemporaries of Mozart series. Many of these recordings have drawn widespread critical acclaim and have been credited with bringing these lesser-heard composers to the public light. A number of releases have also been awarded Editor's Choice in Gramophone magazine. The series includes works by: