London Mozart Players


The London Mozart Players is a British chamber orchestra founded in 1949. The LMP is the longest-established chamber orchestra in the United Kingdom whose performances and recordings focus largely on the core repertoire from the Classical Era. Since 1989, the orchestra has been based at Fairfield Halls, Croydon, since 2016 LMP relocated its office to St John the Evangelist to become an orchestra embedded within the local community.

History

Founded in 1949 by Harry Blech to perform works of Mozart and Haydn, the London Mozart Players is the UK's longest established chamber orchestra. Musicians associated with the Players include James Galway, Felicity Lott, Jane Glover, Howard Shelley, Nicola Benedetti, John Suchet and Simon Callow. Nicola Benedetti, Jacqueline du Pré and Jan Pascal Tortelier played early in their careers by the orchestra. 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 John's Smith Square and Cadogan Hall; and in cathedrals and other concert venues across the UK. LMP is the resident orchestra at Croydon's Fairfield Hall. In 2016, it relocated its office to St John the Evangelist, Upper Norwood. It managed both operationally and artistically by the players. The orchestra has enjoyed the patronage of the Earl of Wessex since 1988.

Principal conductors

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: