The London Symphony Orchestra gave its first concert on 9 June 1904 under Hans Richter, principal conductor for seven years. Elgar took over for a year and remained a regular conductor for the next 20 years. After the war the orchestra was led by the likes of Josef Krips, Pierre Monteux, Istvan Kertész, André Previn, Claudio Abbado and Michael Tilson Thomas.Sir Colin Davis has just relinquished his position as principal conductor to Valery Gergiev, although staying as president. With the orchestra in tip-top condition, complete with its budget-priced LSO Live recording label and its education facility at nearby LSO St Luke's, in partnership with UBS, the LSO continues to be a world orchestral leader.

Recently, the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) had its Far East Tour, here in Malaysia (2-3 May 2007). On 2 May, was an all-Austrian affair, with Mozart's Piano Concerto No 17 in G K453 followed by Mahler's most famous work, the musical journey from dark to light that is his Fifth Symphony.

Later on the 3rd of May, Berg's rapt Violin Concerto - inspired by Mahler's widow's daughter by her second husband Walter Gropius, and dedicated to "the memory of an angel" - is followed by Berlioz's orchestral masterpiece, Symphonie fantastique.

Sounds interesting, eh?

Date(s): 2 - 3 May 2007
Opening Hours: 8.30pm
Location: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Venue Name: Petronas Philharmonic Hall (Dewan Filharmonik Petronas)
Address: Tower 2, Petronas Twin Tower 50088

ku klux klan (KKK)

The Ku Klux Klan was formed as a social club by a group of Confederate Army veterans in Pulaski, Tennessee in the winter of 1865-66. The group adopted the name Ku Klux Klan from the Greek word "kyklos," meaning circle, and the English word clan. In the summer of 1867, the Klan became the "Invisible Empire of the South" at a convention in Nashville, Tennessee attended by delegates from former Confederate states. The group was presided over General Nathan Bedford Forrest, who is believed to have been the first Grand Wizard -- the title for the head of the organization. Lesser officers were given such names as Grand Dragon, Grand Titan, and Grand Cyclops. Dressed in robes and sheets, intended to prevent identification by the occupying federal troops (and supposedly designed to frighten blacks), the Klan quickly became a terrorist organization in service of the Democratic Party and white supremacy. Between 1869 and 1871 its goal was to destroy Congressional Reconstruction by murdering blacks -- and some whites -- who were either active in Republican politics or educating black children.
The Klan burned churches and schools and drove thousands of people out of their homes. Because local law enforcement officials were unable or unwilling to stop the Klan, Congress passed the Force Bill in 1871, giving the federal government the power to prosecute the Klan. Dedicated prosecutors managed to win convictions and break up Klan activity. Although relatively few people were punished, federal action did put an end to most Klan activities.

William J. Simmons, a former Methodist preacher, organized a new Klan in Stone Mountain, Georgia in 1915 as a patriotic, Protestant fraternal society. This new Klan directed its activity against not just blacks, but immigrants, Jews, and Roman Catholics. The Ku Klux Klan grew rapidly from there and had more than two million members throughout the country by the mid-1920s. D.W. Griffith's film THE BIRTH OF A NATION, which glorified the Klan and denigrated blacks, was used as a recruiting tool.

Although the Klan still reverted to burning crosses, torturing and murdering those whom they opposed, the organization became a powerful political force in the 1920s. Many state public officials throughout the nation were members. Eventually the organization was weakened by disagreements among the leadership and because of public criticism of Klan violence. By 1944 the Ku Klux Klan had lost most of its influence and membership. It was revived during the Civil Rights era and continues today as a small organization that continues to stage demonstrations in favor of white supremacy and fundamentalist Christian theology.

-- Richard Wormser