Main Programme - Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

Transcription

Main Programme - Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
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A Centre for Advanced Training of the DFE Music & Dance Scheme
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Jupiter Private Clients and Charities
Orchestrating
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Flawless technique and years of practice are the
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Contents
Winter Concerts
2011–2012
OAE Administration
02
Welcome to tonight’s concert and to your free
programme. This is our second season of offering
complimentary programmes, and we hope that they
are adding to your enjoyment of the evening.
OAE regulars may notice some features missing from
this programme. In an effort to reduce costs we are
now only publishing our artist interviews and
composer biographies online – you will be able to find
them at oae.co.uk. If you don’t have internet access
please speak to us at our information desk in the foyer
or call us on 020 7230 9370, and we’ll be happy to send
you a printed version in the post. We do however have
one new feature in this season’s programmes – Boffin’s
corner, where we explore an aspect of the programme
in more detail. We hope you enjoy this new feature.
Messiah
Tuesday 6 December 2011
03
The Glory of Venice
Friday 13 January 2012
20
An Olympic Thread
Friday 10 February 2012
33
Romèo & Juliet
Saturday 18 February 2012
43
Glossary
52
OAE Biography
54
OAE Education
55
OAE Supporters
56
2011-2012 Concerts
58
OAE News
60
Don’t forget to bring this programme back with you if
you are attending another concert and remember that
you can always download programmes in advance of
the concert at oae.co.uk/programmes. Lastly, perhaps
you might consider putting the £3 you would usually
have paid for this programme towards an OAE
Priority Booking or Friends Membership? These start
from £15 a year and you can find information at our
desk in the foyer or within this programme.
Thank you for choosing the Orchestra of the Age of
Enlightenment, we hope you enjoy the concert and
this programme.
Major sponsor
01
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Management
Chief Executive
Stephen Carpenter
Orchestra Manager
Philippa Brownsword
Projects Director
Ceri Jones
Director of
Development
Clare Norburn
Development
Manager, Individual
Giving
Isabelle Tawil
Projects Manager
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Development
Manager, Trusts and
Foundations
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Education Director
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Development Officer
Jodie Gilliam
Education Officer
Ellie Cowan
Corporate Relations
and Events
Administrator
Lucy Pilcher
Librarian
Colin Kitching
Finance Director
Lisa Sian
Finance Officer
Stephen Rock
Communications
Director
William Norris
Press Manager
Katy Bell
US Administrator,
American Friends
of the OAE
Severn Taylor
Graduate Intern
Toby Perkins
Board of Directors
Martin Smith
(Chairman)
Martin Kelly
(Vice-Chairman)
Cecelia Bruggemeyer
Stephen Carpenter
Jane Carter
Robert Cory
Sally Jackson
Colin Kitching
Julian Mash
Andrew Roberts
Susannah Simons
Rosalyn Wilkinson
Mark Williams
Development Board
Julian Mash
(Chairman)
Sally Jackson
(Player Member)
Christopher Cooke
James Flynn QC
Theresa Lloyd
David Marks
Anthony Simpson
Artistic Direction
Committee
Susie Carpenter-Jacobs
Debbie Diamond
Martin Lawrence
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Leaders
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Melgaard OAE
Young Conductor
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American Friends
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(chair)
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Messiah
Tuesday 6 December 2011
7pm
Royal Festival Hall
Handel Messiah
Laurence Cummings director
Elizabeth Watts soprano
Tim Mead countertenor
Nicholas Mulroy tenor
Lisandro Abadie bass-baritone
Choir of the Enlightenment
Major Sponsor
Please pick up tonight’s postcard for the
orchestra list
The concert will finish at approximately 10pm
with an interval of 20 minutes
OAE Extras at 5.45pm, free admission
Hallelujah Indeed!
Royal Festival Hall Auditorium
Join young performers to sing extracts from
Messiah- be prepared to join in!
03
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The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment would like to thank the
following Benefactors for their support without which this concert
would not have been possible
Julian and Camilla Mash
Photo: Eric Richmond /Harrison & Co
To find out more about OAE Benefactors, see the central pages.
04
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Messiah Tuesday 6 December 2011
Programme Notes
George Frideric
Handel (1685-1759)
Messiah
*Words indicated by an asterisk
are explained on page 52.
05
Enlightening Messiah
Handel’s Concept
One of the great legacies of the
‘authentic’ performance movement
is the reclaiming of masterworks
like Handel’s Messiah from those
who could seem, on the surface,
overenthusiastic musical meddlers.
Some of the most distinguished
musicians in history have seen fit to
alter Handel’s work, amongst them
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. But
both that great genius and some
lesser but still formidable musicians
(amongst them Ebenezer Prout, Sir
Thomas Beecham and Sir Malcolm
Sargent) were often concerned
simply with allowing Handel’s
music to chime with the fashions of
the day; if that involved reorchestrating Messiah to include
soaring horns, the warmth of
clarinets and flutes, and even a bass
drum and cymbals, then so be it.
That such an act would seem
both unnecessary and irreverent
today is testament to the
prominence of the period
instrument movement and its
informing of musical tastes – the
OAE included. Thirty years on
from the first experiments in
‘authentic’ performance, we are
used to hearing Messiah performed
by the sort of forces which Handel
would recognise – whether in
concerts promoted by period
instrument or symphony
orchestras. But that in itself is
problematic, because Handel
himself performed Messiah with
choirs, orchestras and solo casts of
differing proportions in his own
lifetime. So perhaps more
significant than what we now see is
what we now hear: a tremendous
but disciplined rhythmic energy
thrust into Handel’s music; a focus,
a style, an understanding and a far
greater sense of excitement,
integrity and contemporary
relevance.
That Messiah has been considered,
reappraised and performed so
regularly in the two-and-a-half
centuries since its composition
speaks volumes – not only about the
striking nature of Handel’s music,
but also about its consistent
resonance with English society. In
this work, Handel more or less
created a new genre that bore little if
no relation to its equivalents in
Europe. Unlike any of his other
oratorios* (with the possible
exception of Israel in Egypt), Messiah
had no plot in the ordinary sense,
using words drawn exclusively from
the Bible and the Book of Common
Prayer.
So, ‘Handel as innovator’, there’s
nothing particularly surprising in
that concept. In some ways though,
the creation of Messiah was an
obvious and natural response to the
demands and constraints heaped
upon Handel. In the late 1730s
trends in London entertainment
were changing. Much to Handel’s
frustration, Italian opera was failing
to capture the imagination of the
public, despite the composer’s
almost delusional attempts to
reignite the genre. Handel loved the
theatrical drama that opera in Italian
offered, and so as he began to accept
its fate the obvious recourse would
have been to turn to the dramatic,
character-based oratorio for
performance in the theatre. After all,
the recounting of sacred stories was
something the English never lost
their fondness for, and there was no
need for expensive scenery, costumes
or rehearsal periods.
But this wasn’t really on the cards
either. The Bishop of London had
banned performances of works with
religious overtones on London
stages, and so in creating a work that
he knew would eventually be heard
in London, Handel deliberately
understated the character-dramatic
content of Messiah, allowing it to slip
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Programme Notes
06
between the conceived profanities of
flamboyance in church and religion
on stage. In so doing, he created a
piece based on three concepts for
each of its three parts: the narrative
of the nativity and its prophecy; the
narrative of the crucifixion and
redemption of mankind; and a
commentary on the soul of the
Christian and its victory over death.
Part German ‘Passion’, part English
‘Anthem’, part Italian Opera,
Handel had created a unique work
that would set the mould for many
more English composers after him.
Famously though, Messiah wasn’t
written to be premiered in London,
or indeed England. Handel was
known for his charitable work, with
many of his London concerts sold as
benefits for local charities. The Lord
Lieutenant of Ireland invited
Handel to Dublin in 1738; the
composer’s charitable work no doubt
foremost in the Lieutenant’s mind.
From 22 August to 14 September
1741, Handel wrote his first version
of Messiah in London, setting off for
Dublin two months later with the
music in his luggage. The
composer’s crossing to Ireland was
delayed due to unfavourable winds,
and so he spent some time in
Chester, using local singers to ‘road
test’ some of the Messiah’s choruses.
Upon arrival in Dublin, Handel
organised two back-to-back
subscription concert series at the
newly built music hall in Fishamble
Street – both selling out. Following
this, he scheduled the premiere of
Messiah for 13 April at the same
venue, holding a public rehearsal
four days earlier. His forces
consisted of an orchestra led by his
colleague from London, Matthew
Dubourg, soloists also summoned
from London, and the combined
choral forces of Dublin’s two
cathedral choirs (details of the rest of
the band of instrumentalists are
unknown, though they were
probably local).
From Dublin to London
Following the Dublin premiere
Handel became an overnight
success, and immediately scheduled
a second performance for 3 June.
The composer was known and
adored by Londoners, and on
gifting Dublin the first
performance of Messiah, he came
close to replicating that status in
the Irish capital. But returning to
London in mid-August of 1742,
Handel found Messiah’s initial
English reception a little cold,
despite his billing of the work as ‘A
New Sacred Oratorio’ and avoiding
any operatic suggestion. Eight years
later, however, Handel the
philanthropist again came to the
fore, and it seems he was rewarded
for his generosity. The composer
had been connected with The
Foundling Hospital in the Holborn
area of London for some years, and
in 1750 he mounted a benefit
performance of Messiah in the
orphanage’s chapel; as in Dublin,
the aim was to raise money, this
time for the hospital itself.
Handel’s Foundling Hospital
version of Messiah was rescored
with a denser orchestration from
that presented in Dublin (he added
oboes, bassoons, horns doubling
trumpets, and drums). But the
chorus was slimmed down –
probably given the competence of
London chapel and consort singers
– and comprised some twenty
members including the six boy
choristers of the Chapel Royal (the
soloists would also have been
expected to sing as part of the
chorus). Today one might refer to
the orphanage setting for this
revival of Messiah as having an ‘ahh’
factor; whether the hospital relaunch was one of opportunism or
pure integrity, it didn’t take long for
Messiah to catch on.
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Messiah Tuesday 6 December 2011
Messiah’s Music
Programme Notes
07
Whilst the form and structure of
Messiah is unusual and attractive for
its time, it’s the detail of Handel’s
music that has sent it to the top of
many a list of English baroque
masterpieces. The work is full of
Handelian hallmarks – chief
amongst them an almost
unsurpassed gift for setting English
words, an undeniable sense of
reassurance stemming from the
composer’s own rock-steady faith
and a glorious feel for ceremony.
Though the arias* and choruses
combine musical inventiveness and
drama, even in his recitatives*
Handel writes with a touching
sensitivity (notably in the soprano
recitative in Part 1 – ‘There were
shepherds abiding in the field’ –
perhaps the closest the work gets to
character-dramatic interaction).
Though Messiah constituted a
move away from opera on Handel’s
part – albeit, it turned out,
temporary – he still utilised the
acute dramatic technique that
brought him success as an opera
composer. The aria ‘Why do the
nations so furiously rage together?’
is a dramatic tour-de-force for both
baritone and orchestra akin to the
‘mad scenes’ from some of Handel’s
operas. But there are moments of
serene calm and beauty; ‘I know
that my redeemer liveth’, the
soprano aria thought to have been
offered by Handel to one of the
Foundling Hospital boys for the
London performance is perhaps the
best example. Handel also proves
typically thrifty, using ‘borrowed’
musical ideas on a number of
occasions: one can trace the
material for ‘Let all the Angels of
God to a keyboard work by
Jonathan Kempernell; ‘Thou shalt
break them’ and ‘The people that
walked in darkness’ from operatic
material by the Italian Giovanni
Porta; and the duets ‘O death where
is thy sting?’ and a number of
choruses (Including ‘And he shall
purify’ and ‘For unto us a child is
born’) from Handel’s own backcatalogue.
It’s those and the other choruses
which are the real stars of Messiah,
and for which Handel reserves his
most striking and inventive word
setting; his chorus acts as narrator,
commentator and occasional
protagonist. The composer’s gift for
ceremonial choral music was well
established, but in Messiah he
seasoned his chorus with ingenious
effects, some of which would, like
those in Israel in Egypt, have
seemed far too extravagant for
liturgical performance. The upper
and lower voices literally stray
waywardly outwards in ‘For we, like
Sheep, have gone astray’, the offbeat urgency of ‘But thanks, thanks,
be to God’ has an almost
Beethovenian insistence, and the
declamatory drama of ‘Surely he
hath born our griefs’ is pointed. At
the work’s monumental conclusion
Handel uses a heart-stopping
effect. The final, fugal* ‘Amen’
steadily gains momentum until, at
its very apex, Handel inserts one bar
of silence before the two final
‘Amens’ – this can only be the work
of only one man; it’s little wonder
the German-born composer was
cherished in his adopted homeland,
and particularly by the Royals.
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Messiah’s Legacy
Programme Notes
Learn more about our
mammoth Education
Project Anthem for a Child
on Page 30
In the decades immediately after
Handel’s death, performances of
Messiah came and went a little
sparingly. But there was one
spectacular revival of the work in
March 1784, the year mistakenly
thought to mark the centenary of
the composer’s birth, and already
Messiah was metamorphosing into
both an unwieldy and ‘cult’ affair.
On the third of three days of
Handel-related festivities,
patronised by George III and the
Earl of Sandwich, Westminster
Abbey saw a performance of
Messiah with more musicians ‘than
has been collected in modern times’
according to Charles Burney. The
effect of the performances across
the three-day event, not least that
of Messiah, seems to have goldplated Handel’s posthumous
reputation and stamped him on the
nation’s cultural consciousness, as
well as seeing many of his works
published en masse.
‘Commemorations’ of the
composer continued annually for
some years later, each trumping the
last in scale, and creating
performances of such grandeur that
couldn’t help but secure Messiah
and its composer a legendary status.
Another direct result of these
activities, arguably, was the
inexorable rise in the following
century of the English ‘choral
society’ tradition, itself cherishing
Messiah and providing fertile
ground for the creation of future
sacred oratorios.
It’s inevitable that an opus as
great as Messiah be subjected to the
fashions and constraints of its
epoch. Small-scale performances
with brisk tempi and period
ornamentation may have become
the order of the day in the late 20th
and early 21st centuries, but who
knows what the next 100 years have
in store for the work? Handel
himself was pragmatic about
making amends to Messiah
depending on available resources or
even to satisfy a whim. But we
should count it a happy coincidence
that the Messiahs we enjoy today
bear the nearest resemblance in
sound in recent history to those
enjoyed for the first time in this
very city by Handel himself, and his
hundreds of adoring fans.
Andrew Mellor © 2008
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Programme Editor
Natasha Stehr
08
Design
Harrison and co design
Season Photography
Eric Richmond
Artwork
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Printed by Cantate
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Messiah Tuesday 6 December 2011
George Frideric Handel Messiah (1742)
A Sacred Oratorio
Words by Charles Jennens
PART ONE
1. Sinfonia (Overture)
2. Accompagnato
Tenor
Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.
Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her,
that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is
pardoned.
The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness; prepare
ye the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a
highway for our God.
(Isaiah 40: 1-3)
3. Air
Tenor
Ev’ry valley shall be exalted, and ev’ry moutain and hill
made low; the crooked straight and the rough places
plain.
(Isaiah 40: 4)
4. Chorus
And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all
flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord
hath spoken it.
(Isaiah 40: 5)
5. Accompagnato
Bass
Thus saith the Lord, the Lord of hosts: Yet once a
little while and I will shake the heavens and the earth,
the sea and the dry land.
And I will shake all nations; and the desire of all
nations shall come.
(Haggai 2: 6-7)
The Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His
temple, even the messenger of the Covenant, whom
you delight in; behold, He shall come, saith the Lord
of hosts.
(Malachi 3: 1)
09
6. Air
Alto
But who may abide the day of His coming, and who
shall stand when He appeareth? For He is like a
refiner’s fire.
(Malachi 3: 2)
7. Chorus
And He shall purify the sons of Levi, that they may
offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.
(Malachi 3: 3)
8. Recitative
Alto
Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and
shall call His name Emmanuel, God with us.
(Isaiah 7: 14; Matthew 1: 23)
9. Air and Chorus
Alto
O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, get thee up
into the high mountain. O thou that tellest good
tidings to Jerusalem, lift up thy voice with strength; lift
it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, behold
your g od!
(Isaiah 40: 9)
Arise, shine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the
Lord is risen upon thee.
(Isaiah 60: 1)
Chorus
O thou that tellest. . . etc.
10. Accompagnato
Bass
For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and gross
darkness the people; but the Lord shall arise upon
thee, and His glory shall be seen upon thee.
And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to
the brightness of thy rising.
(Isaiah 60: 2-3)
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11. Air
17. Chorus
Bass
The people that walked in darkness have seen a great
light;
and they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death,
upon them hath the light shined.
(Isaiah 9: 2)
“Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth,
good will towards men.”
(Luke 2: 14)
12. Chorus
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and
the government shall be upon His shoulder; and His
name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the
mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of
Peace.
(Isaiah 9: 6)
18. Air
Soprano
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O
daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, thy King cometh unto thee; He is the
righteous Saviour, and He shall speak peace unto the
heathen.
Rejoice greatly. . . da capo
(Zecharaiah 9: 9-10)
19. Recitative
13. Pifa (“Pastoral Symphony”)
14a. Recitative
Soprano
There were shepherds abiding in the field, keeping
watch over their flocks by night.
(Luke 2: 8)
14b. Accompagnato
Soprano
And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and
the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and
they were sore afraid.
(Luke 2: 9)
15. Recitative
Soprano
And the angel said unto them: “Fear not, for behold, I
bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to
all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a
Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”
(Luke 2: 10-11)
16. Accompagnato
Soprano
And suddenly there was with the angel, a multitude of
the heavenly host, praising God, and saying:
(Luke 2: 13)
10
Alto
Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened, and the
ears of the deaf unstopped.
Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the
tongue of the dumb shall sing.
(Isaiah 35: 5-6)
20. Duet
Alto & soprano
He shall feed His flock like a shepherd; and He shall
gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His
bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.
(Isaiah 40: 11)
Come unto Him, all ye that labour, come unto Him
that are heavy laden, and He will give you rest.
Take his yoke upon you, and learn of Him, for He is
meek and lowly of heart, and ye shall find rest unto
your souls.
(Matthew 11: 28-29)
21. Chorus
His yoke is easy, and His burden is light.
(Matthew 11: 30)
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Messiah Tuesday 6 December 2011
PART TWO
29. Accompagnato
Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of
the world.
(John 1: 29)
Tenor
Thy rebuke hath broken His heart: He is full of
heaviness. He looked for some to have pity on Him,
but there was no man, neither found He any to
comfort him.
(Psalm 69: 20)
23. Air
30. Arioso
Alto
He was despised and rejected of men, a man of
sorrows and acquainted with grief.
(Isaiah 53: 3)
Tenor
Behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto His
sorrow.
(Lamentations 1: 12)
22. Chorus
He gave His back to the smiters, and His cheeks to
them that plucked off His hair: He hid not His face
from shame and spitting.
He was despised. . . da capo (Isaiah 53: 6)
24. Chorus
Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our
sorrows!
He was wounded for our transgressions, He was
bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our
peace was upon Him.
(Isaiah 53: 4-5)
31. Accompagnato
Soprano
He was cut off out of the land of the living: for the
transgressions of Thy people was He stricken.
(Isaiah 53: 8)
32. Air
Soprano
But Thou didst not leave His soul in hell; nor didst
Thou suffer Thy Holy One to see corruption.
(Psalm 16: 10)
25. Chorus
33. Chorus
And with His stripes we are healed.
(Isaiah 53: 5)
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned
every one to his own way. And the Lord hath laid on
Him the iniquity of us all.
(Isaiah 53: 6)
Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye
everlasting doors; and the King of Glory shall come in.
Who is this King of Glory? The Lord strong and
mighty, The Lord mighty in battle.
Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye
everlasting doors; and the King of Glory shall come in.
Who is this King of Glory? The Lord of Hosts, He is
the King of Glory.
(Psalm 24: 7-10)
27. Accompagnato
34. Recitative
Tenor
All they that see Him laugh Him to scorn; they shoot
out their lips, and shake their heads, saying:
(Psalm 22: 7)
Tenor
Unto which of the angels said He at any time:
“Thou art My Son, this day have I begotten Thee?”
(Hebrews 1: 5)
28. Chorus
35. Chorus
“He trusted in God that He would deliver Him; let
Him deliver Him, if He delight in Him.”
(Psalm 22: 8)
Let all the angels of God worship Him.
(Hebrews 1: 6)
26. Chorus
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36. Air
43. Air
Alto
Thou art gone up on high; Thou hast led captivity
captive, and received gifts for men; yea, even from
Thine enemies, that the Lord God might dwell
among them.
(Psalm 68: 18)
Tenor
Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt
dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.
(Psalm 2: 9)
37. Chorus
The Lord gave the word; great was the company of the
preachers.
(Psalm 68: 11)
38. Air
Soprano
How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the
gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things.
(Isaiah 52: 7; Romans 10: 15)
44. Chorus
Hallelujah: for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth.
(Revelation 19: 6)
The kingdom of this world is become the kingdom of
our Lord,
and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever.
(Revelation 11: 15)
King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.
(Revelation 19: 16)
Hallelujah!
39. Chorus
Their sound is gone out into all lands,
and their words unto the ends of the world.
(Romans 10: 18; Psalm 19: 4)
PART THREE
45. Air
40. Air
Bass
Why do the nations so furiously rage together, and
why do the people imagine a vain thing?
The kings of the earth rise up, and the rulers take
counsel together against the Lord, and against His
anointed.
(Psalm 2: 1-2)
41. Chorus
Let us break their bonds asunder, and cast away their
yokes from us.
(Psalm 2: 3)
42. Recitative
Tenor
He that dwelleth in Heav’n shall laugh them to scorn;
The Lord shall have them in derision.
(Psalm 2: 4)
Soprano
I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall
stand
at the latter day upon the earth.
And though worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh
shall I see God.
(Job 19: 25-26)
For now is Christ risen from the dead, the first fruits of
them that sleep.
(I Corinthians 15: 20)
46. Chorus
Since by man came death, by man came also the
resurrection of the dead.
For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be
made alive.
(I Corinthians 15: 21-22)
47. Accompagnato
Bass
Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but
we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling
of an eye, at the last trumpet.
(I Corinthians 15: 51-52)
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Messiah Tuesday 6 December 2011
48. Air
52. Air
Bass
The trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised
incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
For this corruptible must put on incorruption and this
mortal must put on immortality.
The trumpet. . . da capo
(I Corinthians 15: 52-53)
Soprano alto
If God be for us, who can be against us?
(Romans 8: 31)
Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? It
is God that justifieth, who is he that condemneth? It is
Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is at
the right hand of God, who makes intercession for us.
(Romans 8: 33-34)
49. Recitative
Alto
Then shall be brought to pass the saying that is
written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”
(I Corinthians 15: 54)
50. Duet
Alto & tenor
O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is
thy victory?
The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is
the law.
(I Corinthians 15: 55-56)
53. Chorus
Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, and hath redeemed
us to God by His blood, to receive power, and riches,
and wisdom,
and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.
Blessing and honour, glory and power, be unto Him
that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, for
ever and ever.
Amen.
(Revelation 5: 12-14)
51. Chorus
But thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ.
(I Corinthians 15: 57)
Want to be involved with our work? Turn to page 31
and read how you can Play your Part for the OAE.
We would like to thank the following groups for attending:
6 December
Mrs Kirsty MacDonald & guests
Mr Paul McGinn & guests
Ms Chloe Reed & Oxsted School
13 January
Mrs Nicole Hu & the Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle
18 February
Ms Helen Petchey & the Berlioz Society
Ms Marjorie Wilkins & the Music Club in London
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Biography
Laurence Cummings
director
Laurence Cummings is one of Britain’s most exciting
and versatile exponents of historical performance both
as a conductor and a harpsichord player. He was an
organ scholar at Christ Church Oxford where he
graduated with first class honours. In 1996 he was
appointed Head of Historical Performance at the
Royal Academy of Music which has led to both
baroque and classical orchestras forming part of the
established curriculum.
He is a trustee of Handel House London and was
also Musical Director of the Tilford Bach Society.
Since 1999 he has been Music Director of the London
Handel Festival where performances have included
productions of Deborah, Athalia, Esther, Agrippina,
Sorsame, Alexander Balus, Hercules, Samson, Ezio,
Riccardo Primo and Tolomeo. He is a regular guest at
Casa da Musica in Porto where he conducts Orquestra
Barroca Casa da Música. He is Artistic Director of the
Internationale Händel-Festpiele Göttingen from
2012. Other opera productions he has conducted
include Radamisto, L’Incoronazione di Poppea, Semele,
Messiah and Orfeo for English National Opera, Giulio
Cesare and The Fairy Queen for Glyndebourne Festival
Opera, Giulio Cesare and Alcina at Gothenburg Opera,
Vivaldi’s L’Incoronazione di Dario and La Verita in
Cimento for Garsington Opera, Ariodante and Tolomeo
for English Touring Opera, Rodelinda for Opera
Theatre Company in the UK, Ireland and New York,
Alceste at the Linbury Theatre Covent Garden as part
of the London Bach Festival, Caverlieri’s
Rappresentatione di Anima e di Corpo, Eccle’s The
Judgement of Paris and King Arthur in Croatia,
Francisco António de Almeida’s La Spinalba and La
Guiditta in Porto, and L’Incoronazione di Poppea and
Dardanus at the Royal Academy of Music.
He made his US debut conducting Orfeo with the
Handel and Haydn Society in Boston. He regularly
conducts the English Concert and the Orchestra of
the Age of Enlightenment, both in the UK and on
tour. He also works with the Royal Liverpool
Philharmonic, Ulster Orchestra, Hallé Orchestra at
the Bridgewater Hall, Irish Baroque Orchestra,
Britten Sinfonia, Royal Academy of Music Baroque
Orchestra – B minor Mass at the London Bach Festival
and Monteverdi’s 1610 Vespers at the Spitalfields
Festival.
14
His numerous recordings include the first
recording of Handel’s newly discovered Gloria with
Emma Kirkby and the Royal Academy of Music on
BIS and recital discs of solo harpsichord music
(including music by Louis and Francois Couperin) for
Naxos. A solo disc of Handel arias with Angelika
Kirschlager and the Basel Chamber Orchestra on
Sony BMG was followed up by a recording of duets
with Lawrence Zazzo and Nuria Rial, also with the
Basel Chamber Orchestra, on Deutsche Harmonia
Mundi. He conducts the English Concert and
recorder player Maurice Steger in a disc of Corelli
concertos for Harmonia Mundi released in early 2011.
Future plans include productions for Garsington
Opera and Glyndebourne, concerts with the Hallé
Orchestra, English Concert, Royal Liverpool
Philharmonic and Orchestra of the Age of
Enlightenment, along with his commitments in Porto
and at the Gottingen Handel Festival. In the US he
makes his debut at the Metropolitan Opera New York.
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Messiah Tuesday 6 December 2011
Biography
Elizabeth Watts
soprano
Elizabeth Watts won the Rosenblatt Recital Song
Prize at the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World
competition in 2007 and the previous year the
Kathleen Ferrier Award. She is currently an Artist in
Residence at the Southbank Centre, and a former
BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist. Her critically
acclaimed debut recording of Schubert Lieder for
SONY Red Seal will be followed in 2011 by a disc of
Bach Cantatas for Harmonia Mundi, with whom she
has an exclusive contract.
Recent and future plans include concerts with all of
the UK orchestras, Netherlands Philharmonic
Orchestra and the Boston Handel and Haydn Society;
appearances with the Royal Opera House Covent
Garden, Glyndebourne on Tour and Welsh National
Opera; and recitals at the Wigmore Hall,
Concertgebouw Amsterdam and the Aldeburgh and
Cheltenham Festivals.
Elizabeth was a chorister at Norwich Cathedral
and studied archaeology at Sheffield University before
studying singing at the Royal College of Music in
London.
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Biography
Tim Mead
countertenor
Tim Mead was a choral scholar at King’s College,
Cambridge, and also studied at the Royal College of
Music, London.
Recent engagements include Ottone Il
Coronazione di Poppea for Den Norske Opera Oslo,
the Opéra de Lyon and English National Opera;
Tolomeo Giulio Cesare for the Deutsche Oper am
Rhein; title role Rinaldo with the Bach Collegium
Japan; title role Admeto Händel-Festspiele Göttingen
and the Edinburgh Festival; Endimione La Calisto for
the Bayerische Staatsoper; Paggio and Ombra di
Bussiride Ercole amante for De Nederlandse Opera;
Clearte Niobe at the Royal Opera House; title role
Orlando for Scottish Opera and Chicago Opera
Theatre, Eustazio Rinaldo and title role Giulio Cesare
for Glyndebourne Festival Opera; title role Gluck’s
Orfeo ed Euridice with the Akademie für Alte Musik,
Bach Magnificat and Dixit Dominus with
Emmannuelle Haim and Le Concert d’Astrée; Das
Weihnachtsoratorium with William Christie and Les
Arts Florissants, Oronte Riccardo Primo and Idelberto
Lotario for the Basel Kammerorchester, Trasimede
Admeto for Opernhaus Halle and Biber’s Missa
Bruxellensis in the Proms with the Academy of
Ancient Music.
Future plans include Endimione La Calisto at the
Bayerische Staatsoper and Bertarido Rodelinda for
Mercury Baroque (Houston).
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Messiah Tuesday 6 December 2011
Biography
Nicholas Mulroy
tenor
Born in Liverpool, Nicholas Mulroy studied at Clare
College Cambridge and Royal Academy of Music.
He regularly appears with leading ensembles
throughout Europe, including Monteverdi Choir with
Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Le Musiciens du Louvre with
Marc Minkowski, Les concerts d’Astrée with
Emmanuelle Haïm, Gabrieli Consort with Paul
McCreesh as well as concerts with Orchestra of the
Age of Enlightenment, Koelner Akademie, Dunedin
Consort, Staatskapelle Dresden, Royal Scottish
National Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra,
BBC Philharmonic, BBC Proms and Spitalfields
Festival. Other conductors he has worked with include
Laurence Cummings, Trevor Pinnock, Sir Colin
Davis and Nicholas Kraemer.
On stage he has worked with Glyndebourne
Festival Opera and on Tour, Opera Comique Paris and
Theatre Capitole de Toulouse.
Recordings include a Gramophone Awardwinning Messiah with Dunedin Consort on Linn, and
releases with Exaudi on NMC, King’s Consort on
Hyperion and I Fagiolini on Chandos.
Future plans include performances with Gabrieli
Consort, BBC Philharmonic, Polyphony, OAE,
Copenhagen Philharmonic, Kölner Akademie,
Wroclaw Philharmonic and at the Opera de Lille.
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Biography
Lisandro Abadie
bass-baritone
Lisandro Abadie was born in Buenos Aires. After
singing diplomas at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis
with Evelyn Tubb and Musikhochschule Luzern
(P.Brechbühler), he was awarded the Edwin Fischer
Gedenkpreis in 2006, and the Finalist Prize at the
Handel Singing Competition in 2008.
He has sung under the direction of William
Christie (The Fairy Queen in Aix-en-Provence),
Laurence Cummings (Theodora, Belshazzar in
London), Facundo Agudin (Don Giovanni, Così fan
tutte, Zauberflöte, Nozze di Figaro), Václav Luks
(La Resurrezione, Bach’s Passions), Christophe Rousset
(San Guglielmo), Clau Scherrer (Messiah), Maurice
Steger (Acis & Galatea), Douglas Bostock
(The Bartered Bride), Vincent Dumestre (Le Bourgeois
Gentilhomme) and has collaborated with ensembles
like Les Arts Florissants and Mala Punica. His
recordings include Marais’ Sémélé with Hervé Niquet,
Hayes’ The Passions with Anthony Rooley, Handel’s
Il Pastor Fido with David Bates, Camilla de Rossi’s
Santa Beatrice with Daniela Dolci, among others.
In 2010 he created the title role of the opera Cachafaz,
by Oscar Strasnoy, staged by Benjamin Lazar.
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Messiah Tuesday 6 December 2011
Biography
Choir of the Enlightenment
The Choir of the Enlightenment is formed of a group of
professional singers, many of whom are soloists in their
own right. In recent years the choir has appeared with
the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment at British
and European festivals, as well as regularly performing
with them as part of their annual London concert series
at the Southbank Centre.
The choir has taken part in many of the OAE’s
recordings, including J S Bach cantatas BWV 205 and
114 and Purcell’s Odes for Queen Mary, both with Gustav
Leonhardt, and Mozart’s Così fan tutte with Sir Simon
Rattle, recorded live at Symphony Hall Birmingham. In
July 2000, the choir and orchestra performed Bach’s B
minor Mass on the 250th anniversary of his death. This
concert, which was part of the BBC Proms Festival, was
broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 and on BBC Television.
During recent seasons the Choir of the
Enlightenment has performed Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas
directed by Richard Egarr at the BBC Proms and at the
Utrecht Festival; Charpentier’s David et Jonathas to
celebrate the tercentenary of his death, (conducted by
Emmanuelle Haïm) and has also taken part in
performances of Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s
Dream and his version of Bach’s St Matthew Passion. The
choir took part in the OAE’s 21st Birthday
Celebrations, Tim Carroll’s production of Dido and
Aeneas, Bach’s St John Passion with Mark Padmore,
Handel’s Belshazzar at the BBC Proms, directed by Sir
Charles Mackerras, Haydn’s The Return of Tobias,
conducted by Sir Roger Norrington, a performance of
Haydn’s Creation conducted by Sir Mark Elder and
more recently, Bach’s Christmas Oratorio with conductor
John Butt and sold out performances, both in the UK
and abroad, of Monteverdi’s 1610 Vespers.
Boffin’s Corner Messiah and the Expanding Orchestras
Messiah has long fascinated those musicians who peer into musical history, largely because it healthily
challenges most of our preconceived notions of ‘faithfulness to the score’ and ‘authenticity’. What, for
example, is the right way to perform an ‘authentic’ Messiah? The way Handel performed it in Dublin or
London? After all, there must have been striking differences in content and execution even between these
chronologically close performances.
With that proviso, it’s fascinating to examine just how far Handel’s score was massaged after its initial
airing. Even during the composer’s lifetime the work started to become popular with large choruses, the
accompanying orchestra slowly enlarging so as not to be drowned out. In 1784 a performance was arranged
in Westminster Abbey to mark 25 years since Handel’s death with a combined army of over 275 singers and
250 instrumentalists. The latter beat on three timpani and blew down six trombones, twelve horns and
twelve trumpets – most of them phantom parts that Handel never wrote.
Five years after that Mozart had a go at ‘retouching’ Messiah, adding parts for flutes, clarinets, trombones
and horns. And he couldn’t have claimed he needed more power in the band to balance a large chorus,
because the performance in question involved a choir of only twelve!
By 1857 London had grown out of Messiahs involving piddling little orchestras in the 200s, and mounted
a performance of the work at the Crystal Palace with an orchestra of 500 and a chorus that weighed in at
over 2,000. A decade later those figures were spinning even further out of control, with an impatient George
Bernard Shaw begging, prophetically, that a performance in a medium-sized hall be given with ‘a capable
chorus of twenty singers’ so that he could ‘hear the work properly just once’ before he died. A century on,
however, the supersize Messiah wasn’t extinct. Malcolm Sargent’s 1959 EMI recording of the work from
Liverpool sounds magnificent with symphonic strings and warming horns, but it was probably a dying
breed. These days Messiah is almost universally downsized. Do the benefits of clarity and focus outweigh
those of grandeur and mass-involvement? Now there’s a subject for vigorous debate.
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The Glory of Venice
Friday 13 January 2012
7pm
Queen Elizabeth Hall
Giovanni Gabrieli
Canzon xiv a 10; Virtutae Magna a 10
Giovanni. B. Fontana
Sonata for 3 violins
Alessandro Grandi
Salve Regina; Exaudi me Domine
Gabrieli
Sonata septimi toni (1) a 8
Claudio Monteverdi
Exulta filia
Gabrieli
Jubilate Deo a 10
Interval
Major Sponsor
Gabrieli
Canzon xvi a 12; Cantate Domino a 6;
Kyrie a 12
Grandi
Lauda Zion salvatorem
Gabrieli
Gloria a 12; Sonata for 3 violins; Sanctus/
Benedictus a 12
Marini
La Zorzi
Gabrieli
Exultet iam angelica turba
Robert Howarth director
Julia Doyle soprano
Daniel Auchincloss tenor
Please pick up tonight’s postcard for the orchestra list
The concert will finish at approximately 8.55pm
with an interval of 20 minutes
OAE Extras at 5.45pm, free admission
Queen Elizabeth Hall auditorium
Robert Howarth introduces tonight’s programme
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The Glory of Venice Friday 13 January 2012
Programme Notes
The Glory of Venice
*Words indicated by an asterisk
are explained on page 52.
21
Giovanni Gabrieli (c1554-1612)
was born into a musical family. He
studied with his uncle, Andrea, who
had worked in Munich under
Orlando di Lasso. Giovanni was
appointed to St Mark’s in 1566 as
second organist, quickly becoming a
celebrated composer, especially of
ceremonial music.
Giovanni also worked in
Munich, probably returning to
Venice in 1579. He deputised as
organist at St Mark’s in 1585 and in
1587 succeeded his uncle as first
organist, a post he held until his
death in 1612. Our programme
tonight celebrates his life in this, the
400th anniversary of his death,
through his large publications Sacrae
symphoniae (1597), Canzoni et sonate
and Symphoniae sacrae (1615).
All of his instrumental works are
entitled either Canzoni or Sonate but
at this time the idea of ‘sonata-form’*
was not developed so we should not
view them in that light. They derive
from the roots of either ‘a song’ i.e.
chanson/canzon/ canzona or ‘to
sound’ sonare/ sonate. Over the
years each form developed and
Gabrieli was certainly a pioneer.
Whereas his contemporaries were
publishing short and pleasant
canzoni, Gabrieli was writing ever
larger, ever longer and evermore
complex works. Between the
publications of 1597 and 1615 we
can see a great leap forward in
structure and style. In particular he
experiments with more unusual
time-signatures and complicated
rhythmic patterns.
In Italy at this time, there was a
gradual movement away from the
Renaissance towards the new
baroque styles of music. It sought to
replace polyphony with monody,
that is, to stop setting words for
many voices at the same time,
leaving just one voice singing
rhetorically with a simple
accompaniment. Gabrieli, whilst
not an acknowledged follower of
this movement, was certainly was
aware of the changing style.
Evidence of this can be found at the
end of his 1615 publication in the
Sonata for Three Violins and
Continuo. Compared to his large
scale canzonas, this is a more
focussed, more personal persuasive
style that was later so well adapted
by Fontana, Castello and Marini.
Monteverdi, who was appointed
Maestro di Cappella at San Marco a
year after Gabrieli died, features
briefly here with his ‘new style’
motet* Exulta filia. He uses secular
dance rhythms (only to redouble the
pure joy of the text), and as a master
of setting words the inherent
exuberance leaps out at us as we
listen. This motet, with a text
adapted and extended from the
Communion for the Mass* at Dawn
on Christmas Day, was contained in
the Quarta raccolta de’ sacri canti
(1629).
Alessandro Grandi, like
Monteverdi, was a brilliant
exponent of this new style. He often
added instruments to his works. We
hear three motets in this
programme, one for a solo voice and
two with accompaniments.
However, he never writes for more
than two instruments, and in the
examples here, he either uses two
violins or two cornetts.
Biagio Marini was hired as a
musician at St Mark’s in about 1615.
His peripatetic lifestyle took him to
work in at least ten cities, among
them Brussels, Düsseldorf and
Milan. In the 1650s he returned to
Venice where he died.
Approximately half his extant
publications are instrumental works
including Affetti Musicale No 1
(1617) in which La Zorzi is
contained. Each piece is named
after and dedicated to an important
Venetian family or individual family
members.
Gabrieli’s sacred vocal music is
written in a very similar way to his
instrumental works. He ascribes
very specific instrumentation to
accompany the voices. Often only
two of twelve lines are specified for a
62891 OAE MultiDate 2011_OAE 2006 Prog6 h copy 01/12/2011 19:42 Page 22
Programme Notes
voice, whereas the other parts are
written for the instruments. His
Virtutae Magna is a celebration
anthem on a large scale for the feast
day of St Mark. It takes pride of
place at the beginning of the third
part of the 1597 Sacrae Symphoniae
and is scored in 12 parts. In it,
Gabrieli builds the music beautifully
using the two choirs separately, then
together, gathering the rhythmic
pace as the text builds towards the
inevitable Alleluia.
The Jubilate Deo, from
Symphonae sacrae (1615), specifies
only two voice parts alongside an
ensemble of cornetts, sackbuts and a
dulcian. For our performance we are
doubling the voices with a violin and
viola to enhance the celebratory
nature of the text.
Cantate Dominum is the very first
work in the 1597 collection. It is an
obvious choice as the text
commands us to ‘sing to the lord a
new song’; perfect for a collection of
sacred anthems. The whole
publication is ordered by size of
ensemble, so this piece is only in six
parts. It is quite audibly from an
earlier period and is much shorter
than many of the other pieces but it
is looking towards the new world of
the baroque. To illustrate that point,
we present it as a work for solo voice
with brass accompaniment, enabling
the listener to hear clearly the
rhetorical declamation of the text.
The second half of the
programme has been structured
around a Mass sequence. The
movements are taken from both
1597 and 1615 and may well have
been heard in this form at some
point in San Marco after Gabrieli’s
death. This leads us with jubilation
towards our parting motet Exultet
iam angelica turba. Its liturgical place
is during the lighting of the paschal
candle at the Easter vigil, however,
its text is so exciting and it’s so well
structured that it makes an excellent
end to a celebratory concert. Not
only does it exclaim ‘tuba intonet
salutaris’ - ‘let the trumpet of
salvation sound forth’, but it also
concludes ‘et magnis populorum
vocibus haec aula resultet. Alleluia’ ‘and may this hall resound with the
loud voices of the people. Alleluia’.
Robert Howarth © 2011
Boffin’s Corner Secrets of St Mark’s
In the 17th century St Mark’s Venice was a law unto itself. Not only was Venice politically and economically
independent from the mainland, its church was more or less autonomous in the face of Rome’s authority, too.
At the beginning of the century the whole city was excommunicated, and even when the relationship was
rather better, St Mark’s liked to put its own stamp on the liturgy – basically ordering services however it liked
(or rather, however the Doge liked).
That was one reason the church enjoyed such a unique musical tradition. In 1527, thirty years before
Giovanni Gabrieli got the job, Dutchman Adrian Willaert was appointed maestro di cappella at St Marks. His
reign saw even more individual approaches to music-making invade the wide open spaces of the basilica, most
significantly the use of two or more choirs singing from different parts of the building. Willaert didn’t invent
this coro spezzato phenomenon, but it came into its own under his watch and much of the music heard tonight
owes something to its spatial musical re-imagining.
On reason Willaert started moving his choirs and instruments around might have been the Doge himself.
St Mark’s doesn’t have the most focussed acoustic, particularly when choirs are singing from the chancel. It
could be that Willaert, Gabrieli and subsequent musical bosses at St Mark’s frequently altered the ‘singing’
and ‘playing’ positions at the church so the Doge could hear the music best from where he was sitting.
In April 2007 scholars Deborah Howard and Laura Moretti travelled to Venice with the choir of St John’s
College Cambridge to carry out acoustic experiments; they plotted where the Doge’s throne moved and how
the choirs themselves moved. The extensive results of their experimentation can be found in their rather
fascinating book Sound and Space in Renaissance Venice. © Andrew Mellor, 2011
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The Glory of Venice Friday 13 January 2012
The Glory of Venice
Virtute magna operatua est coram Domino
Beatus Marcus Evangelista,
In cuis honorem praesens
Vobis adest festivitas.
Iste est enim cuius doctrina
Omnis terra replete est,
Et virtutis exemplo totius mundi
Refluget machina.
Alleluia.
Haes est illa veneranda solemnitas,
In qua triumphans agonis sui cursum
Viriliter consumavit,
Et victoriae coronam accipere meruit
De manu Domini.
Alleluia.
With great strength
Blessed Mark the Evengelist,
In whose honour you hold the present festivity,
Laboured before the Lord.
It is he with whose teaching
The whole earth has been filled,
And the fabric of the whole world
Shines with the example of his strength.
Alleluia.
This is that venerable celebration,
In which in triumph he bravely completed
The race of his struggle,
And was worthy to receive the crown of victoey
From the Lord’s hand.
Alleluia.
Salve, Regina, Mater misericordiae,
vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra, salve.
ad te clamamus
exsules filii Hevae,
ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes
in hac lacrimarum valle.
Eia, ergo, advocata nostra, illos tuos
misericordes oculos ad nos converte;
et Iesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui,
nobis post hoc exilium ostende.
O clemens, O pia, O dulcis Virgo Maria.
Hail, holy Queen, Mother of Mercy,
our life, our sweetness and our hope.
To thee do we cry,
poor banished children of Eve;
to thee do we send up our sighs,
mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.
Turn then, most gracious advocate,
thine eyes of mercy toward us;
and after this our exile,
show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.
Exaudi me, Domine, quoniam benigna est
misericordia tua; secundum multitudinem
miserationum tuarum respice in me. Ne avertas faciem
tuam a puero tuo, quoniam tribulor. Velociter exaudi
me. Intende animae meae et libera eam; propter
inimicos meos eripe me.
Hear me, O Lord, for Thy mercy is kind; look upon me
according to the multitude of Thy tender mercies. Turn
not away Thy face from Thy servant: for I am in trouble.
Hear me speedily. Attend to my soul and deliver it. Save
me because of my enemies. [Ps 68:14-19]
Exulta, filia Sion; lauda, filia Hierusalem.
Ecce rex tuus sanctus, ecce mundi salvator venit.
Omnes gentes, plaudit minibus,
Jubilate Deo in voce exultationis,
Laetentur ceoli in voce exultationis,
Exultet terra in voce exultationis
Quia consolatus est Dominus populum suum;
Redemit Hierusalem.
Exult, daughter of Sion; sing praises, daughter of
Jerusalem.
Behold, your holy King, the Saviour of the world comes.
All nations, clap your hands,
Rejoice in God with the voice of exultation,
Let the heavens be praised with the voice of exultation,
Let the earth exult in the voice of exultation,
For the Lord ahs comforted his people;
He has redeemed Jerusalem.
Jubilate Deo omnis terra,
Quia sic benedicetur homo
Qui timet Dominum.
Jubilate Deo omnis terra.
Deus Isreal conjugat vos
Et ipse sit vobiscum.
Let the whole earth rejoice in God,
For thus is blessed the man
Who fears the Lord.
Let the noble earth rejoice in God.
May the God of Israel unite you
And may he himself be with you.
23
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Auxilium de sancto
Tueatur vos et de Syon.
Jubilate Deo omnis terra.
Benedicat vobis Dominus ex Syon,
Qui fecit coelom at terram.
Jubilate Deo omnis terra.
Servite Domino in laetitia.
Jubilate Deo onmis terra.
May help from his holiness
Protect you even from Zion.
May the Lord bless you from Zion,
He who made heaven and earth.
Serve the Lord with gladness.
Cantate Domino canticum novum:
Cantate Domino omnis terra.
Cantatde Domino, et benedicite nomini eius:
Annunciate de die in diem salutare eius.
O sing unto the Lord a new song:
Sing unto the Lord, all the earth.
Sing unto the Lord, bless his name;
Shew forth his salvation from day to day.
Kyrie eleison
Kyrie eleison
Kyrie eleison
Christe eleison
Christe eleison
Christe eleison
Kyrie eleison
Kyrie eleison
Kyrie eleison
Lord, have mercy on us
Lord, have mercy on us
Lord, have mercy on us
Christ, have mercy on us
Christ, have mercy on us
Christ, have mercy on us
Lord, have mercy on us
Lord, have mercy on us
Lord, have mercy on us
Gloria in excelsis Deo.
Et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis.
Laudamus te.
Benedicamus te.
Adoramus te.
Glorificamus te.
Gratias agimus tibi propter magnam gloriam tuam,
Domine Deus, Rex caelestis,
Deus Pater omnipotens.
Domine Fili unigenite
Jesu Christe.
Domine Deus, Agnus Dei, Filius Patris,
Qui tollis peccata mundi,
miserere nobis.
Qui tollis peccata mundi,
suscipe deprecationem nostram.
Qui sedes ad dextram Patris,
miserere nobis.
Quoniam tu solus sanctus.
Tu solus Dominus,
Tu solus altissimus,
Jesu Christe.
Cum Sancto Spiritu,
In gloria Dei Patris
Amen.
Glory to God on high.
And on earth peace to men of good will.
We praise thee.
We bless thee.
We adore thee.
We glorify thee.
We give thanks to thee for thy great glory,
O Lord God, heavenly king,
God the Father almighty,
O Lord, the only begotten Son,
Jesus Christ.
Lord God, Lamb of God,
Son of the Father.
That takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
That takest away the sins of the world, receive our
prayer.
That sittest at the right hand of the Father, have mercy
on us.
For thou alone art holy,
Thou alone art the Lord,
Thou alone art most high,
Jesus Christ.
With the Holy Ghost
In the glory of God the Father
Amen.
24
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The Glory of Venice Friday 13 January 2012
Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus,
Dominus Deus Sabaoth.
Pleni sunt caeli et terra gloria tua.
Hosanna in excelsis.
Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini.
Hosanna in excelsis.
Holy, Holy, Holy
Lord God of hosts.
Heaven and earth are full of thy glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who cometh in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
Lauda Sion Salvatorem,
Lauda ducem et pastorem,
In hymnis et canticis.
Praise, O Sion, praise thy Saviour,
Shepherd, Prince, with glad behavior,
Praise in hymn and canticle
Ecce Panis angelorum,
Factus cibus viatorum:
Vere panis filiorum,
Non mittendus canibus
Hail, angelic Bread of Heaven,
Now the pilgrim’s hoping-leaven,
Yea, the Bread to children given
That to dogs must not be thrown:
O salutaris Hostia,
Quae caeli pandis ostium:
Bella premunt hostilia,
Da robur, fer auxilium.
O saving Victim, opening wide
The gate of Heaven to us below;
Our foes press hard on every side;
Your aid supply; Your strength bestow.
Exulet jam angelica turba coelorum,
Exultant divina mysteria,
Et pro tanti regis Victoria
Tuba intonet salutaris.
Gaudeat et tellus
Tantis irradiate fulgorbus,
Et aeterni regis splendore illustrata,
Totius orbis se sentiat
Amisisse caliginem.
Laetetur at mater ecclesiae,
Tanti luminis adornatet fulgoribus,
Et magnis populorum vocibus
Heac aula resultet.
Alleluia.
May the heavenly host of angels exult,
May the divine mysteries exult,
And for the victory of so great a king
May the trumpet of salvation resound.
May the earth also rejoice
Illumined by such great brightness,
And, lit up by the splendour of the eternal king,
May it feel it has lost
The darkness of the whole globe.
May the mother of the church also rejoice,
Adorned with the brightness of so great a light,
And may this hall resound
With the mighty voices of the peoples.
Alleluia.
Anthem for a Child is our largest and current education project and you can get involved by pledging miles.
Read more on Page 30
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Biography
Robert Howarth
director
Robert Howarth read music at the University of York.
With a growing reputation as director and conductor
of early repertoire Robert Howarth holds the posts of
Artistic Advisor and Guest Director of The Avison
Ensemble, Assistant Artistic Director of English
Voices and Co-Principal Keyboard Player of the
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. His valuable
contribution to the 02/03 season at the Bayerische
Staatsoper was rewarded with the Munich Opera
Festival Prize.
Howarth’s opera engagements have included Il
Ritorno d’Ulisse in Patria for Welsh National Opera,
Birmingham Opera Company and English Touring
Opera; Alcina for the Hamburg State Opera, Theater
St Gallen and ETO , Monteverdi Ballo del Ingrate and
Il Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda for the
Birmingham Opera Company and Tolomeo for
English Touring Opera. He has also conducted
Charpentier’s La déscente d’Orphée aux enfers for
Glyndebourne’s Jerwood Programme and Almeida’s
La Spinalba for the Guildhall School of Music and
Drama. He has been assistant conductor for
productions at the Bayerische Staatsoper, Salzburg
Festival, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Opéra de Paris,
the Netherlands Opera and Glyndebourne and
includes amongst his repertoire L’Incoronazione di
Poppea, Ariodante, Orlando, Rodelinda, Tamerlano, Don
Giovanni and Iphigenie en Tauride.
Concert engagements include Bach Lutheran
Masses and a European tour and recording of the
Monteverdi Vespers 1610 with the Orchestra of the
Age of Enlightenment; Messiah with the Irish
Baroque Orchestra; Apollo and Daphne with The St
James Baroque Players; Bach Cantatas with the
Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra and Angelika
Kirschlager, Athalia for the Ambronay Festival and a
baroque programme for the Northern Sinfonia.
During the 2011/12 season he makes his Opera
North début conducting a new production of Giulio
Cesare, returns to St Gallen for The Fairy Queen and
directs programmes with the Orchestra of the Age of
Enlightenment and The English Concert.
26
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The Glory of Venice Friday 13 January 2012
Biography
Julia Doyle
soprano
Born and educated in Lancaster, Julia read Social and
Political Sciences alongside a Choral Scholarship at
Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge. After
finishing her degree, she worked in America as a
research consultant in infant linguistic and musical
development, and then in Arts Management in
London before pursuing a singing career. She has
since performed all over the world with many of
Europe’s top ensembles and is fast establishing a career
as a soloist specialising in Baroque repertoire.
Recent highlights include Mozart Exultate Jubilate
and Haydn Nelson Mass at the Cité de la Musique
Paris (Sigiswald Kuijken), Haydn Scena di Berenice at
the Bridgewater Hall (BBC Philharmonic
Orchestra/Gianadrea Noseda) and Creation at St
Paul’s Cathedral (Orchestra of the Age of
Enlightenment /Thierry Fischer), Bach St John
Passion (Sir John Eliot Gardiner), and St Matthew
Passion (The King’s Consort/Robert King) at the
Concergebouw, The Wedding Cantata (BWV 202) in
Chicago (Music of the Baroque/Nicholas Kraemer),
Handel Occasional Oratorio in Halle (English
Concert), La Resurezionne in Marseilles (The King’s
Consort), Messiah at the Royal Albert Hall (Royal
Philharmonic Orchestra/Richard Cooke) and Purcell
at the Wigmore Hall and in Finland (Retrospect
Ensemble/Matthew Halls).
Forthcoming engagements include Bach St
Matthew Passion at Alice Tully Hall in New York
(Collegium Vocale/Philippe Herreweghe), Christmas
Oratorio in Dublin (RTÉ National Symphony
Orchestra/Matthew Halls), BWV 107 in Trogen
Switzerland ( J. S. Bach-Stiftung), Handel Alexanders
Feast at Rheingau Festival (Koelner
Kammerchor/Peter Neumann).
She has recently recorded Handel Messiah for
Hyperion (Britten Sinfonia/Stephen Layton), Finzi
In Terra Pax for NAXOS (Bournemouth Symphony
Orchestra/Hilary Daven-Wetton), Lutoslawski
Dwadziesci Koled for Sony BMG (BBC Symphony
Orchestra / David Zinman) and Bach St John Passion
and Magnificat for Analekta (Bethlehem Bach
Choir/Greg Funfgeld).
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Biography
Daniel Auchincloss
tenor
Canadian tenor Daniel Auchincloss studied at the
University of Toronto and at the Royal Scottish
Academy of Music and Drama. He has performed as
soloist with such groups as the Apollo Chamber
Orchestra, the Brighton Festival Chorus, the
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Britten Sinfonia,
the City of London Sinfonia, the Gabrieli Consort, La
Grande Écurie et la Chambre du Roy, the Orchestra of
the Age of Enlightenment, the Royal Liverpool
Philharmonic Orchestra and the Salzburg Camerata in
Rome. Conductors with whom he has worked include
Emmanuelle Haïm, Stephen Cleobury, Gary Cooper,
Diego Fasolis, Jean-Claude Malgoire, James Morgan,
Sir Roger Norrington and Vassily Petrenko.
Engagements have included Linfea La Calisto for the
Early Opera Company, Angel Canticum in nativitatem
Domini with the Gabrieli Consort, La Pythonisse David
et Jonathas with the Orchestra of the Age of
Enlightenment, Charpentier Te Deum with Le Concert
Spirituel, Moore The Dragon of Wantley at the
Musikfestspiele Potsdam Sanssouci, Apollo L’Orfeo for
Capella Cracoviensis, The Fairy Queen and The Indian
Queen for Toronto Masque Theatre, the title role in
Platée for the English Bach Festival at the Megaron,
Athens, Arbace Ciro in Babilonia for the Atelier Lyrique
de Tourcoing, the title role in Le Comte Ory for New
Chamber Opera and Police Inspector The Nose for the
Opera Group. His recordings include Bach Cantatas
with I Barocchisti (Arte), Biber Requiem in F, Paride ed
Elena and the Monteverdi Vespers 1610 with The
Gabrieli Consort & Players (DG), Britten Negroes with
the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group
conducted by Martyn Brabbins (NMC – a Sunday Times
CD of the Week), Sacred Music of Claudio Monteverdi
with The King’s Consort (Hyperion), Neukomm Missa
Solemnis with La Grande Écurie et la Chambre du Roy
(K617) and The Fairy Queen with the Coro della Radio
Svizerra (RTSI TV).
Other engagements have included Nencio L’infedeltà
delusa with Andreas Spering and Capella Augustina at
the Musikfestspiele Potsdam Sansoucci, Piet the Pot Le
Grand Macabre for English National Opera (cover),
Gondolier/Strolling Player Death in Venice at the St.
Endellion Festival conducted by Martyn Brabbins, St.
John Passion for the Amadeus Choir, Toronto, and the
Irish Baroque Orchestra, Mozart Requiem with the
Philharmonia Orchestra, Neukomm Missa Solemnis
with Jean-Claude Malgoire and La Grande Écurie et la
28
Chambre du Roy, The Fairy Queen with Emanuelle
Haïm and Le Concert d’Astrée at the Opéra de Lille
and King Arthur for Toronto Masque Theatre.
Current and future engagements include Evangelist
in the first British performance of the CPE Bach
Matthäus-Passion: Idraspes in Cavalli’s Erismena for
New Chamber Opera; Nencio in Haydn’s L’infedeltà
delusa for Potsdamer Winteroper: Mengone in Haydn’s
Lo Speizale on tour with the Israel Camerata; Don
Basilio / Don Curzio Le nozze di Figaro with the Atelier
Lyrique de Tourcoing at the Théâtre des ChampsÉlysées; Acis in Handel’s Acis and Galatea for The
Dunedin Concert at the Felicja Blumental International
Music Festival, Tel Aviv; Buxtehude Membra Jesu Nostri
with The Purcell Quartet at St John’s, Smith Square;
Monteverdi Vespers 1610 with the Netherlands Bach
Society; Handel Messiah with the Royal Edinburgh
Choral Society; the title role in a concert performance of
Charpentier’s Actéon; Don Carlos / Tacmas in Rameau’s
Les Indes galantes with Boston Baroque as a part of the
Opera America Conference; Don Basilio in Le nozze di
Figaro with Classical Opera Company; Purcell’sThe
Fairy Queen with The King’s Consort in Vienna; a
performance and recording of Gabrieli, and Grandi with
Musica Ficta conducted by Roland Wilson.
62891 OAE MultiDate 2011_OAE 2006 Prog6 h copy 01/12/2011 19:42 Page 29
Cathy Weiss, OAE Violinist. Photo: Eric Richmond /Harrison & Co
62891 OAE MultiDate 2011_OAE 2006 Prog6 h copy 01/12/2011 19:42 Page 30
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62891 OAE MultiDate 2011_OAE 2006 Prog6 h copy 01/12/2011 19:42 Page 33
An Olympic Thread
Friday 10 February 2012
7pm
Queen Elizabeth Hall
Telemann Overture, Les Nations
Handel Aria, Figlio d’Altre Speranza
Sally Beamish Spinal Chords
(London premiere)
Interval
Locatelli Concerto Grosso Op.7 No.6,
Il pianto d’Arianna
Handel Cantata, Delirio amoroso
Matthew Truscott director
Major Sponsor
Roberta Invernizzi soprano
Please pick up tonight’s postcard for the
orchestra list and narrator details
The concert will finish at approximately 9.10pm
with an interval of 20 minutes
OAE Extras at 5.45pm, free admission
Queen Elizabeth Hall auditorium
Sally Beamish, joined by Chi-Chi Nwanoku
MBE, introduces Spinal Chords
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New Music 20x12 programme & funder credits
New Music 20x12 is a UK-wide commissioning programme initiated by Jillian Barker
and David Cohen, and delivered by PRS for Music Foundation in partnership with the
BBC, LOCOG, Sound and Music and NMC Recordings.
prsformusicfoundation.com
New Music 20x12 is generously supported by the following committed patrons and funders:
Arts Council England, Creative Scotland, John S. Cohen Foundation, PRS for Music Foundation,
Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Arts Council of Wales, Columbia Foundation Fund of the
Capital Community Foundation, Incorporated Society of Musicians, Musicians Benevolent Fund,
Jerwood Charitable Foundation, RVW Trust, Charlotte and Dennis Stevenson, Tolkien Trust, The
Leche Trust, The Bliss Trust, Finzi Trust, The Worshipful Company of Musicians, Lilian Slowe,
John and Ann Tusa, John Wates Charitable Trust, Richard Walduck, Honeymead Arts Trust, and
Sir Anthony Cleaver.
New Music 20x12 is a UK wide programme which consists of twenty outstanding new works, each
lasting 12 minutes, commissioned to feature centre stage of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad.
New Music 20x12 commissions will be broadcast by BBC Radio 3 and tour the UK, enabling as many
people as possible to enjoy excellent new music as part of our celebrations of the London 2012
Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.
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An Olympic Thread Friday 10 February 2012
Introduction
Programme Notes
Georg Philipp
Telemann (1681-1767)
Ouverture Les Nations
(Völker-Ouverture)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Ouverture
Menuets I & II
Les Turcs
Les Suisses
Les Moscovites
Les Portugais
Les Boiteux
Les Coureurs
*Words indicated by an asterisk
are explained on page 52.
35
With the London Olympics and
Paralympic Games getting ever
closer, tonight’s concert finds
appropriate ways to mark the
occasion with a new piece by Sally
Beamish, (commissioned as part of
New Music 20x12) expressing the
positive spirit that lives and
breathes within every competitor,
whatever the obstacles in their way,
and with a typically goodhumoured celebration of
international diversity by one of
the most widely admired
composers of the 18th century,
Georg Philipp Telemann. The
Olympic thread is taken further
with works by Handel and
Locatelli on three Classical Greek
subjects in which triumph and
adversity clash: a Cretan princess
cruelly abandoned by her lover; a
rightful king reduced to penury but
biding his time; and a simple
nymph driven to distraction by
unrequited love.
Telemann composed in many
genres during his long and
productive career, but one that he
returned to more than most was
the orchestral suite, of which well
over a hundred examples by him
survive. This was a popular form
in Germany in the first half of the
eighteenth century, and had its
origins in the loosely connected
suites of dances which, a few
decades earlier, had been extracted
from the operas of Lully.
The usual designation of them by
Telemann and his fellow Germans
simply as ‘ouvertures’ was an
acknowledgement both of these
French roots and of the fact that
the opening movements were often
considerably longer than the
others, and themselves ‘French’ in
their formal plan of slow, stately
sections alternating with faster,
more contrapuntally* inclined
ones.
Telemann’s ouvertures were
written for many purposes – they
could accompany a banquet or be
performed as a concert piece at a
musicians’ collegium musicum –
and to add to the fun it was not
uncommon for them to be linked
by a non-musical subject. There
are, for instance, suites on the
themes of Don Quixote, the port
of Hamburg, the Frankfurt Stock
Exchange and even a gout-sufferer,
all descriptive exercises for which
Telemann’s keen musical
imagination and easy humour
seem to have been uncommonly
well suited.
It is not known for whom he
composed the ouverture Les
Nations, which appears to be
designed as a sort of travelogue.
That much is evident from the four
postcards from foreign parts which
lie at the heart of the suite,
respectively depicting the peoples
and places of Turkey (wide melodic
leaps, exotic harmonies and
percussive bass-lines), Switzerland
(poised, and with a slight French
accent), Muscovy (a striking
evocation of church bells) and
Portugal (a hint of Latin passion
and abandon); but with the
‘limpers’ and ‘runners’ in the final
pair of movements seeming to
allude to life in the slow and fast
lanes, and the quick section of the
ouverture also conjuring up a fine
gallop, Telemann seems equally
concerned with suggesting the
motions of horse-travel itself – the
equivalent, perhaps, of a later
composer imitating the actions of a
train.
62891 OAE MultiDate 2011_OAE 2006 Prog6 h copy 01/12/2011 19:42 Page 36
Programme Notes
George Frideric
Handel (1685-1759)
Cantata Figlio d’alte
speranze
36
The years Handel spent as a young
man in Florence, Rome, Venice and
Naples, from 1706 to 1710, were
crucial to his development as a
composer. It was there, in the land of
opera and of the latest developments
in vocal and instrumental music, that
he met and engaged with famous
musicians such as Corelli, Pasquini
and the Scarlattis, listened to operas,
composed two of his own as well as
church music and numerous secular
cantatas, and established links with
some of the star singers who would
later perform in his operas in
London. Above all, it was in the
compositions he produced in Italy
that he perfected his own musical
language, adding to his native gifts a
melodic fluency, vocal lustre and
natural elegance that were to remain
characteristic of his works for the rest
of his life.
Figlio d’alte speranze is thought to
be one of the earliest of Handel’s
Italian works, probably composed in
1706. If it was intended for a
particular patron there is no evidence
to suggest who it might have been,
and neither can any contemporary
figure be directly linked with its
seemingly politically weighted
subject, that of King Abdalonymus
of Sidon, who, having been reduced
by events to the status of a gardener,
bore his misfortune with equanimity
until restored to his throne by
Alexander the Great in 332 BC.
Handel’s cantata* is as
unassumingly noble of spirit as his
hero. Falling into the customary
format of three recitatives and three
arias, it is modestly scored for
soprano, continuo and two violins
who play in unison throughout in the
first and third arias. Their
accompaniment figures – echoed by
the continuo in the central aria, in
which they do not play – add a note
of restlessness to the situation,
perhaps reflecting Abdalonymus’s
tenacious optimism, or else the
turning wheel of fortune to which he
is nevertheless content to submit.
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An Olympic Thread Friday 10 February 2012
Programme Notes
Sally Beamish music
Melanie Reid text
Spinal Chords (2011)
37
I have known Melanie Reid, and
enjoyed her writing, ever since I
moved to the Stirlingshire village
where we both live, in 1996. When
she had her devastating riding
accident in 2010, and began writing
‘Spinal Column’ in the Times, I
followed it every week.
The idea of working with her
came to me when the Orchestra of
the Age of Enlightenment asked me
for suggestions for a PRS for Music
Foundation New Music 20x12
Cultural Olympiad commission. To
my delight, she agreed, and I
received the text for Spinal Chords
(her title) in May 2011.
It was hard to know how I could
best serve the words, which I found
deeply moving; but Melanie’s title
gave me a good starting point: the
idea of the chord as the backbone of
the music. ‘Cords’ (without an ‘h’)
also suggest strings, threads, linking
and joining. I realised the role of the
music should be as a backdrop for a
very slow drama – that of Melanie’s
‘spinal journey’.
The decision to use an actor,
rather than a singer, was to preserve
the directness of the text, and of
Melanie’s own voice.
I started with twelve chords,
which are stated, very slowly, three
times; each time in a different key.
The chords themselves are closely
linked to each other : each builds on
the one before. The string orchestra
is treated as a large chamber group,
with 13 solo lines, and the chords are
stated at first by broken-up groups
of players, gradually consolidating
into larger groups, and then with the
addition of ornamentation, and
later, scales. The music reflects the
agonising slowness of recovery, and
the gradual re-connecting as the
body finds ways to heal.
The piece uses the distinctive
techniques of Baroque string
playing: expressive bowstrokes, with
a minimum of vibrato. I also draw on
the similarities between Scottish
traditional ornamentation, and that
of Baroque music.
Spinal Chords was commissioned
by the Orchestra of the Age of
Enlightenment, with funding from
New Music 20x12 – a UK-wide
commissioning programme
initiated by Jillian Barker and David
Cohen, and delivered by PRS for
Music Foundation in partnership
with the BBC, LOCOG, NMC
Recordings and Sound and Music.
Spinal Chords received its World
Premiere on 5 February at the
Turner Sims in Southampton, with
tonight’s second performance being
its London Premiere.
© Sally Beamish, 2011
62891 OAE MultiDate 2011_OAE 2006 Prog6 h copy 01/12/2011 19:42 Page 38
Programme Notes
Pietro Antonio
Locatelli (1695-1764)
Concerto grosso in E
flat major, Op. 7 No. 6
Il pianto d’Arianna
1 Andante – Allegro – Adagio –
Andante – Allegro
2 Largo – Largo andante
3 Grave – Allegro
4 Largo
38
One of the violin giants of the
eighteenth century, Locatelli was
born in Bergamo in 1695, but by the
age of sixteen had moved to Rome,
perhaps to study with the famous
but ailing Arcangelo Corelli, but
more likely with another prominent
virtuoso, Giuseppe Valentini. His
growing reputation as a violinist
soon took him beyond Italy,
however, and in 1729 he moved to
Amsterdam, where he remained for
the rest of his life, making a living as
an ‘Italiaansch musiekmeester’,
publishing his own music, giving
private concerts, teaching, and
selling imported Italian violin
strings. His playing was noted for its
power and brilliance, and indeed his
most famous concertos, the Op. 3
set entitled L’Arte del Violino, show a
fearsome difficulty that has led to
latter-day comparisons with
Paganini.
Locatelli wrote no vocal music,
but a glimpse of how he might have
gone about it is seen in Il Pianto
d’Arianna (‘The Tears of Ariadne’),
the final concerto from his Op. 7 set,
published in 1741, which seems to
assume the form of a cantata for solo
violin and orchestra even to the
extent of including passages in
unmistakable imitation of vocal
recitative. The story of Ariadne,
rescued from Crete by Theseus
following his slaying of the
Minotaur but then abandoned by
him on the island of Naxos, was a
familiar operatic one, and
eighteenth-century listeners to this
wordless treatment of it would have
needed no explanation of the
contents. They include a gentlepulsed opening, perhaps intended to
represent Ariadne asleep, alternating
with agitation at waking to discover
that Theseus has disappeared.
Thereafter the mood-swings –
weeping one moment, raging the
next, with moments of level-headed
realisation in between – follow a
course typical of the baroque lovelament.
62891 OAE MultiDate 2011_OAE 2006 Prog6 h copy 01/12/2011 19:42 Page 39
An Olympic Thread Friday 10 February 2012
Programme Notes
Georg Frideric
Handel
Il delirio amoroso
39
If Italy contributed immeasurably
to Handel’s development as a
musician, it also brought out
another of his talents, namely the
ability to forge friendly and
productive relationships with
influential people. In Rome these
included one of the wealthiest
musical patrons of the day in
Cardinal Benedetto Pamphili, who
had already combined his loves for
philosophy, poetry and music in the
form of libretti for oratorios for
Pasquini and Alessandro Scarlatti.
Soon he had taken Handel up as
well, almost certainly arranging for
him to give a prestigious organ
recital at the church of S Giovanni
Laterano, and commissioning and
writing the text for his first oratorio,
Il trionfo del tempo e del disinganno as
well as a number of other cantatas.
Their earliest collaboration was the
cantata Il delirio amoroso (‘Ecstasy of
Love’), composed in the first
months of 1707.
Il delirio amoroso is a grander and
more colourful work than Figlio
d’alte speranze. The solo soprano is
joined this time by an orchestra
with solo roles for recorder, oboe,
cello and violin, and the sequence
of recitatives and arias, preceded by
an orchestral sonata, lasts over half
an hour. It is typical of Handel’s
Italian cantatas, nevertheless, in
taking the world of bucolic
Classical loving and longing as its
subject, with the nymph Clori,
spurned in love by the shepherd
Tirsi, becoming deranged by grief
at his death and imagining herself
following him into the Underworld
where, despite his continuing
rejection of her, her undying love
enables his return to the world of
the living. Also typical of Handel’s
Italian period, however, is the
presence of music which combines
vitality, imagination and virtuosity
with an urgency that seems to be
going all out to impress. That it
also allows for charm, freshness,
dramatic flair and strong emotion is
evidence of how early the young
composer’s genius was formed; the
unhurried spaciousness with which
the first aria is laid out shows just
how confident he already was in his
work, while the lament ‘Per te
lasciai la luce’ acts on the listener
with all the emotional pull of one of
his early operatic showstoppers.
© Lindsay Kemp, 2011
62891 OAE MultiDate 2011_OAE 2006 Prog6 h copy 01/12/2011 19:42 Page 40
Biography
Matthew Truscott
director
Matthew Truscott studied at the Royal Academy of
Music in London, the Koninklijk Conservatorium in
The Hague and in Bloomington, Indiana where his
teachers were Erich Gruenberg, Simon Standage, Vera
Beths and Mauricio Fucs. He now shares his time
between period instrument performance and ‘modern’
chamber music, appearing with some of the finest
musicians in both fields.
As a soloist and director Matthew has appeared
with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment at the
Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Konzerthaus Vienna and
London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, as well as making
regular appearances on BBC Radio 3 with OAE
chamber ensembles, Florilegium and Retrospect Trio.
One of the leaders of the Orchestra of the Age of
Enlightenment, other engagements as concertmaster
have included projects with English National Opera,
The English Concert, The King’s Consort, Dutch
National Opera and the Netherlands Chamber
Orchestra. He is leader of St James’ Baroque, the
Classical Opera Company and the Magdalena
Consort.
Matthew teaches baroque violin at the Royal
Academy of Music in London.
40
photo: Pierre Doumenge
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An Olympic Thread Friday 10 February 2012
Biography
Roberta Invernizzi
soprano
Born in Milan, she studied piano and double bass
before turning to singing, studying with Margaret
Heyward.
She went on to specialize in baroque and classical
repertoire and is now one of the most sought after
soloists in the field of baroque and classical music.
She has sung in many of the most important
theatres in Europe and the United States, working
with conductors such as Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Ivor
Bolton, Ton Koopman, Gustav Leonhardt, Franz
Brüggen, Jordi Savall, Alan Curtis, Giovanni
Antonini, Fabio Biondi, Antonio Florio, Rinaldo
Alessandrini and Ottavio Dantone and collaborating
regularly with ensembles like: Concentus Musicus
Wien, Accademia Bizantina, Il Giardino Armonico,
Cappella de la Pieta dei Turchini, Concerto Italiano,
Europa Galante, Ensemble Matheus, Venice Baroque
Orchestra, Archibudelli and RTSI Lugano.
Recent engagements include: Cleopatra in
Handel’s Giulio Cesare and a recital Pergolesi/Mozart at
the Queen Elizabeth Hall with the Orchestra of the
Age of Enlightenment; a European tour of Handel’s
Arie e duetti with Anima Eterna and Philippe
Jaroussky; Vagaus in Vivaldi’s Juditha Triumphans with
Orquesta Nacional de España; Maddalena in Handel’s
La Resurrezione with Nikolaus Harnoncourt in
Vienna Musikverein; Ottone in Villa and a recital with
Il Giardino Armonico at the Mozartheum in
Salzburg; Gluck’s Orfeo at the Teatro de la Maestranza
in Sevilla with Orquestra Baroccca of Sevilla.
In September 2009 she was acclaimed in
Monteverdi’s Orfeo al Teatro alla Scala under the
baton of Rinaldo Alessandrini and staged by Robert
Wilson.
Recent performances include leading roles such as
Mozart’s C Minor Mass and Davide Penitente at the
Musikverein in Vienna and Styriarte Festival with
Nikolaus Harnoncourt; title role in Sant’Elena al
Calvario with Fabio Biondi at the Salzburg Festival;
Handel’s Aci, Galatea e Polifemo at the Salzburg
Festival with Il Giardino Armonico; Scarlatti’s La
Santissima Trinità at the Théâtre des Champs Elysées
in Paris and in Palermo with Europa Galante;
Handel’s Trionfo del Tempo with Martin Haselböck
and Scarlatti’s La Vergine dei Dolori at Teatro San
Carlo in Naples with Rinaldo Alessandrini.
She sang the role of Armida in Handel’s Rinaldo at
Teatro alla Scala in Milan; Nerone in Handel’s Agrippina
with Alan Curtis at Teatro Real in Madrid; La Satira
(title-role) of Cavalli at teatro San Carlo in Napoli;
Galuppi’s Olimpiade with Andrea Marcon and the
Venice Baroque Orchestra in Teatro La Fenice; Vivaldi’s
Ercole sul Termodonte and Cavalli’s Virtu degli Strali
d’Amore with Fabio Biondi in Teatro La Fenice etc.
Roberta Invernizzi has made over 70 recordings
many of them world première with labels like: Sony,
Deutsche Grammophon, EMI/Virgin, Naïve, Opus
111, Symphonia, Glossa, many of which have been
recognized by the musical press with awards like
Diapason D’Or de l’Année, Choc du Monde de la
Musique, Goldberg’s Five Stars, Gramophone Awards
and Deutsche Schallplatten Preis.
Her solo-cd ‘Dolcissimo Sospiro’ won the
renowned Midem Classical Awards 2007 and the
Stanley Prize. In 2010 her solo-cd of Handel ‘Italian
Cantatas’ for Glossa won again the prestigious Stanley
Prize as ‘best Handel recording of the year’.
She gives masterclasses in singing at the Civica
School in Milan.
41
photo: Bruna Ginammi
62891 OAE MultiDate 2011_OAE 2006 Prog6 h copy 01/12/2011 19:42 Page 42
Biography
Sally Beamish
composer
Sally Beamish’s music is performed and broadcast
internationally. Initially a viola player, she moved
from London to Scotland in 1990 to concentrate on
writing music.
Her work embraces many influences; particularly
jazz and Scottish traditional music. The concerto
form is a continuing inspiration, and she has written
for many soloists, including Tabea Zimmermann,
Håkan Hardenberger and Branford Marsalis.
Her music is performed and broadcast worldwide,
and since 1999 she has been championed by the BIS
label, who have recorded much of her work.
Recent commissions include concertos for cellist
Robert Cohen, with the Minnesota and Halle
orchestras, and for percussionist Colin Currie, with
the Bergen Symphony Orchestra, Scottish and
Swedish Chamber Orchestras, and Stanford Lively
Arts, California. Her new string quartet for the Elias
Quartet, Reed Stanzas, received its premiere at the
2011 BBC Proms.
She will be featured on BBC Radio 3 as Composer
of the Week in late February 2012.
42
Melanie Reid
writer
Melanie Reid, 54, has been a writer and columnist for
The Times since 2006. She was born in Hertfordshire
and is a graduate of Edinburgh University. An awardwinning journalist for 30 years, she has been Woman’s
Editor of The Scotsman, Associate Editor of the Sunday
Mail and Senior Assistant Editor of The Herald in
Glasgow. In 2010 she fell off her horse and broke her
neck and back, after which she began writing the
‘Spinal Column’ in The Times Saturday magazine.
62891 OAE MultiDate 2011_OAE 2006 Prog6 h copy 01/12/2011 19:42 Page 43
Romèo & Juliet
Saturday 18 February 2012
7pm
Royal Festival Hall
Berlioz Romèo et Juliette
Sir Mark Elder conductor
Sonia Ganassi mezzo-soprano
John Mark Ainsley tenor
Orlin Anastassov bass
BBC Symphony Chorus
Schola Cantorum
Tonight’s performance has been made
possible thanks to the generosity of
Robert and Laura Cory.
Jonathan Burton surtitles
Tonight’s concert is being recorded by
BBC Radio 3 for broadcast on 26 February 2012
Please pick up tonight’s postcard for the
orchestra list
The concert will finish at approximately 8.40pm
with no interval
OAE Extras at 5.45pm, free admission
Royal Festival Hall
Berlioz expert David Cairns talks about this
rarely performed piece
43
62891 OAE MultiDate 2011_OAE 2006 Prog6 h copy 01/12/2011 19:42 Page 44
The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment would like to thank the
following Benefactors for their support without which this concert
would not have been possible
Robert and Laura Cory
Martin and Elise Smith
Photo: Eric Richmond /Harrison & Co
To find out more about OAE Benefactors, see the central pages.
44
62891 OAE MultiDate 2011_OAE 2006 Prog6 h copy 01/12/2011 19:42 Page 45
Romèo & Juliet Saturday 18 February 2011
Programme Notes
Hector Berlioz
(1803-1896)
Romèo et Juliette:
the Formal Plan
*Words indicated by an asterisk
are explained on page 52.
45
Berlioz’s Romèo used to be seen as
an awkward compromise between
symphony* and opera or oratorio.
Yet the more one studies it the
stronger its compositional grasp
appears. So far from being
arbitrary, the scheme is logical, and
the mixture of genres – the legacy
of Shakespeare and Beethoven precisely gauged. The
Introduction, depicting the feud of
the two families, establishes the
principle of dramatically explicit
orchestral music and then, using
the bridge of instrumental
recitative (as in the finale of
Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony),
crosses over into vocal music.
Choral prologue now states the
argument, which choral finale will
resolve, and prepares the listener
for the themes, dramatic and
musical, that will be treated in the
core of the symphony. In addition,
the two least overtly dramatic
movements, the adagio* and the
scherzo*, are prefigured and
emphasised, the one in a contralto*
solo celebrating first love, the other
in a scherzetto for tenor and semichorus which introduces the
mischievous Mab. At the end the
Finale brings the drama fully into
the open in an extended choral
movement that culminates in the
abjuring of the hatreds depicted
orchestrally at the outset.
Throughout, voices are used
enough to keep them before the
listener’s attention, in preparation
for their full deployment. In the
Love Scene the songs of revellers
on their way home from the ball
float across the stillness of the
Capulets’ garden. Two movements*
later, in the Funeral Procession, the
Capulet chorus is heard. The use of
chorus thus follows what Berlioz
(in an essay on the Ninth
Symphony) called ‘the law of
crescendo*’. It also operates
emotionally: the voices, having
begun as onlookers, become full-
scale participants, just as the
anonymous contralto and
Mercutio-like tenor of the
Introduction give way to an actual
person, the saintly Friar Laurence.
At the same time, the two
movements preceding the finale
take on an increasingly descriptive
character, the funeral dirge
merging into an insistent bell-like
tolling and the Tomb Scene taking
the work still nearer to narrative. In
this way the oratorio-like Finale is
made to evolve out of what has
gone before.
Thematic resemblances and
echoes are constantly used to link
the different sections. To cite only a
few examples: the trombone
recitative in the Introduction,
representing the Prince’s rebuke to
the warring families, is formed
from the notes of their angry
fugato*, stretched out and
‘mastered’; the ball music is
transformed to give the departing
guests their dreamlike song; in the
Tomb Scene Juliet wakes (clarinet)
to the identical notes of the rising
cor anglais phrase in the opening
section of the Love Scene, and this
is followed by the great love theme
itself, now blurred and torn apart as
the dying Romèo relives it in
distorted flashback. And in the
Finale, as the families’ vendetta
breaks out again over the bodies of
their children, the return of the
opening fugato unites the two
extremes of the vast score. The
principle is active to the end: the
theme of Friar Laurence’s oath of
reconciliation takes as its point of
departure the Introduction’s angry
B minor feud motif, reborn in a
broad, magnanimous B major.
© David Cairns, 2011
62891 OAE MultiDate 2011_OAE 2006 Prog6 h copy 01/12/2011 19:42 Page 46
Biography
Sir Mark Elder CBE
conductor
Sir Mark Elder is Music Director of the Hallé. He
enjoys close associations with the London
Philharmonic and the Orchestra of the Age of
Enlightenment. He was Music Director of English
National opera from 1979 to 1993 and has been
Principal Guest Conductor of the BBC Symphony
and City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestras. He
has appeared annually at the Proms in London for
many years including in 1987 and 2006 in the
internationally televised Last Night of the Proms.
He has appeared regularly in many of the most
prominent international opera houses, including
Covent Garden, the Metropolitan Opera New York,
the Opéra National de Paris, the Lyric Opera of
Chicago and Glyndebourne and was the first British
conductor to conduct a new production at the
Bayreuth Festival.
Recent and forthcoming symphonic engagements,
apart from his commitment to the Hallé, include the
Boston Symphony, Chicago Symphony Orchestra,
Berlin Philharmonic, Munich Philharmonic, Royal
Concertgebouw, Russian National Orchestra,
Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, Rotterdam
Philharmonic, Budapest Festival Orchestra,
Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, TonhalleOrchester Zurich, Gürzenich Orchester, China
Philharmonic Orchestra, Seoul Philharmonic
Orchestra, Australian Youth Orchestra, London
Philharmonic, London Symphony, Britten Sinfonia,
Aldeburgh World Orchestra, Cambridge University
Music Society and the OAE. He also conducted the
Hallé orchestra in the 2011 BBC Proms. Recent
operatic engagements include King Roger at the
Bregenz Festival, Tannhäuser at the Opéra National
de Paris, Billy Budd for Glyndebourne and several
productions for Covent Garden, including most
recently The Tsar’s Bride and Fidelio.
In November 2011 he was closely involved in
BBCTV’s four part series ‘Symphony’.
Sir Mark Elder was knighted in 2008 and awarded
the CBE in 1989. In May 2006 he was named
Conductor of the Year by the Royal Philharmonic
Society. He received Gramophone Awards in 2009,
2010 and 2011for his Hallé recordings of
Götterdämmerung, The Dream of Gerontius, The
Kingdom and Elgar’s Violin Concerto.
In April 2011, he took up the position of Artistic
Director of Opera Rara, with whom he is planning
several recording projects over the next 5 years . He
was awarded Honorary Membership of the Royal
Philharmonic Society in 2011 and was recently
appointed as a Principal Artist of the Orchestra at the
Age of Enlightenment.
46
photo: Mark Dodd
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Romèo & Juliet Saturday 18 February 2011
Biography
Sonia Ganassi
mezzo-soprano
Sonia Ganassi is one of the greatest mezzo-sopranos
of her generation and she’s regularly invited to the
most prestigious theaters in the world (the
Metropolitan Opera in New York, Royal Opera
House Covent Garden, La Scala in Milan, Teatro Real
in Madrid, Barcelona’s Liceu, Bayerisches Staatsoper)
where she has collaborated with conductors such as
Riccardo Chailly, Riccardo Muti, Myung-Whun
Chung, Daniele Gatti, Antonio Pappano and Daniel
Barenboim.
As a result of her many successes, in 1999 she won
the Italian music critics award ‘Premio Abbiati’.
Her many acting roles include Rosina in Il Barbiere
di Siviglia, Angelina in La Cenerentola, Hermione,
Elizabeth the Queen of England, Romèo in Capuleti e
Montecchi, Adalgisa in Norma, Leonora in La Favorita,
Zaïde in Dom Sebastien, Jane Seymour in Anna Bolena,
Maria Elizabeth in Maria Stuarda, Idamante in
Idomeneo, Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, Eboli in
Don Carlo, Charlotte in Werther, Carmen and
Marguerite in La Damnation de Faust.
Besides the operatic activity, Sonia Ganassi has also
performed in prestigious concert halls including the
Stabat Mater at Concertegebouw in Amsterdam, at
Avery Fisher Hall in New York, at the Teatro alla
Scala in Milan, Verdi’s Requiem at the Berlin
Philharmonie and the Teatro alla Scala, under the
direction of Maestro Daniel Barenboim and at the
Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia conducted by
Maestro Pappano.
Recent and future engagements include: Così fan
tutte at the Festival Reate Rieti, Roberto Devereux in
Japan (on tour with the Bayerische Staatsoper),
Charlotte in Werther in Washington, Norma at the
Berlin Staatsoper, Salerno and Paris, Anne Bolena in
Washington and Vienna, La Straniera, Lucrezia Borgia
and Don Carlo in Munich, a recital in Frankfurt, Aida
in Marseille, Montecchi e Capuleti in Salem, La
Grande-Duchesse de Gerolstein in Liège and Don
Giovanni in Valencia under the direction of Maestro
Mehta.
47
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Biography
John Mark Ainsley
tenor
John Mark Ainsley was born in Cheshire, began his
musical training in Oxford and continues to study
with Diane Forlano.
His concert engagements include appearances with
the London Symphony under Sir Colin Davis,
Rostropovich and Previn, the Concert D’Astrée under
Haim, the London Philharmonic under Norrington,
Les Musiciens du Louvre under Minkowski, the
Cleveland Orchestra under Welser-Moest, the Berlin
Philharmonic under Haitink and Rattle, the Berlin
Staatskapelle under Jordan, the New York
Philharmonic under Masur, the Boston Symphony
under Ozawa, the San Francisco Symphony under
Tate and Norrington, the Vienna Philharmonic under
Norrington, Pinnock and Welser-Möst, and both the
Orchestra of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino and the
Orchestre de Paris under Giulini.
His discography is extensive. For Philips Classics
he has recorded Handel’s Saul with Gardiner, Britten’s
A Midsummer Night’s Dream with Davis, Stravinsky’s
Pulcinella with Haitink and Bach’s ‘Mass in B minor’
and the Evangelist in the ‘St. Matthew Passion’ with
Ozawa. For Decca his recordings include L’Enfance
du Christ, Alexander’s Feast, Acis and Galatea, the
Berlioz ‘Requiem’ and the title role in Monteverdi’s
Orfeo. His E.M.I. recordings include the Britten
cycles ‘Serenade for tenor, horn and strings’, Les
Illuminations and Nocturne, Charlie in Brigadoon and
Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni. For Deutsche
Grammophon his releases include Handel’s La
Resurezzione, Rameau’s Dardanus and Handel’s
‘Messiah’ with Minkowski, the Britten ‘Spring’
Symphony with Gardiner and L’Heure Espagnole with
Previn. For Hyperion he has made a series of recital
discs of Schubert, Mozart, Purcell, Grainger, Warlock
and Quilter and his recording of Vaughan Williams
On Wenlock Edge with the Nash Ensemble was
nominated for a Gramophone Award.
On the operatic stage he has sung Don Ottavio at
the Glyndebourne Festival under Sir Simon Rattle,
directed by Deborah Warner, the Aix-en-Provence
Festival under Claudio Abbado, directed by Peter
Brook and for his debut at the Royal Opera House,
Covent Garden, under Mackerras. His many
appearances at the Munich Festival include Bajazet in
Tamerlano, Jonathan in Saul, the title role in a new
production of Idomeneo at the Cuvilliestheater and as
48
Orfeo, for which he received the Munich Festival
Prize. He created the role of Der Daemon in the
world premiere of Hans Werner Henze’s L’Upupa at
the Salzburg Festival and Hippolyt in the world
premiere of Henze’s Phaedra in Berlin and Brussels.
He sang Skuratov in Janácek’s From the House of the
Dead directed by Chereau and conducted by Boulez at
the Amsterdam, Vienna and Aix-en-Provence
Festivals and most recently at the Deutsche Staatsoper
Berlin under Sir Simon Rattle. He also made his
house debut at La Scala, Milan under Salonen singing
Skuratov and a DVD of this production has been
released. He sang his first Captain Vere in Billy Budd
in Frankfurt directed by Richard Jones and 2010 saw
his first Captain Vere in the UK in Michael
Grandage’s production of Billy Budd for the
Glyndebourne Festival. Most recently he has appeared
as Orfeo at the Theater an der Wien under Ivor
Bolton.
His future operatic engagements include his role
debut as Peter Grimes at La Scala, Milan and Earl of
Essex in Britten’s Gloriana in Hamburg. John Mark
won the 2007 Royal Philharmonic Society Singer
Award. He is a Visiting Professor at the Royal
Academy of Music.
v
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Romèo & Juliet Saturday 18 February 2011
Biography
Orlin Anastassov
bass
Orlin Anastassov was born in Russe, Bulgaria. Both
of his parents, Maria Venzislavova and Anastas
Anastassov, were opera singers. He began his vocal
study at a very early age with Maestro Georgi
Deliganev and at 20, made his operatic debut in Russe
as the King in Aida. Over the next few years he began
to develop his repertoire which soon included roles
such as Ramfis in Aida (Wiesbaden), Ferrando in Il
Trovatore (Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Düsseldorf ) and
Phillip II in Don Carlo (Sofia).
In April 1999 Orlin Anastassov won the First Prize
in the Operalia Competition and in June of the same
year made his debut at Teatro alla Scala in Milan as
Basilio in Il Barbiere di Siviglia under Riccardo
Chailly. This was followed in 2000 with other
important debuts; in Aida at the Vienna State Opera,
Arena di Verona and at the Royal Opera House,
Covent Garden in concert performances of Verdi’s La
Battaglia di Legnano. He has appeared in the title role
of Verdi’s Attila, as Fiesco in Simon Boccanegra and as
Mephistopheles in Faust at Covent Garden, as Timur
in Turandot and as Ramfis in Aida at the Teatro alla
Scala. His performances in the great Verdi roles for
Bass have also included Phillip II at the Grand
Theatre de Geneve and at the Palau de les Arts in
Valencia, Fiesco in Simon Boccanegra in Valencia and
Cagliari, Zaccaria in Nabucco at the Teatro Carlo
Felice in Genoa and at the Arena di Verona, Attila at
the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, and Procida in I Vespri
Siciliani in Palermo, Ravenna, Genova, Mantova,
Ferrara and Bussetto. He made his San Francisco
Opera debut as Padre Guardiano in La Forza del
Destino, also appearing in this role at the Teatro Carlo
Felice in Genoa..
Mr. Anastassov sang his first performances of the
title role in Boris Godunov at L’Opera de Monte Carlo
where he was also heard in Faust, the opera which also
marked his debut at the Bavarian State Opera in
Munich. Among his other past projects were Franco
Alfano’s rarely performed Sakuntala at the Teatro
Dell’Opera di Roma, Samson et Dalila at the Salzburg
Festival under Valery Gergiev, La Gioconda at the
Teatro Real in Madrid, La Boheme and Il Barbiere di
Siviglia at the Staatsoper Berlin. He made his North
American operatic debut in La Boheme at the
Washington Opera. Anastassov has participated in
concert performances of Berlioz’s Benvenuto Cellini,
49
L’Enfance du Christ, Romeo et Juliette and Les Troyens
with the London Symphony Orchestra under Sir
Colin Davis.
In the 2010/2011 season, Mr. Anastassov
performed the role of Conte Walter in Luisa Miller at
the Bayerische Staatsoper and the Opera National de
Paris. He appeared at Accademia Nazionale de Santa
Cecilia to perform in Verdi’s Requiem and at Teatro di
San Carlo in the role of Jean Procida in Les Vepres
Sicilennes. He also performed the principal role in the
new production of Attila at Teatro alla Scala.
He began the 2011/2012 season as Fiesco in Simon
Boccanegra in Bilboa followed by Boris Godunov in
Valencia. Later he returns to both the Deutsche Oper
Berlin and Teatro alla Scala for Lusia Miller.
Orlin Anastassov appears frequently in concert and
has sung Verdi’s Requiem with the New York
Philharmonic under Lorin Maazel, with the London
Symphony under Sir Colin Davis, in Rome under
Gian Luigi Gelmetti, in Monte Carlo under Georges
Prêtre as well as in Paris, Milan, Toulouse,
Amsterdam, Spoleto, Leipzig, and Brescia under
Riccardo Chailly. He has also sung Berlioz’s Romeo et
Juliette at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples and at the
Sao Carlos in Lisbon.
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Biography
BBC Symphony Chorus
One of the UK’s finest and most distinctive amateur
choirs, the BBC Symphony Chorus was founded in
1928. Its early appearances included premieres of
Bartók’s Cantata Profana, Stravinsky’s Perséphone and
Mahler’s Eighth Symphony and this commitment to
new music is undiminished today with premieres and
commissions in recent years of works by Sir Peter
Maxwell Davies, Judith Weir, Stephen Montague,
Peter Eötvös, Sir John Tavener and Mark-Anthony
Turnage.
In its performances with the BBC Symphony
Orchestra, the Chorus performs a wide range of
challenging repertoire, all of which is broadcast on
BBC Radio 3. The current Barbican season’s concerts
with the BBC SO include performances of Tippett’s A
Child of Our Time with Sir Andrew Davis and
Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms with David Robertson
as well as concerts as part of two of this season’s Total
Immersion events dedicated to Jonathan Harvey and
Arvo Pärt.
As resident chorus for the BBC Proms, the BBC
Symphony Chorus takes part in a number of concerts
each season, usually including the First and Last
Nights. Its 2011 appearances included performances
of Janacek’s Glagolitic Mass, Britten’s Spring Symphony,
Verdi’s Requiem and premieres of BBC commissions
by Judith Weir and Sir Peter Maxwell Davies.
50
The Chorus also performs on its own and with
other orchestras at venues in London and further
afield. Most recently the Chorus has given concerts in
the Canary Islands, in France, and with the
Philharmonia Orchestra and Lorin Maazel at
London’s Southbank Centre.
As well as dedicated studio recordings for Radio 3,
the most recent of which was a programme of
contemporary repertoire for choir, percussion and solo
piano conducted by Chorus Director Stephen
Jackson, the Chorus has also made recordings for
commercial record labels, including Foulds’s A World
Requiem, a selection of choral works by Joseph Marx
and Delius’s The Song of the High Hills and Appalachia
with the BBC SO and Sir Andrew Davis.
To find out about the BBC Symphony Chorus visit
bbc.co.uk/symphonychorus or contact the Chorus
Administrator ( / 020 776 54715)
photo: Simon Jay Price
62891 OAE MultiDate 2011_OAE 2006 Prog6 h copy 01/12/2011 19:42 Page 51
Romèo & Juliet Saturday 18 February 2011
Biography
Schola Cantorum
Musical director James Burton
Choral Vocal Coach Sonja Nerdrum
Schola Cantorum of Oxford is one of the longest
established and widely known chamber choirs in the
UK. Founded by the conductor László Heltay in 1960
as the Collegium Musicum Oxoniense, Schola
Cantorum has worked with many highly respected
musicians, including former patrons Sir Michael
Tippett and Yehudi Menuhin, as well as Leonard
Bernstein, Gustav Leonhart, Sir Colin Davis, and Sir
Neville Marriner.
Schola Cantorum comprises around thirty singers,
most of whom sing with the choir while they are
students at Oxford University. Studying a wide range
of academic subjects, including music, the choir
members rehearse during university term-times,
perform regularly in Oxford and give concerts all over
the UK. In addition to its long recording history, the
choir has developed a formidable international
reputation and in recent years has given concert tours
of Mexico, Argentina, Italy, Israel, Spain and China.
In 2008, they appeared as guest artists at the 43rd
International Festival Wratislavia Cantans in
Wroclaw, Poland.
In 2008, Schola recorded a disc of music by
American composer Randall Thompson, which was
released on the Hyperion label to critical acclaim.
More recently, they recorded a disc of music by the
celebrated Finnish composer, Einojuhani Rautavaara,
51
which was released in January 2010. Schola Cantorum
has frequently appeared on radio and television in the
UK and abroad. In 2006, the choir commissioned the
Oxford Blues Service, a jazz setting of the service of
Evensong by Roderick Williams, which was
performed live on BBC Radio 3. A jazz Matins
service, which was broadcast on BBC Radio 4,
followed in 2007. The choir has featured in several of
John Bridcut’s BBC films, including The Passions of
Vaughan Williams, in commemoration of the 50th
anniversary of the composer’s death; Elgar: The man
behind the mask; and most recently The Prince and the
Composer, a documentary presented by HRH The
Prince of Wales about Hubert Parry.
Following the enormous success of Schola’s fiftieth
anniversary celebrations last season, the choir has had
another exciting year. Recent highlights have
included a masterclass given by the renowned
American choral trainer Robert Isaacs, and
performances at the Dorchester Festival and in
Beaulieu Abbey; the opening concert of the Fifth
Masevaux International Festival of the Organ,
performing with Thierry Escaich; and Bach’s St
Matthew Passion at the St Denis Festival, France.
Schola Cantorum is very grateful to Oliver
Wyman, a leading global management consulting
firm, for its generous support.
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Adagio
From the Italian word meaning ‘at ease,’
also described as slow and stately.
Glossary
Aria
From the Italian word meaning ‘air’ .
Any melody or song performed usually,
but not always, by a singer, now used
almost exclusively to describe a selfcontained piece for one voice, at times
duets, usually with orchestral
accompaniment. The most common
context for arias is opera, however there
are also many arias that form crucial
movements of oratorios and cantatas.
Cantata
A work for one or more voices with
instrumental accompaniment.
Concerto
Like many musical terminologies, the
word ‘concerto’ differs in its meaning
across musical history. The Classical form
to which these notes refer used the
following basic structure: a first
movement, usually composed in sonata
form (see below), a slower, quieter second
movement, and a third faster and more
virtuosic movement to end the piece.
Contralto
The deepest female classical singing
voice, falling between tenor and mezzosoprano. It typically ranges between the F
below middle C to the second G above
middle C, although at the extremes some
voices can reach the E below middle C or
the second B above middle C.
Contrapuntal
Since the Renaissance period in
European music, much music which is
considered contrapuntal has been written
in imitative counterpoint. In imitative
counterpoint, two or more voices enter at
different times, and (especially when
entering) each voice repeats some version
of the same melodic element.
52
Crescendo
Italian for increasing. Performance
indications ask for, respectively, a gradual
increase in the volume of sound.
Fugal
From the Latin meaning flight, the fugue
is a composition written for several
independent parts. It begins with the
main theme after which the other parts
are gradually introduced and build and are
layered on ‘top’ of one another.
Fugato
A passage in fugal style within another
work that is not a fugue.
Mass
A form of sacred musical choral
composition that sets the invariable
portions of the Eucharistic liturgy
(principally that of the Roman Catholic
Church, the Anglican Communion, and
the Lutheran Church) to music. Most
Masses are settings of the liturgy in Latin,
the traditional language of the Roman
Catholic Church, but there are a
significant number written in the
languages of non-Catholic countries
where vernacular worship has long been
the norm.
Motet
A short piece of music set to Latin words,
and sung instead of, or immediately after,
the Offertorium, or as a detached number
in extra-liturgical functions. The origin of
the name is involved in some obscurity.
The most generally accepted derivation is
from the Latin motus ‘movement’; but the
French mot, ‘word’, or ‘phrase’, has also
been suggested.
Movement
A separate section of a larger
composition.
62891 OAE MultiDate 2011_OAE 2006 Prog6 h copy 01/12/2011 19:42 Page 53
Glossary
Oratorio
An extended musical setting of a sacred
text made up of dramatic, narrative and
contemplative elements. Except for a
greater emphasis on the chorus
throughout much of its history, the
musical forms and styles of the oratorio
tend to approximate to those of opera in
any given period, and the normal manner
of performance is that of a concert
(without scenery, costumes or action).
The oratorio was most extensively
cultivated in the 18th and 19th centuries
but has continued to be a significant
genre.
Recitative
A musical declamation for solo voice in
which singers converse, describe, or
declaim, moving the action forward
between the high musical moments.
A form/style of writing for vocals (used in
operas, oratorios or cantatas) that is close
to the manner of natural speech, with
slight melodic variations and minimal
orchestral accompaniment, focused on
conveying the words and meaning.
Scherzo
From the Italian word meaning joke.
A scherzo is a name given to a piece of
music or a movement from a larger work
such as a symphony. The scherzo
developed from the minuet, and gradually
came to replace it as the third (sometimes
second) movement in symphonies,
sonatas and other similar works. It
denotes various types of composition,
primarily one that is quick, lively and
dance like. Although not necessarily light
hearted in tone, it usually presents
surprises in the rhythmic or melodic
material.
Sonata form
Sonata form refers to the standard layout
of an entire work, or more specifically to
the standardised form of the first
movement of a work. The basic model
consists of an exposition, where the main
thematic material is introduced; this then
goes on to be explored harmonically and
texturally in the development. Following
on from this is the recapitulation, in which
the thematic material returns in the tonic,
or home, key before the piece or
movement ends with a coda.
Symphony
An extended musical composition in
Western classical music, scored almost
always for orchestra. ‘Symphony’ does not
necessarily imply a specific form, though
most are composed according to the
sonata principle. Many symphonies are
tonal works in four movements with the
first in sonata form, which is often
described by music theorists as the
structure of a classical symphony,
although many symphonies by the
acknowledged classical masters of the
form, Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus
Mozart, and Ludwig van Beethoven do
not conform to this model.
The OAE needs you. Turn to Page 31 to find out more.
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Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
Principal Artists
Sir Mark Elder CBE
Iván Fischer
Vladimir Jurowski
Sir Simon Rattle
Emeritus Conductors
Frans Brüggen
Sir Roger Norrington
‘For this
remarkable
ensemble, it’s all
about the music’
Independent on Sunday
Just over two decades ago, a group of inquisitive London musicians took a long hard
look at that curious institution we call the Orchestra, and decided to start again from
scratch. They began by throwing out the rulebook. Put a single conductor in charge?
No way. Specialise in repertoire of a particular era? Too restricting. Perfect a work and
then move on? Too lazy. The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment was born.
And as this outfit with the funny name began to get a foothold, it made a promise
to itself. It vowed to keep questioning, adapting and inventing as long as it lived.
Playing on period-specific instruments became just one element of its quest for
authenticity. Baroque and Classical music became just one strand of its repertoire.
Every time the musical establishment thought it had a handle on what the OAE was
all about, the ensemble pulled out another shocker: a Symphonie Fantastique here,
some conductor-less Bach there. All the while, the orchestra’s players called the shots.
In the early days, it seemed a minor miracle. Ideas and talent were plentiful; money
wasn’t. Somehow, the OAE survived to a year. Then to two. Then to five. It developed
own-terms relationships with record labels, broadcasters and conductors. It crept into
the opera house. It became the toast of the European touring circuit. It bagged a
residency at London’s most prominent arts centre. It began, before long, to thrive.
Only then came the real challenge. Eccentric and naïve idealists the ensemble’s
musicians were branded. And that they were determined to remain – despite growing
relationships with the Glyndebourne festival, Virgin Records and the Southbank
Centre. Mercifully, they remained just that. In the face of the industry’s big guns, the
OAE kept its head. It got organised but remained experimentalist. It sustained its
founding drive but welcomed new talent. It kept on exploring performance formats,
rehearsal approaches and musical techniques. It examined instruments and repertoire
with greater resolve. It kept true to its founding vow.
And in some small way, the OAE changed the classical music world for good. It
challenged those distinguished partner organisations and brought the very best from
them, too. Symphony and opera orchestras began to ask it for advice. Existing period
instrument groups started to vary their conductors and repertoire. New ones popped
up all over Europe and America.
And so the story continues, with ever more momentum and vision. The OAE’s
recent series of nocturnal Night Shift performances have redefined concert
parameters. The ensemble has formed the bedrock for some of Glyndebourne’s most
groundbreaking recent productions. It travels as much abroad as to the UK regions:
New York and Amsterdam court it, Birmingham and Bristol cherish it.
Remarkable people are behind it. Simon Rattle, the young conductor in whom the
OAE placed so much of its initial trust, still cleaves to the ensemble. Iván Fischer, the
visionary who punted some of his most individual musical ideas on the young
orchestra, continues to challenge it. Vladimir Jurowski, the podium technician with
an insatiable appetite for creative renewal, has drawn from it some of the most
revelatory noises of recent years. All three share the title Principal Artist.
Of the instrumentalists, many remain from those brave first days; many have come
since. All seem as eager and hungry as ever. They’re offered ever greater respect, but
continue only to question themselves. Because still – and even as they moved into their
beautiful new purpose-built home at Kings Place in 2009 – they pride themselves on
sitting ever so slightly outside the box. They wouldn’t want it any other way.
© Andrew Mellor, 2009
54
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OAE Education 2011-12
From our weekly string club in London to week long
projects in Wiltshire the autumn term has been
fantastically busy for OAE Education. In the run up
to Christmas we look forward to our celebratory preconcert performance at the Royal Festival Hall and all
the exciting new faces we will meet in 2012 during our
nationwide project Anthem for a Child.
Hallelujah Indeed!
As part of a continuing partnership with Islington,
Camden, Merton and Wandsworth music services, we
will be hosting a pre-concert event on 6 December –
Hallelujah Indeed! Key Stage two and three pupils
from our partner boroughs string groups and the
Foundling Choir have been invited to perform on the
Royal Festival Hall Stage. We have commissioned
two new pieces for this event and all repertoire
performed is Hallelujah themed. With over 100
pupils involved, this certainly will be a Hallelujah
Indeed!
Anthem for a child
This Autumn term OAE Education have officially
launched their most ambitious project to date –
Anthem for a Child. In 2011-12 we will work across
the country in 9 locations from Devon to York,
bringing a series of teacher training, workshops and
concerts to over 5000 children and students of all
ages. Celebrating partnerships we have developed
over the last ten years, Anthem is specially tailored to
each area to maximise impact and musical future.
Musician’s Miles
Inspired by the essence of the Anthem project
(community, legacy and scale) we have decided to
embark on a different kind of fundraising drive, and
we’ve asked for the help of the whole OAE. We are
hoping to total 5000 miles of sponsored activity – a
mile to represent every person who will be involved in
the project. There will more information on how you
can get involved later in the season. In the meantime,
if you are interested in supporting the project please
see the central pages of this programme or visit
oae.co.uk/support/current-appeals
Teacher Training
This November and December we are holding the
first sessions of Anthem teacher training. The opening
session was held in Plymouth which is also the
opening setting of the tour. Teachers from Totnes and
Plymouth met alongside final year music teacher
students from Plymouth University for a day of
learning about their part in the Anthem project.
Everyone involved was taught two newly
commissioned works that they will go on to teach to
their pupils. Also, everyone was provided with
teaching recourses compiled by OAE workshop
leaders and players with materials relating to the
project to provide opportunities to extend learning
about the orchestra, repertoire and musicality beyond
the OAE project. You can see footage of some of our
work in Plymouth on YouTube on
PlymouthMusicZone’s Channel.
If you would like to enquire about education projects
please contact Ellie on: [email protected] 020
7239 9370 or visit our website oae.co.uk
photo: David Illman
55
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Our Supporters
The OAE continues to grow and thrive through the generosity of our supporters. We are very grateful to
our sponsors and patrons and hope you will consider joining them. We offer a close involvement in the
life of the Orchestra with many opportunities to meet players, attend rehearsals and even accompany
us on tour. For further information please call Isabelle Tawil on 020 7239 9380.
MAJOR SPONSOR
CORPORATE BENEFACTORS
Ambrose Appelbe Solicitors
American Express Services Europe Ltd
Apax Partners
Commerzbank
Lazard
Lubbock Fine Chartered Accountants
Parabola Land
Vision Capital
CORPORATE PATRONS
KYP Services
Lindt
Macfarlanes
Roger Neill
Swan Turton
BUSINESS CLUB MEMBERS
Goodenough College
Green & Fortune
Lubbock Fine Chartered Accountants
Parabola Land
INDIVIDUAL BUSINESS CLUB MEMBER
Stephen & Angela Jordan
Stephen Moss (The Guardian)
OAE Futures is the long term artistic development
programme of the OAE and was established in 2006 with a
substantial lead donation from The Smith Challenge Fund.
The OAE is grateful to Martin and Elise Smith for this
generous and imaginative support. OAE Futures comprises
projects grouped under three headings: Future Orchestra,
Future Performers and Future Audiences, and offers a
special opportunity for donors to be involved in the
development of the Orchestra’s artistic strategy at the
highest level. The Orchestra thanks for the following for
their support of OAE Futures:
OAE Futures Funders
Bob & Laura Cory
The Smith Challenge Fund
Ann & Peter Law OAE Experience Scheme
Ann & Peter Law
Melgaard OAE Young Conductor Scheme
Greg & Gail Melgaard
For further details about becoming an OAE Futures Funder
please contact Clare Norburn, Director of Development:
[email protected]
56
BENEFACTORS
Felix Appelbe & Lisa Bolgar Smith
Julian & Annette Armstrong
Christopher & Lesley Cooke
Robert & Laura Cory
Nigel Jones & Françoise Valat Jones
David & Selina Marks
Julian & Camilla Mash
Anthony Simpson & Susan Boster
Philip & Rosalyn Wilkinson
CHAIR PATRONS
Martin & Elise Smith Leader
Mark, Rosamund, Benedict & Emily Williams Violin Chair
Hugh & Michelle Arthur Violin Chair
Bruce Harris Viola Chair
Sir Vernon & Lady Ellis Co-Principal Viola
Dominic & Ali Wallis Continuo Cello
Michael and Licia Crystal Principal Double Bass
Christopher & Dame Judith Mayhew Jonas Principal Oboe
Peter & Leanda Englander Principal Clarinet
Roger & Pam Stubbs Sub-principal Clarinet
Professor Richard Portes CBE FBA Principal Bassoon
John & Rosemary Shannon Co-Principal Horn
Sir Timothy & Lady Lloyd Keyboard
Franz & Regina Etz Lute/Theorbo
James Flynn QC Lute/Theorbo
Steve & Joyce Davis Orchestra Manager
Mrs Nicola Armitage Education Manager
EDUCATION PATRONS
John & Sue Edwards (Principal Education Patrons)
Mrs Nicola Armitage
Venetia Hoare
Professor Richard Portes CBE FBA
The OAE is a registered charity number 295329 accepting
tax efficient gifts from UK taxpayers and businesses
62891 OAE MultiDate 2011_OAE 2006 Prog6 h copy 02/12/2011 11:20 Page 57
Our Supporters
FRIENDS OF THE OAE
Support the OAE from just
£50 a year.
IDOMENEO GROUP
Michael & Jacqueline Gee
Professor David Graham QC
Mrs Irina Knaster
David & Lesley Mildon
Tim & Jenny Morrison
Gary & Nina Moss
Andrew Nurnberg
Haakon & Imogen Overli
Shelley von Strunckel
Eric Tomsett
Anonymous
GOLD FRIENDS
Noël & Caroline Annesley
Gerard Cleary
Mr & Mrs C Cochin de Billy
Michael & Barbara Gwinnell
Mr & Mrs Michael Mallinson
Michael & Harriet Maunsell
SILVER FRIENDS
Mrs A Boettcher
Michael Brecknell
Geoffrey Collens
Mr & Mrs Michael Cooper
Patricia Herrmann
Lady Heseltine
Peter & Sally Hilliar
Mrs Hilary Jordan
Rupert & Alice King
Mrs Urszula King
John D & Dorothy H Leonard
Marsh Christian Trust
Roger Mears & Joanie Speers
Sabine & Norbert Reis
Her Honour Suzanne Stewart
Mr J Westwood
Dr Christina Williams
57
BRONZE FRIENDS
Keith Barton
Professor John Birks
The Revd Brian Blackshaw
Sue & Bill Blyth
Dan Burt
Andrew & Laetitia Collender
Michael A. Conlon
Anthony & Jo Diamond
Gary & Ella Diamond
Mrs S M Edge
Mr P Foote
Mr & Mrs James Golob
Oliver Heaton
Michael & Morven Heller
Auriel Hill
Mrs A Hone
Professor John Irving
Mr & Mrs F Jonas
Mr & Mrs J W Lloyd
Professor Ingrid Lunt
The Laurence McGowan
Appreciation Society
Dr Trilby Johnson
Mrs Joy Whitby
Elena Wilkinson
THE AMERICAN
FRIENDS OF THE OAE
A US-based 501(c)(3) charitable
organisation. Contributions
received qualify for an Internal
Revenue Service tax deduction.
AMERICAN
BENEFACTORS
Ciara A Burnham
Mark D & Catherine J Cone
Sarah Ketterer
The Pzena Family Foundation
William & Kathleen Reiland
AMERICAN PATRONS
John and Elena Brim
Ms Denise Simon
Mr & Mrs Nicholas von Speyr
Mr Donald Johnson
TRUSTS, FOUNDATIONS AND
OTHER SUPPORTERS
Apax Foundation
Aquarius Charitable Foundation
Arts Council England
The Paul Bassham Charitable Trust
R & S Cohen Foundation
The Comninos Charitable Trust
The Coutts Charitable Trust
The Drapers’ Charitable Fund
Edgar E Lawley Foundation
The Ernest Cook Trust
Esmée Fairbairn Foundation
The Foyle Foundation
The Golden Bottle Trust
J Paul Getty Jnr Charitable Trust
The Idlewild Trust
John Lewis Partnership
John Lyon’s Charity
The Joyce Fletcher Charitable Trust
Margaret & Richard Merrell Foundation
Marsh Christian Trust
Mayor’s Music Education Fund
Michael Marks Charitable Trust
Michael Tippett Musical Foundation
The Nugee Foundation
Orchestras Live
The Charles Peel Charitable Trust
The Austin & Hope Pilkington Trust
The Prince’s Foundation for Children & The Arts
PRS For Music Foundation
The Radcliffe Trust
The RK Charitable Trust
Salomon Oppenheimer Philanthropic Foundation
62891 OAE MultiDate 2011_OAE 2006 Prog6 h copy 02/12/2011 11:20 Page 58
2011-2012
Southbank Centre
Concerts
Sunday 12 February 2012
Purcell Room at Queen
Elizabeth Hall
10.30am and 2pm
Sunday 4 March 2012
Queen Elizabeth Hall,
1.30pm
*Bach in rehearsal
Booking Information
Southbank Centre
Ticket Office 0844 847 9922
southbankcentre.co.uk/oae
Tickets £6-£60 unless
otherwise indicated.
All concerts start at 7pm and are
preceded by a free pre-concert
OAE Extras event at 5.45pm.
Free programmes are available at
every concert.
You can find more information
about the OAE at:
Email: [email protected]
Website: oae.co.uk
Blog: oae.co.uk/blog
Facebook.com/orchestraofthe
ageofenlightenment
Twitter: twitter.com/theoae
Study Day:
Berlioz’s Romèo and Juliet
Ahead of the OAE’s performance
of Berlioz’s mammoth Romèo and
Juliet on 18 February this study
day gives you a chance to find out
more about this unique piece.
Tickets £5
Tickets £12 per session, £6
concessions, £4 full time students
Sunday 4 March 2012
Purcell Room at Queen
Elizabeth Hall, 11am
*OAE TOTS: Let’s get on the bus!
A fun, lively and interactive session
for everyone aged five and under
(and their parents) – come and join
musicians from the Orchestra for
an hour of musical fun.
Tickets Adults £4.50, Tots £1
* Music Nation Weekend.
Part of the London 2012 Festival
58
A very special opportunity, as part
of the Music Nation weekend, to
watch the OAE in rehearsal for the
evening’s concert. The rehearsal
lasts 3 hours with a 20 minute
break.
Sunday 4 March 2012
Queen Elizabeth Hall
*Baroque Giants: Bach
Bach Suite No.3 in D
Bach Violin Concerto in E major
Bach Brandenburg Concerto
No.5 in D
Bach Suite No.4 in D
Laurence Cummings director
Matthew Truscott violin
Lisa Beznosiuk flute
62891 OAE MultiDate 2011_OAE 2006 Prog6 h copy 02/12/2011 11:20 Page 59
Sunday 4 March 2012
Queen Elizabeth Hall,
from 9pm
Wednesday 7 March 2012
Queen Elizabeth Hall
Baroque Giants: Handel
*The Night Shift
Laurence Cummings director
Matthew Truscott violin
Lisa Beznosiuk flute
Handel Overture, Saul
Handel Concerto Grosso in B flat
Op.3 No.1
Handel Organ Concerto in D
minor Op.7 No.4
Handel Concerto Grosso in A
Op.6 No.11
Handel Il pastor fido
Tickets £9 adv, £12 on the day,
£4 students, £8 stage seats
Laurence Cummings director
Soloists from the OAE
Tuesday 6 March 2012
Queen Elizabeth Hall, 8pm
Wednesday 25 April 2012
Queen Elizabeth Hall
The Works
Bostridge sings Bach
Bach Suite No.3 in D
Bach Brandenburg Concerto
No.5 in D
Bach Brandenburg Concerto
No.4 in G
Bach Ich habe genug
Bach Sinfonia from Cantata
No.169
Bach Sanfte soll mein
Todeskummer from
Easter Oratorio
Bach Der Ewigkeit saphirnes
Haus from Trauer-Ode
Bach Sinfonia from Cantata
No.35
Bach Mein Verlangen from
Cantata No.161
Bach Zerschmettert mich, ihr
Felsen und ihr Hügel from
St John Passion
Bach Suite No.3 in D
Bach Brandenburg Concerto
No.5 in D
Laurence Cummings
presenter/director
Unwind with a drink and let our
presenter and soloist give you a
guided tour of two of Bach’s
masterpieces, complete with musical
examples from the Orchestra.
Tickets £15 & £25
Steven Devine director
Ian Bostridge tenor
59
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OAE news
Our new apprentice...
Night Shift News
We’re very pleased to announce that our new
Melgaard OAE Young Conductor for 2012 is David
Reiland. Hailing from Belgium, he has worked with
the Lucerne Festival (with Pierre Boulez), Sinfonietta
Berlin, and the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra
amongst others as guest or assistant conductor.
During his year with us, he will experience a wide
range of OAE activities and will have the opportunity
to assist two of OAE’s Principal Artists: Sir Simon
Rattle and Sir Mark Elder.
David is very much looking forward to his time
with us: “Without a doubt, this year alongside the
OAE will offer me, as young conductor, an incredibly
rewarding, moving and decisive experience. An
experience like no other.”
Previous OAE apprentices have gone on work at
Trondheim Symphonie, Opera Comique, London
Philharmonic Orchestra and Glyndebourne.
You can find out more about this unique scheme at
oae.co.uk/about/young-conductor-scheme
As you may have seen, over the past few months, we’ve
been busy raising funds to put on a whole Night Shift
tour in pubs, following on from the success of our
initial event in September. Well, we had a flood of
donations in the closing days of the campaign and
were thrilled not just to meet our target, but to smash
through it with £1,255 raised overall. We were thrilled
with everyone’s generosity and enthusiasm, and with
over 50 donors it really did prove the concept of
Crowdfunding – a lot of small donations making a
BIG difference. Thank you!
The pub tour will start on 31 January 2012, with
further performances across London on 1, 7, 21 and 22
February. Check our website for full details of venues
and the music featured. The performances all build up
to the Night Shift’s second appearance at Camden’s
Roundhouse, following on from our sold out event
there in 2010. The event, on 24 February, features
extracts from Berlioz’s Romeo and Juliet, conducted by
Sir Mark Elder and with presenter Alistair Appleton.
A further Night Shift, back at Southbank Centre,
follows hot on its heels on 4 March, as part of the
Music Nation weekend and the London 2012 festival.
Full details of all events at oae.co.uk/thenightshift
Berlioz Study Day
Ahead of the OAE’s performance of Berlioz’s
mammoth Romèo & Juliet on 18 February, we’ll be
looking more closely at this unique piece on 12
February in our annual study day.
The morning session will examine the power of
Shakespeare’s works and their representation in
music, before looking more specifically at Berlioz’s
masterpiece itself. In the afternoon we will look at the
impact of Harriet Smithson, (actress and Berlioz’s
first wife) on his compositions, and the day will be
rounded off with a look at, and discussion of,Berlioz’s
songs, culminating in a performance of his stunning
song La Mort d’Ophelie with rising young soprano
Sarah Gabriel.
Tickets for each session are just £12 (£6 for
concessions/£4 students), lasting two and a half hours
with a break and can be purchased from the
Southbank Centre website at
southbankcentre.co.uk/oae or on 0844 847 9922.
60
New CD now on sale
We’re pleased to announce that the second CD on our
OAE Released label is out now: a live recording of
Beethoven’s Symphony No.9 from the Edinburgh
International Festival.
Beethoven’s euphoric Symphony No.9, like his
Symphony No.5, is one of those pieces of classical
music which transcends the barrier between musical
genres – one of the few pieces of the classical canon in
the popular consciousness. Few can fail to be uplifted
and caught up in the joyous Ode to Joy finale. For this
performance, recorded live at the Edinburgh
International Festival in 1994, we were joined by the
renowned conductor and long-time collaborator, Sir
Charles Mackerras, a partnership that lasted almost a
quarter of a century.
The CD is on sale now, priced at £9.99 from our
OAE shop: oae.co.uk/shop or by calling 020 7239
9374. For all the latest OAE news visit oae.co.uk
P3_Layout 1 21/09/2011 14:03 Page 1
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Lubbock Fine is proud to be associated with
The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
and wishes it every success.
LF Creative, the dedicated arts and music division of
Lubbock Fine, provides specialist accounting and tax
advice for musicians.
Contact: Clive Patterson or Russell Rich
[email protected]
[email protected]
Russell Bedford House,
City Forum, 250 City Road,
London EC1V 2QQ
Tel: +44 (0)20 7549 2333
www.lubbockfine.co.uk
Member of Russell Bedford International
- with affiliated offices worldwide
Commerzbank is proud to
sponsor the Orchestra of
the Age of Enlightenment
Corporates & Markets
At Commerzbank, we aspire to be our clients’ partner of choice when it comes
to the development and execution of smart solutions for all their finance and
capital market needs.
With our guiding principles of performance, client orientation, team spirit and
integrity, we understand the need to nurture talent and to act to the highest
professional and personal standards of honesty, quality and excellence.
Commerzbank is proud to sponsor the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.
www.commerzbank.com/newCM
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