Barbican Associate Ensemble
020 7638 8891
Box office Reduced booking fee online
www.barbican.org.uk
Design: carly.merrydew@gmail.com
Britten Sinfonia 13 Sturton Street Cambridge CB1 2SN Telephone: 01223 300795 Fax: 01223 302092 Email: info@brittensinfonia.com www.brittensinfonia.com Chief Executive: David Butcher Chairman: Stephen Bourne Registered Charity No. 291245
Harry Rankin ©
Britten Sinfonia is one of the world’s most celebrated and pioneering ensembles. It is acclaimed for the quality of its performances, an inspired approach to concert programming which makes bold, intelligent connections across 400 years of repertoire, and a versatility that is second to none. The orchestra breaks the mould by not having a principal conductor or director. Instead, it chooses to collaborate with a range of the finest international guest artists from across the musical spectrum, resulting in performances of rare insight and energy. www.brittensinfonia.com
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britten sinfonia
are few more “…there thrilling and many -coloured things in British music than Britten Sinfonia on top form.
”
The Daily Telegraph
Harry Rankin ©
It is with great pleasure “and excitement that we
It is a great honour for Britten Sinfonia to be Barbican’s Associate Ensemble from the 2012-13 season. The Barbican’s wide-ranging and pioneering arts programmes sit well with our own eclectic artistic outlook and we are excited to be developing and presenting projects in partnership with one of the world’s finest arts centres. The fact that our first season at the Barbican also coincides with Britten Sinfonia’s 20th birthday heralds an exhilarating time for the orchestra. I hope you will be inspired by the range of music and artists in our season and look forward to welcoming you to one or more (or all!) of our concerts.
welcome Britten Sinfonia to the Barbican’s family of ensembles. Britten Sinfonia stands for excellence and diversity with visionary collaborations and irrepressible verve. These shared goals make this a partnership of limitless possibilities.
”
Angela Dixon Head of Music, Barbican
David Butcher Chief Executive
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Harry Rankin ©
BRITTEN SINFONIA 20TH BIRTHDAY GALA CONCERT Saturday 27 October 2012 Barbican Hall – 7.30pm* Purcell Hear my Prayer Nico Muhly Birthday commission (World première) Bach Concerto for Two Violins in D minor Britten Les Illuminations James MacMillan Birthday commission (London première) Prokofiev Symphony No.1 ‘Classical’ Bach Partita for solo violin Bach Keyboard Concerto No.5 in F minor Moondog arr. Joanna MacGregor Sidewalk Dances
In the end, Britten “ Sinfonia feels successful
because it allows artists to work creatively and because it is completely focussed on the quality of the audience’s experience.
”
The Guardian
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Kuljit Bhamra tabla Thomas Gould violin/director Tom Herbert bass Alina Ibragimova violin Pekka Kuusisto violin/director Joanna MacGregor piano/director Mark Padmore tenor Seb Rochford drums Jacqueline Shave violin/director Andy Sheppard saxophones Britten Sinfonia Voices (Plus special guests) *Please note this concert will include an extended interval
Marco Borggreve ©
Premium Seats
Priced at £59 each, enjoy the very best seats and a pre-show 20th birthday reception with Britten Sinfonia and guests. For bookings see page 11.
Britten Sinfonia launches its association with the Barbican with a gala concert and free stage events that also celebrate the orchestra’s 20th birthday. Journeying through 400 years of music, the programme showcases Britten Sinfonia players as well as close collaborators including Alina Ibragimova, Pekka Kuusisto, Mark Padmore and two specially commissioned premieres from James MacMillan and Nico Muhly. The concert also revives Britten Sinfonia’s acclaimed Moondog project with Joanna MacGregor, featuring some of the UK’s finest jazz musicians.
Barbican foyers – 6.30pm Britten Sinfonia Academy Late stage – post concert Britten Sinfonia and guests
£32, £25, £19 £14, £8 Part of Britten Sinfonia multi-buy
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WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE
Saturday 3 November 2012 Barbican Hall – 2pm & 7pm Claire Booth Max Susan Bickley Rebecca Bottone Lucy Schaufer Christopher Gillett Jonathan Gunthorpe Graeme Broadbent Graeme Danby Ryan Wigglesworth conductor Netia Jones director Oliver Knussen Where the Wild Things Are Oliver Knussen Higglety Pigglety Pop!
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Oliver Knussen’s spontaneous and opulent operas based on Maurice Sendak’s much-loved books finally receive another production in a spectacular multimedia staging by director and designer Netia Jones. Knussen’s dazzling music and Sendak’s iconic monsters, animals, and hero, Max, will be vividly brought to life through animation, lighting and stage magic. £25 (adult), £15 (under 16) suitable for ages 7+ Produced by the Barbican A co-production by the Barbican, Aldeburgh Festival and Los Angeles Philharmonic Association
Philip Glass Koyaanisqatsi Friday 14 December 2012 Barbican Hall – 8pm Philip Glass Ensemble Michael Riesman conductor Philip Glass Koyaanisqatsi (Live film screening)
Koyaanisqatsi meaning ‘life out of balance’ was composer Philip Glass’ first filmic landscape written for Godfrey Reggio’s 1982 film of the same name. Arguably the most influential fusing of sound and vision, the film features time-lapse footage of American cities and landscapes while the score is an early example of Glass’ minimalist style. To mark the composer’s 75th birthday, Britten Sinfonia unites with Glass’ own ensemble to play his new orchestration as a live accompaniment to the film. £35, £25, £20, £15
Mark Seliger ©
Produced by the Barbican
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Peter Hundert ©
angela hewitt directs
Wednesday 16 January 2013 Barbican Hall – 7.30pm Angela Hewitt piano/director Thomas Gould violin/director Wagner Siegfried Idyll Beethoven Piano Concerto No.2 Sibelius Scene with Cranes Beethoven Piano Concerto No.4
Acknowledged as one of the finest pianists of her generation, Angela Hewitt makes an eagerly awaited return to direct Britten Sinfonia following her 2011 performances of Mozart and Bach. In this concert she performs two of Beethoven’s famed piano concertos: his youthful second, and the intimate and serene fourth, a pillar of the piano concerto repertoire. Alongside the two concertos, leader Thomas Gould directs the orchestra in Wagner’s Siegfried Idyll and Sibelius’ ethereal Scene with Cranes. £32, £25, £19, £14, £8 Part of Britten Sinfonia multi-buy
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Sussie Ahlburg ©
BALTIC NIGHts Wednesday 27 February 2013 Barbican Hall – 7.30pm Alina Ibragimova violin/director Jacqueline Shave violin/director Britten Sinfonia Voices Perotin Viderunt omnes Bach Violin Concerto No.1 in A minor Eriks Esenvalds New work (London première) Bach Motet - Komm, Jesu, komm BWV 229 Peteris Vasks Violin Concerto ‘Distant Light’ Acclaimed violinist Alina Ibragimova directs Britten Sinfonia in a programme demonstrating her skill with both contemporary and early repertoire; Peteris Vasks’ Violin Concerto Distant Light and one of only two surviving violin concertos by Bach. Britten Sinfonia’s professional choir, Britten Sinfonia Voices, interweaves music from Perotin and Bach, and Eriks Esenvalds brings the themes together in a new commission for strings and voices directed by leader Jacqueline Shave.
“
Ibragimova’s unique asset is the priceless ability to make time stand still.
£32, £25, £19, £14, £8 Part of Britten Sinfonia multi-buy
”
The Guardian
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Simon Fowler ©
IAN BOSTRIDGE
is a master “Bostridge singer of German
lieder... his attention to the meaning of the poetry is stellar.
”
San Francisco Classical Voice
Saturday 4 May 2013 Barbican Hall – 7.30pm Ian Bostridge tenor Jacqueline Shave violin/director Mahler Adagietto from Symphony No.5 Schubert arr. Detlev Glanert Das Lied im Grünen (London première) Viola (World première) Waldesnacht (World première) Schubert Notturno in E flat for Piano Trio Britten Nocturne
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World-renowned tenor Ian Bostridge concludes Britten Sinfonia’s first Barbican season in repertoire interweaving themes of sleep and night, with the music of Schubert and Britten at its core. This evocative programme includes the première of three Schubert songs arranged for voice and orchestra by Detlev Glanert, a composer acclaimed for his lyrical gifts and modern perspective on the Romantic past. The concert closes with Britten’s magical and dream-like orchestral song cycle Nocturne, to mark his centenary year. £32, £25, £19, £14, £8 Part of Britten Sinfonia multi-buy
booking Information Tickets Please see individual concerts for ticket prices Multi-buy Discount* • Book 3-4 concerts and save 15% *Multi-buy discount not valid for concerts on 3 Nov and 14 Dec. 20th Birthday Concert Premium Seats Priced at £59 each, enjoy the very best seats and a pre-show 20th birthday reception with Britten Sinfonia guests in the Barbican Fountain Room from 6.30pm. Limited availability. Concessions • Under 18s and students all tickets £5 (students must have a valid NUS card; one concession per customer). • This discount not valid for concerts on 3 Nov and 14 Dec. Groups of 10 or more Receive a 20% discount when booking 10 or more tickets for one concert. Disabled visitors Disabled visitors who have joined the Barbican Access Membership scheme can inform us of their access requirements, receive information in alternative formats and may be eligible for reductions on tickets. Any available discounted tickets are limited in number and subject to availability – please book early to avoid disappointment. Full details are available online at www.barbican.org.uk/access and will be sent with your membership information.
Ticket Exchange Tickets can be exchanged for another Britten Sinfonia performance or for credit vouchers valid for six months provided that you return your tickets at least 24 hours prior to the performance. Tickets received within 24 hours of the performance may be offered for re-sale. An administration fee applies for these services. Full conditions of sale are available at www.barbican.org.uk How to Book • Online www.barbican.org.uk (reduced booking fee) • By phone 020 7638 8891 (10am-8pm Mon-Sat, 11am-8pm Sun, booking fee applies) • In person Barbican Centre Advance Ticket desk at Silk Street: 10am-9pm Mon-Sat, 12noon-9pm Sun/Bank Holidays and New Year’s Day
All information correct at time of going to press. Please visit www.brittensinfonia.com for changes and additional concerts. Britten Sinfonia reserves the right to substitute repertoire and artists as necessary.
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