2014-15 Norwich concert series
“It is this spirit of adventure that has won Britten Sinfonia a reputation as one of the UK’s most forward-thinking musical ensembles.”
Britten Sinfonia © Harry Rankin Britten Sinfonia © Harry Rankin
Financial Times
“I attend all Britten Sinfonia’s concerts in Norwich and am always so impressed with each performance and the programme. I love the way the orchestra intersperse new works with better known ones.” Norwich audience member
This season we will perform music spanning 400 years in the company of extraordinary collaborators from across the musical spectrum, with concerts that often surprise and always illuminate. Enjoy classics by Mozart and Beethoven; be there for the very latest new works; discover lesser known gems by Locatelli, Crawford Seeger and Lutosławski – all programmed in a way where one piece enlightens the other, building unexpected bridges and a refreshing musical alchemy. Featured collaborators this season include the celebrated mezzo-soprano Sarah Connolly in an all American programme when we return to St. Andrew’s Hall. Two concerts take place at the Theatre Royal with our own Nicholas Daniel performing Mozart and John Tavener’s oboe
concerto, and violinist Thomas Gould directs a programme featuring a thrilling arrangement for strings of Bach’s celebrated Goldberg Variations. Our award-winning At Lunch series continues with five concerts in St. Andrew’s Hall where we will transform the space into an intimate setting for these chamber concerts. There’s also a host of events being run throughout Norfolk and Norwich by our Creative Learning department. Many thanks to our partners at the Theatre Royal, Norwich City Council, Arts Council England and our many friends and supporters who make our Norwich residency possible, and on behalf of all the musicians at Britten Sinfonia we very much look forward to welcoming you to our Norwich season. David Butcher Chief Executive, Britten Sinfonia
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KALEIDOSCOPES “Tavener found a unique way to touch his listeners and to convey a message about the enduring spirituality of music”
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The Independent
Sunday 5 October 2014 Theatre Royal 7.30pm Nicholas Daniel oboe / director Jacqueline Shave violin / director Mozart Adagio for string trio and cor anglais Kurtág arr. Thomas Adès In Memoriam András Mihály Lutosławski Preludes and Fugue Tavener Kaleidoscopes That ‘most inexplicable’ of composers is how the late John Tavener once described his great hero Mozart whose poignant Adagio opens a concert which explores sounds and spaces to great theatrical effect.
Tavener’s own oboe concerto, Kaleidoscopes is the centrepiece of this concert in what would have been the composer’s 70th year. Written for Britten Sinfonia and Nicholas Daniel in 2006, Kaleidoscopes places the soloist at the heart of four string quartets (north, south, east and west) and percussion including the haunting sound of temple bowls. Lutosławski’s playful Preludes and Fugue for 13 solo strings and Thomas Adès’s arrangement of Kurtág’s tribute to Hungarian composer András Mihály, which sees the musicians perform in different parts of the auditorium, complete the programme. £26 £23 £20 £13 £6.50 In Conversation 6.30pm Nicholas Daniel and Jacqueline Shave discuss tonight’s programme Supported by the Friends of Britten Sinfonia
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Wednesday 21 January 2015 St Andrew’s Hall 7.30pm Sarah Connolly mezzo soprano Jacqueline Shave violin / director Carter Elegy for Strings Rodney Bennett A History of the Thé Dansant Copland Appalachian Spring Crawford Seeger Andante for Strings Copland Eight Poems of Emily Dickinson American music is something of a giant melting pot, an exhilarating blend of wide open spaces, dance rhythms, traditional hymn tunes, and jazz, with composers often taking something of what was happening across the pond in Europe and carving out an identity of their own.
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Aaron Copland, a pioneering figure, established an American sound-world particularly evident in his enduringly popular Appalachian Spring. His admiration for the poet Emily Dickinson is demonstrated in his setting of eight of her poems performed by acclaimed mezzo Sarah Connolly. Completing the programme are works by Copland’s contemporaries, the visionaries Ruth Crawford Seeger, Elliot Carter and surrogate New Yorker, Richard Rodney Bennett. £26 £23 £20 £13 £6.50 In Conversation 6.15pm Sarah Connolly talks about tonight’s programme
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GOLDBERG VARIATIONS “Thomas Gould’s musicianship is enthralling. A talent to watch”
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The Guardian
Saturday 21 March 2015 Theatre Royal 7.30pm Thomas Gould violin / director Alasdair Beatson piano Locatelli Concerto Grosso Op.1 No.11 in C minor Tom Coult New Work (World premiere tour) Hans Abrahamsen Double Concerto for violin, piano and strings Bach arr. Dmitry Sitkovetsky Goldberg Variations
Britten Sinfonia’s Associate Leader, Thomas Gould directs this programme centred on Dmitry Sitkovetsky’s beautifully realised and heartfelt arrangement for strings of Bach’s great keyboard work, The Goldberg Variations. Pianist Alasdair Beatson joins Gould for Hans Abrahamsen’s new Double Concerto alongside the world premiere tour of a new work by Tom Coult. £26 £23 £20 £13 £6.50 In Conversation 6.30pm Thomas Gould talks about tonight’s programme
Musically Gifted
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Musically Gifted
Support Tom Coult’s new work – Musically for more info d visit Gifte www.musicallygifted.org.uk Buy a gift and create new music
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CREATIVE LEARNING Our Creative Learning programme roots us proudly in the east of England, where we engage schools, families and communities in diverse and inspiring high-quality professional music making, all year round. We are committed to forming longterm relationships with key partners, such as the Norfolk Music Education Hub, schools and other cultural organisations. This season, in the Norfolk area, we will be focusing on:
Britten Sinfonia Academy Now in its third year, the academy has established itself as a pioneering youth ensemble for the most talented classical musicians of secondary school age from the east of England. Following a series of successful courses and performances last year, the academy looks forward to exciting new projects in 2014-15 including a new commission by Iain Farrington.
Norfolk Music Education Hub As a strategic partner, Britten Sinfonia will be helping Norfolk Music Education Hub to ensure that more children and young people have access to high quality music experiences. Our musicians will be delivering a series of bespoke projects, including specialist ensemble coaching and creative composition workshops.
Creative Learning At Lunch We regularly visit secondary schools for half day workshops in order to make the repertoire we play accessible to younger audiences. These workshops introduce the repertoire in a creative and interactive way, before inviting a school class to attend a Britten Sinfonia At Lunch concert.
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BRITTEN SINFONIA AT LUNCH 1pm
St Andrew’s Hall
Escape the day’s routine for an hour and listen to principal players from Britten Sinfonia perform specially selected chamber masterpieces, alongside new works co-commissioned by Britten Sinfonia and Wigmore Hall. £9 (£3 under 18s and students)
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At Lunch 1
At Lunch 4
Friday 28 November 2014
1pm
Friday 13 March 2015
Emer McDonough flute Nicholas Daniel oboe Joy Farrall clarinet Stephen Bell horn Sarah Burnett bassoon
Thomas Gould violin Huw Watkins piano Caroline Dearnley cello Owen Gunnell percussion
Michael Berkeley Re-Inventions Crawford Seeger Suite for wind quintet Patrick John Jones (OPUS2014 Winner) New work (World premiere tour) Nielsen Wind quintet
Debussy Sonata for cello and piano Kaija Saariaho Piano Trio (UK premiere tour) Kaija Saariaho Nocturne for solo violin Faure Piano Trio
Friday 6 February 2015
At Lunch 5 1pm
Britten Sinfonia Academy and members of Britten Sinfonia Programme to include Iain Farrington New work (World premiere tour)
1pm
Jacqueline Shave violin Caroline Dearnley cello Huw Watkins piano
At Lunch 3
Lou Harrison Varied Trio for violin, piano and percussion Joey Roukens New work (World premiere tour) Shostokovich Piano Trio No.2 Op.67
Friday 3 July 2015
At Lunch 2 Friday 9 January 2015
1pm
Subscribe to Britten Sinfonia’s evening concerts and pay just £6 for At Lunch tickets. See page 8 for further details
1pm
Jacqueline Shave, Miranda Dale violins Clare Finnimore, Catherine Musker violas Caroline Dearnley cello Vaughan Williams Phantasy for string quintet Ben Comeau New work (World premiere tour) (winner of Cambridge University Composers Workshop) Beethoven Quintet in C major Op.29 “The Storm”
Musically Gifted
Buy a gift and create new music
Musically Gifted
Support the new works in our Musically At Lunch series – for more info d Gifte visit www.musicallygifted.org.uk Buy a gift and create new music
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BOOKING INFORMATION Tickets £26, £23, £20, £13, £6.50 Season Subscription Offer Book for all three evening concerts at the same time and save 20% (excludes £13 and £6.50 tickets) Season subscribers also enjoy an annual reception and £6 tickets for Britten Sinfonia At Lunch concerts Evening Concert Concessions • Under 18s and students – all tickets £5 (excl £6.50 seats, students must show a valid NUS card) • Go4Less – all tickets £5 (excl £6.50 seats, must show a valid card, limited availability) • Jobseekers – all tickets £5 (excl £6.50 seats, must show valid ID) • Top price seats are half price for those registered blind or partially sighted and one companion. Certain seats across all price bands are removable to accommodate wheelchairs – these tickets are half price for the wheelchair user and one companion (excl lowest price). If you choice of seat is restricted by access requirements, or you require a carer to accompany you, let the Box office know and they will offer you and your companion a discount. • Please note only one concession applies per customer.
All information and booking fees correct at time of going to press. Britten Sinfonia reserves the right to make changes to advertised programmes and artists as necessary.
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How to book In person Norwich Theatre Royal, Theatre Street, NR2 1RL By phone 01603 630000 Online www.theatreroyalnorwich.co.uk (Box Office open 9.30am until 8pm, Monday to Saturday (6pm if no evening performance). 5.30pm until 8pm Sunday) Tickets can be posted at a cost of £1 or collected in person. Refunds Britten Sinfonia has a no refunds policy. Schools & Families We welcome school groups and families to all our concerts. For discounted tickets, schools’ programme notes and additional benefits please contact our Creative Learning team. Venue Information Norwich Theatre Royal Theatre Street, Norwich, NR2 1RL Norwich Theatre Royal is fully accessible and there are hearing loops. St Andrew’s Hall 37 St Andrew’s Street, Norwich, NR2 4AD St Andrew’s Hall is fully accessible.
THERE ARE MANY WAYS YOU CAN JOIN US OUTSIDE OF THE CONCERT HALL AND BECOME MORE INVOLVED IN BRITTEN SINFONIA AND ITS WORK. Britten Sinfonia Online • Join in the conversation via Twitter and Facebook @brittensinfonia facebook.com/brittensinf • Sign up for our monthly eBulletins for the latest news and behind the scenes stories • Visit our website for a whole host of videos, podcasts, programme notes and news Play Your Part From as little as £50 you can get closer to the orchestra by joining Britten Sinfonia’s circle of friends.
Musically Gifted Costing from just £10 you can take an active part in helping create new music by some of the world’s greatest composers through our Musically Gifted scheme. www.musicallygifted.org.uk
Say Hello You will always be able to find a Britten Sinfonia staff member at a concert – why not come and say hello and give us your feedback.
Mailing list Join our mailing list and we’ll send you regular information about forthcoming events and concerts.
Design: carly.merrydew@gmail.com
Britten Sinfonia 13 Sturton Street Cambridge CB1 2SN Telephone: 01223 300795 Email: info@brittensinfonia.com www.brittensinfonia.com Chief Executive: David Butcher Chairman: Stephen Bourne Registered Charity No. 291245
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