Chamber Music In Liverpool 2016/17 by Liverpool Philharmonic

CHAMBER MUSIC IN LIVERPOOL

September 2016 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; June 2017 Chamber Music Series supported by

Box Office 0151 709 3789 | liverpoolphil.com

CHAMBER MUSIC IN LIVERPOOL This year St George’s Hall Concert Room plays host to a selection of the world’s leading string quartets, vocalists and recital artists. Described by the Brodsky Quartet as ‘one of the great chamber music halls in the world’, this intimate concert hall offers audiences the chance to see renowned musicians in a historic setting. We're excited to have our Artist in Residence, Canadian violinist James Ehnes featuring in this year’s series. The season starts with two challenging recitals in which Ehnes will present all of Bach’s Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin (Page 4).

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra’s award-winning contemporary music group Ensemble 10/10 will be bringing the best new music to St George’s Hall with a series of eclectic performances (Page 16). In addition to our Chamber series, there are plenty of opportunities to get closer to the music this season. The Close Up series features ensembles from the Orchestra and guests artists, set in the informal Music Room (Page 12). Prefer something earlier in the day? Lunchtime Concerts offer a much needed musical interlude to a busy day and cost just £8 (Page 18).

We look forward to welcoming you to St George’s Hall for a new and exciting series of chamber music in 2016/17.

Our partnership with Investec Wealth & Investment builds on Henry Rensburgâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s long involvement with the Liverpool Philharmonic Society. Henry Rensburg, the founder of Rensburg & Co, now known as Investec Wealth & Investment, was at the forefront of cultural life in Liverpool; he became a committee member of the Society in 1879 and was instrumental in bringing Max Bruch to Liverpool as Principal Conductor in 1880.

Henry was also a pillar of the Liverpool Art Club and drew portraits of distinguished musicians who visited in Liverpool. He became Chairman of the Liverpool Philharmonic Society in 1915 and served the committee again for the final years of his life until his death at the age of 87 in 1928.

In the 2016/17 season Investec Wealth & Investment is delighted to support this Chamber Music series.

Photo Henry Rensburg, Eugene Ysaye (conductor and violinist) and Fritz Kreisler, Liverpool 1909.

JAMES EHNES violin Tuesday 27 September 7.30pm Tuesday 4 October 7.30pm

Tuesday 27 September 7.30pm Bach Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin: Sonata No. 1 Partita No. 1 Sonata No.3 Tuesday 4 October 7.30pm Bach Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin: Partita No.3 Sonata No.2 Partita No.2

‘In the beginning there was Bach, and James Ehnes… Music lovers drank in Ehnes’ performance – the purity of his phrasing, the precision of his intonation and the power of his interpretation.’ The Seattle Times

A revolution doesn’t have to be noisy: sometimes all it takes is one man and a violin. Over two extraordinary concerts, our Artist in Residence James Ehnes plays all of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin – some of the most sophisticated and yet piercingly beautiful music ever created for a bow and four strings.

A universe in a grain of sand: there’s no greater, or purer, challenge for any artist or any audience. Be there, and be transported.

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Tickets £25

Booking fees may apply*

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JAMIE BARTON mezzo-soprano JAMES BAILLIEU piano

KALICHSTEIN-LAREDOROBINSON TRIO

Wednesday 19 October 7.30pm

Tuesday 1 November 7.30pm

‘A great artist, no question, with an imperturbable steadiness of tone, and a nobility of utterance that invites comparison not so much with her contemporaries as with mid-20th century greats such as Kirsten Flagstad.’ The Guardian

Programme includes: Turina Homage to Lope de Vega Brahms Selection of Lieder Dvor˘ák Gypsy Songs Op.55

Beethoven String Trio in B flat major Op.11 Shostakovich Piano Trio No.2 in E minor Op.67 Brahms Piano Trio No.1 in B major Op.8 (revised)

Jamie Barton © Stacey Bode

Sibelius Six Songs – Jamie Barton mezzo-soprano James Baillieu piano

But even without her keen musical intelligence – and that radiant voice – this song recital would be worth hearing for Barton’s wonderfully imaginative choice of music: favourites by Brahms and Dvořák mingling with exquisite rediscoveries by Sibelius and Joaquín Turina.

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Tickets £25

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KLR Trio © Christian Steiner

British audiences first discovered the American mezzo Jamie Barton when she swept the board at the 2013 Cardiff Singer of the World competition.

Charles Ives Six Songs

‘It's a rare luxury to hear music making of such integrity and joy, and an equally rare privilege to be party to such an intimate musical conversation.’ American Record Guide

Since their debut at the White House in 1977, the KalichsteinLaredo-Robinson Trio have built a worldwide reputation – and in their fortieth year, and still performing with their original line-up, they’re arguably the world’s finest Piano Trio.

In this rare Liverpool appearance they explore the heartland of the trio repertoire – youthful Beethoven, Brahms at his most ardently romantic, and Shostakovich’s searingly personal Second Trio.

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Tickets £25

Booking fees may apply*

Booking Fees *Online/Phone 7.5% per order administrative fee applies, including all costs. Standard postage is free. In Person No fees for cash / debit card payments. Credit card payments incur a 2% transaction fee, cheque payments subject to 70p order charge.

EHNES QUARTET Wednesday 23 November 7.30pm

Mozart String Quartet in B flat major K589 'Prussian' Bartók String Quartet No.4 Dvor˘ák Selections from Cypresses Tchaikovsky String Quartet No.1

‘An impressive programme from an impressive group of musicians. The bravura of the players certainly left an impression, but it is likely the soft moments that will not be forgotten.’ Bachtrack For James Ehnes, chamber music is the centre of his musical life – and in the Ehnes Quartet he’s found exactly the right people with which to explore it.

“It took only about five minutes into rehearsal for me to realise this is something special” he says, and tonight the Ehnes Quartet shares that unique connection in three landmarks of the quartet repertoire, plus Dvořák’s enchanting Cypresses – a magical bonus. xxxxxxx © xxxxxxxx

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Tickets £25

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RED PRIEST Winter Baroque Carnival Friday 9 December 7.30pm

Jean-Marie Leclair Tambourin Arcangelo Corelli Concerto Grosso in G minor, Op.6,‘Christmas’ Concerto Anon/Jacob Van Eyck Two Medieval Christmas Carols Handel/arr. Summerhayes Lascia Ch’io Czadas Vivaldi ‘Winter’ from The Four Seasons Handel/ arr. Red Priest Zadok the Red Priest Tomasso Albinoni/ arr. Remo Giazotto Adagio Michael Corrette Noel Suisse for solo harpsichord Handel/arr. Red Priest The Messiah Suite

‘Purists would probably run a mile from what Red Priest does to this music, but virtuosity, verve and creative spontaneity are fused together in a way that makes the impact positively volcanic.’ The Daily Telegraph

They called him the Red Priest – but you probably know him better as Antonio Vivaldi. Led by recorder player extraordinaire Piers Adams, “Baroque supergroup” Red Priest puts the anarchy back into Baroque music, making every performance into a carnival.

In this performance, they give a spectacular twist to music by Corelli, Handel, Bach – and of course Vivaldi himself. Something hot and strong for a winter night: this should be sensational!

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Red Priest

Tickets £25

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ARMIDA QUARTET Sunday 8 January 2.30pm

Haydn String Quartet Op.33 No.6 ‘Russian’ Marko Nikodijevi´ c String Quartet Beethoven String Quartet Op.59 No.1 ‘Razumovsky’ –

Supported by Rodewald Concert Society

‘Absolute dedication to the music, combined with diligence and precision, created permanent goosebumps. That is why the Armida Quartet is already one of the today’s greatest chamber groups.’ Hamburger Abendblatt As former BBC New Generation Artists, the Berlin-based Armida Quartet has already established themselves as one of the most striking ensembles on the European scene.

This powerful programme lets them test their mettle against two of the supreme masters of string chamber music – Haydn and Beethoven – plus a new work, from the young Serbian composer Marko Nikodijević.

Armida Quartet © Felix Broede

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Tickets £25

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KIRILL GERSTEIN piano Sunday 12 February 2.30pm

Bach 4 Duettos, BWV 802-805 Brahms Piano Sonata No.2 in F sharp minor Op.2 Liszt Transcendental Études

‘Gerstein scored a knockout … [his] playing was distinguished by his mastery of the music's ever shifting moods. He unleashed the fire of feverishly impassioned moments, then bought subtle artistry to more delicate effects…’ Houston Chronicle

Kirill Gerstein © Marco Borggreve

‘The audience was stunned by Gerstein's hour of knife-edge virtuosity.’ New Zealand Herald

Russian-born pianist Kirill Gerstein doesn’t just play with a lightning virtuosity that recalls the great Russian virtuosi of the past. He brings poetic insight to everything he touches, and this Liverpool recital programme opens amidst the timeless beauty of Bach before Gerstein scales the Everest of romantic pianism: a full performance of Liszt’s jaw-dropping Transcendental Études.

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Tickets £25

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BRODSKY QUARTET with MARTIN ROSCOE piano

THIS OTHER EDEN

Wednesday 8 March 7.30pm

Tuesday 25 April 7.30pm

‘The players gave unstintingly of their passion and energies, playing with a spirit so transformational you felt they were actually improving the world. Had it not been for dry concert conventions, they would surely have called a lock-in and played through the night.’ The Strad

Beethoven String Quartet No.14 Op. 131 Elgar Piano Quintet – Brodsky Quartet Martin Roscoe piano

“It’s ghostly stuff.” even Edward Elgar himself knew there was something unique about his Piano Quintet – a haunted, impassioned masterpiece written in the embers of the First World War.

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And when one of Britain’s most dynamic string quartets comes together with the great Cheshireborn pianist Martin Roscoe, you know to expect something special: masterpieces by Bach and Beethoven will be worth the price of admission in their own right.

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Tickets £25

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‘Whately is a captivating live performer… In an age of glossily interchangeable international artists, this one isn’t afraid to tell us her story. I, for one, want to hear more.’ Gramophone

Programme includes: Vaughan Williams Silent Noon Trad. Ma Bonny Lad Gurney Down By The Salley Gardens Arne Where the Bee Sucks, There Suck I Korngold Four Shakespeare Songs Op.31 – Kitty Whately soprano Joseph Middleton piano Madelaine Newton speaker

Kitty Whately © Natalie J Watts

Bach The Art of Fugue

Brodsky Quartet

As a winner of the Kathleen Ferrier Award and a former BBC New Generation Artist, Kitty Whately has emerged as one of Britain’s most characterful young sopranos.

This Other Eden is an evening inspired by the landscape of England, with music by Vaughan Williams, Britten and Arne matched by the words of Shakespeare, Walter de la Mare, Thomas Hardy and many others – performed by Kitty’s mother, actress Madelaine Newton.

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Tickets £25

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GARRICK OHLSSON piano

KATONA TWINS guitars

Friday 5 May 7.30pm

Tuesday 6 June 7.30pm

Schubert Sonata in A major D959 Smetana Selection from Czech Dances Falla Andaluza from Cuatro Piezas Españolas

Garrick Ohlsson © Paul Body

Falla Suite from El Amor Brujo

‘Magnificently eagle-like, powerful and steady yet ready to swoop on the incidental details. The American pianist approached the monumental side of the work with seeming effortlessness, but his playing was also full of refinement.’ The Daily Telegraph It’s taken us over two decades to bring the great American pianist Garrick Ohlsson back to Liverpool Philharmonic and this recital will show why it’s been worth the wait. Ohlsson’s command of Beethoven and Schubert goes without saying – but from Smetana’s playful Czech Dances to a whole sequence of Spanish miniatures, the second half of his programme shows that he’s not afraid to smile, too.

‘Rocking on stage like the Fab Four, the duo oozed attitude.’ The Straits Times

Programme includes: Bach French Suite No.5 in G major Bartók Romanian Folk Dances

‘The brilliant Katona Twins… could hardly be bettered for charm, zest, wit and colouristic flair.’ The Daily Telegraph

Beatles Day Tripper, Come Together, Eleanor Rigby Kodály Dances of Galánta (Arranged by the Katona Twins)

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Tickets £25

Booking fees may apply*

Tickets £25

Booking fees may apply*

Born in Hungary but at home in Liverpool, there’s only one word to describe the classical guitar playing of Peter and Zoltán Katona: phenomenal. Their appearances always bring the house down: in this programme, two musical worlds collide, as folk-inspired music from Bartók and Kodály will spark off their own versions of Beatles songs – performed with that unforgettable Katona showmanship. Watch those fingers fly!

Katona Twins

Beethoven Sonata No.24 in F sharp major Op.78

The Soldier’s Tale

CLOSE UP

Sunday 30 October 8pm Stravinsky Soldiers Tale (L'Histoire du Soldat) Jim Stephenson The Devil’s Tale – Frank Cottrell-Boyce narrator Timothy Jackson conductor Benjamin Mellefont clarinet Gareth Twigg bassoon Brendan Ball trumpet / cornet Simon Cowen trombone Mihkel Kerem violin Anthony Williams double bass –

Get closer to live music... ... in the informal setting of our new Music Room with ensembles from the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and guest artists. Our Close Up series includes the revolutionary music of Bach, The Beatles, Stravinsky and more. Music Room provides a small and informal space to enjoy the much-loved favourites of composers new and old, or to try out something unknown or different. Please note that seating in the Music room is unreserved. Doors open one hour before the performance start time. Frank Cottrell-Boyce

Book now at www.liverpoolphil.com

A weary soldier, a sinister stranger, and a deal that seems too good to be true. At the end of the Great War, Igor Stravinsky created a miniature musical drama with a deadly sting in its tail. Members of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and narrator Frank Cottrell-Boyce come together to make this fateful bargain – and then for the first time in the UK, American composer Jim Stephenson turns the whole thing wickedly on its head with a sequel to The Soldier’s Tale. – Tickets £15 Booking fees may apply*

Bach Cello Suites 1, 4 & 5

Bach’s Cello Suites: Part Two Wednesday 11 January 8pm Bach Cello Suites 2, 3 & 6 – Jonathan Aasgaard cello –

Booking fees may apply*

Jonathan Aasgaard © Mark McNulty

Klezmer-ish

As our special guest in our traditional Spirit of Christmas concerts, this close up experience with world famous accordionist Ksenija Sidorova will guarantee an evening of mesmerising music. Full of passion, fiercely energetic and compelling to watch, wait ‘til you hear her play! The versatility of this instrument will be evident in a programme of music that Ksenija loves the most, including works from Mozart as well as some less known composers who have written for the instrument including Kusiakov, Voitenko and Schnittke. – Tickets £15

Booking fees may apply*

Wednesday 4 January 8pm

ED IT IT IL M B LI ILA A AV

Following their sold out concert last year, Klezmer-ish, an ensemble of four musicians from the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, are back by popular demand. Their concert last year sold out and their first performance on 14 November has sold out too. With new arrangements and pieces from their debut album, Music of the Travellers, Klezmer-ish continues their journey through the colourful landscapes of bohemian folk music. – Tickets £15

Monday 19 December 8pm

Ksenija Sidorova

Thomas Verity clarinet Concettina Del Vecchio accordion Marcel Becker double bass Robert Shepley guitar / violin –

Bach’s Cello Suites: Part One

T OU

Monday 21 November 8pm

Ksenija Sidorova, accordion

LD SO

Y ED IT IT IL M B L I I LA A AV

Klezmer-ish

Our Principal Cello Jonathan Aasgaard will perform one of the most profound works in all of music, the complete Cello Suites of Bach, over two evenings in the intimate setting of the Music Room. – Tickets £15 Booking fees may apply*

John Harle 60th Birthday Bash

Anderson and Roe Piano Duo

Wednesday 15 February 8pm

Monday 20 March 8pm

John Harle saxophone Steve Lodder piano –

Astor Piazzolla / Anderson & Roe Primavera Porteña

World renowned John Harle has done more than any other saxophonist to increase the repertoire for the saxophone. On the occasion of his 60th birthday John asked his composer friends, Elvis Costello, Carl Davis, Michael Nyman, Graham Fitkin and more, to write short pieces for him: the outcome will be an evening of music representing the worlds of classical, jazz, rock and new music. – Tickets £15

Igor Stravinsky The Rite of Spring Astor Piazzolla / Anderson & Roe Oblivion Libertango Thomas Adès Concert Paraphrase on Powder Her Face Radiohead / Anderson & Roe ‘Paranoid Android’ from OK Computer

Booking fees may apply*

Coldplay / Anderson & Roe ‘Viva la Vida’ from Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends John Lennon & Paul McCartney / Anderson & Roe ‘Let It Be’ from Let It Be – Anderson and Roe piano duo

Booking fees may apply*

Book now at www.liverpoolphil.com

A century ago, Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring put a stick of dynamite under the world of classical music. And now piano duo Anderson and Roe will shake it up again in the Music Room with musical acts of revolution by Piazzolla, Adès and John Lennon. Expect to leave with your ears buzzing and your mind in overdrive. – Tickets £15

Thomas Arne / Anderson & Roe ‘The Glitt’ring Sun’ from The Morning

John Harle

Goldberg Variations

Wednesday 10 May 8pm

Thursday 15 June 10pm

Programme includes: Steve Reich New York Counterpoint Ianuis Xenakis Charisma Magnus Lindberg Steamboat Bill Jr. Béla Kovács Homage to Manuel de Falla

Baroque era with Bach’s Allemande right up to the modern day: the kaleidoscopic music of Lindberg’s Steamboat Bill Jr. and the intense duo Charisma written in homage to the French composer Jean-Pierre Guézec. – Tickets £15 Booking fees may apply*

Bach Allemande

One of our latest signings, Benjamin Mellefont, Principal Clarinet, performs Steve Reich’s New York Counterpoint, a composition intended to capture the throbbing vibrancy of Manhattan. This programme is packed with revolutionary music from the

Salvatore Sciarrino Let me die before I wake – Benjamin Mellefont clarinet Deni Teo cello

Bach Goldberg Variations Arranged by Dmitri Sitkovetsky – James Clark violin Vicci Wardman viola Jonathan Aasgaard cello

They say that Bach wrote his Goldberg Variations to soothe a sleepless nobleman. A simple melody unlocks a chain of 30 musical puzzles; brilliant, intricate and endlessly fascinating, they’re

bigger than the imagination of any one performer. Tonight, three of our string players come together for a late night encounter with one of music’s most beautiful minds. – Tickets £10 Booking fees may apply*

Please note the start time of this performance is 10pm and follows in the main hall after the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra concert Concerto for Orchestra.

New York Counterpoint

ENSEMBLE 10/10 Ensemble 10/10 is Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra’s award winning contemporary music group. Concerts are an eclectic mixture of new commissions and world premieres featuring composers of the best contemporary music of today.

23 Songs of a Mad Woman Wednesday 5 October 8pm Music Room

James Wishart 23 Songs of a Madwoman Dot.Song Tango in L

This performance also includes three new pieces written by Stephen Pratt, Robin Hartwell and Louis Johnson. – Clark Rundell conductor Ensemble 10/10 –

Music, madness and a tango bent at a very strange angle… welcome to the incredible soundworld of Liverpool composer James Wishart for his 60th birthday. Close up in the Music Room, there’s no more thrilling, fascinating or magical way to get inside the head of a true Merseyside original. – Tickets £15 Booking fees may apply*

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Call of the North

Swedish Meatballs

Wednesday 26 October 7.30pm St George’s Hall Concert Room

Saturday 25 March 7.30pm Leggate Theatre, University of Liverpool (part of Open Circuit Festival)

Gary Carpenter Bermuda Suite and Dolphin Bethan Morgan-Williams New Work

Winner of the Christopher Brooks Competition Prize: World Premiere

Kenneth Hesketh Theatre of Attractions – Clark Rundell conductor

Supported by Rodewald Concert Society

There’s a sense of positive musical creativity in Liverpool” says composer Kenneth hesketh, who took siren whistles, images of cinema and that golden glow at the end of the day to create his riotous Theatre of Attractions. Gary Carpenter takes a tropical journey, the late John McCabe loses himself in the australian jungle, and amidst all the colour and action, new voices make themselves heard with a World Premiere from Christopher Brooks Composition Prize winner, Bethan Morgan-Williams. In other words, just another evening of adventures beyond the imagination from Clark Rundell and Liverpool’s all-star team of new music champions, Ensemble 10/10. – Tickets £15 Booking fees may apply*

Christian Lindberg Arabenne for Trombone and Strings Andrea Tarrodi Empireo for Chamber Orchestra Jan Sandström A Short Ride On A Motorbike for Trombone and Strings Christian Lindberg Conder Canyon for Trombone and Brass Quintet Per Egland Give Me Your Beak Christian Lindberg Doctor Decker the Dentist

John McCabe Rainforest

Christian Lindberg conductor Ensemble 10/10 Please note that further information and tickets for this performance are only available from Open Circuit Festival. www.opencircuitfestival.co.uk

LUNCHTIME CONCERTS Join us for a musical interlude to your busy day with our series of Lunchtime Concerts. Held in the Music Room, the performances feature musicians and ensembles from the Orchestra, last about an hour and are just £8.

Cello Sonata

All Cellos

Monday 10 October 1pm

Monday 12 December 1pm

Delius Cello Sonata

Programme includes: Barber Adagio for Strings

Frank Bridge Four pieces for Cello and Piano Cello Sonata Spring Song – Liubov Ulybysheva cello John Paul Ekins piano – Tickets £8

Booking fees may apply*

Carlos Gardel Tango ‘Por Una Cabeza’ Wagner Liebestod from Tristan and Isolde Ian Stephens Dance for Eight

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Jonathan Aasgaard Hilary Browning Ian Bracken Gethyn Jones Stephen Mann Ruth Owens Alexander Holladay Mark Lindley Liubov Ulybysheva

Please note that seating is unreserved. Doors open at 12 noon so there’s plenty of time to have a drink and choose the best seats.

– Tickets £8