Spring | Summer 2016
www.bathphil.co.uk
welcome
Dear Friends. I cannot believe it’s our twentieth season, particularly when you consider how difficult it is to maintain, sustain and make an orchestra flourish. But we have and we go from strength to strength serving our community and bringing the highest quality music making to your doorstep here in Bath. For me, every event we perform is a highlight whether it’s a concert with our professional orchestra or a live performance during one of our education projects. I urge you to discover all the ways that Bath Phil enjoys and shares music with our community. Opening our season, and with romance in the air as Valentine’s Day approaches, we present our very own spectacular spectacular with our Moulin Rouge! Concert; a night at the opera for film buffs and music lovers alike. In March we present Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast a massive tour de force of British choral music as well as unashamedly showing off the considerable virtuosity of Bath Phil with Bernstein’s amazing Symphonic Dances from West Side Story coupled with Britten’s windswept portrayal of the Suffolk coast in his Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes. In July we are absolutely delighted to welcome back the international pianist Stephen Hough for Rachmaninov’s musically spectacular Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini alongside Holst’s epic journey across the Solar System in his Planets Suite – a program for absolutely all the family! I’m sure our 20th season is going to be our best yet! Jason Thornton Artistic Director
Saturday 6 February 2016, 7.30pm The Forum, Bath Offenbach, Overture to Orpheus in the Underworld Offenbach, Orpheus in the Underworld, Pluto’s Aria Verdi, La Traviata, Prelude to Act One Verdi, La Traviata, E’ strano! Verdi, La Traviata, Brindisi Puccini, La Bohème, Final Scene Act One Ania Jeruc (soprano) John Hudson (tenor) Jason Thornton (conductor)
Screening of Baz Luhrmann’s film Moulin Rouge! Baz Luhrmann’s modern filmic masterpiece Moulin Rouge! is based upon three of the greatest opera libretti, all sharing as a backdrop, the sights and sounds of Paris. Offenbach’s Orpheus conjures up the atmosphere of Toulouse Lautrec’s Can Can Girls, whilst the great tragedies of Traviata and La Bohème are set against the back drop of Montmartre and the life of the Parisienne courtesan. As we approach Valentine’s Day, we combine the pure romanticism of the greatest moments in opera, sung by two emerging and internationally regarded opera stars, including Puccini’s Che Gelida Manina and Mi chiamano Mimi, with Baz Luhrmann’s bold, modern and visually-stunning feature film starring Nicole Kidmann, Ewan McGregor and Jim Broadbent. A unique opportunity to encounter the combination of live opera in the first half and a feature film in the second. Tickets £25/£20/£15/£5 (under 16s) Available at the Bath Box Office 01225 463362, www.bathboxoffice.org.uk or by phone and online through Ticketline 08448 889991, www.bathforum.co.uk
Friday 11 March 2016, 7.30pm The Forum, Bath Endowed Concert in memory of John Shirley-Quirk Britten, Four Sea Interludes Bernstein, Symphonic Dances (from West Side Story) Walton, Belshazzar’s Feast Nicolas Dwyer (baritone) Jason Thornton (conductor) Bath Spa University Choir South West Festival Chorus Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast was originally commissioned for chamber orchestra and small chorus however the composition emerged as one of the largest works in the English choral canon. The first half of the programme is a virtuosic showcase for the orchestra incorporating the Latin American rhythms of the Mambo and the Rumble from Bernstein’s masterpiece West Side Story as well as Britten’s four evocations of life by the sea in a Suffolk fishing village, including Sunday Morning, a nocturne and a storm. Tickets £25/£20/£15/£5 (under 16s) Available at the Bath Box Office 01225 463362, www.bathboxoffice.org.uk or by phone and online through Ticketline 08448 889991, www.bathforum.co.uk
Friday 22 April 2016, 7.30pm St Swithin’s Church, Bath Endowed Concert in memory of Martin Carr Paul Carr, Air for Strings Mozart, Symphony No. 40 in G minor Mahler, Das Lied von der Erde Jonathan Stoughton (tenor) Gavin Carr (baritone) Jason Thornton (conductor) Gustav Mahler wrote that ‘…a symphony must contain the entire world’, and his work is certainly a testament to that belief. However the transformation of the symphony into something bigger than the sum of its parts began much earlier than Mahler. In this concert we hear Mozart’s great G minor symphony, injected with a profundity of expression and pathos new at that time to the form. Das Lied von der Erde is a ‘symphony in song’ in which Mahler’s settings of 8th century poems by Li Te Po examine the cycle of life and death. We open the concert with Paul Carr’s Air for Strings, a heartfelt love song in the form of a long arching lament. Tickets £25/£20/£15/£5 (under 16s) Available at the Bath Box Office 01225 463362, www.bathboxoffice.org.uk or by phone and online through Ticketline 08448 889991, www.bathforum.co.uk
Friday 20 - Monday 30 May 2016 Bath International Music Festival We are delighted that once again Bath Philharmonia will feature in the programme for the Bath International Music Festival. This annual celebration of the best of music, encompassing all genres, delights locals and visitors alike. The date of the concert and more details will be announced in due course. Our highlights at the Festival have included Mahler’s Symphony of a Thousand, Busoni’s Piano Concerto with Peter Donohoe and Gershwin’s Porgy & Bess with Sir Willard White. We can’t wait to announce this year’s exciting line up. Go to www.bathphil.co.uk or www.bathfestivals.org.uk for future announcements.
Monday 30 May 2016, 7pm English Music Festival, Dorchester Abbey, Dorchester on Thames Vaughan Williams, Serenade to Music Paul Carr, Violin Concerto Walton, Henry V – A Shakespeare Scenario Rupert Marshall-Luck (violin) narrator tbc Jason Thornton (conductor) Our debut at the English Music Festival pays homage to Shakespeare during his 400th anniversary year. Rachmaninov was left ‘speechless and in tears’ after the first performance of Vaughan Williams’ Serenade to Music. The Serenade is a setting of the opening of Act V of The Merchant of Venice. Set in Portia’s garden the music has a rich air of romantic tranquillity. The work is unique in that it requires 16 solo voices. Walton’s music to Henry V is some of the finest British film music ever written. Inspired by Laurence Olivier’s portrayal of Henry V at the Battle of Agincourt, Walton composed a panoply of his best music. We are also delighted to premiere the first Violin Concerto by Paul Carr; a composer who is fast developing a reputation for a highly lyrical and approachable style. Tickets www.englishmusicfestival.org.uk
Friday 8 July 2016, 7.30pm The Forum, Bath Brian Roper Memorial Concert Rachmaninov, Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini Holst, The Planets Stephen Hough (piano) Jason Thornton (conductor) Paganini composed the simplest of tunes for his 24th solo violin Caprice. This tune has captured the imagination of composers ever since. Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody is a set of 24 variations on this enigmatic theme for piano and orchestra. Joining Bath Philharmonia is one of the world’s great pianists Stephen Hough, who, in 2013, played these variations at the First Night of the Proms to considerable critical acclaim. Expect virtuosic fireworks and intense interpretative insight from this great musician as well as a few surprises! Holst’s Planets needs absolutely no introduction and is probably one of the most iconic orchestral works in the repertoire. Scored for huge orchestra and off stage choir, join a massive Bath Phil for a journey across the solar system. Tickets £35/£30/£25/£20/£5 (under 16s) Available at the Bath Box Office 01225 463362, www.bathboxoffice.org.uk or by phone and online through Ticketline 08448 889991, www.bathforum.co.uk
Saturday 24 September 2016, 7.30pm Wiltshire Music Centre, Bradford on Avon Ravel, La Tombeau de Couperin Vaughan Williams, Oboe Concerto Mozart, Symphony No. 41 (Jupiter) Victoria Brawn (oboe) Jason Thornton (conductor) Vaughan Williams’ Oboe Concerto is a beautiful pastoral work, written during the dark years of World War II, for Eugene Goosens. This nostalgic piece looks back towards a time before war. Ravel’s La Tombeau de Couperin is inspired by his friends who were killed during The Great War. Full of wit and charm it takes the listener back to a much more innocent age. The concert and season concludes with Mozart’s final and monumental Jupiter Symphony. Tickets £25/£20/£15/£5 (under 16s) Available at the Bath Box Office 01225 463362, www.bathboxoffice.org.uk or by phone and online at Wiltshire Music Centre 01225 860100, www.wiltshiremusic.org.uk
learning and participation
Music in Action - Original Music for Extraordinary People Music in Action is Bath Phil’s Learning and Participation team. We love creating original music with lots of different people in loads of different settings. We are passionate about enabling people from all different backgrounds and abilities to take part in music making in a fun, friendly and safe environment. We are also passionate about producing music of the highest quality, reflecting what our orchestra does on stage. Last year we worked on projects across the South West in venues ranging from Gloucester Cathedral to Bath Abbey to The Lighthouse in Poole. We’ve worked with Young Carers, primary schools, secondary schools and Special Needs Schools. This year we are planning another extensive year of activities and performances. For more information go to www.bathphil.co.uk/learning
• Performing concerts of outstanding artistic quality with soloists from a national and international platform. • Broadening audiences by promoting the live orchestral experience to all members of our community. • Enabling open access participation in live musicmaking through Music in Action performances and workshops. • Furthering learning and professional development by working in collaboration with other music education providers. • Programming a rich and diverse repertoire in innovative contexts. We have a range of membership packages available ranging from £35 for individual Friends Membership to £2500+ for Bath Phil Benefactors.
To help us make all of this happen please call 07525 857720 or go to www.bathphil.co.uk/support for more details
support us
Our Friends & Patrons are the cornerstone upon which Bath Philharmonia is built. By supporting Bath Phil, you enable us to enhance the artistic life of Bath & the South West through live orchestral music by
Bath Philharmonia Widcombe Institute Widcombe Hill Bath BA2 6AA 07525 857720 info@bathphil.co.uk www.bathphil.co.uk
Charity registered in England and Wales No. 1073393 Registered Company No. 3685553 Registered Office: 13 Queen Square, Bath, BA1 2HJ