HAYDN UNDER THE KNIFE
HAYDN STRING QUARTET OPUS 1 No. 1 - ADAGIO Violin Huw Daniel Debbie Diamond Viola Kate Heller Cello Ruth Alford
HAYDN STRING QUARTET OPUS 17 No. 4 - MODERATO Violin Kinga Ujszaszi Andrew Roberts Viola Marina Ascherson Cello Ruth Alford
We are grateful for the support of Jenny and Tim Morrison, Mark and Rosamund Williams, Roger Mears and Joanie Speers and our friends at The Old Operating Theatre and Herb Garret, Southwark, London.
PROGRAMME NOTES by Richard Bratby
Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
HAYDN STRING QUARTET
HAYDN STRING QUARTET
OPUS 1 No. 1 - ADAGIO
OPUS 17 No. 4 - MODERATO
Textbooks used to call Joseph Haydn “the father of the symphony” and there’s no doubt that over a five-decade career, Haydn turned the technique of writing for two violins, a viola and a cello into an art in its own right. There’s still no better claimant to the title “father of the string quartet”.
The son of a village wheelwright in the Austro-Hungarian borderlands, spotted as a boy for his beautiful voice but then expelled from Vienna’s cathedral choir after a practical joke backfired, it’s safe to say that Joseph Haydn did not have a conventional musical education. He always regretted that he never had the chance to study with 18th century composers in Italy, the spiritual home of opera. He compensated by keeping an open ear and an open mind, and by cultivating his own fabulously fertile imagination.
It all began one summer in the mid-late 1750s. A jobbing freelance composer in his early 20s was writing a “divertimento a quattro” with which he and three colleagues could entertain a nobleman, Baron Fürnberg, at the Baron’s country estate. The serene Adagio at the heart of Haydn’s first published quartet, with its long, blissful melody and magical opening and closing chords, hints at the wonders that Haydn would later find in this modest, but infinitely adaptable, combination of instruments.
This fourth of Haydn’s six string quartets Op.17 (1771) isn’t exactly operatic, but there’s something unmistakably theatrical in the ardent, melancholy melody played by the first violin at the start of the quartet. This was an era of conversation and wit, as well as passionate emotion. The instruments sing and laugh, taking turns to step into the limelight, though under Haydn's guidance, you could never accuse any one of them of being a prima donna.
BEHIND THE SCENES Rebecca Livermore, violin "This recording was such a special and wonderful experience..."
“Not all orchestras are the same” Three 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 distinctive ensemble playing on period-specific instruments began to get a foothold, it made a promise to itself. It vowed to keep questioning, adapting and inventing as long as it lived. Those original 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. At first it felt like 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 began to make benchmark recordings and attract the finest conductors. It became the toast of the European touring circuit. It bagged distinguished residencies at Southbank Centre and Glyndebourne Festival Opera. It began, before long, to thrive. And then came the real challenge. The ensemble’s musicians were branded eccentric idealists. And that they were determined to remain. In the face of the music 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 searched for the right repertoire, instruments and approaches with even greater resolve. It kept true to its founding vow.
In some small way, the OAE changed the classical music world too. 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 series of nocturnal Night Shift performances have redefined concert parameters. As Associate Orchestra at London’s Kings Place, it has fostered further diversity of planning and music-making. The ensemble has formed the bedrock for some of Glyndebourne’s most ground-breaking recent productions. In keeping with its values of always questioning, challenging and trailblazing, in September 2020, the OAE became the resident orchestra of Acland Burghley School, Camden. The residency – a first for a British orchestra – allows the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightment to live, work and play amongst the students of the school. 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. Mark Elder still mines it for luminosity, shade and line. 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. And, most recently, it’s been a laboratory for John Butt’s most exciting Bach experiments. All five of them 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, they pride themselves on sitting ever so slightly outside the box. They wouldn’t want it any other way. ©Andrew Mellor
ABOUT THE OLD OPERATING THEATRE MUSEUM AND HERB GARRET, SOUTHWARK, LONDON The Old Operating Theatre where we filmed our Haydn Under the Knife series is the only surviving 19th century operating theatre in Europe. The room is situated in the roof space of St Thomas’ Church and was at one time used as a garret by the apothecaries of St Thomas’ Hospital to dry herbs and store medicines. In 1822 the Herb Garret was transformed into an operating theatre for the women’s ward. Before that date , patients were operated on in the ward, which must have caused considerable distress. At first glance the placement of this operating theatre seems bizarre, but the wards of the South Wing of St. Thomas’ Hospital were built around St. Thomas’ Church. The herb garret of St Thomas’ Church was approximately on the same level as the women’s surgical ward and it was large enough to hold a small operating theatre. Placing the Theatre in the Herb Garret of the Church provided a separation from the ward. It gave a separate entrance for students, and afforded a measure of sound proofing. Because it was at the same level as the women’s surgical ward, it aided the transportation of patients to the theatre. The operating theatre was constructed to maximise the light from a large skylight which was built purposely for this space. Although not heated or ventilated, it provided an ideal, albeit small, area for demonstrating surgical skills. In 1862 St Thomas’ Hospital moved from its ancient site, eventually ending up in Lambeth. The Operating Theatre was partly dismantled and the entrances from the Hospital into the Garret were blocked up. It was not completely forgotten however, there were references in academic publications in 1936 and 1954, and the skylight could be seen from the eastern end of St Thomas Street. Following the departure of the hospital from St Thomas Street in 1862, the only access to the roof space or attic of the church was through an opening in the north wall of the first floor chamber of the tower. This opening was about 15 feet above the floor level of the chamber which further served to aid the concealment of the old operating theatre. The opening could be reached only by means of a ladder and, after some difficulty and discomfort, any visitor would climb into a completely dark attic. This opening is now the main entrance into the Herb Garret from the Belfry Shop. In 1956, Raymond Russell was researching the history of St Thomas’ Hospital and decided to investigate the opening into the attic. He found a ladder and climbed up into the Garret. It was dark because the glass in the old skylight above the theatre had been replaced by slates and the dormer windows in the rest of the roof-space were black with a century of dirt. In addition, the attic was thickly covered with dust and some floor boards had been removed which made access even more hazardous. Part of the operating theatre had been removed at some time, including all the standings, but most of the shell had survived. The passageway to the staircase, which led to the standings of the Theatre, was intact. All the plaster work of the walls and ceiling was untouched. Inspection revealed that a false floor had been laid on to the true floor and that the space, of around 7 cms, had been packed with sawdust, probably to soak up blood and water when the floor of the Theatre was mopped. The removal of panelling exposed the original entrance into the Theatre from the adjioning women’s ward in the Hospital. You can learn more about this fascinating venue and plan your visit at oldoperatingtheatre.com
OAE TEAM Chief Executive Crispin Woodhead
Projects Officer Ed Ault
Life President Sir Martin Smith
Finance and Governance Director Pascale Nicholls
Orchestra Consultant Philippa Brownsword
Board of Directors Imogen Overli [Chairman] Daniel Alexander Steven Devine Denys Firth Adrian Frost Max Mandel David Marks Rebecca Miller Andrew Roberts Katharina Spreckelsen Matthew Shorter Dr. Susan Tranter Crispin Woodhead
Development Director Emily Stubbs Projects Director Jo Perry Education Director Cherry Forbes Communications Director Elle Docx General Manager Edward Shaw Head of Individual Giving and Digital Development Marina Abel Smith Education Officer Andrew Thomson Projects Manager Sophie Adams Finance Officer Fabio Lodato Digital Content Officer Zen Grisdale Marketing and Press Officer Anna Bennett Box Office and Data Manager Paola Rossi Development Manager Kiki Betts-Dean Development Officer Luka Lah
Choir Manager David Clegg Librarian Roy Mowatt Leaders Huw Daniel Kati Debretzeni Margaret Faultless Matthew Truscott Players’ Artistic Committee Adrian Bending Steven Devine Max Mandel Andrew Roberts Katharina Spreckelsen Principal Artists John Butt Sir Mark Elder Iván Fischer Vladimir Jurowski Sir Simon Rattle Sir András Schiff Emeritus Conductors William Christie Sir Roger Norrington
OAE Trust Adrian Frost [Chairman] Mark Allen Paul Forman Steven Larcombe Alison McFadyen Caroline Noblet Imogen Overli Rupert Sebag-Montefiore Maarten Slendebroek Sir Martin Smith Caroline Steane Honorary Council Sir Victor Blank Edward Bonham Carter Cecelia Bruggemeyer Nigel Jones Stephen Levinson Marshall Marcus Julian Mash Greg Melgaard Susan Palmer OBE Jan Schlapp Diane Segalen Susannah Simons Lady Smith OBE Rosalyn Wilkinson Mark Williams
SUPPORTERS OAE Experience scheme Ann and Peter Law Corporate Partners Champagne Deutz Mark Allen Group Marquee TV Swan Turton Corporate Associates Gelato Season Patrons John Armitage Charitable Trust Julian and Annette Armstrong Denys and Vicki Firth Adrian Frost Nigel Jones and Françoise Valat-Jones Selina and David Marks Haakon and Imogen Overli Sir Martin and Lady Smith OBE Philip & Rosalyn Wilkinson Mark and Rosamund Williams Project Patrons Bruce Harris Ian S Ferguson CBE and Dr Susan Tranter Aria Patrons Madeleine Hodgkin Steven Larcombe Peter and Veronica Lofthouse Stanley Lowy Gary and Nina Moss Rupert Sebag-Montefiore Maarten and Taina Slendebroek Caroline Steane Eric Tomsett Chair Patrons Mrs Nicola Armitage - Education Director Victoria and Edward Bonham Carter - Principal Trumpet Katharine Campbell - Violin Anthony and Celia Edwards - Principal Oboe
James Flynn QC - Co-Principal Lute/Theorbo Jonathan and Tessa Gaisman – Viola Michael and Harriet Maunsell - Principal Keyboard Jenny and Tim Morrison - Second Violin Caroline Noblet – Oboe Professor Richard Portes - Principal Bassoon Christina – Flute John and Rosemary Shannon - Principal Horn Sue Sheridan OBE – Education Roger and Pam Stubbs - Clarinet Crispin Woodhead and Christine Rice - Principal Timpani Associate Patrons Charles and Julia Abel Smith Noël and Caroline Annesley Sir Richard Arnold and Mary Elford Hugh and Michelle Arthur David and Marilyn Clark Damaris Albarrán David Emmerson Jonathan Parker Charitable Trust Elisabeth Green in memory of June Mockett Roger Heath MBE and Alison Heath MBE Peter and Sally Hilliar Moira and Robert Latham Sir Timothy and Lady Lloyd Roger Mears and Joanie Speers Rebecca Miller David Mildon in memory of Lesley Mildon John Nickson and Simon Rew Andrew and Cindy Peck Stephen and Penny Pickles Peter Rosenthal Emily Stubbs and Stephen McCrum Shelley von Strunckel Mr J Westwood
Education Patrons Mrs Nicola Armitage Sir Victor Blank Stephen and Patricia Crew John and Sue Edwards Sir Timothy and Lady Lloyd Andrew and Cindy Peck Professor Richard Portes Sue Sheridan OBE Rising Stars Supporters Annette and Julian Armstrong Denys and Vicki Firth Bruce Harris Ms Madeleine Hodgkin Mrs Sarah Holford Nigel Jones and Francoise Valat-Jones Peter & Veronica Lofthouse Mr Andrew Nurnberg Old Possum's Practical Trust Imogen and Haakon Overli Gold Friends Michael Brecknell Gerard Cleary Mr and Mrs C Cochin de Billy Chris Gould Michael Spagat Silver Friends Dennis and Sheila Baldry Haylee and Michael Bowsher Tony Burt Christopher Campbell Mr and Mrs Michael Cooper David Cox Anthony and Jo Diamond Suzanne Doyle Rachel and Charles Henderson Malcolm Herring Patricia Herrmann Stephen Hodge Rupert and Alice King Alison and Ian Lowdon Anthony and Carol Rentoul Bridget Rosewell David and Ruth Samuels Leslie Scott Susannah Simons Victor Smart Her Honour Suzanne Stewart Simon and Karen Taube
Bronze Friends Tony Baines Penny & Robin Broadhurst Graham and Claire Buckland Dan Burt Michael A Conlon Roger Easy Mrs SM Edge Mrs Mary Fysh Simon Gates Stephen and Cristina Goldring Martin and Helen Haddon Ray and Liz Harsant The Lady Heseltine Mrs Auriel Hill Val Hudson Stuart Martin Patricia Orwell Paul Rivlin Alan Sainer Matthew and Sarah Shorter Mr and Mrs Tony Timms John Truscott Mrs Joy Whitby David Wilson Young Patron Ed Abel Smith David Gillbe Elizabeth George Henry Mason
Peter Yardley-Jones
Young Ambassador Patron Marianne and William Cartwright-Hignett Jessica and Alex Kemp Breandán Knowlton Trusts & Foundations Apax Foundation Arts Council England Ashley Family Foundation Boshier-Hinton Foundation Brian Mitchell Charitable Settlement CAF Resilience Fund The Charles Peel Charitable Trust Chivers Trust Derek Hill Foundation Dreamchasing Dyers Company Ernest Cook Trust Esmee Fairbairn Foundation Fidelio Charitable Trust Foyle Foundation
Garfield Weston Foundation Garrick Charitable Trust Geoffrey Watling Charity Henocq Law Trust John Lyon’s Charity Linbury Trust Lord and Lady Lurgan Trust Michael Marks Charitable Trust National Foundation for Youth Music Old Possum’s Practical Trust Orchestras Live Paul Bassham Charitable Trust The Patrick Rowland Foundation Peter Cundill Foundation Peter Stebbings Memorial Charity Pitt-Rivers Charitable Trust Radcliffe Trust Rainbow Dickinson Trust Stanley Picker Trust The 29th May 1961 Charitable Trust The Loveday Charitable Trust The R&I Pilkington Charitable Trust The Shears Foundation The Vernon Ellis Foundation
APPEAL DONORS We have been overwhelmed by the support of our audiences since the beginning of the pandemic. Many of you have generously helped us tackle this challenging time by donating to our Regeneration Appeal. The Appeal runs to 31st December 2021 and every donation will be matched. If you would like to contribute, please contact: Emily.Stubbs@oae.co.uk Charles and Julia Abel Smith Mark and Sue Allen Deborah Anthony Julian and Annette Armstrong Hugh and Michelle Arthur John Birks Sir Victor Blank Bob and Elisabeth Boas A & FDW Boettcher William Bordass Mr Roger Bowerman Ms Susan Bracken Neil Brock
Sir Anthony Cleaver Professor Susan Cooper Ms Harriet Copperman Dr David Cox Gill Cox Stephen and Patricia Crew Mrs Melanie Edge Esmee Fairbairn Foundation Ms Margaret Faultless Denys and Vicki Firth Adrian Frost Jennifer Frost Jonathan N Gaisman, QC Dr David Glynn Roy Greenhalgh David Guthrie Martin Haddon Ray Harsant Roger Heath MBE and Alison Heath MBE Peter and Sally Hilliar Nigel Jones and Françoise Valat-Jones Jerome Karter Sue Lamble Steven Larcombe Sir Timothy Lloyd and Lady Lloyd Dr Alan Lord Stanley Lowy, MBE Ellie Makri Michael and Harriet Maunsell Tim and Jenny Morrison Mr Clive Murgatroyd, MBE Robert Nash John Nickson & Simon Rew Andrew Nurnberg Johanna Nusselein Imogen and Haakon Overli Andrew and Cindy Peck Mike Raggett Ruth and David Samuels Laura Sheldon Sue Sheridan OBE Maarten and Taina Slendebroek Sir Martin Smith and Lady Smith OBE Michael Spagat Caroline Steane Para Sun Iain Taylor Christopher Tew Lady Marina Vaizey, CBE Eva Maria Valero Mark and Rosamund Williams Peter Williams
WE MOVED INTO A SCHOOL We are thrilled to announce that we are now the resident orchestra of Acland Burghley School in Camden, North London. The residency – a first for a British orchestra – allows us to live, work and play amongst the students of the school. Three offices have been adapted for our administration team, alongside a recording studio and library. We use the Grade II listed school assembly hall as a rehearsal space, with plans to refurbish it under the school’s ‘A Theatre for All’ project, so for the first time, we will all be in the same place: players, staff and library! Crispin Woodhead, our chief executive who came up with the idea of a new partnership, says: “Our accommodation at Kings Place was coming to an agreed end and we needed to find a new home. I felt that we should not settle for a conventional office space solution. We already had a strong relationship with many schools in Camden through our education programme and our appeal hit the desk of Kat Miller, director of operations at Acland Burghley School. She was working on ways to expand the school’s revenue from its resources and recognised that their excellent school hall might be somewhere we could rehearse. It felt like a thunderbolt and meant we wanted to find a way for this place to be our home, and embark on this new adventure to challenge and transform the way we engage with young adults.” The school isn't just our landlord or physical home. Instead, it will offer the opportunity to build on twenty years of work in the borough through OAE’s long-standing partnership with Camden Music. Having already worked in eighteen of the local primary schools that feed into ABS, the plans moving forward are to support music and arts across the school into the wider community. This new move underpins our core ‘enlightenment’ mission of reaching as wide an audience as possible. A similar project was undertaken in 2015 in Bremen, Germany. The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie moved into a local comprehensive school in a deprived area and the results were described as “transformational”, with improved academic performance, language skills, mental health and IQ scores; reputational benefits; greater interest in and engagement with music among pupils; strengthened links between school, orchestra and community; and even, according to some of the musicians who took part, an improvement in the Kammerphilharmonie’s playing. Margaret Faultless, OAE leader and violinist, said: “As classical musicians, it can often feel as though we exist in a bubble. I think I can speak for the whole Orchestra when I say that we’re all looking forward to this new adventure. We are all used to meeting with people from outside the classical music world of course, but the value of our new project lies in the long-term work we’ll be doing at the school and the relationship that will hopefully develop between the students, their parents and teachers and the orchestra.” “The members of the Bremen Kammerphilharmonie said their experience actually improved them as an orchestra and I think the same will happen to us over the next five or so years, and it will remind all of us of the reasons we make music, which are sometimes easy to forget, especially in our strange and troubled times.” continues Margaret. “I am certainly looking forward to learning from the young people at Acland Burghley and in turn introducing them to the joys of our music and music-making.” The move has been made possible with a leadership grant of £120,000 from The Linbury Trust, one of the Sainsbury Family Charitable Trusts. Their support is facilitating the move to the school and underwriting the first three years of education work.
OAE EDUCATION A PROGRAMME TO INVOLVE, EMPOWER AND INSPIRE Over the past twenty years OAE Education has grown in stature and reach to involve thousands of people nationwide in creative music projects. Our participants come from a wide range of backgrounds and we pride ourselves in working flexibly, adapting to the needs of local people and the places they live. The extensive partnerships we have built up over many years help us engage fully with all the communities where we work to ensure maximum and lasting impact. We take inspiration from the OAE's repertoire, instruments and players. This makes for a vibrant, challenging and engaging programme where everyone is involved; players, animateurs, composers, participants, teachers, partners and stakeholders all have a valued voice.
SUPPORT OUR EDUCATION PROGRAMME The work we do could not happen without the support of our generous donors. If you would like to support our education programme please contact Marina Abel Smith, Head of Individual Giving and Digital Development marina.abelsmith@oae.co.uk 0208 159 9319
OAE TOTS at Saffron Hall
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The OAE is a registered charity number 295329 Registered company number 2040312. Acland Burghley School, 93 Burghley Road, London NW5 1UH 0208 159 9310 | info@oae.co.uk Photography | Zen Grisdale