Life, Liberty Six Chapters of Enlightenment – Part Two 2018–19 concerts and the Pursuit of Happiness
Six Chapters of Enlightenment – Part Two Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness
‘ We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.’ The American Declaration of Independence
Individual or Society? Head or Heart? Conform or Rebel? Laws or Freedoms? Secular or Sacred?
These questions were as vital during the Enlightenment – the golden age of science and philosophy from which we take our name – as they are now.
They were explored by great composers such as Bach, Brahms and Sibelius, and run through the music we play like a seam of gold, often breaking to the surface.
This year we’re unlocking Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness with fabulous artists including Sir Simon Rattle, Marin Alsop and Sir András Schiff. Enjoy music written in response to extraordinary times, that still challenges and electrifies in the extraordinary times we live in today.
2018–19 concerts in brief
Brahms: A German Pipedreams Requiem Keyboard wizardry. A Requiem for the living. Monday 3 December 2018 Sunday 11 November 2018 Thursday 25 October 2018 Queen Elizabeth Hall Royal Festival Hall Queen Elizabeth Hall Southbank Centre Southbank Centre Southbank Centre Handel Vaughan Williams Handel – Overture to – Suite from The Alchemist – Fantasia on a Theme Alexander’s Feast by Thomas Tallis Manfredini Telemann – Concerto Grosso – Concerto for two violas and Brahms Op. 3 No. 9 strings in G – A German Requiem Handel Handel Marin Alsop – Concerto Grosso – Organ Concerto Op. 7 No. 1 conductor Op. 6 No. 4 Telemann Elizabeth Watts – Apollo e Dafne – Concerto for recorder, flute soprano and strings in E minor Jonathan Cohen James Newby Handel conductor/director baritone – Act One Sinfonia from Saul Katherine Watson Choir of the Telemann soprano Age of Enlightenment – Concerto for oboe d’amore, James Newby viola d’amore and flute in E baritone Handel – Organ Concerto Op. 4 No. 1
Apollo and Daphne You can’t have things all your own way.
John Butt director/organ
All concerts start at 7pm Book now southbankcentre.co.uk/oae 020 3879 9555, daily 9am–8pm Royal Festival Hall Ticket Office, daily 10am–8pm
Love and Duty Songs from the heart with Magdalena Kožená.
Monday 4 February 2019 Royal Festival Hall Southbank Centre
Mozart – Symphony No. 40 – Giunse alfin il momento / Al desio di chi t’adora from The Marriage of Figaro – Parto, Parto from La clemenza di Tito Gluck – Arias from Il Parnaso Confuso, Antigono and La clemenza di Tito – Dance of the Furies from Orfeo
Giovanni Antonini conductor Magdalena Kožená mezzo-soprano
Brahms Piano Concertos Blockbuster piano music from a time of revolution. Monday 18 March 2019 Royal Festival Hall Southbank Centre
Tuesday 2 April 2019 Royal Festival Hall Southbank Centre
Schumann – Konzertstück for Four Horns – Symphony No. 4 Brahms – Piano Concerto No. 1
Bach – St John Passion
Sir András Schiff piano/conductor
Tuesday 19 March 2019 Royal Festival Hall Southbank Centre
Schumann – Symphony No. 3 Rhenish Brahms – Piano Concerto No. 2
Sir András Schiff piano/conductor
Bach’s St John Passion A thrilling staging of the Easter story.
Pre-concert events Join us at 6pm on each concert night for a free pre-concert discussion exploring the music and the ideas around it.
Sir Simon Rattle conductor Peter Sellars director Camilla Tilling soprano Magdalena Kožená mezzo-soprano Andrew Staples tenor Mark Padmore tenor (Evangelist) Roderick Williams baritone (Jesus) Christian Gerhaher baritone (Pilate, Peter) Choir of the Age of Enlightenment
Trial by Jury The law’s an ass.
Toutes Suites A balance of pleasures.
Thursday 18 April 2019 Queen Elizabeth Hall Southbank Centre
Tuesday 14 May 2019 Queen Elizabeth Hall Southbank Centre
Gilbert and Sullivan – Overtures from The Gondoliers and Iolanthe – Selection of songs from The Yeoman of the Guard, The Pirates of Penzance, The Mikado, HMS Pinafore and Ruddigore – Trial by Jury
John Wilson conductor Simon Butteriss baritone (The Learned Judge) Louise Alder soprano (Angelina) Simon Bailey baritone (Counsel for the Plaintiff) Michael Porter tenor (Edwin, the Defendant) Choir of the Age of Enlightenment
Bach – Orchestral Suite No. 3 – Orchestral Suite No. 1 – Orchestral Suite No. 2 – Orchestral Suite No. 4
Margaret Faultless director Lisa Beznosiuk flute
States of Independence A symphony for independence.
Friday 31 May 2019 Royal Festival Hall Southbank Centre
Elgar – Serenade for Strings Strauss – Violin Concerto Sibelius – Symphony No. 2
Vladimir Jurowski conductor Alina Ibragimova violin
Individual or Society? Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness
Pipedreams Keyboard wizardry.
Toutes Suites A balance of pleasures.
Tuesday 14 May 2019 Queen Elizabeth Hall Southbank Centre
Bach – Orchestral Suite No. 3 – Orchestral Suite No. 1 – Orchestral Suite No. 2 – Orchestral Suite No. 4
Margaret Faultless director Lisa Beznosiuk flute
Concert supported by Haakon and Imogen Overli
With his Orchestral Suites, Bach achieved something very special. After years in the service of church employers, he let loose with a bit of Gallic flair, bringing his usual mathematical precision to the popular dance styles of the day. Not only does he balance structure and innovation, and fuse German with French. He also provides vivid moments for different instruments, while making the whole orchestra the star.
Monday 3 December 2018 Queen Elizabeth Hall Southbank Centre
Handel – Overture to Alexander’s Feast Telemann – Concerto for two violas and strings in G Handel – Organ Concerto Op. 7 No. 1 Telemann – Concerto for recorder, flute and strings in E minor Handel – Act One Sinfonia from Saul Telemann – Concerto for oboe d’amore, viola d’amore and flute in E Handel – Organ Concerto Op. 4 No. 1 John Butt director/organ
Audiences in 18th century London demanded increasingly impressive musical spectacles. Handel responded with his virtuosic organ concertos, which he performed himself. Our modern virtuoso is John Butt, who brings his keyboard wizardry to this concert. But it’s never just about one individual. We rarely have more fun than when we’re working together, playing music from the 18th century and letting the special sounds of our period instruments come to the fore.
Concert supported by Nigel Jones and Françoise Valat-Jones
Head or Heart? Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness
James Newby baritone Rising Star of the Enlightenment
Camilla Morse-Glover cello Ann and Peter Law OAE Experience scheme
Ursula Paludan Monberg horn
David Blackadder principal trumpet
Annette Isserlis viola
Love and Duty Songs from the heart with Magdalena Kožená.
Monday 4 February 2019 Royal Festival Hall Southbank Centre
Mozart – Symphony No. 40 – Giunse alfin il momento / Al desio di chi t’adora from The Marriage of Figaro – Parto, Parto from La clemenza di Tito Gluck – Arias from Il Parnaso Confuso, Antigono and La clemenza di Tito – Dance of the Furies from Orfeo Giovanni Antonini conductor Magdalena Kožená mezzo-soprano
Concert supported by Bruce Harris
When your heart’s desire is forbidden by culture and convention, what wins – love or duty? We explore this dilemma through sublime opera arias by Mozart and Gluck, sung by Czech soprano Magdalena Kožená. Sweet songs of love from The Marriage of Figaro meet challenges of duty from Mozart’s swansong, La clemenza di Tito. Our programme is structured as concerts were in the early 1800s, with arias mixed in with the movements of Mozart’s passionate Symphony No. 40.
Apollo and Daphne You can’t have things all your own way.
Thursday 25 October 2018 Queen Elizabeth Hall Southbank Centre
Handel – Suite from The Alchemist Manfredini – Concerto Grosso Op. 3 No. 9 Handel – Concerto Grosso Op. 6 No. 4 – Apollo e Dafne
Jonathan Cohen conductor/director Katherine Watson soprano James Newby baritone
Apollo e Dafne is Handel on sparkling form, proving he could write a short, sharp, comical two-hander.
When Apollo mocks Cupid’s archery skills, Cupid takes revenge by making him fall in love with Daphne – who’s having none of his advances.
The concert also features music Handel wrote for The Alchemist, a classic satirical play about seeking pleasure.
Concert supported by Sir Martin Smith and Lady Smith OBE
Conform or Rebel? Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness
Book now southbankcentre.co.uk/oae 020 3879 9555, daily 9am–8pm Royal Festival Hall Ticket Office, daily 10am–8pm
Brahms Piano Concertos Blockbuster piano music from a time of revolution.
Monday 18 March 2019 Royal Festival Hall Southbank Centre
Schumann – Konzertstück for Four Horns – Symphony No. 4 Brahms – Piano Concerto No. 1
Hear Brahms’ blockbuster piano concertos over two nights with one of the world’s finest pianists, our Principal Artist, Sir András Schiff.
Written 22 years apart, the concertos are snapshots of Brahms’ life. The first is youthful, raw and expressive; the second is mature, structured and wiser.
Both were written in turbulent times, when revolution was in the air and artists joined political movements to overturn the old order.
Tuesday 19 March 2019 Royal Festival Hall Southbank Centre
Schumann – Symphony No. 3 Rhenish Brahms – Piano Concerto No. 2
Sir András Schiff piano/conductor
Sir András Schiff piano/conductor
Concert supported by
Concert supported by Julian and Annette Armstrong
Mark and Rosamund Williams Rev’d John Wates OBE and Carol Wates
We also delve into the troubled world of Brahms’ mentor, Robert Schumann. Shocked by the violence of failed revolutions in 1848, Schumann immersed himself in music to escape the upheaval. He came back with pieces such as the spectacular Konzertstück for Four Horns, which provides an impassioned start to our mini-series.
Laws or Freedoms? Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness
Trial by Jury The law’s an ass.
Thursday 18 April 2019 Queen Elizabeth Hall Southbank Centre
Gilbert and Sullivan – Overtures from The Gondoliers and Iolanthe – Selection of songs from The Yeoman of the Guard, The Pirates of Penzance, The Mikado, HMS Pinafore and Ruddigore – Trial by Jury
John Wilson conductor Simon Butteriss baritone (The Learned Judge) Louise Alder soprano (Angelina) Simon Bailey baritone (Counsel for the Plaintiff) Michael Porter tenor (Edwin, the Defendant)
Choir of the Age of Enlightenment
Concert supported by Selina and David Marks
Part courtroom comedy, part love story, Trial by Jury is a sharp satire of the legal system about a jilted bride who sues her fiancé for breach of contract. This short Gilbert and Sullivan opera was the smash hit of the 1870s, running for hundreds of performances and touring as far as the USA and Australia. Conductor John Wilson joins us to push the legal system to the edge of reason.
Pre-concert events Join us at 6pm on each concert night for a free pre-concert discussion exploring the music and the ideas around it.
States of Independence A symphony for independence.
Friday 31 May 2019 Royal Festival Hall Southbank Centre
Our season closes with an electrifying concert celebrating freedom and liberty.
Even in its own time, Sibelius’ Second Symphony was dubbed the ‘Symphony of Independence’. A powerful piece with a stirring finale, it played its part in Finland’s independence in 1917, and made Sibelius a national hero.
Vladimir Jurowski is joined by violinist Alina Ibragimova for a programme also featuring uplifting music by Elgar and Richard Strauss.
Elgar – Serenade for Strings Strauss – Violin Concerto Sibelius – Symphony No. 2
Vladimir Jurowski conductor Alina Ibragimova violin
Concert dedicated to our Supporting, Bronze, Silver and Gold Friends and Patrons
Secular or Sacred? Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness
Henry Tong violin
Katharina Spreckelsen Matthew Truscott co-principal oboe violin leader
Amelia Shakespeare flute Ann and Peter Law OAE Experience scheme
Max Mandel co-principal viola
Brahms: A German Requiem A Requiem for the living.
Sunday 11 November 2018 Royal Festival Hall Southbank Centre
Vaughan Williams – Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis Brahms – A German Requiem
Marin Alsop conductor Elizabeth Watts soprano James Newby baritone Choir of the Age of Enlightenment
Concert supported by Philip and Rosalyn Wilkinson
Bach’s St John Passion A thrilling staging of the Easter story.
Tuesday 2 April 2019 Royal Festival Hall Southbank Centre
Bach – St John Passion
To mark Armistice Day, Marin Alsop conducts Brahms’ epic German Requiem. Music written for the Requiem Mass was usually performed in Latin. But Brahms broke the mould with this colossal German-language masterpiece. Without direct references to Christ, Brahms’ Requiem is famously humanist in approach. It speaks to you directly about death, grief and living after loss.
Sir Simon Rattle conductor Peter Sellars director Camilla Tilling soprano Magdalena Kožená mezzo-soprano Andrew Staples tenor Mark Padmore tenor (Evangelist) Roderick Williams baritone (Jesus) Christian Gerhaher baritone (Pilate, Peter) Choir of the Age of Enlightenment
Sir Simon Rattle has assembled an extraordinary team for the first UK performance of this exciting staging of St John Passion, originally performed by the Berlin Philharmonic.
An all-star cast of singers features Magdalena Kozená, Mark Padmore and Roderick Williams.
Meanwhile, celebrated director Peter Sellars brings it to life on stage – so you see the drama unfurl as well as hear it.
Bach’s musical setting of the crucifixion of Christ is full of colour and emotional depth.
Concert supported by Stanley Lowy, Denys and Vicki Firth, Adrian Frost, Julian and Camilla Mash, Michael and Harriet Maunsell, Sir Martin Smith and Lady Smith OBE, Ivor Samuels and Gerry Wakelin
‘ The secret? The OAE’s musicianship, camaraderie and mutual understanding.’ The Times
Book now southbankcentre.co.uk/oae 020 3879 9555, daily 9am–8pm Royal Festival Hall Ticket Office, daily 10am–8pm No transaction fees for in-person bookings or Southbank Centre Members and Supporters Circles. For other bookings transaction fees apply: £3 online; £3.50 over the phone. If you wish to receive tickets in the post, a £1 delivery charge applies.
Ticket prices
£60 for premium seats / £40 / £25 / £10 Apollo and Daphne, Pipedreams, Love and Duty and States of Independence.
£75 for premium seats / £45 / £25 / £10 Brahms: A German Requiem, Brahms Piano Concertos, Trial by Jury and Toutes Suites.
£90 for premium seats / £50 / £25 / £10 Bach’s St John Passion.
All tickets entitle you to a free programme.
Pre-concert events Join us at 6pm on each concert night for a free pre-concert discussion exploring the music and the ideas around it.
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