Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness
Pipedreams
Monday 3 December 2018 Queen Elizabeth Hall 7pm
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Pipedreams
Introduction “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
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Thomas Jefferson’s immortal words were inspired by the brilliant energy of the Enlightenment in 18th century Europe. Even now they cast an optimistic beam over humanity and the challenges it faces. Questions about the state and the individual beat in the hearts of many in the 17th and 18th centuries. Their answers still define our lives and what freedoms, if any, we might enjoy. Some of the music in this Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness season is overtly about the grand question of human freedom. Some works have a historical context, and we can pinpoint them as reactions to particular flashpoints, such as the failed revolutions in Germany in 1848. Many pieces relate the conflict between external forces and individual identity, and sing with a voice of undaunted independence. All relate to a notion of intrinsic freedom set out by Jean-Jacques Rousseau in the decade before Jefferson and his committee sat down to draft the Declaration of Independence. “L'homme est né libre, et partout il est dans les fers,” he wrote in Du contrat social (1762): “Man is born free and everywhere he is in chains”.
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Contents Introduction 03 Concert information 06 Orchestra list 08 Programme notes Lindsay Kemp 09 Interview with John Butt 13 Instruments: organ 15 Instruments: viola d'amore 16 Instruments: viola 17 Support us 18 Instruments: flute 20 Instruments: oboe 21 Instruments: recorder 22 OAE education 24 OAE team 29 Supporters 30 Future concerts 33
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Pipedreams
Soloists
Monday 3 December 2018 Queen Elizabeth Hall 7pm
John Butt director/ organ
The concert will finish at approximately 9pm, with one 20 minute interval.
Rachel Beckett recorder Lisa Beznosiuk flute Huw Daniel viola d’amore
Pre-concert talk 6pm Queen Elizabeth Hall Foyer
Simone Jandl viola Max Mandel viola Katharina Spreckelsen oboe d’amore
Repertoire Handel Overture 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
INTERVAL Handel Act One Sinfonia (Overture) from Saul Telemann Concerto for oboe d’amore, viola d’amore, flute and strings in E Handel Organ Concerto Op. 4, No. 1
Concert supported by Nigel Jones and Françoise Valat-Jones.
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Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness
Amelia Shakespeare flute Ann and Peter Law OAE Experience scheme
Also featured on front cover: Matthew Truscott - violin - leader Max Mandel - co-principal viola
Back cover: Annette Isserlis - viola Henry Tong – violin Katharina Spreckelsen - co-principal oboe
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Orchestra Violin Matthew Truscott Rodolfo Richter Daniel Edgar Violin 2 Margaret Faultless Huw Daniel Roy Mowatt
Oboe Katharina Spreckelsen Sarah Humphrys Bassoon Zoe Shevlin
Viola Max Mandel Simone Jandl Annette Isserlis Cello Jonathan Manson Catherine Rimer Bass Cecelia Bruggemeyer
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment More than three decades ago, a group of London musicians took a good 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.
Theorbo David Miller
Sponsor an instrument: Become one of our Chair Patrons and enjoy a meeting with the musician in that role. You'll receive an invitation to get inside the Orchestra and sit beside the musician at a rehearsal. To find out more visit oae.co.uk/support or contact: Marina Abel Smith Head of Individual Giving marina.abelsmith@oae.co.uk Telephone 020 7239 9380
Since then, the OAE has shocked, changed and mesmerised the music world. Residencies at the Southbank Centre and Glyndebourne haven’t numbed its experimentalist bent. Record deals haven’t ironed out its quirks. Period-specific instruments have become just one element of its quest for authenticity. Today the OAE is cherished more than ever. It still pushes for change, and still stands for excellence, diversity and exploration. More than thirty years on, there’s still no orchestra in the world quite like it. © Andrew Mellor
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Pipedreams
Programme Notes Linsday Kemp
While it is understandable that Bach and Handel are almost automatically connected in many people’s minds – here are the two great giants of late baroque music, born only one month and 60 miles apart – the pairing of Handel and Telemann is perhaps a more logical one. One can well imagine that was how it was seen during the composers’ lifetimes, for while Bach was known mainly in northern Germany as a supreme organist, music director and church composer who had published some rather difficult keyboard works and demonstrated incomparable skill in counterpoint, Handel and Telemann were truly internationally regarded figures whose music had not only appeared widely in print, but had enjoyed worldly success in the highly public genres of opera and oratorio. Handel and Bach never met, but Handel and Telemann spent time together as teenage law students, in Halle and Leipzig respectively. Telemann later recalled that ‘Handel and I were constantly occupied, frequently visiting each other, as well as writing letters’.
‘I was greatly touched by your most friendly expressions of goodwill; your kindness and renown made too much impression on my heart and mind for me not to reciprocate them as you deserve. Pray be assured that you will always find in me a like sincerity and true regard… I congratulate you on the perfect health that you are enjoying at your somewhat advanced age, and I wish you from my heart every prosperity for many years to come. If your passion for exotic plants etc. could prolong your days and sustain the zest for life that is natural to you, I offer with very real pleasure to contribute to it in some sort. Consequently I am sending you as a present a crate of flowers, which experts assure me are very choice and of admirable quality.’
In the decades that Handel was in London and Telemann in Hamburg, the two were very aware of each other’s music: Handel’s lifelong habit of ‘borrowing’ and adapting musical material by other composers drew frequently on works by Telemann; and Telemann performed versions of some of Handel’s operas in the 1720s and ’30s in his capacity as director of the Gänsemarkt Opera in Hamburg. After a visit to Holland and possibly Germany in 1750, Handel presumably received a letter from his old friend, for his response survives:
When Handel first came to London in 1710, it was to make his living as a composer of Italian opera, then one of the principal cultural delights of the aristocracy. This he did with great success for over two decades, but by the mid-1730s things were beginning to change. The increasing prosperity and influence of the middle classes during the stable years of Hanoverian rule had created a fresh audience with different tastes, and for them Handel created a new genre: oratorio in English. His best-known oratorios tend to set biblical stories, but he also treated historical or poetic subjects, and in 1736 brought the two together in a setting of John Dryden’s ode for St Cecilia’s Day, Alexander’s Feast, or the Power of Music.
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) Overture Alexander’s Feast 1 Maestoso – Allegro 2 Andante
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The poem, written in 1697, describes a banquet given by Alexander the Great to celebrate his victory over Darius of Persia in the third century BC, focusing in particular on how the minstrel Timotheus is able with his music to move the King to a variety of emotions. Finally, Cecilia is hailed as Timotheus’s latter-day counterpart. The Overture, typically, is in the French style, which is to say based on examples created by the seventeenth-century composer Jean-Baptiste Lully, in which a stately opening characterised by elegantly lurching rhythms is followed by a faster, more contrapuntally based section. Handel often, as here, liked to follow this with a lighter dance movement such as a minuet. ‘Lully has provided good models’, wrote the flautist and theorist Johann Joachim Quantz of the overture style in 1751, ‘but some German composers, among others especially Handel and Telemann, have far surpassed him.’
It is not clear exactly what instrument Telemann meant by the word ‘violetta’. The term can be traced as far back as the fifteenth century, before the instruments of the violin family evolved, and usages of it up to Telemann’s time vary widely enough (or are vague enough) to suggest anything from a type of treble viol to a small viola, and from a special variant of viola d’amore to a normal viola played in a particular manner. At least two German writers from the 1730s suggest, however, that the term is synonymous with viola, and it as a work for two violas that Telemann’s Concerto for Two Violettas has become known in modern times. Telemann composed it around 1740, not long after his successful visit to Paris in 1737-8, and the French movement titles in the manuscript – as well as the use of the title concert rather than the Italian concerto – may be a reflection of this. In fact the work is more Italian in character, mixing elements of the influences of Corelli and Vivaldi.
Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767) Concerto for two violas (violettas) and strings in G, TWV52:G3 1 Avec douceur 2 Gay 3 Largo 4 Vivement
Handel Organ Concerto Op.7, No.1 1 Andante 2 Andante 3 Largo e piano 4 Fuga 5 Adagio 6 Bourrée: Allegro
Famously prolific as a composer, Telemann also wrote no fewer than three autobiographical sketches, from which we learn among other things that, while principally a violinist, he was familiar with the practical ins and outs of virtually every instrument then in use. No doubt this was a skill that stood him in good stead in the composition of over 100 concertos, an output which includes some of the most skilfully written, vivacious and colourful instrumental music of the entire baroque era.
Telemann may have been something of a jack of all trades as a performer, but Handel was one of the most admired organists of his day. One knowledgeable observer judged him to be rivalled only by Bach, and there are accounts of how his occasional improvisations on the organ of St Paul’s Cathedral drew ‘as great an audience as ever filled the choir’. It is understandable, therefore, that when the box office for performances of his oratorios needed a boost in the mid-1730s, the pragmatic Handel decided that a show of virtuosity on the organ during the intervals was the answer.
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The genre’s first public appearance came in 1735 at performances of the oratorios Esther, Athalia and Deborah, and in 1738 six organ concertos were published as Handel’s Op. 4. They were a big success and in 1761, two years after Handel died, Walsh decided to publish another set of concertos as Op. 7. Handel had continued to play the organ in public until well into the 1750s, but increasing blindness meant that he had to rely more than ever on his skill as an improviser. The eighteenth-century music historian Charles Burney reported that ‘he rather chose to trust his inventive powers, than those of reminiscence: for giving the band only the skeleton, or ritornels, of each movement, he played all the solo parts extempore, while the other instruments left him, ad libitum, waiting for the signal of a shake [or trill] before they played such fragments of symphony as they found in their books.’ The concertos of Op. 7 are mostly associated with the oratorios of the 1740s, and contain the usual mixture of reworkings and borrowings from his own music and that of others, Telemann included. No. 1 was probably first performed at the premiere of the oratorio L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato in February 1740. Curiously, it is the only of Handel’s organ concertos to feature a part for pedals – perhaps that line was played by the orchestral basses. It opens with an unusually long two-part Andante, part of which is based on a passacaglia from one of his earlier harpsichord suites. A delicate Largo follows, leading to a fugue adapted from a movement in one of Handel’s Op. 6 concerti grossi. Then there is an improvisation, and the work ends with a bourrée borrowed from one of Handel’s favourite sources at this time, a recently published set of harpsichord suites by the German composer Gottlieb Muffat.
Telemann Concerto for recorder, flute and strings in E minor, TWV52:e1 1 Largo 2 Allegro 3 Largo 4 Presto In his Concerto for Recorder and Flute, Telemann’s instrumental imagination alighted on a combination of soloists that may well be unique. It is symbolic of course – the soon-to-be obsolete recorder going hand-in-hand with the transverse flute that in the first half of the eighteenth century was rapidly replacing it in orchestras and salons throughout Europe – but Telemann’s subtle ear turns it to genuine account, successfully pitching the recorder’s more piercing and focused tone against the softer and warmer voice of the flute. The work opens with a gently pulsating but richly melodic Largo, followed by a strong-boned, contrapuntally inclined Allegro and then a tenderly expressive Largo lent grace and lightness by pizzicato string accompaniment. Fine as these movements are, however, the show-stopper is undoubtedly the finale, a joyously irresistible example of the ‘gypsy’ style Telemann so loved to introduce into his music. His fascination with it went back to his twenties, when he had been employed by Count Erdmann of Promnitz at his estate in Upper Silesia: ‘I heard there … music in its true barbaric beauty… One would scarcely believe what wonderful ideas the pipers and fiddlers have when they improvised … An attentive observer could gather from them enough ideas in eight days to last a lifetime.’ Coming from a creative mind as fertile as Telemann’s, that is saying something.
INTERVAL
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Handel Act One Sinfonia (Overture) from Saul 1 Allegro 2 Largo 3Allegro 4 Minuetto Handel’s biblical oratorio Saul, first performed in January 1739, depicts the descent into madness of the great Israelite warrior-king, stricken by jealousy over the military exploits of the young David. Yet for all that this is one of the composer’s deepest dramatic masterpieces, it also leans consciously towards public spectacle, employing a large and colourful orchestra, and including organ solos for himself in the overture.
Telemann Concerto for oboe d’amore, viola d’amore, flute and strings, in E major TWV 53:E1 1 Andante 2 Allegro 3 Siciliana 4 Vivace Telemann’s unwavering curiosity for new instrumental colour combinations, as well as his acute sensitivity in the working out of them, is beautifully shown in one of his finest concertos, in which he brings together the inspired partnership of oboe d’amore, viola d’amore, flute and strings. The individual natures of these instruments mean that this is always going to be a mellow and lyrical piece, and that is certainly the case in the first movement, which gently explores their different timbres in relaxed and elegant accord.
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The second movement references the ‘Polish’ style, but, more interestingly, occasionally allows a soloist to go dreamily its own way. A siciliana follows, again making delicate use of ever-changing colours, and the concerto ends with another Polish movement, this time with a touch of swagger.
Handel Organ Concerto Op.4, No.1 1 Larghetto e staccato 2 Allegro 3 Adagio 4 Andante In composing Alexander’s Feast, Handel had taken the opportunity offered by the subject-matter to fill the score with extra music, including a concerto grosso and a concerto each for organ and harp. The first concerto of Handel’s Op. 4 was originally heard just before the oratorio’s final chorus, where it celebrates Cecilia’s symbolic role as the inventor of the organ. The mood of the minor-key first movement is dark, like the opening of an operatic dungeon scene with the organ as its rueful protagonist. The second movement changes the atmosphere with a shift to the major key, but its apparently joyful demeanour is repeatedly compromised by an unsettling second theme, played softly and in the minor. A short organ solo in the style of a quiet improvisation leads to the final movement, a gradually intensifying set of variations on a lightly dancing triple-time theme. © Lindsay Kemp
Interview
John Butt Interview by Helena Wynn
Handel and Telemann were contemporaries and friends. To what extent do you think these composers influenced each other and is this influence evident in any of these pieces? Handel and Telemann knew each other early on in life, while they were both studying in Leipzig. It seems that they continued their friendship later in life, albeit in different countries, and Telemann dominated the music scene in Hamburg just as Handel did in London. They both participated in the newly emerging mixing of national styles that was developing in the early eighteenth century and both were keen to integrate traditional compositional techniques with more popular styles. They were both very experienced in working with a broad range of performers and wrote much of this experience into the actual notation. Handel clearly appreciated Telemann since he borrowed several themes and segments as a spur to his own composition (even some of his organ concertos, most of which share the epigrammatic profiling of musical themes and ideas with Telemann’s appealing style).
This concert also showcases some of the less celebrated instruments of the Baroque orchestra such as the viola, oboe d’amore and recorder as soloists. The programme also includes Handel’s organ concerti, the first works of their kind. Why did you decide to put these pieces together? So many Baroque concertos feature violins that we often forget that many other instruments could also share the limelight. This period was the beginning of the modern concerto tradition, which over the decades did so much to develop the individual characteristics of the different instruments. The flexibility and transparency of the Baroque orchestra is also particularly conducive to many of the softer instruments, such as viola, flute and recorder, revealing nuances that are much harder to hear with modern orchestras. Handel used the organ as a vehicle for his own virtuosity and through his experiments in this regard he essentially invented the keyboard concerto (together with his direct contemporary, J.S. Bach). Previously, the keyboard had really only been used in the ensemble to fill in the chords, so this new-found concerto role elegantly parallels the increasing profile of other hitherto ‘subservient’ instruments.
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Georg Philipp Telemann by Georg Lichtensteger
A painting of Handel by Philip Mercier
To what extent does your own research inform the way you present these works?
During his lifetime Telemann was celebrated as a leading composer. However, he is often now considered inferior to Bach and Handel. Do you think this judgement is justified, or has history unfairly maligned his efforts?
My research works on several different levels: obviously, it concerns issues of production of the music, particularly techniques of articulation and rhetoric, and also the use of ornamentation (both that which can be improvised and that which lies latent in the notation). But one of my main interests is how a potential audience is built into the construction of the music - how does it account for the listener’s expectations? How does it surprise the listener? How does it maintain a listener’s concentration and manipulate our memories?
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No, this is unfair to Telemann. The problem perhaps lies in his wonderful altruism, attempting to write something for virtually every available instrument and also gearing his music to a broad range of abilities. He was really one of the first composers to have a real sense of responsibility towards the newly emerging amateur culture. Telemann produced more music than Handel and Bach together, all of it worthwhile in one way or another; but his best music is obviously that which he conceived for the very best performers, and here his music almost always matches Handel’s in its variety, interest and subtlety.
Pipedreams
Our soloists and their instruments The organ
The organ used in tonight’s concert is commonly known as the Bach 2000 Organ (affectionately as ‘Big Bertha’!) as it was built for John Eliot Gardiner’s Bach Cantata Pilgrimage of that year. The idea was to have a design that looked as if it had metaphorically ‘fallen off’ the organ at Freiburg Cathedral, an instrument Bach knew well. Being Bach’s immediate contemporary, Handel would have been familiar with such a design and whilst he would have intended a larger specification for his organ concertos, the Bach organ is a logistical compromise making it ideal for present day concert use. The main difference between this and other portable organs is the addition of an open 8ft stop, giving it a ‘real organ’ feel. Its full specification is: Principal 8, Gedackt 8, Octava 4, Rurhflöte 4, Superoctava 2, Sifflöte 1/Quinte 11/3. Robin Jennings, organ-maker
© David Barbour
John Butt John Butt, FBA, FRSE is Gardiner Professor of Music at the University of Glasgow and Musical Director of Scotland's Dunedin Consort. From his time at Cambridge where he was organ scholar at King's College and also received a PhD, he has been successful in being at the top of his field in both academia and performance. Having recorded eleven solo recording on organ and harpsichord for Harmonia Mundi he has also numerous academic publications, notably Playing with History (2002 CUP), a study of the broad culture of historically informed performance, and Bach's Dialogue with Modernity (2010 CUP), an exploration of the ways in which Bach's passion settings relate to some if the broader concepts of modernity, such as subjectivity and time consciousness. 015
The viola d'amore " The viola d'amore is a 7- or 6-string instrument normally also with sympathetic strings, and is played under the chin like a violin. The played strings are normally made of gut, and the sympathetic strings are made of wire. The shape of the instument is rather more like a viol than a violin, and the sound holes are shaped like the Flaming Sword of Islam. We don't know the origins of the instrument exactly, but it's likely to have evolved from the Middle East; "d'amore" could of course mean "of love", but it could also mean "of the Moors". The strings are usually tuned to the key of the piece. In this case Telemann writes the music of the viola d'amore a semitone high, and the player tunes the instrument a semitone low to compensate, enabling the player to play in F major while sounding in E major." Huw Daniel
Huw Daniel Huw Daniel was a pupil at Ysgol Gyfun Ystalyfera, South Wales, and was then an organ scholar at Robinson College, Cambridge, graduating with first-class honours in music. He then studied the baroque violin at the Royal Academy of Music with Simon Standage. In 2004, Huw was a member of EUBO, the members of which formed Harmony of Nations and continue to play together. A member of the Dunedin Consort, OAE, and the Irish Baroque Orchestra, he is also leader of Orquestra Barroca Casa da MĂşsica, Porto. Huw plays a violin by Alessandro Mezzadri c.1720, on loan from the Jumpstart Junior Foundation and an 18-century Austrian viola d'amore.
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The Baroque viola 'The Baroque viola is lighter and the tension of the strings is lower, which means it sounds softer than a modern viola. We are not using chinrests or shoulder rests, which means we have to support our instrument mainly with the thumb of the left hand. Whereas a shoulder rest enables you to move more freely along the fingerboard, playing without it allows more movement when you move between top and bottom strings.
We play on gut strings, which are more sensitive to humidity changes than the metal or synthetic strings which nowadays are widely used on modern instruments but were only invented around a century ago. The use of gut strings requires a different approach from the player – they are a lot less forgiving when you apply too much force for example, but also need some speed and decisiveness to actually produce some sound. My instrument is a copy of an Odoardi model from the 18th century, which was made in 2006 by Eduard Schwen in Germany, the bow is also a modern-made copy by Maryan Atwood." Simone Jandl
Max Mandel Max Mandel enjoys a varied and acclaimed career as a chamber musician, soloist, orchestral musician and speaker. He is the Co-Principal Viola of The Orchestra of The Age of Enlightenment. He is also a member of the trailblazing ensemble FLUX Quartet. He has appeared as guest Principal Viola with The Chamber Orchestra of Europe, The Australian Chamber Orchestra, The Scottish Chamber Orchestra, The Academy of Ancient Music, The Canadian Opera Company Orchestra, Camerata Bern, and the Handel & Haydn Society, amongst others.
Simone Jandl As well as being co-principal viola in the OAE, she is a member of the Spira mirabilis project and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, and is a regular guest with the Dunedin Consort. She also holds a teaching position at the Hochschule fĂźr Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin, where she currently lives. She enjoys swimming, dancing and reading and is fluent in German, English, Italian and Spanish.
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Supporting our projects Every year, the OAE curates a season full of inspiring and unique projects. We are always looking for enlightened individuals who are interested in supporting this aspect of our work. Project supporters enjoy the chance to meet players and soloists and be involved in the creative process from the early stages right up to the performance. For more information please contact: Emily Stubbs Development Director emily.stubbs@oae.co.uk Telephone 020 7239 9381 OAE Friends As an OAE Friend [from £50], you can be sure to get your hands on your favourite seats with our priority booking period. You’ll also benefit from a unique insight into the inner workings of the Orchestra with regular rehearsal access, opportunities to meet the players and invitations to other events throughout the season. Join the OAE Friends at oae.co.uk/support or contact: Helena.wynn@oae.co.uk Telephone 020 7239 9386 OAE Patrons OAE Patrons [from £1,000] enjoy unrivalled access to our artistic activity, with opportunities for involvement including invitations to Glyndebourne dress rehearsals, dinner with OAE players and guest artists, Patron trips, and the chance to select a concert in our Southbank Centre season, gaining special insight into the artistic process through backstage and rehearsal access.
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Images opposite, left to right: Matthew Truscott – violin/co-leader Ursula Paludan Monberg – horn Henry Tong – violin
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Support us The past 30 years have seen the OAE grow to become one of the world’s leading period instrument orchestras performing to a global audience of over 5 million people each year. Our education work reaches over 12,000 participants annually across the UK. The Night Shift, our pioneering late night series of informal performances, now takes place in pubs and clubs across London. We love what we do and we’re proud of our international reputation for performing with warmth, imagination and expertise. We could not have reached these milestones without our loyal band of supporters. Our box office sales, touring and public funding bring in 70% of the income we need and the generosity of our donors is vital to make up the remaining 30%. Without this support, we could not realise our ambitious plans to continue our pioneering work on the concert platform and beyond.
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'All of the notes have their own colour' The Baroque flute "The flute I use in OAE for playing Baroque composers such as Bach is made of grenadilla wood and is about ten years old. It was made in south Germany by Martin Wenner and is a copy of an original instrument from the mid-18th century by Carlo Palanca. The original instrument is in a private collection. Woodwind players tend to play copies because the originals often deteriorate, which is opposite to how violins and cellos seem to get better with age. It’s different from a modern flute in that it’s made of wood. It’s also a very simple instrument compared to a modern flute. The wood makes the sound gentler, and the size of the blowing hole is smaller, therefore the sound is sweeter and smaller and not as loud. There’s less volume, but to my ear a lot of subtlety with each note. Due to the fact there are only six holes, we have to use cross fingerings, which means all of the notes have their own colour." Lisa Beznosiuk
Lisa Beznosiuk Born in England of Ukrainian/Irish descent, Lisa Beznosiuk is one of the world’s leading performers on early flutes. As solo flautist and orchestral principal she has performed and recorded a wide range of 18th and 19th century repertoire on a variety of historical flutes, both copies and originals, from her own collection. Lisa has received many enthusiastic reviews for her live and recorded performances. Her solo recordings include the complete sonatas of Bach and Handel, concertos by Vivaldi, and quartets and concertos by Mozart. She also features on numerous recordings of orchestral music from Bach to Brahms and beyond with many of Europe’s best-known period instrument ensembles. Lisa is a founder member of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and, as a season curator, has been deeply involved in the programme planning and artistic future of the orchestra. Lisa is also a passionate and dedicated teacher and is Professor of Early Flutes at the Royal Academy of Music. She holds an international reputation as a flute teacher and ensemble coach and many of her former students are now successful and well-known flautists.
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The Baroque oboe
The second difference is the lack of keys. I only use two keys. Everything else, like on a recorder, is covered directly by my fingers. For certain semitones I’ve got to use half-holing or cross-fingering, which opens up a whole new variety of sounds and colours. I feel incredibly passionate that the lack of keys should never be seen as a disadvantage. At the OAE we try to bring to you different repertoire from different centuries on different instruments, so you can experience the different sound worlds that these instruments create." Katharina Spreckelsen For her solo in tonight’s third Telemann concerto, Katharina will be playing an oboe d’amore. This larger version of the oboe is an alto rather than a soprano instrument, generally lower and more serene in its tone.
© Eric Richmond
"The oboe I use to play Baroque repertoire looks very different from the modern oboe. Probably the biggest difference is its colour. Modern oboes are made out of a black, hard wood. Mine, like many of its time, is made of boxwood, which is much, much softer. The sound too is softer, less penetrating and more mellow.
'You can experience the different sound worlds that these instruments create' Katharina Spreckelsen Katharina Spreckelsen is one of the leading baroque oboists of her generation. She was born in Germany and after studying with the late Michel Piguet in Basle, Katharina moved to London for further studies with Paul Goodwin at the Royal College of Music. She soon became a sought after player with many European Ensembles. Katharina was principal oboist with the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, the Gabrieli Players and Florilegium and she now divides her time between The English Concert, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and Christian Curnyn’s Early Opera Company. Katharina often performs and records with singers such as Mark Padmore, Thomas Quasthof, Ian Bostridge, Andreas Scholl, David Daniels and Rolando Villazon. Her performances as an obligato soloist are frequently paired with solo concerto performances.
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The baroque recorder
OAE Staff
© Eric Richmond
"The recorder was widely used by all the great Baroque composers, who treated it as a serious instrument before it gained the rather unfortunate reputation as an instrument you play in school that it has today. While the flute and recorder are from the same family of reedless wind instruments, a key difference between the instruments of Bach’s time (and now) lies in something called a ‘fipple’, which the recorder has but the flute doesn’t. This is a mouthpiece that compresses the air when it’s blown into the recorder. While this makes the recorder an easier instrument to play for beginners, becoming a world-class recorder player takes as much skill as any other instrument."
Rachel Beckett Rachel Beckett grew up in Stratford-upon-Avon and studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. She is principal recorder with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and principal flute and recorder with Sir John Eliot Gardiner’s English Baroque Soloists. Future major appearances include Bach’s Suite in B minor at Festivals in Bath and Cartagena, Colombia and opera seasons with OAE of Handel’s Rinaldo at Glyndebourne and Agrippina at the Royal Opera House. Recent recordings with EBS include Monteverdi’s opera Il Ritorno d’Ulisse, Bach B Minor Mass, St Matthew Passion, and Cantata 151 Süsser Trost. Rachel also has a thriving teaching practice in her home town of Chesham.
Learn more about our instruments on our YouTube channel. youtube.com/orchestraoftheageofenlightenment
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OAE Education
OAE TOTS at Saffron Hall
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.
Last season we undertook
265 workshops 54 concerts in 33 towns, cities and villages with over 20,165 people across the country.
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A still from our film made with local schools in Darlington.
2018-19: Musical Communities To sit alongside Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness, in 2018-19 we will be creating a programme of events inspired by the communities we live and work in, exploring how we can work together to build relationships and how music can be a fantastic tool for creativity. Our FLAGSHIP project for 2019-21 will begin with preparation for our first community opera Regeneration, which will tour to County Durham, Norfolk, London, Suffolk and Plymouth over the three years of the project. Our TOTS programme will be inspired by the work of great masters Bach, Handel and Mozart in a series of concerts titled The World Around Us. Our Schools programme will focus on 'variations' and how things change. Our Special Needs programme will see culminations of our newly created Fairy Queen project for SEN settings and a new project for all six special schools in Ealing.
Our Nurturing Talent programme will see our OAE Experience students involved in projects throughout the year, a new composition project at Huddersfield University, teacher training and a new course for young musicians to delve into the world of baroque and classical music. Finally, Our Opera programme will continue with works inspired by the great masters and a collaboration with Glyndebourne education on a new community opera by Howard Moody called Agreed.
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 marina.abelsmith@oae.co.uk Telephone 020 7239 9380
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Lubbock Fine is proud to support the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment We are a full service, contemporary firm of chartered accountants based in the city of London, and we’d like to meet you. Along with proudly supporting the arts, our professional team provides specialist accounting, audit and tax advice to a wide range of clients across the full commercial and personal spectrum. Our many clients rely on us to act as a “trusted advisor” across both their commercial and personal matters. Why not give us a call to arrange a free, initial meeting or chat? Please contact partner Russell Rich russellrich@lubbockfine.co.uk or feel free to call him on 020 7490 7766.
Paternoster House, 65 St Paul’s Churchyard, London EC4M 8AB
T 020 7490 7766
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The authoritative voice on classical music since 1923
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Discover essential classical music recordings every month, with over 100 reviews every issue, written by an unrivalled panel of expert critics.
We are devoted to exploring the artists stamping their mark on recording today, with captivating features and exclusive interviews.
We celebrate composers both past and present, providing you with a unique perspective on the lives and work of the greats of the classical music world.
To find out more about our five subscription packages, visit www.magsubscriptions.com/gramophone or call our team on 0800 137 201 Full annual retail price for print only (13 issues) is £74.75; print only annual subscription, Digital Edition and reviews Database (£61); Digital Club (£80); Gramophone Club (£101). Postage and packaging is not included for overseas orders. If you have a subscription enquiry then please email subscriptions@markallengroup.com
OAE team
Chief Executive Crispin Woodhead
Finance Officer Fabio Lodato
Director of Finance and Governance Ivan Rockey
Digital Content Officer Zen Grisdale
Development Director Emily Stubbs Director of Marketing and Audience Development John Holmes Director of Press Katy Bell Projects Director Jo Perry General Manager Edward Shaw Orchestra Manager Philippa Brownsword
Marketing and Press Officer Thomas Short Box Office and Data Manager Carly Mills Head of Individual Giving Marina Abel Smith Development Officer Helena Wynn Development Manager Catherine Kinsler Trusts and Foundations Manager Andrew Mackenzie Development Coordinator Andrea Jung
Choir Manager David Clegg Projects Officer Ella Harriss Librarian Colin Kitching Education Director Cherry Forbes Education Officer Andrew Thomson
The OAE is a registered charity number 295329 and a registered company number 2040312 Registered office: Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9AG Telephone 020 7239 9370 info@oae.co.uk Design and art direction –LucienneRoberts+ Photography – Alex Grace
Board of Directors Sir Martin Smith [Chairman] Luise Buchberger Steven Devine Denys Firth Nigel Jones Max Mandel David Marks Rebecca Miller Roger Montgomery Imogen Overli Olivia Roberts Susannah Simons Katharina Spreckelsen Mark Williams Crispin Woodhead OAE Trust Sir Martin Smith [Chair] Edward Bonham Carter Paul Forman Julian Mash Imogen Overli Rupert Sebag-Montefiore Diane Segalen Leaders Kati Debretzeni Margaret Faultless Matthew Truscott Players’ Artistic Committee Steven Devine Max Mandel Roger Montgomery (Chair) 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
Supporters
The OAE continues to grow and thrive through the generosity of our supporters. We are very grateful to our sponsors and Patrons and hope you will consider joining them. We offer a close involvement in the life of the Orchestra with many opportunities to meet players, attend rehearsals and even accompany us on tour.
OAE Thirty Circle We are particularly grateful to the following members of the Thirty Circle who have so generously contributed to the re-financing of the Orchestra through the OAE Trust. Thirty Circle Patrons Bob and Laura Cory Sir Martin Smith and Lady Smith OBE Thirty Circle Members Victoria and Edward Bonham Carter Nigel Jones and Françoise Valat-Jones Selina and David Marks Julian and Camilla Mash Mark and Rosamund Williams Our Supporters Ann and Peter Law OAE Experience scheme Ann and Peter Law Principal Sponsor
Corporate Partners E.S.J.G. Limited Lubbock Fine Chartered Accountants Mark Allen Group Parabola Land Stephen Levinson at Keystone Law Swan Turton Corporate Associates Aston Lark Belgravia Gallery Kirker Holidays Porsche Mayfair Zaeem Jamal Event Sponsors Ambriel Sparkling Wine Markson Pianos 030
Season Patrons Julian and Annette Armstrong Adrian Frost Bruce Harris John Armitage Charitable Trust Nigel Jones and Françoise Valat-Jones Selina and David Marks Sir Martin Smith and Lady Smith OBE Mark and Rosamund Williams Project Patrons Julian and Camilla Mash Haakon and Imogen Overli Philip and Rosalyn Wilkinson Aria Patrons Denys and Vicki Firth Madeleine Hodgkin Stanley Lowy Gary and Nina Moss Rupert Sebag-Montefiore Caroline Steane Eric Tomsett Chair Patrons Mrs Nicola Armitage – Education Director Hugh and Michelle Arthur – Viola Victoria and Edward Bonham Carter – Principal Trumpet Anthony and Celia Edwards – Principal Oboe Sir Vernon and Lady Ellis – Co-Principal Viola James Flynn QC – Co-Principal Lute/Theorbo Paul Forman – Co-Principal Cello, Co-Principal Bassoon and Co-Principal Horn Jenny and Tim Morrison – Second Violin Andrew Nurnberg – Co-Principal Oboe Jonathan Parker Charitable Trust – Co-Principal Cello Professor Richard Portes CBE FBA – Co-Principal Bassoon
Olivia Roberts – Violin John and Rosemary Shannon – Principal Horn Roger and Pam Stubbs – Sub-Principal Clarinet Crispin Woodhead and Christine Rice – Principal Timpani Education Patrons John and Sue Edwards – Principal Education Patrons Mrs Nicola Armitage Patricia and Stephen Crew Rory and Louise Landman Andrew & Cindy Peck Professor Richard Portes CBE FBA Rising Stars Supporters Annette and Julian Armstrong Mrs Rosamund Bernays Denys and Vicki Firth Mr Bruce Harris Ms Madeleine Hodgkin Mrs Sarah Holford Nigel Jones and Francoise Valat-Jones Mr Peter Lofthouse Mr Mark Loveday Mr Andrew Nurnberg Old Possum's Practical Trust Imogen and Haakon Overli The Reed Foundation Associate Patrons Julia and Charles Abel Smith Nick Allan Noël and Caroline Annesley David and Marilyn Clark David Emmerson Ian S Ferguson and Dr Susan Tranter Jonathan and Tessa Gaisman Peter and Sally Hilliar Noel De Keyzer Madame M Lege-Germain Sir Timothy and Lady Lloyd Michael and Harriet Maunsell Roger Mears and Joanie Speers David Mildon in memory of Lesley Mildon John Nickson & Simon Rew
For more information on supporting the OAE please contact: Emily Stubbs Development Director emily.stubbs@oae.co.uk Telephone 020 7239 9381 Andrew and Cindy Peck Emily Stubbs and Stephen McCrum Shelley von Strunckel Ivor Samuels and Gerry Wakelin Rev’d John Wates OBE and Carol Wates Mr J Westwood Young Ambassador Patrons Rebecca Miller William Norris Young Patrons Joseph Cooke and Rowan Roberts David Gillbe Nina Hamilton Marianne and William Cartwright-Hignett Sam Hucklebridge Alex Madgwick Natalie Watson Gold Friends Michael Brecknell Mr and Mrs C Cochin de Billy Geoffrey Collens Chris Gould Silver Friends Dennis Baldry Mrs A Boettcher Haylee and Michael Bowsher Tony Burt Christopher Campbell Michael A Conlon Mr and Mrs Michael Cooper Dr Elizabeth Glyn Malcolm Herring Patricia Herrmann Rupert and Alice King Cynthia and Neil McClennan Stephen and Roberta Rosefield David and Ruth Samuels Susannah Simons Her Honour Suzanne Stewart
Bronze Friends Tony Baines Keith Barton Mr Graham Buckland Dan Burt Anthony and Jo Diamond Mrs SM Edge Mrs Mary Fysh Ray and Liz Harsant The Lady Heseltine Auriel Hill Stephen Larcombe Julian Markson Stephen & Penny Pickles Anthony and Carol Rentoul Alan Sainer Gillian Threlfall Mr and Mrs Tony Timms Mrs Joy Whitby David Wilson Trusts and foundations Angus Allnatt Charitable Foundation Apax Foundation Arts Council England Catalyst Fund Arts Council England Ashley Family Foundation Arts Council England Barbour Foundation Boltini Trust Boshier-Hinton Foundation Brian Mitchell Charitable Settlement Catherine Cookson Charitable Trust The Charles Peel Charitable Trust Chapman Charitable Trust Chivers Trust Cockayne – Grant for the Arts London Community Foundation John S Cohen Foundation Derek Hill Foundation D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust Dunard Fund Ernest Cook Trust Esmee Fairbairn Foundation Fenton Arts Trust Fidelio Charitable Trust Foyle Foundation GarfieldWeston Foundation Geoffrey Watling Charity The Garrick Club Charitable Trust The Golden Bottle Trust Goldsmiths’ Company Charity Idlewild Trust
Jack Lane Charitable Trust JMCMRJ Sorrell Foundation J Paul Getty Jnr General Charitable Trust John Lyon’s Charity Lord and Lady Lurgan Trust The Mark Williams Foundation Michael Marks Charitable Trust National Foundation for Youth Music Nicholas Berwin Charitable Trust Old Possum’s Practical Trust Orchestras Live Palazzetto Bru-Zane Paul Bassham Charitable Trust The Patrick Rowland Foundation PF Charitable Trust Pitt-Rivers Charitable Trust PRS Foundation Pye Charitable Settlement RK Charitable Trust RVW Trust Schroder Charity Trust Sir James Knott Trust Small Capital Grants Stanley Picker Trust Strategic Touring Fund The Loveday Charitable Trust The R&I Pilkington Charitable Trust The Shears Foundation The Sobell Foundation Valentine Charitable Trust Violet Mauray Charitable Trust The 29th May 1961 Charitable Trust
We are also very grateful to our anonymous supporters and OAE Friends for their ongoing generosity and enthusiasm.
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Future concerts
Visit oae.co.uk for more details on all our upcoming concerts.
Bach, the Universe & Everything
Songs from the heart
Engineering for Space
Love and Duty
Sunday 16 December 2018 Kings Place 11.30am
Monday 4 February 2019 Royal Festival Hall 7pm
Marvel at our extraordinary universe and the beauty of classical music with our Sunday morning series for curious minds.
Can you enjoy all three of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness? Or do you have to compromise? We explore this question with sublime arias by Mozart, Haydn and Gluck, sung by Czech soprano Magdalena Kožená.
We're joined by Maggie Aderin-Pocock, presenter of the legendary BBC series The Sky at Night since 2014. With an extensive career building satellites, she talks about the challenges of engineering for space. As it's December, we perform one of Bach's Christmas cantatas, this one first performed on December 27, 1723. Rowan Pierce - soprano Helen Charlston - alto Dingle Yandell - bass Steven Devine - director Choir of the Age of Enlightenment With Maggie Aderin-Pocock
Book kingsplace.co.uk/btuae
Includes Mozart Symphony No.40, Mozart arias from the The Marriage of Figaro and La Clemenza di Tito Giovanni Antonini - Conductor Magdalena Kožená - mezzo-soprano
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KIRKER MUSIC FESTIVALS F O R
D I S C E R N I N G
T R A V E L L E R S
Kirker Holidays offers an extensive range of independent and escorted music holidays. These include tours to leading festivals in Europe such as the Puccini Festival in Torre del Lago and the Verdi Festival in Parma, as well as Glyndebourne, Buxton and opera weekends in Vienna, Milan and Venice. We also host our own exclusive music festivals on land and at featuring internationally acclaimed musicians. For those who prefer to travel independently we arrange short breaks with opera, ballet or concert tickets, to all the great classical cities in Europe.
THE KIRKER MUSIC FESTIVAL IN TENERIFE A SEVEN NIGHT HOLIDAY | 12 JANUARY 2019 For our fourth exclusive music festival on the island of Tenerife, we will present a series of six concerts featuring the Gould Piano Trio, pianist Benjamin Frith, soprano Ilona Domnich and violist Simon Rowland-Jones. Staying at the 5* Hotel Botanico, surrounded by lush tropical gardens, we shall also enjoy a programme of fascinating excursions. Highlights include the Sitio Litro Orchid Garden, a cable car journey to the peak of Mount Teide and a visit to the primeval cloud forest of the Anaga Mountains. We will also visit historic and picturesque villages along the spectacular north coast, including Garachico with its 17th century convent. Price from £2,698 per person (single supp. £375) for seven nights including flights, transfers, accommodation with breakfast, six dinners, six private concerts, all sightseeing, entrance fees and gratuities and the services of the Kirker Tour Leader.
THE KIRKER MUSIC FESTIVAL IN MALLORCA A SIX NIGHT HOLIDAY | 29 MAY 2019 The works of Frédéric Chopin are central to our Festival in Mallorca and for our seventh visit we will be joined by the Phoenix Piano Trio, Marta Fontanals-Simmons, soprano and Lorena Paz Nieto, mezzo-soprano. Based in the village of Banyalbufar, we will discover the gloriously unspoilt north coast of Mallorca. There will be visits to the picturesque artists’ village of Deia, the capital Palma and the villa of San Marroig. Our series of private concerts includes a recital in the monastery at Valldemossa where Chopin spent three months with his lover the aristocratic Baroness Dudevant, better known as the writer George Sand. Price from £2,290 per person (single supp. £189) for six nights including flights, accommodation with breakfast, two lunches, six dinners, five concerts, all sightseeing and gratuities and the services of the Kirker Tour Leader.
Speak to an expert or request a brochure:
020 7593 2284 quote code GOG www.kirkerholidays.com
Perfectly tuned insurance
Because helping even the youngest musician strikes a chord with us Our Music policy has been carefully designed to allow you to enjoy playing your instrument with complete peace of mind, whatever your age. Lark Music is focused on protecting your possessions and supporting the musical arts.
www.larkmusic.com Lark Music is a trading name of Aston Lark Limited Registered in England and Wales No: 02831010. Registered office: Ibex House, 42-47 Minories, London, EC3N 1DY Aston Lark Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
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