Friends of Wigmore Hall Autumn 2014 Newsletter by Wigmore Hall

NEWS FRIENDS OF WIGMORE HALL

AUTUMN 2014

WIGMORE HALL LEARNING SPECIAL ISSUE

N E W C D R E LE A S E S | C O N C E RT H I G H LI G HTS | F R I E N D S E V E NTS

FLORIAN BOESCH IN CONVERSATION

21 YEARS OF WIGMORE HALL LEARNING

WIGMORE HALL STRING QUARTET COMPETITION

WOLFGANG RIHM COMPOSER FOCUS DAY

‘Christian Blackshaw gives beautifully shaped, sparkling, aching accounts’ The Sunday Times

Iestyn Davies on the Wigmore Hall Live label wins 2014 Gramophone Award

John Gilhooly Director

We are delighted to announce that Iestyn Davies’s disc is the winner of the 2014 Gramophone Recital Category Award

Iestyn Davies, Richard Egarr and Friends Arise, my muse

‘This is a disc that reminds us why live recital programmes are such a valuable part of recorded repertoire… we get a fully rounded musical experience that feels more satisfying both for performers and listeners.’ Gramophone

Original architect’s drawing of the artists’ entrance and backstage area on Welbeck Way 2

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CDs priced £9.99 are on sale in the foyer and from the Box Office (with 10% discount for Friends) or from the Wigmore Hall website. REGISTERED CHARITY NO. 1024838

Supported by the Tertis Foundation

Introducing Igor Levit raises a four-concert platform for the work of a pianist recently tipped by the Daily Telegraph to become ‘one of this century’s big names’. We particularly look forward to welcoming Igor for solo recitals on 27 December and 26 January. He is then joined by tenor Simon Bode on 8 February when distant love and unfulfilled desired combine in a programme of Schubert, Beethoven and Wolfgang Rihm.

We are very pleased to have become acquainted with our neighbours at Harley Street Hearing. Their audiology clinic is based just a five minute walk from the Hall. We recently caught up with Senior Audiologist, Matthew Allsop.

whether they struggle hearing clearly in noisy environments, watching the television, using the telephone or at music concerts and the theatre, we can provide hearing aids designed to cope specifically in each of these situations. At Harley Street Hearing we are very fortunate to be able to work with a range of technologies from the world leaders in hearing research, as a result we can create tailored hearing care based on the individual needs of each patient. The technology ranges from fully automatic hearing aids with no buttons to press, to hearing aids that can communicate directly with your touchscreen mobile phone, or even 100% invisible extended wear hearing devices that can be worn for up to three months without having to be removed from the ear.

Special Offer for Friends We are offering Friends a free hearing assessment. Come and see us to find out whether you could benefit from our range of ground-breaking hearing technology. For more information please contact 020 7486 1053/ info@harleysthearing.co.uk and mention that you are a Friend of Wigmore Hall.

The viola, with its warm, rich tone, sometimes mellow, even subdued, is all too readily overlooked in favour of the violin or cello. On 29 November Wigmore Hall hosts The Viola: A Survey from the Baroque to the present day when we journey through five centuries of the instrument’s development in company with four remarkable virtuosi, Tabea Zimmermann, Antoine Tamestit, Garth Knox and Rosalind Ventris. We do hope that you can join us on this day, which promises to shed fresh light on the instrument as well as unearthing some exquisite repertoire. ‘Nothing lasts, unless it is incessantly renewed,’ Charles de Gaulle once observed. The twin spirits of tradition and renewal are ever present at Wigmore Hall, where masterworks of the chamber music canon find fresh interpretations and major additions to the repertoire are brought to life. The Bracing Change: New British String Commissions series, a major cocommissioning partnership between Wigmore Hall, The Radcliffe Trust and NMC Recordings, launches on 6 December when the Belcea Quartet and pianist Jonathan Biss give the world première of Contusion by Mark-Anthony Turnage. The series continues on 19 January when the JACK Quartet, famed for ‘explosive virtuosity’ (Boston Globe) and ‘viscerally exciting performances’ (New York Times), returns for another red-letter date for followers of our Contemporary Music Series. FRIENDS OFFICE 020 7258 8230

Wigmore Neighbours

What does Harley Street Hearing do? Harley Street Hearing was established twenty-six years ago. Today we have five clinics across London and we provide a range of audiological support; from diagnosing and managing hearing loss, wax removal using microsuction, tinnitus management, and providing advice and hearing protection for musicians. How can we help members of Wigmore Hall’s Audience? Many of our patients attend Wigmore Hall regularly. Some common hearing aid related complaints are that either music doesn’t sound like it used to, or it can cause ones hearing aids to whistle. This can be especially embarrassing with Wigmore Hall’s regular appearances on BBC Radio 3. With our blend of modern hearing aid technology and audiological expertise, it is possible to overcome these and many other hearing related issues. Why it is worthwhile looking into private hearing care? The National Health Service does extremely good work but the technology can be limited compared to the private sector. Depending on the hearing challenges that a patient faces;

The Viola: A Survey from the Baroque to the present day

Igor Levit

The New Year opens at Wigmore Hall with a recital entitled ‘Amore e morte dell'amore’, or ‘Love and the Death of Love’. Sonia Prina and Luca Pianca’s Ensemble Claudiana held their Wigmore Hall audience spellbound at their last visit, and return on 3 January with soprano Roberta Invernizzi for an intimate and colourful evening of Italian music from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

Founded in 2007 at the Yehudi Menuhin School, the Sitkovetsky Trio has now emerged as one of the outstanding young trios of today, in high demand throughout Europe. Praised by The Strad for ‘unbounded, tireless energy’, and by Classical Source for ‘formidable technique with a mature understanding of the music’, the ensemble has been supported by the Wigmore Hall Emerging Talent scheme. The Sitkovetsky Trio’s recital at Wigmore Hall in September 2013 is now available on CD, and features two great works of the genre. Brahms’s Piano Trio No. 3 in C minor, arguably one of the composer’s most concentrated and intense scores, precedes Schubert’s Piano Trio No. 2 in E flat, first performed in 1828 in a concert consisting entirely of Schubert’s own music – the only event of its kind to take place in his lifetime.

WE WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO RECOMMEND A FEW DATES FOR YOUR DIARY OVER THE COMING MONTHS.

Roberta Invernizzi

Christian Blackshaw’s performances of the complete Mozart piano sonatas at Wigmore Hall between 2012 and 2013 received great critical acclaim, and remain cherished memories for the audiences. The second recital, recorded live in May 2012, is now available as a double CD release. ‘For me, [the Mozart Sonatas] imbue the spirit with joy, laughter, sadness, contemplation, exhilaration: the challenge always is to give full life to their individual character. For the new listener, what wonderful surprises await. For the well-acquainted listener, how fortunate to return to them eager to be enchanted again.’ Christian Blackshaw

Welcome to the latest edition of Friends of Wigmore Hall News. The 2014/15 Season is off to a flying start; by now you have most likely submitted your spring priority booking forms and are expecting your tickets any day. Looking ahead to 2015, Wigmore Hall Learning turns 21, and there is much to celebrate. Our Learning features on pages 5, 6 & 7 should give you an idea of the huge scope of our education and outreach work over the past decades, and I hope many of you will be able to join us for our special Learning Gala concert with violinist Nicola Benedetti on 24 January. There is also much anticipation around the Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition in March. As for me, I am leaving Wigmore Hall to take up a new position at the Old Vic after five happy and rewarding years here. I want to thank you for the kindness you have shown me. My colleague Isabel will be holding the fort and a new Friends Manager will be appointed very soon. Zoë Connell Friends Manager

Brahms & Schumann WHLIVE0070

CONCERT HIGHLIGHTS

Sitkovetsky Trio

Mozart Piano Sonatas – Volume 2 WHLIVE0069/2

FROM THE FRIENDS MANAGER

Christian Blackshaw piano

I know you share my feeling that taking care of Wigmore Hall, this historic building, is an ongoing responsibility which must be taken seriously. Many of you will remember when the Hall was shut for a long period in 1991, then again for an extended period in 2004, when we carried out substantial works in all the public areas, remodelling the restaurant, upgrading the Bechstein Room, and making essential changes to the Auditorium and the Foyer. A decade on we need to take stock again, to ensure that Wigmore Hall continues to be run efficiently, sustainably, and cost effectively, ready to receive the world’s leading artists and you, the Friends who come to hear them. And as so many people tune in to our recordings and broadcasts on Radio 3, we need to do more to record, stream, and reach an even wider audience, installing the necessary technology for this, and for creating further resources for young people in schools. Next summer, major works will begin on our backstage spaces, which urgently need to be brought up to date. We must be able to offer flexible accommodation for all our artists, and also to meet the requirements of the larger ensembles which have now become such an important feature of our programming. Creating an Archive space on the ground floor will make study and research more accessible. Air cooling, double-glazing, and insulation backstage will ensure comfort, as well as substantial energy savings. Our refurbishing project will also allow for the physical infrastructure to record and broadcast performances and events through any digital channel, giving us the capacity to present our best artistic and educational activities to a global audience. This is an exciting and significant project and I am especially delighted Arts Council England has agreed £650,000 towards it, and that other major donors have already committed to supporting its £2.1 million overall cost. I will keep you fully up to date with progress over the next few months. Alongside this major building work, I am also very pleased that the first two major artistic series underpinned by Wigmore Hall’s Endowment Fund – The Mozart Odyssey and Henry Purcell: A Retrospective – have begun in such magnificent style. We are very grateful for the generosity and support from so many of you which have made these projects possible. I hope you will join us as both series continue during this Season and the next, and I look forward to welcoming you.

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LOOKING AFTER WIGMORE HALL

Sonia Prina WWW.WIGMORE-HALL.ORG.UK

FLORIAN BOESCH RESIDENCY

CELEBRATING 21 YEARS OF WIGMORE HALL LEARNING

JESSICA DUCHEN TALKS TO FLORIAN BOESCH ABOUT HIS RESIDENCY AT WIGMORE HALL THIS SEASON

MUSIC FOR LIFE IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR PEOPLE LIVING WITH DEMENTIA As dementia gains increasing recognition on the national and global agenda, our pioneering Music for Life programme continues to play an important part in the lives of so many people. More and more evidence points to the powerful and positive effects of music for people living with dementia, but it is the personalised nature of Music for Life that makes it particularly special. Through improvisation, our team of highly skilled professional musicians take full advantage of the inclusive and communicative values of chamber music to fully involve both people living with dementia and care staff in a collaborative and transformational musicmaking experience. The aim of Music for Life is to improve the quality of life for people living with dementia through offering creative ways to communicate and build relationships, increasing their sense of personhood and self-efficacy; as well as to work closely with staff teams to help them develop their practice, and increase their knowledge about dementia. Close partnerships and the absolute commitment to high quality music enable us to leave care centres enriched, and care staff reinvigorated. Below are just a couple of examples of ways in which Music for Life has touched the lives of the people taking part:

PHOTO AND COVER PHOT0 © LUKAS BECK

Fred’s story* – supporting carers and reinforcing identity

Later in the series Boesch presents with pianist Roger Vignoles a very different cycle: Ernst Krenek’s Reisebuch aus den österreichischen Alpen (Travel Diary from the Austrian Alps, with words as well as music by Krenek himself), which he describes as ‘a magnificent cycle of late romantic to early modern music that I’m sure will be appreciated by the Wigmore’s audience’.

start with and he has the ability to communicate with his playing as if he’s speaking to me. He’s also unbelievably fast in his reactions and our musical exchanges. We only rehearse to a certain extent because we leave a lot to the concert. We might share an opinion on what a song is about and what the key point is that we want to express – but how we express it is something we prefer to leave to the concert. It is a great joy that we can agree on that way of making music and have enough trust to give each other an enormous freedom.’

Care staff were not sure that Sarah would benefit from Music for Life as her high level of anxiety means she can be restless and walk out of group activities. She had been very low in the months preceding the project, constantly asking for her parents but also saying they do not care about her, and staff felt that the project might be a means of getting to know her better. Sarah appeared to enjoy the project almost immediately; coming to sessions willingly and arriving with a broad smile. As a former teacher, she seemed to value the learning and exploration that are part of the sessions; she was keen to play instruments and sang often. When she was given the conductor’s baton she intuitively understood how to lead a piece, and did so clearly and decisively. She was delighted at the end of her piece and had a real sense of achievement. After the project, staff noted that Sarah was much calmer and more relaxed and that she liked sitting near the new stereo system to listen to music.

Moments and events such as these happen during every single Music for Life project, making it an incredibly rewarding, and often life-changing experience for those involved. We thank you for your kind ongoing support of Wigmore Hall which enables us to continue delivering this very special and valued programme.

Music for Life was developed by Linda Rose in 1993, and is now managed by Wigmore Hall with its lead care and development partner, Jewish Care. To support Music for Life, please contact Victoria McDougall on 020 7258 8227 or email vmcdougall@wigmore-hall.org.uk

Don’t miss Florian Boesch’s recitals at the Hall in 2015: Thursday 29 January 7.30pm 2015 with Roger Vignoles piano Krenek Reisebuch aus den österreichischen Alpen Friday 5 June 10.00pm 2015 with Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen Lieder by Schubert Mahler/Schoenberg Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen Sunday 7 June 7.30pm 2015 with Malcolm Martineau piano Lieder by Wolf, Brahms and Schumann

MUSIC FOR LIFE PHOTOS © NINA LARGE

Malcolm Martineau

Roger Vignoles

Sarah’s story*

‘I love the Wigmore Hall and its audience. It’s one of the nicest places to do what I love best in my professional life: singing Lieder.’

The unstoppable rise of the Austrian baritone Florian Boesch has brought to prominence an artist of astounding vividness and intensity. Time and again audiences and critics alike marvel at the way he seems not only to sing Lieder, but to live it. Now he is beginning a residency at Wigmore Hall across the 2014/15 Season, exploring repertoire from Schubert to Krenek and much more. ‘It’s an extraordinary honour to have this series,’ Boesch comments. ‘I love the Wigmore Hall and its audience. It’s one of the nicest places to do what I love best in my professional life: singing Lieder.’ His noted spontaneity is no coincidence. ‘My aim is not to be boring or routine,’ he remarks. ‘To me Lieder singing is something so precious that I am careful not to abuse it in the pursuit of short-term success. All I aim for is to stay authentic and honest in the moment of performance. I’m actually trying not to control what I’m doing – and I know that statement is a contradiction! But I don’t go into a concert knowing what my expressive range will be. For me, the inspiration of the moment in the concert – to change something and go a different way – is the most exciting, interesting and important aspect of performing,’ he adds. ‘I could not possibly want to perform something in a way that’s been agreed beforehand. For me that is totally unthinkable.’ His collaboration with the pianist Malcolm Martineau facilitates this, he says. In the first recital on 29 October, they perform Liszt, Strauss and Schubert. ‘Malcolm is one of the most highly talented musicians I’ve ever met,’ Boesch declares. ‘He’s a fantastic pianist to

Fred has Parkinson’s disease and vascular dementia. In the past he enjoyed a number of sports, singing and music. He now uses a custom built supportive wheelchair, and has very little movement in any of his limbs. Fred used to attend a day centre but when they could no longer meet his complex needs he stopped going. When the managers knew Music for Life was coming to the day centre, they contacted Fred’s wife to invite her to bring him back to the sessions. Fred is very frail and his wife, who cares for him at home, was initially anxious and protective towards him; sitting right outside the room, watching her husband. However as the weeks went on, she became much more relaxed and felt able to use the time that Fred was in the session to enjoy a coffee or go shopping. She also stayed after sessions so Fred could have lunch in the centre. The first week that Fred came he sat with his eyes closed for the entire session; occasionally moving his feet in time to the music. Over the course of the project Fred became more alert and relaxed, pulling himself forward in his wheelchair to indicate his enthusiasm. His eyes began to move around the circle and he made clear eye contact with musicians and others in the group. It was felt that Fred really regained his identity during the project: staff members saw his personality come through to the point that his disability was not a significant barrier.

*Names throughout this article are changed and photos do not represent the individuals mentioned 4

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CELEBRATING 21 YEARS OF WIGMORE HALL LEARNING WORKING IN THE WESTMINSTER COMMUNITY

In 2015, the Wigmore Hall Learning programme turns 21 and with this ‘coming of age’, it is a chance to reflect on how truly embedded its work has become at Wigmore Hall. Over the last two decades, the programme has evolved and expanded to reach a broad and diverse audience through creative projects, concerts and events, which not only aim to inspire new connections between people and music, but importantly also builds connections between people and other people through music.

In Autumn 2014, pupils and staff in primary schools in Tower Hamlets, London and Dartington, Devon took part in Chamber Challenge, a four-week project working with the Heath Quartet and music leaders Julian West and Rus Pearson. The project introduced the string quartet with an inspirational concert and then the ‘Chamber Challenge’ was for the children to work together to write a piece of music, which they performed alongside the Heath Quartet in a concert at the end of the project. The children from London schools also had the very special experience of performing their pieces on the Wigmore Hall stage. The tremendous impact of this project on the children’s aspirations, confidence and selfesteem is clear from their feedback: ‘We had to use teamwork without arguing so that our pieces of music would be brilliant’

‘It was a chance to be like a professional musician and the Heath Quartet really inspired me’ Pupils

The Cardinal Hume Centre, based in South Westminster, works with homeless young people and families in need, as well as providing support for local people with little or no income, enabling them to gain the skills they need to break out of poverty and build better lives. Wigmore Hall Learning has developed a strong and ongoing partnership, working with different groups at the Centre since 2011. Last season we ran two creative music projects with a group who were attending English for Speakers of other Languages (ESOL) classes. Many were from Central or South America and seeking asylum or awaiting decisions on their residential status making them at risk of social exclusion and unemployment. Feedback shows how much the projects are valued by both the participants and Cardinal Hume Centre staff. ‘It offers me confidence and skills about singing and speaking English. It also gives me pleasure.’ Participant

‘It has developed friendship between the students and the staff’ Participant ‘Group members have often commented that they are able to forget their problems when they come to the sessions by immersing themselves in the music and working together to produce something they want to share.’ English Tutor

As part of one of the world’s leading venues for chamber music and song, it is only right that the Learning programme has at its heart the core values of these revered art-forms; mutual respect, trust, equality, communication, interconnectedness, freedom of expression and the importance of the voice of the individual within a greater whole. These life-affirming values can be seen reflected throughout the Learning department’s work, from the non-verbal link between parents and their new babies at our For Crying Out Loud! concerts, to baritone Marcus Farnsworth singing alongside primary school pupils on the Wigmore Hall stage, or the connection and empathy experienced by musicians, residents and care staff taking part in a Music for Life session in a care home.

Inspiring teachers is of equal importance and following Chamber Challenge they felt motivated and empowered through our projects: It challenged me to hand over more responsibility for musical outcomes to the children. In my follow-up lessons in between workshops I expected the children to make their own decisions about how to organise their ensembles and how to rehearse and refine their pieces. They rose to the challenge, having had clear modelling of these processes in workshops. I felt I could therefore be more ambitious and adventurous in my lessons in the future’ Class Teacher

And the Heath Quartet had a great time too. ‘It’s the highlight of our year!’ Heath Quartet

LEARNING PHOTOS © WWW.BENJAMINHARTE.CO.UK

1995

1996

1997 1998

1999 Ticket scheme started for young people supported by CAVATINA

First workshop day – A Celebration of the Clarinet

The Wigmore Study Group is launched

2001 2002

Chamber Tots in the Community goes out to nurseries and schools across London

The first hospital project takes place with Middlesex Hospital

2003 20 04 2005 2006 The Schools Network is launched

Our first Trainee Animateur is appointed

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LEARNING DEPARTMENT 020 7258 8240

Family events and concerts are a longestablished part of the programme. In the 2013/14 Season, we sold over 4,000 tickets to our family events which included concerts for parents and babies, Chamber Tots workshops for under 5s, family concerts and creative family days. Young people also take advantage of our free ticket scheme Chamber Zone.

Many parents, carers, grandparents, aunts and uncles who attend regular concerts see the Family programme as a chance to share their passion for music with the next generation. We also bring new audiences to Wigmore Hall by promoting the programme through our excellent partnerships with community organisations and schools.

Music for Life is taken on by Wigmore Hall Learning as a key part of the programme

2007 2008 2009

Voiceworks is founded as part of a year-long Festival of Song, and still continues today

András Schiff begins his series of lecturerecitals on Beethoven’s piano sonatas

In these difficult times for music education and the arts in general, the breadth and scale of Wigmore Hall Learning’s programme is impressive, with 450 events and over 16,000 visits to our projects and events each season. Maintaining these levels of activity and engagement for the next 21 years will be a significant challenge. Our best chance of meeting it is through developing partnerships – working together with organisations including schools, funders, colleges and conservatoires, other arts organisations and the community and health sectors, and building strong connections with artists, young people, music leaders, teachers, care staff, community leaders, audience members and indeed any other individual who believes in the work of Wigmore Hall Learning, and in the power of music to change and enrich our lives.

‘Just to say a really huge thank you on behalf of our family … We thought [the day] was superbly organised, with incredibly kind and thoughtful staff and brilliantly pitched to capture all our ages! The development of the music was quite amazing and we all felt very lucky to have the brilliant guidance and get an insight into how music is put together! Parent attending a Family Day

The study events are a cornerstone of the Learning programme with talks, masterclasses and courses. Events such as Artists in Conversation, Come and Sing, Introduction to Music and Wigmore Study Group continue to go from strength to strength providing audiences with new insights and connections to composers, artists and repertoire.

2000

Projects in schools are included Under 5s attend the first as part of The Britten Songs series Chamber Tots at the Hall workshop

CELEBRATE WITH US

BEHIND THE MUSIC

And this impact wasn’t just short term – there is evidence of a lasting legacy in the schools in which we worked: ‘Our children have continued to be inspired since the project. We have had a significant increase in the number of children taking up individual instrument tuition at our school which has risen from 4 previously to 15 now ‘ Headteacher

1994

THE NEXT GENERATION: FAMILIES AT THE HALL

King’s Wood Symphony by Matthew King is premièred outdoors in King’s Wood, Kent

2010

All Sing! Harrow Road Community Choir is founded by Wigmore Hall Learning

INSPIRING WORK WITH SCHOOLS

BOOK NOW FOR GALA CONCERT Join us on Saturday 24 January 2015 for a Gala Concert with the internationally renowned violinist and passionate music education advocate, Nicola Benedetti. To book tickets, phone the Box Office on 020 7935 2141

2011 2012

Staging of Woodwose , our first community chamber opera

For Crying Out Loud! concerts bring parents and their new babies to the Hall

Wigmore Hall Learning’s resident ensemble, Ignite, is formed

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2013 2014

The first Young Producers students aged 14–18 programme their own concert at the Hall WWW.WIGMORE-HALL.ORG.UK/LEARNING

WIGMORE HALL INTERNATIONAL STRING QUARTET COMPETITION 2015

EARLY MUSIC AND BAROQUE SERIES Celebrating Robert Fayrfax, prominent and influential Tudor composer

JESSICA DUCHEN PREVIEWS THE STRING QUARTET COMPETITION

Tudor history has been in the news of late, thanks to a remarkable find in a Leicester car park and riveting reads about courtly intrigue and revenge. The recent discovery of Richard III’s body and novelist Hilary Mantel’s retelling of the story of Thomas Cromwell and Henry VIII have focused minds on the turbulence of a period forged in the heat of battle and marked by seismic religious and social change. The Cardinall’s Musick and Andrew Carwood, universally acclaimed for their exquisite performances of compositions from the long Tudor century, return to Wigmore Hall for three concerts intended to display music’s importance to the dynastic ambitions of the early Tudors and the florid beauty of pieces written for their spiritual sustenance.

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competitions for youthful solo virtuosi, but the issues that face string quartets are notably different. Not least, chamber music concert series have contracted in many places during the difficult economic climate of recent years; therefore offering support to young groups trying to build their careers has never been more vital. In 2009 The Danish String Quartet emerged victorious and its first violinist, Frederik Øland, explains exactly why the prize mattered so much. ‘The Competition has opened so many doors for us,’ he says. ‘Before the competition we were not known in the UK at all and we were definitely the underdogs coming to the competition.

Since our success we have acquired a UK manager and have received a lot of attention from the UK. The greatest opportunity has been our month long UK tour in February 2011; we played 22 concerts and had a great time. We have had many performance opportunities abroad as a direct result of the competition.’ March 2015 looks set to be a focal point for young quartets from all over the world. But it’s worth remembering that this is not merely a competition. It is a celebration of chamber music at its finest – and perhaps, too, a chance for audiences to enjoy spotting for themselves the star ensembles of the future.

2015

Wigmore Hall

International

String Quartet Competition 24 – 29 March 2015 Preliminary Round Royal Academy of Music, Tuesday 24 – Friday 27 March

Semi-Finals Wigmore Hall, Saturday 28 March, 2.00pm and 7.30pm

Final Wigmore Hall, Sunday 29 March, 6.00pm

Tickets from 020 7935 2141 or www.wigmore-hall.org.uk Support young artists and help to nurture emerging talent by becoming an Ambassador for the 2015 Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition. For more information, please pick up a brochure in the foyer, contact Ruth Wheal on 020 7258 8244 or rwheal@wigmore-hall.org.uk.

Photography: Benjamin Ealovega

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PRIZES 1st Prize £10,000 2nd Prize £6,000 3rd Prize £3,000

JURY Chair John Gilhooly, Levon Chilingirian, Simon Rowland-Jones, Valentin Erben, Heime Müller, Lesley Robertson, Peter Jarůšek

Wigmore Hall’s Fayrfax Celebration (8 December, 23 March & 20 June) explores the sacred works of one of the finest composers to serve the first two Tudor monarchs. Robert Fayrfax, born in the Lincolnshire village of Deeping Gate in 1464, appears to have profited from the patronage of the local landowner, Margaret of Beaufort, mother of the future Henry VII. Fayrfax progressed to become a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal, sang at the funerals of Henry and his queen consort, Elizabeth of York, and advanced to head the list of Chapel Royal clerks under Henry VIII. Fayrfax, who received doctoral degrees from the

universities of Cambridge and Oxford, capped his career in June 1520 when he led the Gentlemen of the Chapel Royal on expedition to the Field of the Cloth of Gold, the famous meeting between Henry VIII and Francis I of France. Andrew Carwood’s Fayrfax Celebration programmes place Fayrfax’s sonorous compositions in context with works by his contemporaries and colleagues, the elder William Cornysh, John Taverner and Nicholas Ludford notable among them. Each concert also illustrates a sub-plot. The first relates music written for the Virgin Mary to the high-born

Elizabeth of York, daughter of Edward IV and mother of Henry VIII. Fayrfax’s music in honour of Christ, including the monumental motet Lada vivi, forms the core of the second programme, which in turn contemplates the supreme power of Henry VIII. The final concert reflects on music for the Passion of Christ and the tragic case of Cardinal Wolsey, the renaissance prince of the church brought down by personal ambition and arrogance. The Fayrfax Celebration promises to bring history to life and connect audiences to the sublime soundtrack of the early 1500s.

A message from Stile Antico For Stile Antico, Wigmore Hall has quickly come to feel like home: our New Year’s Eve performance will be our tenth on this stage in little more than three years. During that time we’ve performed all sorts of repertoire, from Byrd, Tallis and Victoria to James MacMillan, John McCabe and Huw Watkins, and grown accustomed to the warmth of the Wigmore’s audience. In fact our most intimidating listeners may have been the young schoolchildren at our Wigmore Learning event: asked to describe the various sections of Stile Antico, they offered ‘tenors: talented, dramatic; sopranos: window-breaking; altos… normal’. Making music at Wigmore Hall is a privilege and a pleasure. Perhaps it’s not the most obvious place to listen to sacred polyphonic music from the Renaissance – not here the trappings of liturgy, generous cathedral acoustics or (mercifully) the whiff of stale incense. But the intimacy, clarity and honesty of the space shine a light on musical detail, which is often impossible to achieve in a church: here, polyphony truly does sound like chamber music. We’ve been lucky enough to sing at the Wigmore on Easter morning and St Cecilia’s Day, and our festival theme continues on New

Year’s Eve, when we perform our new Christmas programme, ‘A Wondrous Mystery’. It’s a fascinating mix of ‘high’ and ‘low’ repertoire from Flanders and Germany, and – with a 7pm start – the perfect choral preprandial to an evening of celebration. The backbone of our programme is a glorious Christmas mass by the wonderful Flemish composer Clemens non Papa. Based on his motet Pastores quidnam vidistis, it is scored richly in five parts and conjures an intense, devotional atmosphere. In between the movements of the mass we’ve chosen lively old-German carols and motets, some – like Es ist ein Ros’ entsprungen – still well-known today. We’ll also be singing a wonderful double-choir Magnificat by Hieronymous Praetorius, which charmingly alternates the standard text with verses of In dulci jubilo. The two strands – Flemish and

German, serious and popular – are brought together in the final work, Resonet in laudibus by the Flemish-born, German-resident composer Lassus, based on the carol Josef lieber, Josef mein. We hope you can join us! To buy tickets for Stile Antico’s New Year’s Eve concert please contact the Box Office on 020 7935 2141 or book online at www.wigmore-hall.org.uk

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Arcadia Quartet, winners of the Competition in 2012

The Cardinall’s Musick

igmore Hall audiences scarcely need reminding that the string quartet is often regarded as the ultimate musical ensemble. With its balance of conversation, subtlety, eloquence of tone and economy of expression, this genre has inspired many composers to create some of their finest works. Assembling the ideal group of players, though, remains a mammoth challenge; countless ensembles have spoken of the agony and ecstasy involved in this musical ‘marriage’ between four people. Therefore discovering excellent new quartets and helping them begin their careers is an essential job – and one that the Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition is tackling with gusto. The contest, which is held every three years, is now gearing up for its 2015 session and expectations run high. Applications closed on 17 October and in March hopeful young musicians from all over the world are expected to descend on London for a six-day feast of quartet-playing. The Preliminary rounds are held at the Royal Academy of Music and the Semi-Finals and Final at the Wigmore Hall itself. The jury, headed by the Wigmore’s artistic and executive director John Gilhooly, draws together leading figures from the string quartet field, including current and former members of distinguished ensembles such as the Chilingirian, Alban Berg, Pavel Haas, Artemis and St. Lawrence String Quartets. One distinctive feature of the event is a pre-competition stage that involves an invited jury listening ‘blind’ to recordings submitted by applicants. Launched in 1979 as the City of Portsmouth International String Quartet Competition, that initial competition promptly delivered a star winner: the then-unknown Takács Quartet, from Hungary. Today this ensemble remains a firm favourite with audiences around the world. ‘We felt fortunate to enter this competition because it made us all prepare, practice and work harder than ever before,’ the quartet comments, ‘and because of its great exposure, in the seasons that followed we needed to keep pushing ourselves to perform for the unmatched (in Europe) huge number of interested chamber music societies in the United Kingdom. Our heartfelt thanks to the competition again!’ (Takács Quartet) Over the years more winners have included the Hagen, Vanbrugh, Wihan and Belcea Quartets, to name but a few – and the event has sparked similar contests into existence elsewhere, notably in Banff, Canada; Osaka, Japan; and Melbourne, Australia. The competition moved to London in 1988; and after developing an increasingly close relationship with Wigmore Hall from 2003 onwards, the LSQF eventually handed over to the venue the duties of holding the competition and presenting educational activities in 2010. Questions are often raised in the musical world about the continuing efficacy of musical

Stile Antico

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WOLFGANG RIHM

VENUE IN FOCUS: WIENER KONZERTHAUS JOHN GILHOOLY INVITED HIS FRIEND MATTHIAS NASKE, DIRECTOR OF THE WIENER KONZERTHAUS, TO SAY A FEW WORDS ABOUT THIS WORLD FAMOUS VENUE

Quatuor Danel

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Hall’s Composer Focus Day provides an ideal starting point for newcomers to the art of Wolfgang Rihm and an equally fine opportunity for those already familiar with his work to discover much more about it. ‘Dear Wolfgang Rihm,’ Karlheinz Stockhausen once wrote to his pupil: ‘Please only heed your inner voice.’ From the evidence of over four decades of deeply individual work, it is clear that he took the advice to heart.

Arditti Quartet

Great Hall (Großer Saal)

reflected in the general diversity of our programmes – well beyond classical – and particularly the space we give to contemporary music. Rightly so, the pride of the Konzerthaus is the quality and range of our individual venues. The Great Hall (Großer Saal) is not only a glorious hall for orchestral concerts but also offers a fine setting for Jazz and World music events. The highly flexible Berio-Saal, added around the turn of the last century, gives a home to workshops, youth projects, experimental concerts and rehearsals. The light and friendly Schubert-Saal insinuates intimacy for smaller events, be they of literary or musical nature, and the Mozart-Saal, finally, is an acoustic jewel and among the very best there is in venues for Lied, chamber music, and recitals. In light of this duty and tradition, the Konzerthaus remains ever agile and vigorous, striving after that never concluding goal of offering art of real relevance to every one of our visitors.

The founding idea of the Wiener Konzerthaus was to make exceptional artistic quality available to citizens and visitors to this city and to bring listeners and musicians into an active dialogue. Positioned in the heart of Vienna, the Konzerthaus is ideally suited to this inclusive mission and already serves nearly half a million listeners a year. Communicating music to further the passion of musical perception is one of the main challenges for this institution. By offering attractive concerts and compellingly shaping our programme we work to gain the trust of audiences and musicians alike. The ability to actively participate in the great arts is an inestimably valuable part of life. Throughout its history the Konzerthaus has always stood for an openness that aims at making great art available to all. To be a place of interaction, communication and discourse builds on respect and openness for otherness, for things foreign, and for unheard-of things. This openness is

Throughout its 100-year history, the Wiener Konzerthaus has aspired – and continues to aspire – to be an active, thriving, and breathing space for music. Audiences come to the Konzerthaus to experience music in an ideal space under ideal conditions. Offering an engaging experience with music, the house becomes a place devised simultaneously for congregating and communicating. The communal experience of music makes for an especially individual encounter with everyone’s artistically shaped reality. For a century now we have considered it our mission to foster an engagement of our audience with art in a way that appeals to all senses. We see our most noble duty in shepherding listeners and artists towards a common relationship that allows them to probe the artistic offerings as deeply as possible. The integrity and quality of the performances at the Konzerthaus lie thus at the heart of our efforts.

Christoph Prégardien

with Rihm in Karlsruhe, takes centre stage in Vier Male for solo clarinet, a work of compelling energy and intensity written for him by his teacher and great friend. Other highlights include the songcycle Das Rot, performed by Christoph Prégardien and Ulrich Eisenlohr alongside the Heine Lieder from Schubert’s Schwanengesang; the Arditti Quartet’s reading of Rihm’s String Quartet No. 10, complete with its dramatic central ‘battle’ movement; Fetzen 4, a high-octane duo for viola and accordion; the weighty 4 Studien zu einem Klarinettenquintett, written in part for Jörg Widmann, and Epilog for string quintet, first performed in 2013 by the Ardittis. The background to Rihm’s work and course of its development are deeply rooted in German history. As the rubble of war was cleared and the enormous cost in wasted lives counted, many West German artists sought refuge in the abstract and the analytical. Wolfgang Rihm, born in Karlsruhe in 1952, was among

Wigmore Hall’s next Composer Focus Day (Saturday 28 February 2015) trains the spotlight on one of the most original and inventive artists of our time. The threeconcert event offers audiences the chance to experience the music of Wolfgang Rihm, performed by musicians with close connections to the composer, and discover more about his protean creativity. Like the ever-striving Faust in Goethe’s epic drama, Rihm has never been able to resist the urge to explore. The composer’s catalogue contains everything from works for large forces, ambitious in scope and scale, to exquisite miniatures. His vast output, numbering well over four hundred pieces, is rich in chamber music, song and compositions for solo instrument. The Composer Focus Day opens with the UK première of Rihm’s Sextet for clarinet, horn and string quartet, brought to life by its original performers, Jörg Widmann, Bruno Schneider and the Quatuor Danel. Widmann, who studied composition

Jörg Widmann

Wolfgang Rihm

the first of the post-war generation to restore powerful human emotions to the heart of new German music. He also turned for inspiration and raw materials to the legacy of old German music, a courageous and necessary act of reconciliation with the spirit of works that had so recently been hijacked in service of twisted Nazi ideologies. Rihm’s youthful exploration of works by everyone from Bartók and Webern to Boulez and Stockhausen informed a musical style that soon broadened to accept influences from late 19thcentury Romanticism and the radical new music of the early 1900s. His works attracted professional performers and received critical attention during his student years at Karlsruhe’s Hochschule für Musik. Rihm made his mark in the 1970s with a succession of pieces shot through with bold expressive gestures and striking contrasts of texture and timbre, the violin concerto Lichtzwang, the orchestral work Sub-Kontur and his Second Symphony among them. While champions of abstract expressionism were hostile to the young Rihm’s explorations of all-too human emotions, audiences and performers proved more open to his music. In recent years he has explored the worlds of myth and archetypes in a series of stage works and music dramas, while drilling deep into individual emotions and states of being in his chamber works. There are no easy answers or ‘messages’ in Rihm’s work; rather, he challenges listeners to open their minds to the possible meanings or, more importantly, the breadth of psychological responses that each piece suggests. Wigmore

OUR COMPOSER IN FOCUS 2015

Berio-Saal

Schubert-Saal

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Mozart-Saal

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Exclusive introductory talk for Friends and exhibition entry to Rembrandt: The Late Works at the National Gallery Wednesday 10 December 2014 – 11.00am Rembrandt’s later years were turbulent and marked with controversy, but they also produced some of his most soulful, deeply moving and strikingly modern works. From the 1650s until his death in 1669, Rembrandt pursued an artistic style that was expressive and radical. Through famous masterpieces and rare drawings and prints, Rembrandt: The Late Works examines the themes that preoccupied Rembrandt as he grew older: selfscrutiny, experimentation, light, observation of everyday life and even other artists’ works; as well as expressions of intimacy, contemplation, conflict and reconciliation. Friends will be given a private tailor-made introductory talk to the exhibition, followed by the opportunity to explore the exhibition itself at leisure. Tickets cost £25 – book via Friends Office

Guided Tour of the Foundling Museum Monday 19 January 2015 – 2.00pm The Foundling Hospital, which continues today as the children’s charity Coram, was established in 1739 by the philanthropist Captain Thomas Coram, as ‘a hospital for the maintenance and education of exposed and deserted young children’. Instrumental in helping Coram realise his vision were the artist William Hogarth and the composer George Frideric Handel. In doing so, they created London’s first public art gallery and set the template for the way that the arts could support philanthropy. The Foundling Museum explores the history of the Hospital and celebrates the ways in which artists of all disciplines have helped improve children’s lives for over 270 years. Hosting an internationally renowned collection of paintings and sculpture by artists including Hogarth, Reynolds and Gainsborough, set amongst furniture and fittings from the original Hospital building, the Museum also owns the Gerald Coke Handel Collection that includes Handel’s Will, eighteenth-century music manuscripts and an important collection of ephemera. Friends will enjoy a private guided tour of the Museum, closed to the public on Mondays, including refreshments on arrival. Tickets cost £21 – book via Friends Office

Royal Academy of Music Patrons Award Auditions Wednesday 28 January 2015 1.00pm – 4.30pm Friends of Wigmore Hall are invited to attend free of charge The Royal Academy of Music Patrons Award, a showcase of the Academy’s finest talent from across all faculties. The winner will go on to give a Wigmore recital on Wednesday 27 May 2015 at 7.30pm. Book your places via the Box Office on 020 7935 2141

Friday 13 February 2015 – 2.30pm – 5.30pm followed by refreshments Swedish clarinettist Martin Fröst’s season as Wigmore Hall Artist in Residence sees him as chamber musician, recital soloist, Family Concert artist and masterclass leader. We invite Friends to join Martin for his masterclass as he works with postgraduate students from London’s four conservatoires and introduces them to ideas already tested on outstanding young clarinettists in his home city of Stockholm, with an exclusive opportunity to meet the artist afterwards over a glass of wine. Tickets cost £7* – book via Friends Office *If you have already booked tickets for the Masterclass and would like to join us for drinks afterwards, please contact the Friends Office to reserve your place.

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Martin Fröst

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Martin Fröst Masterclass – meet Martin Fröst

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