January - March 2013 Wigmore Hall Learning Brochure by Wigmore Hall

January – March 2013

Activities for Early Years Family Events Young People’s Events Pre-Concert Events Behind the Music Britten Birthday Centenary

HOW TO BOOK Wigmore Hall Box Office, 36 Wigmore Street, London W1U 2BP Booking opens on 1 November IN PERSON 7 days a week: 10 am – 8.30 pm. Days without an evening concert 10 am – 5 pm

CALENDAR OF EVENTS JANUARY – MARCH 2013 Sun 6 Jan

PRE-CONCERT TALK: HUGO WOLF’S SONGBOOKS

Thu 10 Jan

TODDLER BOP

Thu 10 Jan

PRE-CONCERT TALK: JOHN DOWLAND’S iPOD

ONLINE www.wigmore-hall.org.uk. There is a £1 administration charge online

Fri 11 Jan

FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!

BOX OFFICE ENQUIRIES 020 7935 2141

Tue 22 Jan

WIGMORE STUDY GROUP

Wed 23 Jan

PRE-CONCERT TALK: BRITTEN SINFONIA

BY TELEPHONE 020 7935 2141 7 days a week: 10 am – 7 pm. Days without an evening concert 10 am – 5 pm There is a non-refundable £2 administration charge for each transaction

WIGMORE HALL LEARNING ENQUIRIES 020 7258 8240 IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO JOIN OUR FREE WIGMORE HALL LEARNING MAILING LIST please call the Box Office or visit www.wigmore-hall.org.uk/learning/brochure/post

We would like to thank the following for their support of the Wigmore Hall Learning programme. Their involvement is greatly appreciated. The Andor Charitable Trust Arts Council England Britten–Pears Foundation Cavatina Chamber Music Trust Charities Advisory Trust City of Westminster Charitable Trust The Elton Family The Gordon Foundation The Harold Hyam Wingate Foundation John Lyon’s Charity Mayfield Valley Arts Trust Milton Damerel Trust The Monument Trust

Valerie O’Connor and Jeanette McIntosh The Rayne Foundation Rothschild The Sampimon Trust The Samuel Sebba Charitable Trust The S E Franklin Charitable Trust No 3 Sir Siegmund Warburg’s Voluntary Settlement Tower Hamlets Arts Music and Education Service Marie-Luise Waldeck Westminster City Council The Zochonis Charitable Trust And several anonymous donors

Photo Credits: All images except Sir Scallywag and Midori © www.benjaminharte.co.uk. Cover illustration for ‘Sir Scallywag and the Golden Underpants’ by Korky Paul. ©Puffin, Penguin Books Ltd Midori © Timothy Greenfield-Sanders

The right is reserved to substitute artists and to vary programmes if necessary.

Page 8

Mon 18 Feb

PRE-CONCERT TALK: FRENCH SONG SERIES

Page 9

Tue & Wed HALF-TERM COURSE: 19 & 20 Feb STRIKE A CHORD

Wed 20 Feb

POST-CONCERT TALK: TAKÁCS QUARTET

Fri 22 Feb

MIDORI FAMILY CONCERT

Sat 23 Feb

MIDORI: CONCERT FOR CARERS

Mon 25 Feb

PRE-CONCERT TALK: ACADEMY OF ANCIENT MUSIC

Tue 26 Feb

CHAMBER TOTS

NATIONAL YOUNG STRING QUARTET WEEKEND AT CHEETHAM’S SCHOOL OF MUSIC

Thu – Sun 28 Feb to 3 March

Thu 28 Feb

INTRODUCTION TO CONTEMPORARY MUSIC

Wed 23 Jan

BIRKBECK STUDY AFTERNOON SCHUBERT: THE SELF-TRAINED COMPOSER

Fri 25 Jan

WIGMORE STUDY GROUP

Sat 26 Jan

FAMILY DAY: WRITE YOUR OWN HEROINE

Tue 29 Jan

WIGMORE STUDY GROUP

Wed 30 Jan

CHAMBER TOTS

Sat 2 Feb

FAMILY CONCERT: THE MUSIC FACTORY

Thu 7 Feb

INTRODUCTION TO CONTEMPORARY MUSIC

Sat 9 Feb

ARTISTS IN CONVERSATION: HUW WATKINS

Wed 13 Feb

PRE-CONCERT TALK: BRITTEN SINFONIA

Sat 2 Mar

FAMILY DAY: UNWRITTEN BRITTEN

Thu 7 Mar

INTRODUCTION TO CONTEMPORARY MUSIC

Thu 14 Mar

FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!

Tue 19 Mar

PRE-CONCERT TALK: COMPOSERS IN FOCUS

Fri 22 Mar

CHAMBER TOTS

Sat 23 Mar

FAMILY CONCERT: SIR SCALLYWAG AND THE GOLDEN UNDERPANTS

Sat 23 Mar

LITERARY BRITTEN

Thu 14 Feb

CHAMBER TOTS

Thu 14 Feb

INTRODUCTION TO CONTEMPORARY MUSIC

Sat 16 Feb

COME AND SING: BRITTEN

11 5

Please note that tickets for events on these pages will go on sale both online and via phone from 10.00 am on 1 November.

FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! For parents and babies up to 1 year old £6 per adult – babies come for free A series of concerts performed by musicians from the Royal Academy of Music for parents and their babies. Each lasting 45 minutes, parents can enjoy a programme of beautiful chamber music in a calm and accommodating environment. Although the music will be appropriate for babies, these concerts are introduced for parents and are not interactive. Friday 11 January Thursday 14 March

11.00 am – 11.45 am 11.00 am – 11.45 am

TODDLER BOP

CHAMBER TOTS For 2 – 5 year olds Maximum 4 tickets per booking for each event £6 per child – no ticket required for accompanying adult Workshop leader Natasha Zielazinski and young performers from the Guildhall School of Music & Drama present these popular music workshops for toddlers and their carers. Sessions include a short performance and an interactive workshop for parents and children together including singing, playing percussion and a chance to meet the musicians and see their instruments close up.

Activities for Early Years

Wednesday 30 January 10.00 am – 11.00 am 2 – 3 year olds 11.30 am – 12.30 pm 3 – 5 year olds Thursday 14 February

10.00 am – 11.00 am 2 – 3 year olds 11.30 am – 12.30 pm 3 – 5 year olds

For 1 – 2 year olds £6 per child – no ticket required for accompanying adult Interactive music, movement and play workshops for young children and their parents with Chamber Tots in the Community workshop leader Esther Sheridan and guest musicians. Thursday 10 January workshop repeated 2

Tuesday 26 February

2.00 pm – 3.00 pm

2 – 5 year olds

Friday 22 March

10.00 am – 11.00 am 2 – 3 year olds 11.30 am – 12.30 pm 3 – 5 year olds

10.15 am – 11.00 am 11.45 am – 12.30 pm 3

UNWRITTEN BRITTEN

Supported by Mayfield Valley Arts Trust and The Monument Trust

FAMILY DAY For age 5 plus

WRITE YOUR OWN HEROINE Saturday 26 January 10.30 am – 3.30 pm

FAMILY DAY For age 5 plus Join composer James Redwood and director Freya Winn-Jones to discover some of the heroes and heroines who come alive on the Wigmore Hall stage, and have a go writing and staging your own songs to perform at the end of the day. Adults £12 Children £8

Join workshop leader Rus Pearson and musicians from the Royal Academy of Music for a fun day of music-making for the whole family. Be inspired by the exciting music of Benjamin Britten and discover your inner composer! Create some brand new music of your very own and perform it on the Wigmore Hall stage at the end of the day. Adults £12 Children £8 In partnership with the Royal Academy of Music

THE MUSIC FACTORY

SIR SCALLYWAG AND THE GOLDEN UNDERPANTS

Saturday 2 February 11.00 am – 12.00 noon

With Ensemble 360 and Polly Ives

FAMILY CONCERT For age 5 plus

Saturday 23 March 11.00 am – 12.00 noon

Join five wacky woodwind musicians from the Calefax Reed Quintet for a tale of tubes, pipes and whistles. Set in a Music Factory, this extraordinary show is packed full of musical humour and re-workings of Mozart, Debussy, Bach and Prokofiev, including opportunities for the audience to join in. An ideal concert for children learning the recorder.

FAMILY CONCERT For age 5 plus

MIDORI FAMILY CONCERT

When King Colin’s Golden Underpants go missing and the royal bottom is bared, it’s Sir Scallywag to the rescue! Brave and bold, he’s the perfect knight for the job ... and what does it matter that he’s only six! Alongside pieces such as Handel’s ‘Music for the Royal Fireworks’ and Rossini’s ‘William Tell Overture’, Sir Scallywag features lots of audience participation and illustrated projections (including a brief appearance of the King’s bottom!). Based on the book written by Giles Andreae, illustrated by Korky Paul and published by Puffin, Penguin Books Ltd. Music by Paul Rissmann.

Friday 22 February 1.30 pm – 2.30 pm

Adults £7 Children £5

A half-term treat for the whole family; see page 12

Ensemble 360 is supported by Grants for the Arts and Mayfield Valley Arts Trust

Adults £7 Children £5

Saturday 2 March 10.30 am – 3.30 pm

Family Events

STRIKE A CHORD Tuesday 19 and Wednesday 20 February 10.00 am – 3.30 pm both days

HALF-TERM COURSE For ages 11 – 16 Join Wigmore Hall Learning’s resident ensemble Ignite and an exciting guest guitarist for this two-day half-term course. Get stuck into writing and playing some brand new music of your own, make new friends, and finish by performing your pieces on the Wigmore Hall stage at the end of the course. Open to all instrumentalists; ideal for budding guitarists. £40 for the two-day course Supported by Mayfield Valley Arts Trust and The Monument Trust

NATIONAL YOUNG STRING QUARTET WEEKEND AT CHETHAM’S SCHOOL OF MUSIC Thursday 28 February – Sunday 3 March If you are in a string quartet at school or college, this is a fantastic opportunity to take part in an intensive weekend of coaching and performance with leading chamber music coaches and the Carducci Quartet. For more information or to apply, contact Ruth Wheal at rwheal@wigmore-hall.org.uk. Hear the players who took part in this weekend in a pre-concert performance at Wigmore Hall on Thursday 14 March at 6.00 pm. (FREE, ticket required) 6

FREE CONCERT TICKETS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE CHAMBER ZONE: Ticket Scheme for 8 – 25 year olds Supported by CAVATINA Chamber Music Trust with ongoing support from The Monument Trust, John Lyon’s Charity and The Samuel Sebba Charitable Trust.

Free tickets are available to 8 – 25 year olds for the specially selected Wigmore Hall series concerts. Please note that there is a limited number of Chamber Zone tickets available per concert. Please book through the Box Office on 020 7935 2141, quoting ‘Chamber Zone’. This offer is also available to schools, with a free workshop in school. For more information please visit www.wigmore-hall.org.uk/chamberzone. Monday 21 January 7.30 pm Christian Tetzlaff violin Lars Vogt piano Brahms Violin Sonatas Wednesday 23 January 7.30 pm

Cuarteto Casals Schubert String Quartets incl. ‘Death and the Maiden’ Tuesday 29 January 7.30 pm

Hagen Quartet Beethoven String Quartets Monday 4 February 1.00 pm Calefax reed quintet Brumel, Debussy, Rameau Wednesday 13 February 1.00 pm

Britten Sinfonia Copland, Shostakovich, Britten, Jay Greenberg

Thursday 14 February 7.30 pm Jörg Widmann clarinet Antoine Tamestit viola Francesco Piemontesi piano Bruch, Jörg Widmann, Mozart, György Kurtág Tuesday 19 February 7.30 pm Nicholas Daniel oboe Julius Drake piano Jacqueline Shave violin Clare Finnimore viola Caroline Dearnley cello Schumann, Britten, Helen Grime, Mozart Friday 22 February 7.30 pm

Takács Quartet Charles Owen piano Brahms and Haydn

Young People’s Events

Tuesday 26 February 7.30 pm

Pavel Haas Quartet Schnittke, Shostakovich, Beethoven Saturday 2 March 7.30 pm

Tetzlaff Quartet Haydn, Berg, Beethoven Sunday 17 March 7.30 pm

St. Lawrence String Quartet Beethoven, Osvaldo Golijov, Dvor˘ák Saturday 23 March 7.30 pm

Quatuor Ebène Fanny and Felix Mendelssohn

For full programme listings please see www.wigmore-hall.org.uk CAVATINA Chamber Music Trust www.cavatina.net

PRE-CONCERT TALK: HUGO WOLF’S SONGBOOKS Sunday 6 January 6.00 pm – 6.45 pm £3 Richard Wigmore introduces Hugo Wolf’s Songbooks: the Mörike and Goethe Lieder.

PRE-CONCERT TALK: JOHN DOWLAND’S iPOD – THE MUSIC THAT INSPIRED DOWLAND’S GENIUS

PRE-CONCERT TALK: FRENCH SONG SERIES Monday 18 February 6.00 pm – 6.45 pm £3 Roderick Swanston explores the music in the evening concert entitled Masques et Bergamasques, the second in Graham Johnson’s French Song Series: Le Plus Doux Chemin.

Thursday 10 January 6.00 pm – 6.45 pm £3

POST-CONCERT TALK: TAKÁCS QUARTET

Paul O’Dette explores the inspiration behind Dowland’s Fantasias.

Wednesday 20 February 9.45 pm – 10.15 pm £3

PRE-CONCERT TALKS: BRITTEN SINFONIA Wednesday 23 January 12.15 pm – 12.45 pm Wednesday 13 February 12.15 pm – 12.45 pm Both dates: Free to concert ticket holders (separate ticket required) Introductions to the Britten Sinfonia lunchtime concerts, marking Benjamin Britten’s centenary. The first is a tribute to the composer’s partner and muse, Peter Pears. The second features music by Britten, Copland and Shostakovich, and a new work by Jay Greenberg.

ARTISTS IN CONVERSATION: HUW WATKINS Saturday 9 February 6.00 pm – 6.45 pm £3 Composer and pianist Huw Watkins in conversation with Tom Service.

Pre-Concert Events

Pre - Concert Events

Post-concert talk with Wigmore Hall’s Associate Artists the Takács Quartet, with Lawrence Power and Annette Morreau.

PRE-CONCERT TALK: ACADEMY OF ANCIENT MUSIC Monday 25 February 6.30 pm – 7.00 pm Free (separate ticket required) With Rodolfo Richter, musicians from the Academy of Ancient Music and Sara Mohr-Pietsch.

PRE-CONCERT TALK: COMPOSERS IN FOCUS Tuesday 19 March 6.00 pm – 6.45 pm Free (separate ticket required) Anthony Burton in conversation with David Matthews.

WIGMORE STUDY GROUP Tuesday 22, Friday 25 and Tuesday 29 January 3.00 pm – 6.00 pm

EXPLORING BEETHOVEN STRING QUARTETS Tied to the opening concert of the Hagen Quartet’s complete Beethoven series, the second Wigmore Study Group of the season focusses on three of the composer’s most significant quartets: his first (Op. 18 No. 1 completed at the opening of nineteenth century), his last (Op. 135 composed in the final year of his life) and No. 1 from his three ‘Razumovsky’ Quartets Op. 59 (dating from 1806). Participants will have the opportunity to explore each of these works in depth over three afternoons, with live illustrations from postgraduate chamber musicians from the Guildhall School of Music & Drama. Hosted by composer Julian Philips, these iconic works will be approached from historical, compositional and interpretative perspectives with the Wigmore Study Group’s lively mix of presentation, discussion and performance. Series ticket price £53 including 3 study sessions and a ticket for the evening concert on 29 January.

BIRKBECK STUDY AFTERNOON Wednesday 23 January 3.00 pm – 5.30 pm

SCHUBERT: THE SELF-TRAINED COMPOSER Schubert’s early string quartets show experimentation with a cornucopia of musical ideas, some more successful than others. Ten years later his self-criticism – and perhaps his personal experiences too – resulted in a much more taut and focused style with unity of purpose, still showing lively exuberance, but also sorrowful reflection. By looking at a selection of quartets from the Cuarteto Casals’ programmes, we will examine these enticing examples of Schubert’s stylistic development in detail. Linked to the Cuarteto Casals concerts on 23 and 24 January (concert tickets to be purchased separately).

INTRODUCTION TO CONTEMPORARY MUSIC Thursdays 7, 14, 28 February and 7 March 5.00 pm – 6.15 pm For many, or maybe most music-lovers, their experience of listening starts in the later 17th century and extends to the end of the 19th with a gaping hole at either end. The music of the 20th and 21st centuries is perceived as difficult to enjoy, mostly because the language has somehow become unfamiliar.

Behind the Music

Behind The Music

These four talks, given by Roy Stratford, will attempt to address that unfamiliarity, to explain how and why the language changed and to give insights into possible ways to enjoy music which at first hearing sounds forbidding and alienating. On the other hand, composers such as Shostakovich, Britten, Copland and Prokofiev present few problems of comprehension as they stayed closer to the traditions of the 19th century, still writing symphonies and sonatas in a recognizable and direct musical language whilst also remaining true to the spirit of the age. This is an era which also has seen (and continues to see) musical boundaries being broken down with many outstanding examples of pieces that incorporate jazz and even rock and pop music into what we confusingly and misleadingly call ‘classical’ music. The four sessions will examine why the musical language changed as it did, what sort of music emerged from these changes, the multiplicity of styles in the 20th century and where we are now and might be going in the future. Series ticket price £24

£10 concessions £6 In association with Birkbeck, University of London

Saturday 16 February 10.00 am – 3.30 pm Friday 22 February 1.30 pm – 2.30 pm

MIDORI FAMILY CONCERT For age 5 plus

As part of the Hall’s celebration of the 100th anniversary of Benjamin Britten’s birth, Isabelle Adams leads a day of singing workshops for adults, inspired by Britten and his contemporaries. Learn some new songs, join in with fun vocal warm-ups and finish the day with a performance on the Wigmore Hall stage.

Families are offered a unique opportunity to hear renowned violinist Midori in the intimate setting of Wigmore Hall. Performing violin sonatas by a range of composers including Bach and Beethoven, this is a chance for the next generation of string players to hear her exceptional playing.

£18 concessions £10

Adults £7 Children £5

Saturday 23 March 2.00 pm – 4.00 pm

Supported by The Monument Trust

A RECITAL OF MUSIC AND READINGS BY BENJAMIN BRITTEN AND W H AUDEN

Saturday 23 February 3.00 pm – 4.00 pm

MIDORI: CONCERT FOR CARERS As part of our on-going commitment to our local community, Wigmore Hall Learning presents this Saturday afternoon concert for carers and the people they care for, with violinist Midori. There will also be the opportunity to meet representatives from Music for Life, Wigmore Hall and Dementia UK’s pioneering project for people living with dementia. £1

Come and Sing: Britten

Literary Britten

Britten Birthday Centenary

Midori

BRITTEN On This Island TIM WATTS Six Songs to Orpheus BRITTEN Fish in the unruffled lakes Andrew Kennedy tenor Iain Burnside piano Alex Jennings reader Benjamin Britten and W H Auden met in July 1935, quickly developing a close friendship and highly productive working relationship. Their relationship was a rare example of a living poet and composer mutually influencing each other’s work, and developing their political and artistic views alongside each other. This programme of Britten’s music interspersed with readings of letters and Auden’s poetry, alongside a new work by Tim Watts, reflects the themes that were current concerns to Britten and Auden in the 1930s – love, travel, politics, in particular the rise of fascism and impending war, and their connection to words and music. £10 concessions £8

Young Producers Concert Wednesday 6 February 5.30 pm – 6.15 pm Young People are invited to attend this exciting concert programmed by the Wigmore Hall Young Producers team – a group of teenage arts curators. Working together since September 2012, the Young Producers have carefully selected the artists, repertoire and theme for what will be a unique concert for Young People by Young People. Further information to be announced on the Wigmore Hall Learning pages: www.wigmore-hall.org.uk/learning/young-producers

WIGMORE HALL 36 Wigmore Street, London W1U 2BP Box Office Tel: 020 7935 2141 • www.wigmore-hall.org.uk Ursula Crickmay Director of Learning Learning Tel: 020 7258 8240 The Wigmore Hall Trust • Registered Charity No. 1024838 Facilities for Disabled People For full details please call 020 7258 8210