September – December 2014 Live Music, Events & Exhibitions
www.handelhouse.org
Season Highlights
During the Autumn season we will be presenting a variety of events old and new. As well as the ever popular Christmas concerts, our highlights this season are:
FLOURISHES AND DANCES The Parnassian Ensemble performs baroque music together with a premiere of new work Flourishes and Dances. Page 4 JEAN-PHILIPPE RAMEAU To celebrate the 250th anniversary of Rameau’s death, the British Harpsichord Society explores his complete keyboard works. Page 4 BEETHOVEN AND BAROQUE ON BOUZOUKI The Bouzouki, a Greek instrument, makes its first appearance at Handel House with Chris Christodoulou. Page 6 EYEMUSIC – SEEING SOUND Composer-in-Residence Cevanne Horrocks-Hopayian presents her final series exploring new music from a visual perspective. Page 11 A CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION Flautotonic present a fun-packed world tour of a concert for families this Christmas. Page 12 CHRISTMAS TREATS Our final concert of the year at the beautiful St. George’s Hanover Square, Handel’s parish Church. Page 13
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Director’s Welcome and Capital Project In addition to this wealth of concerts leading up to Christmas, we will begin the capital project to expand the museum. The project will re-instate the Jimi Hendrix flat which is currently the museum’s administrative office and will provide much improved facilities for the museum volunteers. The other ambitious element of the project is to create a dedicated learning and recital space that has been acoustically designed with performance in mind. Whilst the charm of listening to music in Handel’s own front parlour will never be bettered and we will continue to have concerts there, it will be extremely pleasurable for musicians and audience members to not have to contend with traffic noise, emergency service vehicles, fire alarms and the odd loud party when listening to music at Handel House. To summarise: Portrait of Sarah Bardwell by Phillip Reed
• The museum will remain open throughout the building works • There will be no lift available for about six months from November 2014 and visitors will have to use the staircases • There will be restricted access to discrete areas of the building • Handel’s main historic rooms including most importantly the room in which we hold concerts will remain open throughout the project Do get in touch if you have any questions about our development. In the meantime enjoy the music.
Sarah Bardwell, Handel House Director
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September 2014
Tickets: £9, £5 students unless otherwise stated
Booking line: 020 7399 1953
HANDEL AND WATTEAU Thursday 4 September, 6.30-7.30pm
FLOURISHES AND DANCES Thursday 11 September, 6.30-7.30pm
This programme explores stunning 18th century arias and harpsichord solos from Handel’s London and Watteau’s Paris. Performers are Katherine Manley (soprano) and Bridget Cunningham (harpsichord).
The Parnassian Ensemble perform a feast of elegant baroque pieces by Handel, Scarlatti, Vivaldi along with the London premiere of Flourishes and Dances by Steve Marshall. They are Sophie Middleditch, Helen Hooker (recorders), Lynden Cranham (baroque cello), David Pollock (harpsichord).
BHS RECITAL: RAMEAU Saturday 13 September, 2-4pm
BHS RECITAL: TWO FORGOTTEN MASTERS Tuesday 9 September, 6.30-7.30pm Nicolas Siret and Johann Ludwig Krebs were associated with some of the most illustrious composers of their time; Siret was a friend and colleague of François Couperin and Krebs was JS Bach’s star pupil. Performed by harpsichordist Rebecca Pechefsky.
To commemorate the 250th anniversary of Rameau’s death the British Harpsichord Society survey his complete harpsichord works. Featuring Jane Clark, Tom Foster, Katarzyna Kovalik and Gilbert Rowland (harpsichord). Tickets: £12, £6 students
FOLLOW US!
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September 2014
Tickets: £9, £5 students unless otherwise stated
Booking line: 020 7399 1953
CEMBALO CERTATO È VIOLINO Thursday 18 September, 6.30-7.30pm
LA GROTTE DE VERSAILLES Thursday 25 September, 6.30-7.30pm
Diane Moore (violin) and Yeo Yat-Soon (harpsichord) explore how JS Bach and his sons developed the genre of sonatas for obbligato harpsichord and violin, or as JS Bach described them ‘Cembalo certato è Violino’.
The theorbo, a large lute with a long bass extension, was very popular in France during the second half of the 17th century. Yair Avidor plays pieces written for this magnificent instrument by Robert de Visée, a lutenist, guitarist and theorbo player at the court of Louis XIV.
FRENCH CONNECTION Sunday 21 September, 2-3.30pm Nathaniel Mander (harpsichord) delves into the exquisitely elusive French keyboard style of François Couperin. A tradition so revered and respected that neither Handel nor JS Bach could resist emulating it in their own works. Tickets: £12, £6 students
SATURDAY TALKS AT 3PM Saturday Talks are delivered by our volunteers and are suitable for all levels of knowledge. Talks last between 15-20 minutes and are included in the museum admission price. See our website for more information www.handelhouse.org.
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October 2014
Tickets: £9, £5 students unless otherwise stated
Booking line: 020 7399 1953
IL MAESTRO E LO SCOLARE Thursday 2 October, 6.30-7.30pm Duo Jordaan will perform early classical compositions for four-hands played on the harpsichord, including masterworks by Mozart and JC Bach. These will be interspersed with solo selections from JS Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier. They are Adam Jaffe and Anthony Abouhamad (harpsichord).
BEETHOVEN AND BAROQUE ON BOUZOUKI Thursday 9 October, 6.30-7.30pm The Bouzouki, a musical instrument synonymous with Greece and dating from the Byzantine era, takes centre stage in a performance of transcriptions of baroque and classical music. Chris Christodoulou (bouzouki) and Anne Marshall (harpsichord) perform.
PLUCKERS RE-UNITED! Sunday 12 October, 2-3pm Join Amanda Cook (guitar) and Claire Williams (harpsichord) for their return to the Handel House after a sensational debut in January 2014. They promise to bring another exciting programme, featuring an eclectic mix of music for both instruments.
BHS RECITAL: VO’ FAR GUERRA Tuesday 14 October, 6.30-7.30pm Harpsichordist Kenneth Weiss comes to the Handel House for the first time with a programme including William Babell’s colourful transcription of ‘Vo far guerra’ from Handel’s Rinaldo, and extracts from some of his recent recordings.
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October 2014
Tickets: £9, £5 students unless otherwise stated
Booking line: 020 7399 1953
DANCES, DRUMS AND WHISTLES! Thursday 16 October, 6.30-7.30pm Flautotonic collaborate with percussive forces for an entertaining exploration of dance music. This is music to tap your toes to from Medieval rottas to Irish jigs and Restoration dances to French minuets. They are Lauren Brant, David Beaney (recorders), Rebecca McChrystal (percussion) and Claire Williams harpsichord).
© Andy Craggs
FRANCE MEETS ITALY Thursday 23 October, 6.30-7.30pm German harpsichordist Medea Bindewald explores the interplay between the refined French and the more emotional Italian style, which became increasingly fashionable in France in mid-18th century.
HARDLY HANDEL: BACH’S FRENCH SUITES Thursday 30 October, 6.30-7.30pm
Pick up a Hands-on Family Trail designed for our younger musical visitors to explore the museum and discover the life of the great composer Handel
JS Bach’s so-called French Suites epitomize domestic music-making. Penned possibly as a wedding present for his second wife, Anna Magdalena, these delightful suites exude an intimacy that is ideally suited to Handel’s own music room. Performed by Julian Perkins (harpsichord).
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She was Despiséd: Handel and Susannah Cibber Until Sunday 28 September 2014
To celebrate the tercentenary of her birth, Handel House Museum presents an exhibition on the life and work of Susannah Cibber. From a promising start as a singer in a small opera company, Cibber’s career and social standing were fatally blighted by the scandalous trial in which her husband Theophilus accused her of adultery. Unable to appear on the London stage, she fled to Dublin. It was here that she was chosen by Handel to sing in the first performance of Messiah in 1742, giving a moving performance of the aria ‘He was despiséd’. From her performance in the London premiere of Messiah a year later her career blossomed once again. She became one of the most significant actresses of the 18th century, and for many years was David Garrick’s leading lady. The exhibition will tell Susannah’s fascinating, dramatic and moving life story, through exhibits, contemporary texts, music and a programme of related events. EXHIBITION TALK Saturday 27 September, 3pm This short talk will be delivered by one of our volunteers and is suitable for all levels of knowledge. Exhibitions included in admission charge: £6.50, £5.50 concessions, £2 children (free on weekends)
A Year in the Life of Handel: 1738 Wednesday 1 October 2014 – Sunday 4 January 2015
Our series of exhibitions looking in depth at a single year in Handel’s life continues with 1738. It was a year of varying fortunes for Handel – the Italian opera was failing and he was turning increasingly to the new form of the English oratorio. But at the same time a magnificent statue of him was unveiled at Spring Gardens in Vauxhall, celebrating his pre-eminent position in London society. It was the year in which Handel helped create the Fund for Decay’d Musicians, the roots of the new Methodist ministry were established, and Fortnum and Mason invented the Scotch Egg. Once again a team of Handel House Volunteers will research and curate the exhibition, and the story of 1738 will be told through images and objects from the Handel House Collection, together with loans from other museums. EXHIBITION TALKS AT 3PM Exhibition Talks are delivered by volunteers and are suitable for all levels of knowledge. They last between 15-20 minutes and will take place on: 25 October, 29 November and 20 December.
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November 2014
Tickets: £9, £5 students unless otherwise stated
MUSIQUE POUR MAZARIN – QUI A LE COEUR A TOUT Thursday 6 November, 6.30-7.30pm The fiery passion of Italian music and the languid sweetness of French music are brought to life in this programme of vocal and instrumental music from 17th century Paris. Le Jardin Secret perform and are Elizabeth Dobbin (soprano), Romiher Lischtea (viola da gamba) and David Blunden (harpsichord).
Booking line: 020 7399 1953
THE GERMAN ARIAS Thursday 27 November, 6.30-7.30pm A concert featuring a selection of Handel’s German Arias with texts from poet and fellow German Barthold Heinrich Brockes (1680-1747). Chaing Yiling (soprano), George Clifford (baroque violin), Ibrahim Aziz (viola da gamba) and Sharona Joshua (harpsichord) perform.
BHS RECITAL: THINGS IBERIAN Tuesday 11 November, 6.30-7.30pm Harpsichordist Linton Powell will explore the form and style of the Spanish and Portuguese sonata for harpsichord in the 18th century. The programme will also include works by composers from England and France who were either connected to, or influenced by this style.
LIFT ACCESS From November 2014 there will be no lift access for about 6 months. If you have any questions, please contact the museum in advance of your visit.
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November 2014
Tickets: £9, £5 students unless otherwise stated
Booking line: 020 7399 1953
EYEMUSIC – Seeing Sound Inspired by Renaissance ‘Augenmusik’ (where music notation mixed with art) Cevanne has opened her music programme to visual perspectives. From synesthesia to theatre; costume to construction; Cevanne builds on her last sell-out series with new themes, featuring actor-writer Jessica Hynes, works by Roxanna Panufnik and James Macmillan, as well as the premiere of her final Handel House commission.
SOUND STRUCTURES WITH SARAH ANGLISS Thursday 13 November, 6.30-7.30pm Composer, performer, roboticist and historian Sarah Angliss brings her electroacoustic inventions to respond to the history of Handel House. The domestic setting of Handel’s music room will provide the setting for her ‘homely’ objects. Crewdson and Cevanne will also demonstrate, with costumier Jodie Cartman, a new piece of ‘wearable music technology’. HAZE INDIGO WITH JESSICA HYNES Sunday 16 November, 2-4pm Synesthesia – the ability to see sound – drives the programme with psychedelic works and music by Duke Ellington. Bassist Calum Gourlay and Cevanne will perform and special guest actress and writer Jessica Hynes will sing celebrating the restoration of Jimi Hendrix’s flat at Handel House. Tickets: £12, £6 students SEEING SOUND WITH OREN MARSHALL Thursday 20 November, 6.30-7.30pm Oren Marshall ‘the Jimi Hendrix of the Tuba’ joins Cevanne on an exploration of notation from visual perspectives, old and new: Ancient Egyptian colour charts, Renaissance Augenmusik, 20th century graphic scores and beyond. THE FAT LADY HAS SUNG Sunday 23 November, 2-4pm Ziazan Horrocks-Hopayian (voice, harp) has reconstructed the lost bel canto singing method and with harpsichordist Tessa Marchington will take you on a journey through opera’s birth, its demise and end with its future in the form of Cevanne’s commission for Handel House. Expect to see demonstrations of costumes inspired by Handel’s London by Lindsey Holmes of Costumiersaurus and the audience is encouraged to dress in their interpretation of ‘retro-futurism’. Tickets: £12, £6 students www.handelhouse.org | 11 | Booking line 020 7399 1953
December 2014
Tickets: £9, £5 students unless otherwise stated
Booking line: 020 7399 1953
A FOUNDLING’S CHRISTMAS Thursday 4 December, 6.30-7.30pm
YULETIDE HANDEL Thursday 11 December, 6.30-7.30pm
In 1750, Handel directed a performance of Messiah at the Foundling Hospital and his involvement continued for many years. The Amadé Players present a programme reflecting what a Foundling may have heard during the long, cold winter nights of the 1750s.
This programme brings to life popular operatic music heard in London during the Christmas season in the 1720s and 30s. Works will be presented by Handel, Ariosti, Porpora and Veracini. Ballo Baroque Ensemble are Randall Scotting (director and countertenor), Pia Pircher (viola da gamba) and Marie van Rhijn (harpsichord).
FAMILY EVENT: A CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION Sunday 7 December, 2-3pm Start your seasonal celebrations with a delightful programme of Christmas music from around the world. Explore and create the musical sounds of a winter landscape and then warm up with some toe-tapping Christmas party music! Flautotonic are Lauren Brant, David Beaney (recorders), Rebecca McChrystal (percussion) and Claire Williams (harpsichord).
BHS RECITAL: FORTUNE MY FOE Tuesday 9 December, 6.30-7.30pm Harpsichordist Alina Rotaru will take you on a journey into one of the most enlightened and cosmopolitan musicians of the late Renaissance: Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck (1562-1621), the ‘Orpheus of Amsterdam’.
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December 2014
Tickets: £9, £5 students unless otherwise stated
Booking line: 020 7399 1953
FROM LEIPZIG TO LONDON AT CHRISTMAS Sunday 14 December, 2-3.30pm The Brook Street Band presents a virtuosic and poignant programme for cello and harpsichord, representing Bach and Handel at the height of their musical powers. Performers are Tatty Theo (baroque cello), Carolyn Gibley (harpsichord). Tickets: £12, £6 students
CHRISTMAS TREATS Thursday 18 December, 6.30-8pm
CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR OPENING TIMES
Feast your ears with seasonal delights for Handel House’s last concert of the year. There will be plenty of sing-a-long hymns with extracts from Messiah, dazzling organ solos and a glimpse into Handel’s Christmas with arias from the operas he wrote and produced during this time. Performers are Angela Henckel (soprano), Trevor Bowes (Bass) and Robin Walker (organ).
Christmas Eve Christmas Day Boxing Day Saturday 27 December Sunday 28 December Monday 29 December Tuesday 30 December New Years Eve New Years Day
Tickets: £10 Venue: St. George’s Hanover Square, St. George’s Street, W1S 1FX
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Closed Closed Closed 10am-6pm 12-6pm Closed 10am-6pm 10am-6pm 12-6pm
Join the Friends By joining the Friends of Handel House you will help preserve this unique London landmark for future generations, allowing people of all ages and backgrounds the opportunity to learn about, experience and make music in the space where it was originally created. As a friend you will enjoy unlimited free entry and priority booking to our weekly concert series, free museum publications and invitations to exclusive member events. Pick up a leaflet or visit our website www.handelhouse.org/support or call 020 7399 1964.
Š Stuart Leach
Booking information Friends booking Monday 21 July, 10am Public booking Monday 4 August, 10am Booking line 020 7399 1953 Please note • All event tickets include free museum admission unless otherwise stated. • Handel House does not refund or exchange tickets. • Admission to all Handel House events is for ticket holders only. • As audience capacity is very limited, please book your tickets in advance. • All events take place in the Rehearsal & Performance room at the Handel House Museum unless otherwise stated. • All information is correct at time of going to press. Handel House Trust Ltd reserves the right to change artists and/or programmes without notice as necessary.
Christmas and New Year Opening Times Christmas Eve Closed Christmas Day Closed Boxing Day Closed Saturday 27 December 10am-6pm Sunday 28 December 12-6pm Monday 29 December Closed Tuesday 30 December 10am-6pm New Years Eve 10am-6pm New Years Day 12-6pm Cavendish Square
Bond Street
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Oxford Circus
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St George’s St
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Tube: Bond Street/Oxford Circus Bus: Numerous buses to Oxford Street, Bond Street and Regent Street.
Last admission 30 minutes before closing. Closed on Bank holidays.
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Entrance to the Museum is round the back of Brook Street in Lancashire Court.
Opening Times Tuesday-Saturday 10am-6pm (8pm on Thursday), Sunday 12pm-6pm.
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Handel House Museum 25 Brook Street, Mayfair London W1K 4HB
Registered Charity No. 1006009
Davies St
Access Until the end of October 2014 the museum has full access and facilities for disabled visitors. From November 2014 there will be no lift access for about 6 months so please telephone before arrival so that we can best accommodate your needs. One carer per disabled visitor is admitted free of charge to the Museum. For your own safety, you are advised to wear sensible shoes when visiting, as the museum contains original 18th century floors which can be uneven. Stilettos damage the original flooring and leather soled-shoes are particularly unsuitable. Please note that certain rooms have low lighting.
Telephone: 020 7495 1685 Fax: 020 7495 1759 Email: mail@handelhouse.org Website: www.handelhouse.org
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Events at a glance | Booking line: 020 7399 1953 FRIENDS BOOKING: Monday 21 July, 10am PUBLIC BOOKING: Monday 4 August, 10am
September Thursday 4 Tuesday 9 Thursday 11 Saturday 13 Thursday 18 Sunday 21 Thursday 25 Saturday 27
Handel and Watteau BHS Recital: Two Forgotten Masters Flourishes and Dances BHS Recital: Rameau Cembalo certato è Violino French Connection La Grotte de Versailles Exhibition Talk: She was Despiséd: Handel and Susannah Cibber
October Thursday 2 Thursday 9 Sunday 12 Tuesday 14 Thursday 16 Thursday 23 Saturday 25 Thursday 30
Il Maestro e lo Scolare Beethoven and Baroque on Bouzouki Pluckers Re-united! BHS Recital: Vo’ far Guerra Dances, Drums and Whistles! France Meets Italy Exhibition Talk: A Year in the Lift of Handel: 1738 Hardly Handel: Bach’s French Suites
November Thursday 6 Tuesday 11 Thursday 13 Sunday 16 Thursday 20 Sunday 23 Thursday 27 Saturday 29
Musique pour Mazarin – Qui a le coeur a tout BHS Recital: Things Iberian EYEMUSIC - Seeing Sound: Sound Structures with Sarah Angliss EYEMUSIC - Seeing Sound: Haze Indigo with Jessica Hynes EYEMUSIC - Seeing Sound: Seeing Sound with Oren Marshall EYEMUSIC - Seeing Sound: The Fat Lady Has Sung The German Arias Exhibition Talk: A Year in the Lift of Handel: 1738
December Thursday 4 Sunday 7 Tuesday 9 Thursday 11 Sunday 14 Thursday 18 Saturday 20
Join the m on H e-ne andel Ho thly w u on co sletter for se ncert upda s, e tes spec ial ev xhibitions e , n t s much a more nd !
A Foundling’s Christmas Family Event: A Christmas Celebration BHS Recital: Fortune my Foe Yuletide Handel From Leipzig to London at Christmas Christmas Treats Exhibition Talk: A Year in the Lift of Handel: 1738
Front cover - exterior of museum by Justin Barton