Bach St John Passion concert programme

2017-18 concert programme

2017-18

Richard Egarr’s 10th anniversary season as Music Director of the Academy of Ancient Music

concert programme

Bach St John Passion

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JS BACHOrchestral Suites “Exuberant and full of vitality.” BBC Radio 3 “a feast of meaningfully understated musicianship. I loved it.”

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JS BACH St John Passion (1724 version)

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Sonate Concertate In Stil Moderno, Libro Primo

With an all-star cast including James Gilchrist as Evangelist and Matthew Rose as Jesus.

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DARIO CASTELLO

Handel to Haydn

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“AAM’s performances gave virtually unalloyed pleasure” GRAMOPHONE “A striking success” BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE

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“Egarr’s compellingly original vision of this greatest of all musical tombeaus, with its fresh anticipation founded on collective adrenaline and uniformly outstanding lyrical Bach-singing . . . is a triumph.”

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(1727 version)

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JS BACH St Matthew Passion

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This two-disc compilation of core baroque and classical repertoire gives a taste of our unrivalled award-winning catalogue of over 300 recordings.

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Bach Friday 30 March 2018 3.00pm Barbican Hall, London

St John Passion JS BACH St John Passion BWV245 (1724)

Riccardo Minasi conductor Choir of AAM

James Gilchrist Evangelist Cody Quattlebaum Christus | bass arias Lydia Teuscher soprano Iestyn Davies counter-tenor Ilker ArcayĂźrek tenor English surtitles translated by Andrew Huth, adapted and operated by Jonathan Burton

Bach St John Passion

Academy of Ancient Music

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in authentic venues in the city of George Frideric Handel’s birth

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May 25 – June 10, 2018 in Halle (Saale), Germany Berenice (HWV 38), Messiah (HWV 56), Parnasso in festa (HWV 73), Gala concerts with Joyce DiDonato, Max Emanuel Cencic, Magdalena Kožená, Julia Lezhneva and much more Sales start November 24, 2017 www.handel-festival.com/en More information: festspiele@haendelhaus.de

2018 T E AT RU M A N O E L M A LTA

13th to 27th January 2018 www.vallettabaroquefestival.com.mt www.teatrumanoel.com.mt

2017–18 concerts:

Visions, Illusions and Delusions

Handel’s Semele

Bach’s St Matthew Passion

A sensuous evocation of the illusions and delusions of love.

Featuring an all-star line-up of singers, led by Mark Padmore.

18 October 2017

26 March 2018

Be careful what you wish for.

Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre

A powerful depiction of the Easter story.

Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre

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Welcome Welcome to this afternoon’s Good Friday Passion at the Barbican, where the Academy of Ancient Music is proud to be an Associate Ensemble. The older of Bach’s two surviving Passions, the St John was first performed exactly 294 years ago (Good Friday 1724), and now, together with the St Matthew, it is the best known musical work to depict the Passion story. The dynamic and detailed score features some of the most affecting recitative passages Bach wrote: the St John is as moving and dramatic as it is memorable.

I am delighted to welcome the highly respected violinist and director Riccardo Minasi to conduct this St John, making his debut with AAM alongside bass Cody Quattlebaum, who sings both Christus and the bass arias. I’m just as pleased to see Lydia Teuscher return to AAM (Ich folge der gleichfalls is surely a masterclass in the four-minute "pop song" of the sacred baroque) in the company of the foremost Evangelist and counter-tenor of our time, James Gilchrist and Iestyn Davies.

Our recent series of Corelli, Handel and Pergolesi concerts (featuring soloists Keri Fuge and Tim Mead directed by Christian Curnyn) met with excellent reviews from the west to the east of the UK. Thanks to our new Strategic Recording Fund we were able to record concerts in London, Cambridge

and Bury St Edmunds, and I eagerly anticipate a CD release in the autumn – it promises to be a terrific album. To enable us to continue to record exceptional performances like these, we welcome gifts of all amounts to the Strategic Recording Fund, please do contact us on support@aam.co.uk.

The Academy of Ancient Music, with the Choir of AAM, has recorded both the St John and St Matthew Passions in recent years under our Music Director, Richard Egarr. Critically acclaimed, these recordings are on offer over the Easter period and tonight available at £15 each (usually £20) or £25 for both.

On 13 April we will be performing Haydn’s Symphonies 93 and 94 over the road at Milton Court Concert Hall, in a concert featuring Richard Egarr playing Dussek’s Fortepiano Concerto Op.49; and in May we return to the Barbican Hall for a feast of Vivaldi and Telemann with Nicola Benedetti; I do hope you can join us there.

Alexander Van Ingen Chief Executive Academy of Ancient Music

B A C H S T JOH N PA S S ION

Surveying the Past Robert Levin, inaugural Hogwood Fellow, places tonight's music in context Bach’s St John Passion marks a decisive leap forward in its composer’s striving to provide works of extraordinary drama and spiritual fervour for the most important dates in the liturgical calendar: Christmas and Good Friday. For Christmas 1723 – the first of these landmark dates in his first year as Cantor of St Thomas’ and Director musices – Bach composed his Magnificat in E flat major, BWV 243a (the standard version, transposed to D major, was undertaken between 1732 and 1735). This early version interposed songs of praise (Laudes), in both German and Latin, between the settings in Latin of the Magnificat text; the Laudes were deleted in the reworked version. Bach also composed a chorale cantata using the German translation of the Magnificat (“Meine Seele erhebt den Herrn”: "My soul magnifies the Lord") to the Gregorian chant of the Latin original, for the Visitation (2 July 1724).

In the meantime, he had created the St John Passion for Good Friday, 7 April 1724 – a masterpiece that in turn led the way to the creation of the St Matthew Passion on 11 April 1727.

Both Passions underwent considerable alterations, particularly the St John, as Stephen Rose has elaborated in

his notes. This was characteristic of Bach’s working methods: he was constantly tinkering with his works, both choral and instrumental, and examination of his myriad revisions affords revealing insights into his working methods and the motivations for his retoolings.

Bach was acutely sensitive to the relationship between keys and their attendant dramatic and emotional character.

The doctrine of the Affektenlehre (Doctrine of Emotions) that assigns specific character to each key was already well established: C major was majestic, D major jubilant, E flat regal, F major pastoral, C minor was the key of pathos, D minor was diabolical (relating to the Dies irae and hence the last judgment), E minor mourning, F minor passion, G minor despair, and so on, though in the Baroque era minor keys could also be joyous (an oft-quoted example is Corelli’s “Christmas” Concerto in G minor). Bach exploits exotic keys as well as the essential ones, and his choice of G minor to evoke the despair of the opening chorus of the St John Passion is as apt as the axiomatic decision to use E minor for the first chorus of the St Matthew and its text, “Kommt, ihr Töchter,

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hilft mir klagen” (“Come, ye daughters, help me lament”).

In the hands of Bach and his librettists the various compositional genres that are fused within the Passions interweave the events of the Scriptures with their commemoration in the present. The story of Christ’s martyrdom is told by the Evangelist with a cast of characters contained in the Gospels (Jesus, the disciples, the High Priest, Pontius Pilate, etc) and traumatically dramatised by the choruses depicting the crowd (the turba). This narrative is inflected by the poetic contemplation of the arias and madrigal choruses, which interpret the story and elucidate its message for the edification of the congregation, whereas the hymn tunes (chorales), familiar to the parishioners and regularly sung by them during church services, metaphorically transform them into living witnesses, transcending the centuries that separate them from the events that define their faith.

Bach had been warned against incorporating too much theatricality into his sacred music and Stephen Rose quotes witnesses on both sides of the controversy.

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There are, to be sure, crucial differences between the drama of the opera stage and the musico-dramatic means and ends employed by Bach and his contemporaries in the depiction of the Passion, not the least of which are the several ways in which chorale melodies can be used to define and deepen the expression – not only through the use of the hymns themselves, but in particular in the chorale preludes that deploy the liturgical message of the hymns in often spectacular ways, such as the use of “O Lamm Gottes unschuldig” ("O Lamb of God, innocent") in the opening chorus of the St Matthew Passion and the chorale prelude “O Mensch bewein’ Deine Sünde groß” ("O man, bewail thy sins so great"), originally composed for the second version of the St John Passion in 1725 but ultimately carried over into the final number of the first part of the St Matthew.

Ultimately the sense of the sublime in Bach’s Passions wrought its profound influence on subsequent generations.

The melody of the St John’s climactic aria, “Es ist vollbracht” ("It is finished"), found its way into the development of the

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AAM Quick Pick first movement of Beethoven’s Third Cello Sonata in A major, Op.69, and into the "Klagender Gesang" ("Tearful Song") of his Piano Sonata in A flat major, Op.110; it also reappears in both the first and the second movements of Schumann’s Piano Quintet in E flat major, Op.44. One could argue, I suppose, as to whether those quotations were intentional or coincidental; but both explanations are equally rewarding, and revealing. On the one hand the later artist, reaching for an exquisite voice of sorrow, consciously joins his vision to the great master who preceded them, making his heritage theirs; on the other, the later composer reaches for something unique and unfathomable and believes to have invented a melody that turns out to have been floating in the ether, latently awaiting its rediscovery.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is what we call culture.

(With thanks to Christoph Wolff, Johann Sebastian Bach.

The Learned Musician.)

Each concert Lars Henriksson picks out one key thing to listen out for.

The so-called “turba" choruses (crowd choruses) take centre stage in the St John Passion. Whereas the St Matthew Passion has a greater number of arias and accompanied recitatives, the choruses of the St John are longer and often more dramatic, making for a denser, more theatrical drama.

The choruses express the sentiments of the crowd, the high priests, the pharisees etc, and the general standpoint is that of anger and coercion, for example no.16b “Wäre dieser nicht ein Übeltäter”, No.21d “Kreuzige” and No.23d “Lässest du diesen los”, whereas No.21b “Sei gegrüßet, lieber Judenkönig” is deeply ironic. No.12b “Bist du nicht seiner Jünger einer?” is stripped of aggravation though, the crowd being inquisitive of Peter’s relation to Christ, leading to Peter’s denial.

Bach supports the various sentiments with unparalleled harmonic and contrapuntal force, clearly demonstrating the emotions in play.

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Johann Sebastian Bach (16985-1750)

St John Passion (1724) Part One 1.

Chorus: Herr, unser Herrscher, dessen Ruhm in allen Landen herrlich ist! (Lord, our Redeemer, whose glory is in all the world)

2a. Evangelist, Christus: Jesus ging mit seinen Jüngern über den Bach Kidron (Jesus went forth with his disciples across the Kidron valley) 2b

Chorus: Jesum von Nazareth (Jesus of Nazareth)

2c.

Evangelist and Christus: Jesus spricht zu ihnen (Jesus said to them)

7.

Aria; counter-tenor: Von den Stricken meiner Sünden (From the bondage of transgression)

8.

Evangelist: Simon Petrus aber folgete Jesu nach (And Simon Peter followed Jesus)

9.

Aria; soprano: Ich folge dir gleichfalls mit freudigen Schritten (I follow thee too, my Saviour)

10. Evangelist, Ancilla, Petrus, Christus, Servus: Derselbige Jünger war dem Hohenpriester bekannt (And the servants and officers stood there)

2d. Chorus: Jesum von Nazareth (Jesus of Nazareth)

11. Chorale: Wer hat dich so geschlagen (O Lord, who dares to smite thee?)

2e. Evangelist, Christus: Jesus antwortete: Ich hab's euch gesagt, daß ich's sei (Jesus answered: I have told you that I am he)

12a. Evangelist: Und Hannas sandte ihn gebunden zu dem Hohenpriester Kaiphas (Now Annas had sent him bound unto Caiaphas the high priest)

3.

Chorale: O große Lieb, o Lieb ohn alle Maße (O wondrous love quite limitless)

12b. Chorus: Bist du nicht seiner Jünger einer? (Art not thou also one of his disciples?)

4.

Evangelist, Christus: Auf daß das Wort erfüllet würde (That the saying might be fulfilled)

12c. Evangelist, Petrus, Servus: Er leugnete aber (He denied it)

5.

Chorale: Dein Will gescheh, Herr Gott, zugleich (Thy will, O Lord, our God, be done)

13. Aria; tenor: Ach, mein Sinn (Ah, my soul)

6.

Evangelist: Die Schar aber und der Oberhauptmann (Then the band and the captain)

14. Chorale: Petrus, der nicht denkt zurück (Peter, faithless, thrice denies)

20-minute interval

B A C H S T JOH N PA S S ION

Part Two

15. Chorale: Christus, der uns selig macht (Christ who brings us joy) 16a. Evangelist, Pilatus: Da führeten sie Jesum von Kaiphas vor das Richthaus (Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas)

21b. Chorus: Sei gegrüßet, lieber Jüdenkönig! (Hail, King of the Jews!)

21c. Evangelist, Pilatus: Und gaben ihm Backenstreiche (And they smote him with their hands) 21d. Chorus: Kreuzige, kreuzige! (Crucify him!)

16b. Chorus: Wäre dieser nicht ein Übeltäter? (What accusation bring ye?)

21e. Evangelist, Pilatus: Pilatus sprach zu ihnen (Pilate saith unto them)

16c. Evangelist, Pilatus: Da sprach Pilatus zu ihnen (They answered and said unto him)

21f. Chorus: Wir haben ein Gesetz (We have a law)

16d. Chorus: Wir dürfen niemand töten (It is not lawful for us to put any man to death) 16e. Evangelist, Pilatus, Christus: Auf daß erfüllet würde das Wort Jesu (That the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled): 17. Chorale: Ach großer König (O mighty King) 18a. Evangelist, Pilatus, Christus: Da sprach Pilatus zu ihm (Pilate therefore said unto him) 18b. Chorus: Nicht diesen, sondern Barrabam! (Not this man, but Barabbas!)

18c. Evangelist, Pilatus, Christus: Barrabas aber war ein Mörder (Now Barabbas was a robber) 19. Arioso; bass: Betrachte, meine Seel (Consider, O my soul) 20. Aria; tenor: Erwäge, wie sein blutgefärbter Rücken (Consider how his bloodstained back) 21a. Evangelist: Und die Kriegsknechte flochten eine Krone von Dornen (And the soldiers plaited a crown of thorns)

21g. Evangelist, Pilatus, Christus: Da Pilatus das Wort hörete (When Pilate therefore heard that saying) 22. Chorale: Durch dein Gefängnis, Gottes Sohn (Thy bonds, O Son of God, most high) 23a. Evangelist: Die Jüden aber schrieen (But the Jews cried out) 23b. Chorus: Lässest du diesen los, so bist du des Kaisers Freund nicht (If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar’s friend) 23c. Evangelist, Pilatus: Da Pilatus da Wort hörete, führete er Jesum heraus (When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus forth) 23d. Chorus: Weg, weg mit dem, kreuzige ihn! (Away, away with him, crucify him!)

23e. Evangelist, Pilatus: Spricht Pilatus zu ihnen (Pilate saith unto them) 23f. Chorus: Wir haben keinen König denn den Kaiser.

(We have no king but Caesar)

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23g. Evangelist: Da überantwortete er ihn daß er gekreuziget würde. (Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified) 24. Aria; bass and chorus: Eilt, ihr angefochtnen Seelen (Haste, ye deeply wounded spirits) 25a. Evangelist: Allda kreuzigten sie ihn (Where they crucified him) 25b. Chorus: Schreibe nicht: der Jüden König (Write not, "The King of the Jews") 25c. Evangelist, Pilatus: Pilatus antwortet (Pilate answered) 26. Chorale: In meines Herzens Grunde (Within our inmost being) 27a. Evangelist: Die Kriegsknechte aber, da sie Jesum gekreuziget hatten (Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments) 27b. Chorus: Lasset uns den nicht zerteilen (Let us not rend it) 27c. Evangelist, Christus: Auf daß erfüllet würde die Schrift (That the scripture might be fulfilled) 28. Chorale: Er nahm alles wohl in acht (He thought of everything) 29. Evangelist, Christus: Und von Stund an nahm sie der Jünger zu sich (And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home) 30. Aria; counter-tenor: Es ist vollbracht! (It is finished!)

8 31. Evangelist: Und neiget das Haupt und verschied (And he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost) 32. Aria; bass and chorus: Mein teurer Heiland, laß dich fragen (My dearest Saviour, let me ask thee) 33. Evangelist: Und siehe da, der Vorhang im Tempel zeriß in zwei Stück (And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two) 34. Arioso; tenor: Mein Herz, in dem die ganze Welt bei Jesu Leiden gleichfalls leidet (My heart, while the whole world shares Jesus’ suffering) 35. Aria; soprano: Zerfließe, mein Herze, in Fluten der Zähren (Dissolve then, heart, in floods of tears as thy tribute to our God) 36. Evangelist: Die Jüden aber, dieweil es der Rüsttag war (The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation) 37. Chorale: O hilf, Christe, Gottes Sohn (Help us, Christ, the Son of God) 38. Evangelist: Darnach bat Pilatum Joseph von Arimathia (And after this Joseph of Arimathaea) 39. Chorus: Ruht wohl, ihr heiligen Gebeine (Lie in peace, sacred body) 40. Chorale: Ach Herr, lass dein lieb Engelein (O Lord, send

thy cherubs)

B A C H S T JOH N PA S S ION

Stephen Rose introduces JS Bach’s St John Passion When the St John Passion was first performed at the Nikolaikirche in Leipzig on Good Friday 1724, Bach’s congregation would never have previously heard anything like it. The custom in Leipzig was to tell the story of Christ’s trial and crucifixion using the simple setting of Johann Walter (c.1530), where the words of scripture were recited as in plainchant. The only change from this tradition occurred in 1721 and 1722, when Bach’s predecessor, Johann Kuhnau, performed a more elaborate setting of the Passion according to St Mark, using instruments as well as voices, and intermingling the Biblical narrative with contemplative arias and chorales. Bach’s St John Passion followed Kuhnau’s model in some respects, but went much further than Kuhnau had dared. Bach’s work was of a length never before encountered in Leipzig, and used a substantial ensemble including chorus, orchestra and several unusual instruments such as the viola d’amore and viola da gamba. In addition, Bach’s Passion was far more operatic in style, with vivid arias communicating the pathos and pain of Christ’s trial and crucifixion.

In the early 18th century it was highly contentious to write Passion music in an operatic style. Although some people argued that an operatic style allowed composers to arouse the emotions contained in the Passion story, other Lutherans preferred old-fashioned styles such as motets that conveyed solemnity and devotion. There was also disquiet at the way that many modern versions of the Passion—such as the settings of Barthold Heinrich Brockes’s libretto Der für die Sünde der Welt gemarterte und sterbende Jesus ("The Story of Jesus, Suffering and Dying for the Sins of the World") – dispensed with the Biblical text altogether, instead putting the story into modern language (complete with the ornate metaphors beloved of Baroque poets).

The polarised opinions aroused by pieces similar to the St John Passion can be sensed from two accounts of the time. Gottfried Ephraim Scheibel (1721) claimed that performing Passions in an operatic style was a way to attract large congregations to church:

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Programme Note continued “The people certainly would not have come to church so promptly and in such numbers because of the preacher but rather presumably because of the music. The libretto was simply the account of Christ’s suffering from one of the Gospels, into which frequent chorales and also two or three arias were introduced. I marvelled how diligently people listened and how devoutly they sang along; it was the moving music that contributed the most to this, and even though the service lasted more than four hours, everyone stayed until it was over.”

By contrast, Christian Gerber (1732), an opponent of elaborate church music, reported a hostile response to the innovations of composers such as Bach: “But gradually the Passion story, which had formerly been sung in simple plainchant, humbly and reverently, began to be sung with many kinds of instruments in the most elaborate fashion … When this Passion music was performed for the first time in one of our

great cities with twelve violins [i.e. strings], many oboes, bassoons and other instruments, many people were shocked and didn’t know what to make of it. In the pew of a noble family in church, many ministers and noble ladies were present and sang the first Passion hymn from their books with great devotion, but when this theatrical music commenced, all these people were filled with the greatest amazement, looked at one another, and said, ‘May God preserve us, children.

It’s as if a person were at the opera or the theatre.’

Everyone thoroughly disapproved of the music and registered justified complaints about it.

But of course there were also such spirits as take pleasure in such vain aberrations, especially if they are of a sanguine nature and are given to voluptuousness.”

It is not known which performances Gerber and Scheibel describe, but their anecdotes give an idea of the mixed ways in which Bach’s congregation probably responded to the St John Passion.

B A C H S T JOH N PA S S ION

In Leipzig, the church authorities did not want to of God’s grace" (‘der allerschönste Regenbogen … follow the trend of Hamburg, where the Passion Gottes Gnadenzeichen"). Or to take another example, oratorios with librettos by Brockes had abandoned in "Betrachte, mein Seel" ("Consider, O my soul") the the scriptural text altogether. Instead the clergy good that comes from Jesus’s suffering is compared seem to have instructed Bach to retain the entire to a primrose flowering above thorns.

Biblical text in the St John Passion.

The Biblical words are set to The final element in the text of “Everyone thoroughly recitative, with a tenor voice (the disapproved of the Music … the St John Passion comprises Evangelist) acting as narrator. strophes from chorales (German But of course there were also congregational hymns), probably In addition, Bach included two such spirits as take pleasure chosen by Bach himself. The further layers of text, creating a rich in such vain aberrations, poetic framework for the music. chorales comment on the action especially if they are of a For the arias, he used free poetry and voice the collective response sanguine nature and are in an up-to-date style; these texts of the congregation, using the were assembled by an unknown familiar language of Lutheran given to voluptuousness." author (possibly Bach himself, or hymnodists. For instance, the first Christian Gerber a local theologian). Many of the chorale is sung after Jesus has aria texts have close similarities freely identified himself to his with Brockes’s Passion libretto, particularly in the captors, and expresses the self-sacrifice inherent in elaborate metaphors. Thus in "Erwäge, wie sein Christ’s actions: "O große Lieb, o Lieb ohn alle Maße" blutgefärbter Rücken" the bloodstains on Christ’s ("O greatest love, o love without end"). The constant back after the scourging are compared to "the most interplay between the three levels of text in the beautiful of rainbows" and described as a "symbol Passion – the Bible, the ornate poetry for the arias,

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Programme note continued and the chorale texts – multiplies the significance of the narrative, increasing its richness and poignance.

a strong sense that the narrative is being pushed forward by forces outside Jesus’s control – partly by the crowd that has smelled his blood, and partly by his divine destiny.

The Passion story is inherently dramatic – with its scenes of anger and betrayal, and its narrative pushing inexorably to Jesus’ The arias of the St John Passion death – and Bach’s setting of the St draw on operatic convention in The delicate timbre of John Passion has a strong sense of order to convey the emotions the viola da gamba and urgency. There are fewer arias than being felt by individuals at lute evoked the otherin the St Matthew Passion, restricting various points in the story. worldly experience of the opportunities for leisurely Often the instrumental death, increasing the contemplation. Instead Bach’s setting accompaniment and thematic is characterised by the frequent material have symbolic or intensity of the pivotal interjections of the turba choruses pictorial significance. Sometimes arias in the Passion. (representing the crowd), which the motifs are overtly pictorial, constantly push the action onward. as in "Eilt, ihr angefochtnen Even in the initial set of recitatives – recounting Seelen" ("Haste, ye deeply wounded spirits"), Jesus’s arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane – the where the rushing upward scales illustrate the turba chorus makes a dramatic entrance, calling for text’s exhortation that we "hasten to Golgotha". In Jesus. Frequent modulations increase the tension other arias, by contrast, it is hard to describe the and mean that the turba theme tends to return in a effect of Bach’s music in words. In "Erwäge, wie different key. The interventions by the chorus give sein blutgefärbter Rücken" some listeners might

B A C H S T JOH N PA S S ION

interpret the dactylic motifs as suggesting the rhythms of scourging, or as merely illustrating the text’s exhortation that we contemplate Jesus’s bloodstained back.

Bach also uses symbolic instrumentation in several arias: a viola da gamba solo in "Es ist vollbracht" ("It is finished"); a pair of violas d’amore in "Betrachte, meine Seel" and "Erwäge, wie sein blutgefärbter Rücke"’; and an obbligato part for lute in "Betrachte, meine Seel". Although Bach was always keen to experiment with unusual sonorities, here he also followed the standard scorings associated with funerals. The viola da gamba and the lute were both quiet instruments, increasing falling into obsolescence in an age that valued more powerful sounds. Their delicate timbre evoked the other-worldly experience of death, increasing the intensity of the pivotal arias in the Passion. The violas d’amore also add an other-worldly aura to their arias: in addition to their bowed strings, these instruments have a set of sympathetic strings that resonate like a ghostly echo.

At the moment of Jesus’s crucifixion comes one of the most poignant arias in the Passion. "Es ist vollbracht" sets one of Jesus’s Seven Last Words on the Cross: "It is finished". Bach’s aria isolates the two contrasting meanings inherent in this utterance. The aria starts "Molt’ adagio" with a lamenting obbligato played by a viola da gamba in the key of B minor; this suggests the despair and resignation in the words "It is finished". By contrast, the middle section of the aria interprets these words triumphantly, as indicating that Christ’s work on earth is gloriously completed.

Here the key turns to D major, and the voice and strings imitate the fanfares of trumpets on the words "Der Held aus Juda siegt mit Mach" ("The hero from Judah triumphs with might"). With this aria, Bach reflects a central feature of John’s Gospel, which portrays Christ as glorious and victorious, even in death.

Despite the many operatic elements in the arias of the Passion, Bach also retained aspects of Lutheran

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musical traditions in the piece, notably in the chorales and in the large choruses at the start and near the end. The congregation would have recognised the tunes and words of the chorales, which were used regularly in private devotion during the 18th century as well as in church services.

It is unclear if the congregation actually sang the chorales – which are often stated in unsuitable keys for untrained voices, or with the melody shrouded by complicated harmonies – but they doubtless would have recited the words quietly to themselves during the performance.

Bach also asserted his Lutheran heritage in the extended choruses that act as the opening and penultimate movements. The opening chorus takes as its starting-point words from Psalm 8 – "Herr unser

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Herrscher, dessen Ruhm in allen Landen herrlich ist" ("O Lord our governor, how excellent is thy name in all the world") – but the mood is one of foreboding, created by the swirling figures in the strings and the interlocking dissonance in the woodwind. Further agitation is caused by the pulsing pedal notes in the bass and the rising sequences in the voices.

By contrast, the penultimate movement, "Ruht wohl", is a gentle triple-time dance, with falling figures suggesting the lowering of Christ into the grave. Indeed, its key of C minor was associated by Baroque theorists with sleep (in this case, the sleep of death). By deploying his substantial ensemble in highly affective movements such as these choruses, Bach offered an unprecedented experience for his congregation in Leipzig.

B A C H S T JOH N PA S S ION

The 1724 version of the St John Passion Bach’s St John Passion had a complex genesis in which four separate versions can be discerned, dating from 1724, 1725, c.1732 and 1749. Such repeated revisions were not unusual in early 18th-century music; a composer would adapt a piece to the performers available, as well as to possible external factors such as the tastes of the audience or patron. Some of Bach’s changes indeed fall into this category: for instance, the 1749 version uses an expanded orchestra, with the continuo section reinforced by contrabassoon and at least one harpsichord.

Many of Bach’s revisions, however, stem primarily from an artistic restlessness, a creativity that sought to refine and perfect his large-scale compositions.

Some of the revisions, particularly the 1725 version, go beyond simple adaptation as to change entirely the overall shape and narrative dynamic of the work. And in addition to the four versions that can be associated with specific performances, Bach also began a major revision of his autograph score of the St John Passion around 1739. This revision was

never completed, and thus it seems that Bach never brought the work into a definitive form. As the Bach scholar Christoph Wolff writes, it might be more accurate to speak of the St John ‘Passions’.

Today’s concert presents a rare opportunity to hear Bach’s original conception of the work, the 1724.

A complete score of this version does not survive, but the first ten movements can be reconstructed from the parts copied for Bach’s original performance.

It uses the same order of movements as the 1749 version that is the normal choice for modern performances. But there are many small differences in the melodic writing, which is less elaborate than in subsequent versions. The vocal lines in the arias tend to have plain leaps rather than florid stepwise ornamentation. The counter-tenor and tenor parts in the chorales are less prominent, moving in the same rhythms as the outer parts rather than containing their own faster counter-melodies.

The surviving parts suggest that Bach used a small orchestra in the 1724 version, giving an intimacy

ACADEMY OF ANCIENT MUSIC 2017-18 SEASON

to this most impassioned and dramatic of Passion stories. In the arias "Betrachte meine Seel" and "Erwäge wie sein blutgefärbter Rükken", the 1724 version specifies the use of two violas d’amore rather than the muted violins which are specified in the third version (and which are often used in modern performances). The violas d’amore lend a haunting timbre to these arias through their sympathetic strings, which resonate in consonance with the bowed strings like an otherworldly echo.

Bach’s most radical revisions were in the 1725 version, in which he replaced the opening chorus with a movement later used in the St Matthew Passion (the chorus "O Mensch, bewein dein Sünde groß"; "O man, bewail thy sins so great" ).

To balance this substantial new first movement, he closed the 1725 version with a choral setting of the German Agnes Dei ("Christe du Lamm Gottes"). He inserted two arias of extreme drama: "Zerschmettert mich" ("Break me assunder"), where musical representations of thunderbolts express Peter’s anger at having forsaken Jesus; and "Ach

16

windet euch nicht so" ("Ah, do not writhe so") which depicts the writhing of souls and scourging of lashes. He also included a bass aria "Himmel reiße, Welt erbebe" ("Crack open, heaven, tremble, world") that incorporates the chorale "Jesu deine Passion".

Subsequently Bach removed many of these 1725 insertions, in part to differentiate the work from the St Matthew Passion.

The different versions of the St John Passion usually remain hidden in the appendix of the complete edition, as an object purely of scholarly interest.

By performing these different versions, we can gain rare insights into Bach’s creative process, as well as new perspectives on one of his best-known works.

Programme notes © Stephen Rose

B A C H S T JOH N PA S S ION

James Gilcrhist

Riccardo Minasi

Evangelist tenor

Described by The Guardian as “an outstanding musician”, conductor and violinist Riccardo Minasi has quickly established a reputation as one of the most exciting talents to emerge on the European scene in recent years.

Alongside his position as Chief Conductor of Mozarteumorchester Salzburg, this season’s conducting and directing engagements include debuts with Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, NDR Radiophilharmonie, Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne and Orquesta de Valencia.

He also returns to work with Stavanger Symphony Orchestra and Zürcher Kammerorchester, has continuing relationships with Orchestre National de Lyon, Ensemble Resonanz and La Scintilla, and is a regular presence in many of Europe’s leading opera houses including Zürich and Hamburg.

He is in demand as a recording collaborator with many of the world’s top soloists. He features on four 2016 ECHO Klassik award-winning albums including his Haydn Concertos album and Leonardo Vinci’s Catone in Utica with Max Emanuel Cenčić as well as the International Opera Awards Recital Disc of the Year: Agrippina with Ann Hallenberg.

© Patrick Allen

© Drew Gardner

Conductor

James Gilchrist’s extensive concert repertoire has seen him perform in major concert halls throughout the world with conductors including Sir John Eliot Gardiner and Sir Roger Norrington. Both the St John and St Matthew Passions feature prominently, in his schedule and he is celebrated as perhaps the finest Evangelist of his generation.

A prolific and versatile recitalist, James enjoys imaginative programming, working with pianists including Julius Drake, Malcolm Martineau and most notably Anna Tilbrook, with whom he celebrated 20 years of collaboration last year.

James’s impressive discography includes recordings of Albert Herring (title role) for Chandos, the critically-acclaimed recordings of Schubert’s song cycles for Orchid Classics and a Schumann song cycles for Linn Records. Most recently, James recorded Vaughan Williams Songs of Travel alongside Anna Tilbrook and Philip Dukes for Chandos.

This season includes Handel’s Belshazzar and Bach cantatas in Stuttgart, Britten's War Requiem with the National Youth Orchestra of Germany and concerts with Bernard Labadie and Les Violons du Roy in Quebec and at the NAC in Ottawa.

ACADEMY OF ANCIENT MUSIC 2017-18 SEASON

18

Cody Quattlebaum

Lydia Teuscher

American Cody Quattlebaum, revered

by Opera News as “a powerhouse, commanding of presence, virile of sound, and articulate even in the swiftest exchanges”, is earning a reputation as a unique and captivating interpreter of music.

This season, Cody will appear as Segeste in Handel’s Arminio and the bass soloist in Dettingen’s Te Deum with the Händel-Festspiele.

He will also perform the role of Zuniga in Carmen at Opernhaus Zürich.

He recently made his debut at Opernhaus Zürich as Schriftsteller, in the world premier of Xavier Dayer’s Der Traum von Dir. Other recent successes include Grigory Stepanovich Smirnov (Walton The Bear) and Guglielmo (Cosí fan tutte) with the Merola Opera Program, and Claudio (Agrippina) at The Juilliard School. He is a devoted recitalist and refined concert soloist, and has performed in such prestigious venues as Carnegie Hall, The Alhambra, Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center, and the Taube Atrium in San Francisco.

soprano

Lydia Teuscher was born in Freiburg, Germany and studied at the Welsh College of Music and Drama and at the Hochschule für Musik in Mannheim. © Shirley Suarez

© Dustin Chan

Christus bass-baritone

Highlights this season include Haydn’s The Creation with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, and Mahler's Des Knaben Wunderhorn with the Saito Kinen Orchestra and Nathalie Stutzmann.

In opera, Lydia has sung Pamina (Die Zauberflöte) at the Salzburg Mozartwoche and Festival d’Aix-en-Provence; Susanna (Le nozze di Figaro) at the Glyndebourne Festival and Dresdner Semperoper; Zerlina (Don Giovanni) for the Bolshoi, and Gretel (Hänsel und Gretel) for the Glyndebourne Festival, Dresdner Semperoper and Saito Kinen Festival.

She collaborates regularly with conductors such as René Jacobs, Jonathan Cohen, Emmanuelle Haïm and Sir Roger Norrington. Recent highlights include Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire with the Ensemble of the Bayerische Staatsoper; Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 with the London Symphony Orchestra and Daniel Harding, and Handel’s Messiah with the Orchestre National de Lille and Jan Willem de Vriend.

Iestyn Davies

Ilker Arcayürek

In 2017 Iestyn Davies was awarded an MBE by the Queen for his services to Music. A former Cambridge choral scholar, he went on to study singing at the Royal Academy of Music. An esteemed Handelian, he has delighted audiences globally with his vocal agility in roles such as Orlando, Rinaldo, Ottone (Agrippina), David (Saul) and Giulio Cesare. His intelligent and considered interpretations have led to fruitful collaborations with Thomas Adès, George Benjamin and Nico Muhly.

Ilker Arcayürek was born in Istanbul and raised in Vienna. He was the winner of Germany’s Hugo Wolf Academy International Art Song Competition 2016, and a BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist. He is currently touring his first album Der Einsame, released by Champs Hill, featuring Schubert songs accompanied by Simon Lepper. This season, recital debuts see him opening the 25th jubilee edition of the Schubertíada Vilabertran and performances at Barcelona’s L’Auditori, Wigmore Hall, Birmingham’s Town Hall all as well as Liedrezital in Zürich and Heidelberg Spring Festival.

tenor

On the opera stage, he has appeared at the Metropolitan Opera, New York, the Chicago Lyric Opera, La Scala Milan, the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, English National Opera, Glyndebourne Festival Opera, Welsh National Opera, and in Munich, Vienna and Zurich.

He he has twice been awarded the Gramophone Recital Award, and in 2017 won the Gramophone Baroque Vocal Award for his Bach Cantatas with Arcangelo and Jonathan Cohen.

He recently made his Broadway debut in a revival of his westend theatre project, Farinelli and the King, with Mark Rylance.

© Janina Laszlo

© Chris Sorensen

counter-tenor

He has been a member of the ensemble of the Staatstheater Nürnberg since the 2015-16 season, where his repertoire includes Rodolfo (La Bohème), Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni), Nadir (Les pêcheurs de Perles) and Andres (Wozzeck). This season sees his debut in the title role of Idomeneo. Recent highlights on the concert platform have been his debut at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam and in Utrecht as soloist in Schubert’s Mass No.5 and at the Dresdner Kreuzkirche as the Evangelist in St Matthew’s Passion with the Dresdner Kreuzchor and the Dresdner Philharmonie conducted by Roderich Kreile.

ACADEMY OF ANCIENT MUSIC 2017-18 SEASON

Meet the player: Reiko Ichise viola

20

da gamba

First of all, what is a viola da gamba?

The gamba may look similar to the cello from distance but it is from a different family. "Viola da gamba" literally means "viola of legs" as we hold any size of it between our legs.

It seems that one day, during the second half of the 15th century, somebody in Spain thought of playing a guitar-like instrument called a Vihuela with a bow! What a good idea it was!

Like many other instruments, the gamba's shapes and sizes were very variable depending on the time and place. I am playing a bass seven-string gamba, a French model.

want to admit that the gamba became unfashionable! Also there seems to be always someone playing throughout the centuries.

Some say the gamba's sound was too delicate or quiet for the ever-increasing size of the concert salon or hall during the course of the 18th century. I do not agree with this. Or simply, composers prefered to write for fashionable and powerful cellos.

Do you play other instruments?

Yes, I studied the piano until I met the gamba at the age of 18. I am hoping to have some piano practice time to learn Poulenc!

When did the viola da gamba fall out of What's your first musical memory? fashion and why?

This is a tricky question for a gamba player to answer because I do not

It must be my mother singing a lullaby. Japanese lullabies tend to be

B A C H S T JOH N PA S S ION

melancholic and I used to feel rather unsettled or disturbed by them, so that was not so good for my mother.

privileged to have performed one of the most beautiful pieces of music (for me, yes) in such a magnificent setting.

How did you come to play the viola da gamba?

What “role" does the viola da gamba play in Bach's setting of the St John Passion?

Whilst I was reading musicology, I had to learn two old instruments as part of the course work. I chose the ancient Japanese flute and gamba.

I was hopeless playing the flute and I fell in love with the gamba!

What's been your favourite AAM experience?

Performing Purcell's Dido and Aeneas at a spectacular Roman amphitheatre at Sabratha in Libya. I was blown away by the beauty of the theatre and the colour of the sea. The whole thing was complete magic to me! I feel incredibly

The gamba has very important arias in both Bach's Passions. In the St John Passion, the gamba and counter-tenor sing together in "Es ist vollbracht!" ("It is finished") just before the Evangelist annouces the death of Jesus. The gamba's plaintive sound makes the listeners' ears turn their attention to the declaration "It is finished". I find this very challenging.

What are you particularly looking forward to about tonight's concert?

To listen, to discover, to learn , to share and to think.

ACADEMY OF ANCIENT MUSIC 2017-18 SEASON

22

Academy of Ancient Music Violin I Madeleine Easton Stephen Pedder Iwona Muszynska Pierre Joubert Naomi Burrell Violin II Bojan Čičić Elin White Marianna Szücs Davina Clarke Joanna Lawrence Viola d'amore Madeleine Easton Bojan Čičić

Viola Jane Rogers Marina Ascherson Clare Barwick

Bassoon Ursula Leveaux

Sponsored Chairs

Lute William Carter

Principal Viola Richard and Elizabeth de Friend

Cello Katherine Sharman Imogen Seth-Smith

Viola da Gamba Reiko Ichise

Sub-Principal Viola Nicholas and Judith Goodison

Double Bass Judith Evans

Organ Alastair Ross

Flute Marta Gonçalves Guy Williams

Harpsichord Silas Wollston

Principal Cello Dr Christopher and Lady Juliet Tadgell

Oboe Frank de Bruine Oonagh Lee

Keyboard Technician Malcolm Greenhalgh

Sub-Principal Cello The Newby Trust Principal Theorbo John and Joyce Reeve

B A C H S T JOH N PA S S ION

Choir of AAM Soprano Nina Bennett Helen Groves Philippa Hyde Dani May Chloe Morgan Anna Whyte Alto Cathy Bell Holly-Marie Bingham Judy Brown Lucy Goddard Susanna Spicer Soloists Pilatus Richard Latham Ancilla Philippa Hyde Servus Ilker Arcayürek Petrus Jonathan Stainsby

Tenor James Geer Edmund Hastings Tim Lacy Michael Solomon Williams Julian Stocker Bass Neil Bellingham Adrian Horsewood Richard Latham James Mawson Jonathan Stainsby

Explore If you enjoyed tonight’s concert, you may be interested in the following recordings:

JS Bach St John Passion: Gilchrist, Rose, Riches, Watts, Connolly, Kennedy, Purves / AAM & Choir of AAM / Richard Egarr [AAM Records, AAM002 available tonight on offer at just £15] Gilchrist, Davies, Bevan, Davies, Lyon, Ward, Kearns, Williams / AAM & King's College Choir Cambridge / Stephen Cleobury [Presto Classical, KGS0018] Güra, Weisser, Redmon, Schendel, Im, Schachtner, Kohlhepp, Weiss, Hong / Akademie fur Alte Musik Berlin & RIAS Kammerchor / René Jacobs [Harmonia Mundi, HMC802236/37] Padmore, Tilling, Kožená, Lehtipuu, Gerhaher, Williams / Berliner Philharmoniker & Rundfunkchor Berlin / Sir Simon Rattle, Peter Sellars [2 DVD + BR, Berliner Philharmoniker, BPHR140031]

JS Bach Cantatas Nos 54, 82 & 170

Iestyn Davies / Arcangelo / Jonathan Cohen [Hyperion, CDA68111]

JS Bach Mass in B Minor

Teuscher, Falk Winland, Mead, Boden, Davies / Arcangelo / Jonathan Cohen [Hyperion CDA68051/2]

ACADEMY OF ANCIENT MUSIC 2017-18 SEASON

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Who we are and what we do Music

The Academy of Ancient Music is an orchestra and choir that perform music from the baroque and classical era in the way it was first intended.This means taking inspiration from the composers themselves; through careful research and using first edition scores as often as possible. Our historically informed approach was ground-breaking when the orchestra was founded in 1973 by scholar-conductor Christopher Hogwood and AAM remains at the forefront of the early music scene today, under the leadership of Music Director Richard Egarr.

Recordings

Originally established as a recording orchestra AAM has an incredible catalogue of more than 300 CDs which have won numerous accolades, including Brit, Gramophone, Edison and MIDEM awards. On its own in-house

label, AAM Records, the orchestra has released five critically acclaimed recordings. The most recent release, a stunning selection of instrumental works by Dario Castello, a Venetian composer from the early baroque period, was launched in October 2016.

Education

Since 2010 AAM has run its AAMplify education scheme, with the aim of nurturing the next generation of young artists and audiences. Working with partners around the country, AAM delivers workshops, masterclasses and other special projects for children and people of all ages.

2017-18 Season

The 2017-18 season began with a semistaged performance of King Arthur, the second instalment of AAM’s three-year Purcell opera cycle. Also this season the Choir of AAM takes centre stage at the

Barbican for performances of Handel’s Messiah and Bach’s St John Passion, joined by first class soloists; and Nicola Benedetti performs virtuosic Vivaldi and Telemann concerti on gut strings.

In West Road and Milton Court concert halls, soloists from AAM feature in programmes exploring the musical impact of cross-European migration, and the "reversed fortunes" of Telemann and Bach. Soprano Carolyn Sampson celebrates English song from Dowland to Arne; and a programme of secular and sacred vocal music showcases the pairing of soprano Keri Fuge and counter-tenor Tim Mead.

AAM is Associate Ensemble at London’s Barbican Centre and Orchestra in Residence at the University of Cambridge, at the Grange Festival and at Chiltern Arts.

Visit aam.co.uk to find out more.

B A C H S T JOH N PA S S ION

Thank you The AAM is indebted to the following trusts, companies and individuals for their support of the orchestra’s work.

TRUSTS & FOUNDATIONS The Backstage Trust Constance Travis Charitable Trust Dunard Fund Garfield Weston Foundation Geoffrey C Hughes Charitable Trust The Goldsmiths' Company Charity John Armitage Charitable Trust Newby Trust Ltd The Nicholas John Trust The Polonsky Foundation and other anonymous trusts and foundations

AAM SOCIETY The Hogwood ­Circle Matthew Ferrey Mark and Liza Loveday Christopher and Phillida Purvis * Mrs Julia Rosier Terence and Sian Sinclair Dr Christopher and Lady Juliet Tadgell

Principal ­Patrons Christopher Hogwood CBE, in memoriam * John and Madeleine Tattersall and other anonymous Principal ­Patrons Patrons Richard and Elena Bridges Lady Alexander of Weedon Clive and Helena Butler Alan J Clark Richard and Elizabeth de Friend Mr John Everett Malcolm and Rosalind Gammie Nicholas and Judith Goodison * Graham and Amanda Hutton Philip Jones David and Linda Lakhdhir Roger Mayhew Graham Nicholson John and Joyce Reeve Chris and Ali Rocker Mr Anthony Travis Mark West and other anonymous ­Patrons Principal ­Benefactors Carol Atack and Alex van Someren John and Gilly Baker Mrs D Broke Jo and Keren Butler Kate Donaghy The Hon Simon Eccles Dr Julia Ellis Ed Hossack and Ben Harvey Mark and Sophie Lewisohn Mrs Anne Machin Mr and Mrs C Norton Mark and Elizabeth Ridley Sir Konrad and Lady Schiemann * Stephen Thomas Paul and Michi Warren

Julie and Richard Webb Mr Andrew Williams Mrs S Wilson Stephens Christopher Stewart Charles Woodward and other anonymous Principal B­ enefactors Benefactors Dr Aileen Adams CBE Cumming Anderson Elise Badoy Dauby Professor John and Professor Hilary Birks Mrs Stephanie Bourne Mr and Mrs John Brisby * Adam and Sara Broadbent Hugh Burkitt Marshall Field Michael and Michele Foot CBE Andrew and Wendy Gairdner The Hon William Gibson Ralph Hullah, in memoriam Mrs Noel Harwerth and Mr Seth Melhado The Hon Mr and Mrs Philip Havers Heather Jarman Julian and Susie Knott Mr Peter and Mrs Frances Meyer Herschel and Peggy Post Chris and Valery Rees The Hon Zita Savile Dr Robert Sansom Ms Sarah Shepley and Mr Kevin Feeney Reg and Patricia Singh Mr Michael Smith Peter Thomson and Alison Carnwath Mrs Janet Unwin Peter and Margaret Wynn and other anonymous B­ enefactors

Donors Angela and Roderick Ashby-Johnson Marianne Aston Elisabeth and Bob Boas * Charles Bryant David and Elizabeth Challen Lord and Lady Dilhorne Derek and Mary Draper Nikki Edge Christopher and Jill Evans Tina Fordham Mrs Marilyn Minchom Goldberg Kibort Hember Mrs Helen Higgs Mr and Mrs Charles Jackson Alison Knocker Mr and Mrs Evan Llewellyn Richard and Romilly Lyttelton Richard Meade Annie Middlemiss Graham and Sylvia Orpwood Nick and Margaret Parker Jane Rabagliati and Raymond Cross Mr and Mrs Charles Rawlinson Michael and Giustina Ryan Dr Alison Salt Mr Peter Shawdon Professor Tony Watts Tony and Jackie Yates-Watson and other anonymous D ­ onors * denotes founder ­member

ACADEMY OF ANCIENT MUSIC 2017-18 SEASON

26

Our Team Music Director Richard Egarr Hogwood Fellow Robert Levin

Head of Concerts and Planning Chloë Wennersten

Chief Executive Alexander Van Ingen

Projects and Fundraising Co-ordinator Alice Pusey

General Manager Anthony Brice

Librarian Hannah Godfrey

Development Manager Ellen Parkes

Development Consultant Programme Editor Sarah Breeden John Bickley

Fundraising Assistant Leonore Hibou

Marketing Consultants Bethan Sheppard Chloë Priest Griffiths

Finance Marianna Lauckner Palieskova

Board of Trustees

Development Board

Hugh Burkitt Matthew Ferrey Philip Jones (chair) Graham Nicholson John Reeve Terence Sinclair Madeleine Tattersall Janet Unwin

Delia Broke Hugh Burkitt Elizabeth de Friend (chair) Andrew Gairdner MBE Peter Hullah Philip Jones Roger Mayhew Craig Nakan John Reeve

Honorary President: Christopher Purvis CBE

PR Consultant WildKat PR

Council Chris Rocker Terence Sinclair Madeleine Tattersall Janet Unwin

Richard Bridges Kate Donaghy Jonathan Freeman-Attwood Carol Grigor Tim Harvey-Samuel Nick Heath Lars Henriksson Christopher Lawrence Sir Konrad Schiemann Rachel Stroud Dr Christopher Tadgell The Lady Juliet Tadgell

SHOSTAKOVICH PLUS October & November 2017 DEBUSSY & PIZZETTI February & March 2018 MICHAEL COLLINS & FRIENDS February, March & April 2018 ACADEMY OF ANCIENT MUSIC RESIDENCY May & June 2018 Fridays at 1pm LSO St Luke’s, 161 Old Street London EC1V 9NG lso.co.uk/lunchtimeconcerts

ACADEMY OF ANCIENT MUSIC 2017-18 SEASON

Support AAM Each year AAM gives around 40 concerts in the UK and internationally, enriching the lives of tens of thousands of people with our fresh approach to baroque and classical music. AAM’s recordings and broadcasts are heard by wide and varied audiences around the world on the radio and online. Our AAMplify scheme nurtures the next generation of artists and audiences, providing opportunities for talented young musicians to develop their skills and for all young people to experience the thrill of live performance with low-cost concert tickets and introductory workshops.

AAM is a registered charity. This year we need to raise over £500,000 to sustain and develop the orchestra’s work promoting the very best music, and to expand our AAMplify programme. We do not currently receive any public funding towards our core costs, so the generosity of our valued family of supporters has never been more important.

AAM Friends Membership of AAM Friends starts from just £2.50 a month or £30 a year. In return, Friends receive:

• an annual drinks party • invitations to open rehearsals • regular news and updates Last year, donations from AAM Friends allowed us to:

• provide a day of coaching from AAM players for talented young musicians through AAMplify • fund speakers for free pre-concert talks for all our audience members • support the cost of providing parts for the players in our own-promotion concerts For more information about AAM Friends, please get in touch with Leonore Hibou, Development Assistant, on 01223 341092 or support@aam.co.uk.

AAM Society The AAM Society is at the core of the AAM family. Society members’ annual gifts of between £250 and £20,000 form our financial backbone, allowing us to evolve and excel in the concert hall, in recordings, and in the AAMplify scheme. To show our appreciation, we offer Society members:

• dinners with the director, soloists and musicians after performances in London • regular invitations to open rehearsals • invitations to private recitals in fellow members’ homes and other special events • complimentary drinks receptions at own promotion concerts in London and Cambridge • regular news and updates • priority booking for all AAM own promotion concerts in London and Cambridge through the AAM office.

Last season, support from AAM Society members facilitated the orchestra’s travel to countries near and far, our work with Jordi Savall, a staging of Purcell’s Fairy Queen, and to celebrate Music Director Richard Egarr’s 10th anniversary with AAM in a glorious concert broadcast by ClassicFM, reaching several million people. The generosity of individuals helped to fund our highly acclaimed performances of Monteverdi’s Vespers in London and Gloucester, where we showcased instruments and music to primary school children; to develop exciting recording projects; and to broaden our reach online.

Society donations also enabled us to evolve our partnerships with the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, and the Royal Northern College of Music, giving support and advice to young professionals in rehearsals and workshops.

If you would like to join the AAM Society or receive more information about ways to support the orchestra, please get in touch with Leonore Hibou, Development Assistant, on 01223 341092 or support@aam.co.uk.

ACADEMY OF ANCIENT MUSIC Music Director Richard Egarr Founder Christopher Hogwood CBE Hogwood Fellow Robert Levin Associate Ensemble at the Barbican Centre Orchestra-in-Residence at the University of Cambridge Orchestra-in-Residence at The Grange Festival Orchestra-in-Residence at Chiltern Arts 11b King’s Parade, Cambridge CB2 1SJ | +44 (0)1223 301509 info@aam.co.uk | www.aam.co.uk Registered charity number 1085485 All details correct at time of printing Visit aam.co.uk to find out more and to watch and listen to us in action

@AAMorchestra academyofancientmusic

Barbican Hall and Milton Court Concert Hall Barbican Advance Box Office, Silk Street Tel. 020 7638 8891 www.barbican.org.uk

West Road Concert Hall Cambridge Live Tickets Box Office Tel. 01223 357 851 www.cambridgelivetickets.co.uk

B A C H S T JOH N PA S S ION

1790s LONDON

Saint music by

&

Haydn&Dussek

Sinner?

Richard Egarr Daniela Lehner director & fortepiano

Thursday 12 April 2018, 7.30pm West Road Concert Hall, Cambridge Box Office: 01223 357851 cambridgelivetrust.co.uk/tickets

mezzo-soprano

Friday 13 April 2018, 7.30pm Milton Court Concert Hall, London Box Office: 020 7638 8891 barbican.org.uk

Friday 4 May 7.30pm | Milton Court Concert Hall

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COME & SING St Matthew Passion A training day for choral singers | Led by David Hill SAT 5TH MAY 2018 | 10.30am ST SEPULCHREWITHOUT-NEWGATE, HOLBORN, LONDON

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ACADEMY OF ANCIENT MUSIC

LONDON & CAMBRIDGE 2017-18 Purcell’s King Arthur (semi-staged)

Tuesday 3 October 2017, Barbican Hall, London

Italy in England – when Handel met Corelli Thursday 19 October 2017, Milton Court, London Friday 20 October 2017, West Road, Cambridge

Bless’d Isle – with Carolyn Sampson

Wednesday 1 November 2017, West Road, Cambridge Thursday 2 November 2017, Milton Court, London

Bach and Telemann – Reversed Fortunes Thursday 7 December 2017, Milton Court, London Tuesday 12 December 2017, West Road, Cambridge

Handel’s Messiah

Wednesday 20 December 2017, Barbican Hall, London

For more than 40 years the Academy of Ancient Music has enriched the lives of thousands the world over with high calibre historically-informed performances of baroque and classical music.

Under the direction of Richard Egarr the AAM enjoys a global reputation, building its critically acclaimed record label and investing in an everexpanding programme of live performance and creative learning.

Mortal Voices – music by Pergolesi, Corelli and Handel Thursday 15 February 2018, Milton Court, London Friday 16 February 2018, West Road, Cambridge

Bach St John Passion

Friday 30 March 2018, Barbican Hall, London

1790s London: Saint & Sinner – music by Haydn & Dussek Nicola Benedetti – music by Vivaldi and Telemann Thursday 31 May 2018, Barbican Hall, London

GUARDIAN

“AAM’s buttery strings, cooing winds and nobly-bronzed trumpets“ TIMES

“A joy for ear and spirit“ GRAMOPHONE

Design by Apropos-

Thursday 12 April 2018, West Road, Cambridge Friday 13 April 2018, Milton Court, London

“...don’t be fooled by the old instruments: this performance was unequivocally modern”