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Academy of Ancient Music London & Cambridge 2007–2008 Season

St. John’s, Smith Square

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‘The Academy of Ancient Music is in world-beating form once more with this magnificent Handel disc. Egarr and the musicians play with dynamism and warmth which suggests that Egarr’s tenure with the band is going to be a rewarding one. Long may it last.’

GRAMOPHONE, APRIL 2007

London and Cambridge 2007–2008 Season WELCOME to the AAM’s 2007-08 season, my second as Music Director. It has been an exciting and rewarding first year for me in this position, our Carnegie Hall debut together and the phenomenal critical reaction to our Handel Op.3 disc having been especially memorable.

This new season promises many more such highlights.

At the heart of our London and Cambridge season are the six pairs of concerts we are giving in Wigmore Hall and West Road Concert Hall. We begin with a feast of Handel chamber music, focussing on the wonderful sonatas from the Opus 1 & 2 sets, before moving on to welcome return visits by Masaaki Suzuki and Carolyn Sampson. In the new year I will direct a programme of string music from Marini to Mozart, and I am particularly pleased that we will be repeating it in a Family Concert at Wigmore Hall – a new venture for the AAM. The second half of our Wigmore/West Road season starts with performances of the complete Bach Brandenburg concertos, a real opportunity to show off the virtuosity and excellence of the orchestra. In June we welcome back another AAM favourite, the violinist Giuliano Carmignola, who will play concertos by brothers Joseph and Michael Haydn. The season ends with special fundraising recitals of Book I of Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier which I am giving in aid of the AAM’s orchestral series.

In addition to these venues, we are also regular visitors to London’s Barbican and St. John’s, Smith Square, where the AAM will be giving performances of major works by Bach and Handel. Our series of Handel operas continues with Flavio, conducted by the AAM’s founder and Emeritus Director Christopher Hogwood, and we perform four landmark choral works: Handel’s Messiah and Israel in Egypt and Bach’s St John Passion and Mass in B minor.

In Cambridge, I will conduct Messiah for the first time with the AAM in the Corn Exchange at Christmas, and the AAM once again joins forces with the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge, for Bach’s St Matthew Passion at Easter.

But the season starts in an intimate manner with a week-long residency at the wonderful Handel House Museum in London. Find out about these and all our other performances in the following pages, and do join us for what promises to be a world-class season of music-making!

Richard Egarr Music Director ‘The AAM is on glorious form: the strings have a bite, precision and vibrancy any orchestra would envy and its oboes, bassoons and flute make the most of some of Handel’s most gorgeous woodwind writing. Egarr’s direction is spirited, delightfully accented and highly articulated. This magnificent recording is an unfailing delight.’

I N T E R N AT I O N A L R E CO R D R E V I E W, MA R C H 2 0 0 7

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Contents Concerts in London

page

Wigmore Hall 17 September 07 31 October 07 10 January 08 5 May 08 18 June 08 9 July 08

Handel Sonatas Suzuki & Sampson Marini to Mozart Bach Brandenburgs Giuliano Carmignola Well-Tempered Clavier

1 2 3 4 5 6

St John Passion Handel Flavio

7 8

Barbican 14 March 08 17 April 08

St. John’s, Smith Square 17 November 07 23 December 07 21 March 08

Israel in Egypt Messiah Mass in B minor

9 9 10

Handel House Museum 10-14 September 07

Handel Opus 1

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Concerts in Cambridge West Road Concert Hall 8 October 07 29 October 07 9 January 08 8 May 08 16 June 08 8 July 08

Handel Sonatas Suzuki & Sampson Marini to Mozart Bach Brandenburgs Giuliano Carmignola Well-Tempered Clavier

1 2 3 4 5 6

Corn Exchange 11 December 07

Messiah

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‘Special mention must be made of violinist Pavlo Beznosiuk’s dazzling contribution to the dynamic finale of the Handel Sonata a cinque’.

GRAMOPHONE

WIGMORE HALL Monday 17 September 2007 7.30pm WEST ROAD CONCERT HALL Monday 8 October 2007 7.30pm Free pre-concert talks by Richard Egarr at 6.30pm in each venue

Handel Sonatas R I C H A R D E G A R R director & harpsichord PAV LO B E Z N O S I U K violin R O D O L F O R I C H T E R violin R AC H E L B R O W N flute & recorder J O S E P H C R O U C H cello H A N D E L Sonatas for flute, recorder,

violin from Op.1, Nos 1, 3, 4 & 12 H A N D E L Trio sonatas from Op.2,

Nos 1, 2, 4 & 5 (London) Nos 3, 4, 5 & 6 (Cambridge) A feast of Handel to launch our 200708 season. With Handel opera and oratorio to follow later in the year, we start on a more intimate scale with these wonderful works which highlight some of the world-class soloists within the AAM. Although these sonatas are more intimate, they are no less dramatic, with all the contrast one would expect from Handel.

These performances follow a week-long residency at the Handel House Museum in London — see page 11 for further details.

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Wigmore Hall & West Road Concert Hall

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WEST ROAD CONCERT HALL Monday 29 October 2007 7.30pm WIGMORE HALL Wednesday 31 October 2007 7.30pm Free pre-concert talks by Masaaki Suzuki at 6.30pm in each venue

A welcome return for two very special artists. Masaaki Suzuki has carved out a reputation for performances of Bach of the highest quality, and Carolyn Sampson never fails to delight audiences with her fluent singing and engaging stage presence.

This programme is the ideal showcase for their talents, and also features virtuosic roles for the AAM itself.

Suzuki & Sampson MA S A A K I S U Z U K I director & harpsichord C A R O LYN S A M P S O N soprano HANDEL J S B AC H HANDEL J S B AC H

Concerto Grosso in G minor Op.6 No.6 Cantata ‘Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen’ Gloria Orchestral Suite No.4 in D major

‘her voice is a rainbow of colours, and she brought her operatic skills to bear. Rising to every occasion, investing every coloratura run with a lovely sense of line, this singer lit up the night.’

Photograph: Jonny Grieg

THE INDEPENDENT

Cambridge concert supported by

WIGMORE HALL Box office 020 7935 2141 WEST ROAD CONCERT HALL Box office 01223 503333 Turn to pages 5 & 6 for ticket prices and booking information

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WEST ROAD CONCERT HALL Wednesday 9 January 2008 7.30pm WIGMORE HALL Thursday 10 January 2008 7.30pm

‘with Richard Egarr’s brilliance as its music director, this orchestra is playing better than ever.’

P I T TS B U R G H P O S T- G A Z E T T E

Free pre-concert talks by Richard Egarr at 6.30pm in each venue

Marini to Mozart R I C H A R D E G A R R director & harpsichord C A S T E L LO Sonatas per stromenti d’arco MA R I N I Passacaglia from Op.22 B I B E R Battalia CO R E L L I Concerto Grosso in C minor Op.6 No.3 M U F FAT Sonata No.3 in A major from Armonico Tributo V I VA L D I Sinfonia in B minor ‘Al Santo Sepolcro’ RV169 V I VA L D I Sonata in E flat major ‘Al Santo Sepolcro’ RV130 M O Z A R T Serenade ‘Eine kleine Nachtmusik’

FAMILY CONCERT WIGMORE HALL Saturday 12 January 2008 11am A special 1-hour version of this programme will be given on Saturday morning for families.

With lively presentation from Richard Egarr, this is an excellent opportunity to introduce children to some wonderful music.

Ring the Wigmore Hall box office for further details on 020 7935 2141

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Wigmore Hall & West Road Concert Hall

Photograph: Marco Borggreve

A panoramic view of string music from the 17th and 18th centuries. Discover the beautiful soundworlds of Marini and Muffatt and marvel at Biber’s depiction of battle and its aftermath, before moving into the realms of Vivaldi and Mozart.

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A rare opportunity to hear all six of Bach’s landmark Brandenburg Concertos. No two concertos are the same, either in style or instrumentation, and so performances of the complete set provide a whole evening of variety. From the horns in No.1 and the dazzling trumpet solo in No.2, to the virtuosic harpsichord part in No.5 and the dark, violin-less, texture of No.6, there is more contrast packed into this one set of works than you could imagine.

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WIGMORE HALL Monday 5 May 2008 7.00pm (note early start) WEST ROAD CONCERT HALL Thursday 8 May 2008 7.30pm Free pre-concert talks by Richard Egarr at 6.00pm (Wigmore) and 6.30pm (West Road)

Bach Brandenburgs R I C H A R D E G A R R director & harpsichord B AC H Brandenburg Concertos Nos 1-6

‘The Academy showed off a vibrant personality on this stop on its first US tour under the gifted keyboard player Richard Egarr. Rife with small and wonderful detail, the concert demonstrated anew that the secret of making classical music accessible lies ... simply in presenting it with a point of view, and very well.’

N E W YO R K T I M E S

WIGMORE HALL Box office 020 7935 2141 WEST ROAD CONCERT HALL Box office 01223 503333 Turn to pages 5 & 6 for ticket prices and booking information

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WEST ROAD CONCERT HALL Monday 16 June 2008 7.30pm WIGMORE HALL Wednesday 18 June 2008 7.30pm Free pre-concert talks at 6.30pm in each venue

Giuliano Carmignola G I U L I A N O C A R M I G N O L A director & violin M O Z A R T Symphony No.14 in A major K114 J H AYD N Violin concerto in C major M H AYD N Violin concerto in A major J H AYD N Symphony No.49 in F minor ‘La Passione’

Audience favourite Giuliano Carmignola returns with a pair of violin concertos by brothers Joseph and Michael Haydn. Carmignola has forged a strong relationship with the AAM over the past few years, and this has been commented on by audiences and critics alike. The concert ends with a popular symphony by Joseph Haydn, generally reckoned to be the father of the symphonic form, and begins with a youthful example of the genre by his younger compatriot Mozart.

Tickets £18, £24, £28, £32 including free programme Entry to the pre-concert talks is free, but a separate ticket is required Booking is open now for the concerts on 17 September and 31 October 2007. Booking for the concert on 10 January 2008 opens on 1 November 2007, and booking for the remaining three concerts opens on 1 February 2008.

Call the box office for details of standby tickets, concessions and facilities for disabled people.

Wigmore Hall box office hours 7 days a week, 10am - 7pm Days without an evening concert, 10am - 5pm

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Wigmore Hall & West Road Concert Hall

Photograph: Kasskara/Deutsche Gammophon

WIGMORE HALL 36 Wigmore Street, London W1U 2BP Box office 020 7935 2141 Online bookings www.wigmore-hall.org.uk

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WEST ROAD CONCERT HALL Tuesday 8 July 2008 7.30pm WIGMORE HALL Wednesday 9 July 2008 7.00pm (note early start) Free pre-concert talks by Richard Egarr at 6.30pm (West Road) and 6.00pm (Wigmore)

Well-Tempered Clavier R I C H A R D E G A R R solo harpsichord J S B AC H Well-Tempered Clavier Book I

Following the sell-out success of his solo recitals of Bach’s Goldberg Variations last season, the AAM’s Music Director Richard Egarr takes on another peak of the harpsichord repertoire, the first part of the WellTempered Clavier. These are special fundraising recitals to support the AAM’s orchestral concert series in London and Cambridge.

WEST ROAD CONCERT HALL 11 West Road, Cambridge CB3 9DP Box office 01223 503333 (Cambridge Arts Theatre) Tickets £14, £20, £27 including free programme Subscription 6: book tickets to all six concerts and get a 15% reduction on the first five concerts (ie subscription packages are £73.50, £105, £141.75)

Photograph: Marco Borggreve

Subscription 5: book tickets to the first five concerts and get a 10% reduction (ie subscription packages are £63, £90, £121.50) Subscription discounts do not apply to the special fundraising concert on 8 July 2008.

Booking is open for subscriptions only until 1 July 2007, and for single concerts and subscriptions thereafter.

For single concerts, there is a £2 discount for those in full-time education, OAPs and unemployed people. People with disabilities (including wheelchair users) may bring one companion free of charge. Wheelchair spaces are in the £20 price band. Please inform the box office of any special requirements when making your booking.

Box office hours Monday – Saturday, 12 noon – 8pm

WIGMORE HALL Box office 020 7935 2141 WEST ROAD CONCERT HALL Box office 01223 503333

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BARBICAN Friday 14 March 2008 7.30pm

St John Passion I A N B O S T R I D G E Evangelist & arias J A M E S R U T H E R F O R D Christ C A R O LYN S A M P S O N soprano R O D E R I C K W I L L I A M S Pilate & arias S T E P H E N L AY TO N conductor P O LYP H O NY

The annual Easter performance of Bach’s St John Passion by the combined forces of the AAM, Polyphony and Stephen Layton is one of the ‘must see’ dates in the London musical calendar. Together in the Barbican for the first time, they are joined this year by the leading English tenor Ian Bostridge and a team of soloists that suggest this will be a special occasion indeed.

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Barbican

“James Rutherford’s noble bass was wonderfully expressive, accompanied by a pair of plangent viole d’amore — the Academy of Ancient Music was excellent throughout.”

E V E N I N G S TA N DA R D

Photograph: Simon Fowler/EMI Classics

JS BACH St John Passion

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BARBICAN Thursday 17 April 2008 7.00pm (note early start)

Handel Flavio S A N D R I N E P I AU Emilia MA I T E B E AU M O N T Vitige R O B I N B L A Z E Guido I E S T YN DAV I E S Flavio R E N ATA P O K U P I C Teodata J A M E S G I LC H R I S T Ugone J A M E S R U T H E R F O R D Lotario C H R I S TO P H E R H O G W O O D conductor

HANDEL Flavio, Re de’Longobardi Christopher Hogwood, founder and Emeritus Director of the AAM, continues our survey of Handel operas with the 1723 masterpiece Flavio. A tale of love and betrayal, Flavio is set in the Dark Ages when Britain was subject to Lombard rule.

With a strong line-up of soloists, and the AAM’s unsurpassed reputation for Handel performances, this is set to be one of the highlights of the season.

Photograph: Marco Borggreve

BARBICAN Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London EC2Y 8DS Box office 020 7638 8891 (£2 booking fee per transaction) www.barbican.org.uk (reduced booking fee) St John Passion: Flavio:

£9, £12, £16.50, £21, £28, £35 £11, £15, £21, £27.50, £37, £45

These concerts are part of the Barbican’s Great Performers series.

Call the box office for details of concessions and facilities for disabled people.

Box office hours By phone: 9am – 8pm daily In person at the Advance Box Office, Silk Street: Monday – Saturday, 10am – 8pm; Sundays and Bank holidays, 12 noon – 8pm

BARBICAN Box office 020 7638 8891

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ST. JOHN’S, SMITH SQUARE Saturday 17 November 2007 7.00pm (note early start)

HANDEL Israel in Egypt E L I N MA N A H A N T H O MA S soprano J U L I A D OYL E soprano DAV I D A L L S O P P countertenor S I M O N WA L L tenor CO L I N C A M P B E L L bass G I L E S U N D E R W O O D bass

STEPHEN LAYTON conductor HOLST SINGERS

The AAM’s Handel focus continues with Israel in Egypt, a favourite among the composer’s biblical oratorios. Join Stephen Layton and the Holst Singers as they explore this rich choral narrative of slavery, pestilence and deliverance, complete with frogs, locusts, flies and lice.

ST. JOHN’S, SMITH SQUARE Sunday 23 December 2007 7.30pm

HANDEL Messiah E M MA K I R K BY soprano I E S T YN DAV I E S countertenor A N D R E W K E N N E DY tenor N E A L DAV I E S bass S T E P H E N L AY TO N conductor P O LYP H O NY

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St. John’s, Smith Square

Stephen Layton’s traditional performance of Handel’s Messiah with Polyphony is an annual highlight of the festive season. Book early for this wonderful opportunity to revisit Handel’s masterpiece as you get into the Christmas spirit!

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‘It was a programme of vaulting ambition from the Holst Singers… a rare instance of sublime music-making opening the door to a profundity that was more than musical.’

T H E DA I LY T E L E G R A P H

ST. JOHN’S, SMITH SQUARE Friday 21 March 2008 2.30pm (note time)

JS BACH Mass in B minor E L I N MA N A H A N T H O MA S soprano I E S T YN DAV I E S countertenor A N D R E W K E N N E DY tenor R O D E R I C K W I L L I A M S bass S T E P H E N L AY TO N conductor HOLST SINGERS

A chance to enjoy another landmark choral work as the AAM joins forces with the Holst Singers for a Good Friday performance of the Mass in B minor. Written in the final years of Bach’s life, this monumental mass setting brings some of the composer’s finest music together into a single masterpiece of profound emotion.

Photograph: Richard Heeps

ST. JOHN’S, SMITH SQUARE St. John's, Smith Square, London SW1P 3HA Box office 020 7222 1061 (£2 booking fee per transaction) www.sjss.org.uk (£1.50 booking fee per transaction) Israel in Egypt: Messiah: Mass in B minor:

£15, £28, £37, £45 (booking opens 3.09.07) £18, £36, £42, £48 (booking opens 1.10.07) £15, £28, £37, £45 (booking opens 2.01.08)

Call the box office for details of concessions and facilities for disabled people.

Box office hours Advance bookings: Monday - Friday, 10am - 5pm (and to 6pm on concert days, Monday to Friday) St John’s, Smith Square Charitable Trust, Registered in England. Company no 3028678 Registered charity no 1045390

ST. JOHN’S, SMITH SQUARE Box office 020 7222 1061

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HANDEL HOUSE MUSEUM Monday 10 to Friday 14 September 2007 Concerts (1 hour) at 6.00pm and 7.30pm

Handel Opus 1 R I C H A R D E G A R R harpsichord R AC H E L B R O W N flute & recorder PAV LO B E Z N O S I U K violin

(10-13 September) F R A N K D E B R U I N E oboe

(14 September)

Handel’s Opus 1 is a set of sonatas for solo instrument and harpsichord, featuring flute, recorder, violin and oboe. Over the course of five evenings, principal players from the AAM will perform the complete set of Opus 1 sonatas. There will be a different programme each evening, which will be given two performances.

HANDEL HOUSE MUSEUM 25 Brook Street London W1K 4HB Box office 020 7399 1953 www.handelhouse.org Tickets £20 (£18 concessions) Call the box office for details of facilities for disabled people.

Box office hours Monday – Saturday, 9.30am – 6pm Sunday, 12 noon – 5.30pm Booking opens 2 July 2007

Handel House Museum 11

Box office 020 7399 1953

Photograph: Matthew Hollow

The music room at the Handel House Museum holds only 28 in the audience, so make sure to book early for this special event. There will also be a performance in the Wigmore Hall on Monday 17 September featuring some of these Opus 1 solo sonatas alongside some of the Opus 2 trio sonatas — see page 1 for details.

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CAMBRIDGE CORN EXCHANGE Tuesday 11 December 2007 7.30pm

Messiah HANDEL Messiah S U S A N G R I T TO N soprano WILKE TE BRUMMELSTROETE mezzo soprano A N D R E W TO R T I S E tenor C H R I S TO P H E R P U R V E S bass R I C H A R D E G A R R conductor CHOIR OF THE AAM

The AAM’s long association with Handel has been built around a wide range of the composer’s work. But if there is one piece in particular that the public thinks of in relation to the AAM it is Handel’s Messiah. With two highly acclaimed recordings and countless performances throughout the world, an AAM concert of this masterpiece is one to catch.

CAMBRIDGE CORN EXCHANGE Wheeler Street, Cambridge CB2 3QB Box office 01223 357851 www.cornex.co.uk

Photograph: Tim Catrell

Tickets £9, £21, £25, £29 This concert is part of the Cambridge International Concert Series at the Corn Exchange. Booking is open for series subscriptions only from 11 June, for subscription to 3 concerts from 16 July, and for single concerts from 6 August.

Call the box office for details of concessions and facilities for disabled people.

EASTER AT KING’S 2008 JS BACH St Matthew Passion C H O I R O F K I N G ’S CO L L E G E , CAMBRIDGE STEPHEN C L E O B U RY conductor In Holy Week 2008 (commencing 17 March), the AAM will be performing Bach’s St Matthew Passion as part of the Easter at King’s festival. Check the AAM’s website www.aam.co.uk from December for full details.

Box office hours Monday – Saturday, 10am – 6pm (extended until half an hour after event start time if there is an evening performance)

Cambridge Corn Exchange Box office 01223 357851

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Academy of Ancient Music Music Director Richard Egarr Emeritus Director Christopher Hogwood Associate Conductor Paul Goodwin Email: info@aam.co.uk Website: www.aam.co.uk Registered charity no.1085485 Email info@aam.co.uk to receive our monthly email news bulletin Photographs: Richard Haughton, unless stated. Design: www.theoakstudio.co.uk