Aurora Orchestra 2011 London Season
‘Aurora Orchestra sparkled in everything it touched.’ The Times, 2010
1 2 3 4 5
6 7 8 9
Thursday 6 January Sir Colin Davis Conducts Mozart
Saturday 10 September
Mozart Unwrapped at Kings Place
Kings Place Festival
Wednesday 9 March Bella mia fiamma
Thursday 15 September
Mozart Unwrapped at Kings Place
Mozart Unwrapped at Kings Place
Friday 25 March Jealous Guy
Friday 4 November Thriller
New Moves at LSO St Luke’s
New Moves at LSO St Luke’s
Friday 20 May Opera Night
Monday 19 December Mozart’s Requiem
Mozart Unwrapped at Kings Place
Mozart Unwrapped at Kings Place
Sunday 10 July When Doves Cry New Moves at LSO St Luke’s
From the Street
From the Ridiculous to the Sublime
Aurora Orchestra 2011 London Season Calendar
Five years ago Nicholas Collon named his orchestra after the Aurora Borealis, a title he hoped would conjure ‘light, energy, dynamism and clarity’. He has succeeded. Time Out (2010 profile)
2011 South Bank Sky Arts / The Times Breakthrough Award
See the Light ‘Diversity is the hallmark of Aurora Orchestra’
‘This innovation, this informed risk-taking is what Aurora does’
‘High points that will make you mad with joy’
The Times, 2010
Bachtrack, 2010
The Sunday Times, 2010
Aurora’s reputation for fearless eclecticism is built on a love of great music, irrespective of genre or period, and an enthusiasm for collaboration across artistic forms. Principal Conductor Nicholas Collon directs a uniquely versatile orchestra capable of fusions and contrasts that can inspire, shock, challenge and astonish.
With music ranging from Purcell to Mahler and Janácek ˇ to Lennon, the 2011 season also features a rich array of world-class guest artists: where else would you find one of the great conductors of our age, a legendary American horror writer, two of the UK’s finest tango dancers, and the world’s most celebrated choir rubbing shoulders in a single season?
Musical excellence is at the heart of every Aurora performance, founded on the artistry of a team of principal players comprising some of the outstanding soloists of their generation. Whether you’re attending our groundbreaking New Moves events at LSO St Luke’s, or one of this year’s five Mozart Unwrapped programmes at Kings Place, you’re guaranteed flair, virtuosity and passion.
‘It is in groups such as Aurora Orchestra that the future of music lies.’ Sir Colin Davis
Sir Colin Davis
1
Thursday 6 January, 7.30pm Sir Colin Davis Conducts Mozart Mozart Overture to La Clemenza di Tito, K621 ‘Vorrei spiegarvi, oh Dio!’, K418 Violin Concerto No. 5 in A, K219 ‘Nehmt meinen Dank, ihr holden Gönner!’, K383 Symphony No. 36 in C (‘Linz’), K425 Fflur Wyn (soprano) Thomas Gould (violin) Sir Colin Davis (conductor)
Broadcast live on BBC Radio 3
Fflur Wyn / Thomas Gould
Firmly established in the front rank of great living artists, Sir Colin Davis opens the orchestra’s 2011 Mozart series at Kings Place with his own hand-picked programme including the ravishing concert aria Vorrei spiegarvi, oh Dio! (with soprano Fflur Wyn) and Violin Concerto No. 5 in A major (Thomas Gould, violin). The ‘Linz’ Symphony, produced in a four-day explosion of inspiration that marked Mozart’s emergence as a mature symphonist, completes an unmissable feast of music for the new year.
Series
Venue Hall One, Kings Place 90 York Way, N1 9AG Tickets £34.50, £29.50, £21.50, £16.50; Premium Seats £39.50, Saver Seats £9.50. Available online at www.kingsplace.co.uk or on 020 7520 1490 (offline bookings subject to £2 surcharge).
‘This wonderful artist goes from strength to strength, soaring fearlessly through the most angular phrases and meandering melismas, then melting our hearts with utterly focused singing of the first order.’ Opera Today
Rosemary Joshua
2
Wednesday 9 March, 7.30pm Bella mia fiamma Mozart Overture to The Marriage of Figaro, K492 ‘Bella mia fiamma, addio... Resta, oh cara’, K528 Symphony No. 27 in G, K199 Adagio and Fugue in C minor, K546 ‘Non più. Tutto ascoltai... Non temer, amato bene’, K490 Symphony No. 31 in D (‘Paris’), K297 Rosemary Joshua (soprano) Nicholas Collon (conductor)
Nicholas Collon
Internationally-renowned soprano Rosemary Joshua joins Aurora under Principal Conductor Nicholas Collon for a rare London appearance, offering a unique opportunity to hear some of Mozart’s finest music for voice in the unparalleled acoustic of Kings Place. The concert arias Bella mia fiamma and Non temer, amato bene (described as ‘one of the most touching in all Mozart’) are performed alongside orchestral highlights including the Overture to The Marriage of Figaro and the vibrant ‘Paris’ Symphony.
Series
Venue Hall One, Kings Place 90 York Way, N1 9AG Tickets £29.50, £24.50, £19.50, £14.50; Premium Seats £34.50, Saver Seats £9.50. Available online at www.kingsplace.co.uk or on 020 7520 1490 (offline bookings subject to £2 surcharge).
‘All the truly great works of our century have been born of despair or of protest, or of a refuge from both; but anguish informs them all.’ Leonard Bernstein on Mahler
David and Kim Benitez, Tango Movement
3
Friday 25 March, 7.30pm Jealous Guy Including Purcell Dido’s Lament Piazzolla (arr. Watson) Libertango Gardel Por una Cabeza Lennon Jealous Guy Mahler (arr. Colnot) Adagio from Symphony No. 10 Bernstein (arr. Farrington) Symphonic Dances from West Side Story David & Kim Benitez (dancers) Sam Swallow (voice/piano) Ian Watson (accordion) Nicholas Collon (conductor)
Sam Swallow / David & Kim Benitez
Love imperiled, love broken, love betrayed – the 2011 New Moves series at LSO St Luke’s opens with music and dance inspired by the darker side of desire. Ranging from Mahler’s last anguished symphonic utterance to the crystallised grief of Dido’s Lament, this visceral programme also features jealousyfuelled tango, and the world première of a virtuosic new arrangement of the Symphonic Dances from Bernstein’s West Side Story. With guest appearances from singer and pianist Sam Swallow, accordionist Ian Watson, and David and Kim Benitez, two of London’s most fêted tango dancers.
Series
New Moves Venue LSO St Luke’s 161 Old Street, EC1V 9NG Tickets £25, £18, £12, £8 (20% student discount), available online at lso.co.uk/lsostlukes or on 020 7638 8891. 20% season discount when booking for all three LSO St Luke’s performances. Sponsor-a-ticket scheme: subsidise the attendance of a secondary school student at this concert for £8.
‘Does it not seem as if Mozart’s works become fresher and fresher the more often we hear them?’ Andrew Tortise
Robert Schumann
4
Friday 20 May, 7.30pm Opera Night Mozart from Così fan tutte, K588 Overture Ferrando’s aria ‘Un’ aura amorosa’ Ferrando & Fiordiligi’s duet: ‘Fra gli amplessi in pochi istanti’
from The Magic Flute, K620 Tamino’s aria: ‘Dies Bildnis ist bezaubernd schön’ Pamina’s aria: ‘Tamino mein, o welch ein Glück!’ March
from The Abduction from the Seraglio, K384 Blondchen’s aria: ‘Durch Zärtlichkeit und Schmeicheln’ Belmonte’s aria: ‘O wie ängstlich, o wie feurig’ from Idomeneo, K366 Overture & Ballet Music Idamante’s aria: ‘Ch’io mi scordi di te... Non temer, amato bene’ Idamante & Ilia’s duet: ‘Spiegarti non poss’io’ Dima Bawab (soprano) Andrew Tortise (tenor) Nicholas Collon (conductor)
Aurora Orchestra
No other composer comes close to matching Mozart’s astonishing and revelatory contribution to the operatic canon. Opera Night draws together the most exquisite music from some of his best-known operas, performed by rising stars Dima Bawab (soprano) and Andrew Tortise (tenor).
Series
Venue Hall One, Kings Place 90 York Way, N1 9AG Tickets £29.50, £24.50, £19.50, £14.50; Premium Seats £34.50, Saver Seats £9.50. Available online at www.kingsplace.co.uk or on 020 7520 1490 (offline bookings subject to £2 surcharge).
‘Tones sound, and roar and storm about me until I have set them down in notes.’ Ludwig van Beethoven
5
Sunday 10 July, 7.30pm When Doves Cry Vaughan Williams Flos Campi Brett Dean Pastoral Symphony Beethoven Symphony No. 6 (‘Pastoral’) Brett Dean (viola) Choir of London Nicholas Collon (conductor)
Brett Dean
Weaving together the rich themes of the 2011 City of London Festival – the natural world, birdsong, and the Antipodes – this programme offers three contrasting visions of the pastoral idyll, enriched by an ambitious new visual arts collaboration. Beethoven’s monumental Symphony No. 6 is juxtaposed with the Australian composer Brett Dean’s Pastoral Symphony, an elegiac meditation on the beauty of birdsong, and its inexorable silencing at the hands of man. Dean also appears as viola soloist alongside the Choir of London for a performance of Vaughan Williams’ ravishing Flos Campi.
Series
New Moves Venue LSO St Luke’s 161 Old Street, EC1V 9NG Tickets £25, £18, £12, £8 (20% student discount), available online at lso.co.uk/lsostlukes or on 020 7638 8891. 20% season discount when booking for all three LSO St Luke’s performances. Sponsor-a-ticket scheme: subsidise the attendance of a secondary school student at this concert for £8.
´ playing ‘Gavric’s is altogether of an extraordinary calibre.’ BBC Music Magazine
Ivana Gavric´
6
Saturday 10 September, 7pm / 8.15pm / 9.30pm From the Street Janácek ˇ Piano Sonata 1.X.1905 (‘From the Street’) Violin Sonata Pohádka Mládí Concertino Capriccio The Diary of One Who Disappeared Ivana Gavric´ (piano) Nicholas Mulroy (tenor) Principal Players of Aurora
With critical acclaim heaped on both her first Wigmore Hall recital and debut solo recording, 2010 saw Ivana Gavric´ consolidate her reputation as ‘one of the most important young pianists to have emerged in recent years’ (International Record Review). For this series of three mini-concerts as part of the Kings Place Festival, Gavric´ joins Aurora’s principal players to explore the electrifying instrumental and chamber repertoire of Leoš Janácek. Highlights include the extraordinary ˇ Capriccio for virtuoso piano left-hand and chamber ensemble, composed for the First World War amputee Otakar Hollmann.
Series
Venue Hall One, Kings Place 90 York Way, N1 9AG Tickets £4.50 online (£6.50 offline), available from May 2011
‘Lara Melda is a major new talent’ BBC Music Magazine
Lara Melda
7
Thursday 15 September, 7.30pm From the Ridiculous to the Sublime Mozart Overture to Don Giovanni, K527 ‘Ich möchte wohl der Kaiser sein’, K539 A Musical Joke, K522 ‘Per questa bella mano’, K612 Papageno’s aria: ‘Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen’ from The Magic Flute, K620 Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K466 Symphony No. 35 in D (‘Haffner’), K385 Lara Melda (piano) Christian Immler (baritone) Samuel West (narrator) Nicholas Collon (conductor)
Samuel West / Christian Immler
Full of dreadful puns, lavatorial humour and lewd rhymes, Mozart’s letters – read here by acclaimed actor Samuel West – remind us that genius need not go hand in hand with seriousness. From the instrumental spoof he entitled ‘A Musical Joke’ to the virtuosic elegance of his most famous piano concerto (performed by 2010 BBC Young Musician of the Year Lara Melda), this concert presents the full spectrum of the composer’s personality in all its uncensored glory.
Series
Venue Hall One, Kings Place 90 York Way, N1 9AG Tickets £29.50, £24.50, £19.50, £14.50; Premium Seats £34.50, Saver Seats £9.50. Available online at www.kingsplace.co.uk or on 020 7520 1490 (offline bookings subject to £2 surcharge).
‘When Peter Straub turns on all his jets, no one in the scream factory can equal him’ Stephen King
8
Friday 4 November, 7.30pm Thriller Nicholas Collon (conductor) Peter Straub (author) Additional Performances Sunday 30 October St George’s, Bristol (for more details see www.stgeorgesbristol.co.uk) Wednesday 2 November Wathen Hall, St Paul’s School, London (for more details see www.auroraorchestra.com)
Peter Straub
Celebrated American horror writer Peter Straub has been terrifying his legions of readers all over the world for more than thirty years with works including Ghost Story, Shadowland, and The Talisman. For this unique dramatic collaboration, Straub has worked with Aurora to create a spine-tingling tapestry of narrative and music, quite unlike any concert you’ve ever seen...
Series
New Moves Venue LSO St Luke’s 161 Old Street, EC1V 9NG Tickets £25, £18, £12, £8 (20% student discount), available online at lso.co.uk/lsostlukes or on 020 7638 8891. 20% season discount when booking for all three LSO St Luke’s performances. Sponsor-a-ticket scheme: subsidise the attendance of a secondary school student at this concert for £8.
‘King’s College Choir is a crowning glory of our civilisation’ Sir Peter Maxwell Davies
9
Monday 19 December, 7pm & 8.30pm Mozart’s Requiem Mozart Requiem in D Minor Raphaela Papadakis (soprano) David Allsopp (counter-tenor) Paul Smy (tenor) Ashley Riches (bass) Choir of King’s College, Cambridge Stephen Cleobury (conductor)
Choir of King’s College, Cambridge / Stephen Cleobury
Composed in the final year of Mozart’s life and surrounded by a rich mythology, the Requiem stands amongst the crowning achievements of European sacred music. Aurora welcomes the world-famous Choir of King’s College, Cambridge, and Director Stephen Cleobury for two performances as the climax of the Kings Place Mozart Unwrapped season.
Series
Venue Hall One, Kings Place 90 York Way, N1 9AG Tickets £29.50, £24.50, £19.50, £14.50; Premium Seats £34.50, Saver Seats £9.50. Available online at www.kingsplace.co.uk or on 020 7520 1490 (offline bookings subject to £2 surcharge).
Bushraa, aged 8
Aurora Orchestra and the National Youth Chamber Orchestra at the BBC Proms, August 2010
Shared futures On and off the concert platform, Aurora’s players are bringing live music to a huge range of people. We aim to make concerts accessible and inspiring for audience members of any age, presenting great music in a range of inventive new contexts. During the last season you may have spotted our musicians: - dancing in the Royal Albert Hall - dodging capoeira dancers - chatting with Basil Brush - mashing up classical masterpieces - doing a hoe-down at the Wigmore Hall This year we will be demanding even more from them!
During the course of 2011, more than 15,000 young people will see the orchestra in a live concert, and over 600 will perform alongside our musicians as part of long-term projects in schools. Along the way, they will: - dance the tango - compose responses to Beethoven’s Sixth Symphony - coach younger children as part of our Music Mentors scheme - acquire the invaluable building blocks of pitch, pulse, rhythm and music literacy - break-dance to Lully ...and more! For further details of our Participation & Learning programme, including partnerships with the Da Capo Foundation and Oundle International Festival, and a new residency at St Paul’s School, visit www.auroraorchestra.com
Schools concert at Wigmore Hall
Nicholas Collon with Basil Brush at the Royal Albert Hall
Aurora principal players with schoolchildren in Waltham Forest
Capoeira dancers with Aurora at LSO St Luke’s
Aurora Orchestra
New Moves
Honorary Advisory Patron Dr Jill White
Patrons Monica Bertoni GML International Ltd An Anonymous Foundation An Anonymous Donor An Anonymous Donor Graham & Jackie Brown The Paul Morgan Foundation
Friends Helen and Richard Sheldon . . . . . . . . . Paul Barber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dominique Collon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alastair and Elisabeth Colquhoun . . . . Eleanor and David Harte . . . . . . . . . . Valli and Gregorio Kohon . . . . . . . . . . Richard and Anne Lee . . . . . . . . . . . . Irene Mackay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Thomas Ponsonby . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Toni Griffiths and Peter Scott . . . . . . . Clive Tulloch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Sponsoring: Principal Conductor Principal Oboe Principal Bassoon Principal Flute Principal Cello Principal Percussion Principal Second Violin Principal Trumpet Principal Piano Principal Clarinet Principal Viola
Aurora also gratefully acknowledges the support of the following bodies:
Honorary Patron Sir Colin Davis
Supporters Monika Pruetzel-Thomas Sebastian Scotney Sona Watt
New Moves is supported by Arts Council England; generous support is also provided by the Jerwood Charitable Foundation for the cross-arts collaborations.
Aldeburgh Music City of London Festival Hammersmith & Fulham Music Service Kings Place Music Foundation London Symphony Orchestra LSO St Luke’s Mercers’ Charitable Foundation Orchestras Live Southwark Music Service Wandsworth Music Service
Trustees Hannah Barry Michael Collon Jonathan Deakin Sanjivan Kohli Thomas Ponsonby Louis Watt General Manager John Harte Participation and Learning Manager Jane Mitchell Orchestral Personnel Manager Sarah Roseblade Concerts Administrator Jack Lowe
Principal Conductor & Artistic Director Nicholas Collon
Aurora Orchestra is a UK-registered charity, no. 1116352.
Principal Players Thomas Gould Principal First Violin & Leader Jamie Campbell Second Violin Max Baillie Viola Oliver Coates Cello Dave Brown Double Bass Jane Mitchell Flute Thomas Barber Oboe Timothy Orpen Clarinet Chris Cooper Bassoon Simon Cox Trumpet John Reid Piano Henry Baldwin Percussion
Aurora Orchestra The Music Base, Kings Place 90 York Way, London N1 9AG, UK +44 (0)20 7014 2834
Arranger-in-Residence Iain Farrington
Librarian & Stage Manager Dinis Sousa Aurora is resident at Kings Place and LSO St Luke’s, two of London’s most exciting and innovative performing arts venues. For more information, visit www.kingsplace.co.uk and lso.co.uk/lsostlukes.
info@auroraorchestra.com www.facebook.com/auroraorchestra www.twitter.com/auroraorchestra www.auroraorchestra.com Design The Partners (www.the-partners.com) Photography p. 2 Ben Edwards (ben@erproductions.co.uk) pp. 4, 8, 12, 18 Ruth Crafer (www.ruthcrafer.co.uk) p. 7 (right) Miranda Stout p. 16 Sussie Ahlburg p. 17 Will Unwin p. 23 (left and right) Debbie Scanlan pp. 24 and 25 (middle) Simon Weir p. 25 (top) Ben Harte All listings correct as of November 2010. Aurora reserves the right to make changes to artists and programmes when absolutely necessary.
Aurora Orchestra 2011 London Season Resident at Kings Place and LSO St Luke’s Follow us on Facebook and Twitter: www.facebook.com/auroraorchestra www.twitter.com/auroraorchestra www.auroraorchestra.com
Thursday 6 January Sir Colin Davis Conducts Mozart
Sunday 10 July When Doves Cry
Mozart Unwrapped at Kings Place
New Moves at LSO St Luke’s
Wednesday 9 March Bella mia fiamma
Saturday 10 September From the Street
Mozart Unwrapped at Kings Place
Kings Place Festival
Friday 25 March Jealous Guy
Thursday 15 September
New Moves at LSO St Luke’s
Mozart Unwrapped at Kings Place
Friday 20 May Opera Night
Friday 4 November Thriller
Mozart Unwrapped at Kings Place
New Moves at LSO St Luke’s
From the Ridiculous to the Sublime
Monday 19 December Mozart’s Requiem Mozart Unwrapped at Kings Place