Sibelius: States of Independence concert programme

Life,

Liberty and the

Pursuit of Happiness

Sibelius: States of Independence

Friday 31 May 2019 Royal Festival Hall 7pm

“We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness”.

The American Declaration of Independence

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Thomas Jefferson’s immortal words were inspired by the brilliant energy of the Enlightenment in 18th century Europe. Even now they cast an optimistic beam over humanity and the challenges it faces.

Questions about the state and the individual beat in the hearts of many in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Their answers still define our lives and what freedoms, if any, we might enjoy.

Some of the music in this Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness season is overtly about the grand question of human freedom. Some works have a historical context, and we can pinpoint them as reactions to particular flashpoints, such as the failed revolutions in Germany in 1848. Many pieces relate the conflict between external forces and individual identity, and sing with a voice of undaunted independence.

All relate to a notion of intrinsic freedom set out

by Jean-Jacques Rousseau in the decade before Jefferson and his committee sat down to draft the Declaration of Independence. “L'homme est né libre, et partout il est dans les fers,” he wrote in Du contrat social (1762): “Man is born free and everywhere he is in chains”.

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States of Independence

Friday 31 May 2019 Royal Festival Hall 7pm This concert will finish at approximately 9pm, with one 20 minute interval.

Thierry Fischer conductor Alina Ibragimova violin

Repertoire and soloists

Contents Welcome 03

Elgar Serenade for Strings

Soloists and concert information 04

R Strauss Violin Concerto

Tonight's orchestra 08 Programme notes 10

INTERVAL

Sibelius and Finnish independence 14

Sibelius Symphony No.2

Interview with Vladimir Jurowski 18 Support us 20 I know what you did last Summer...

Famously productive teenagers 22 Biographies 25 OAE Education 30 OAE team 33 Supporters 34 Introducing our 19/20 Southbank Centre season 36

Pre-concert talk 6pm, Level 5 Function Room, Royal Festival Hall

This concert is dedicated to our Supporting Friends and above, in recognition of their support of all our music-making across the world.

Front cover, left to right: Camilla Morse-Glover - cello, Ann and Peter Law OAE Experience Scheme Henry Tong - violin Katharina Spreckelsen - co-principal oboe Matthew Truscott - violin - leader Amelia Shakespeare - flute, Ann and Peter Law OAE Experience Scheme

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Back cover: Ursula Paludan Monberg - horn James Newby - baritone, Rising Star of the Enlightenment Max Mandel - principal viola

Life,

Liberty and the

Pursuit of Happiness

Katharina Spreckelsen co-principal oboe

To advertise in our programmes, please contact : Catherine Kinsler Development Manager catherine.kinsler@oae.co.uk Telephone 020 7239 9370 06

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Orchestra Violin 1 Aisslinn Nosky Julia Kuhn Rodolfo Richter Miranda Playfair Oliver Cave Mary Hofman Claire Holden Stephen Rouse May Kunstovny Debbie Diamond Kathryn Templeman Beatrice Scaldini Louise Ayrton Laura Rickard Violin 2 Margaret Faultless Andrew Roberts Dominika Feher Claudia Norz Susannah Foster Jayne Spencer Diana Lee Christiane Eidsten Dahl Hatty Haynes Davina Clarke Olivia Jarvis Ellen Bundy Viola Simone Jandl Max Mandel Annette Isserlis Lisa Cochrane Martin Kelly Luba Tunnicliffe Francesca Piccioni Christopher Beckett Penny Veryard Christina Gestido Jam Orrell*

Cello Luise Buchberger Andrew Skidmore Penny Driver Bianca Riesner Richard Tunnicliffe Nia Harries Poppy Walshaw Carina Drury

Trumpet Neil Brough Phillip Bainbridge Matthew Wells

Bass Margaret Urquhart Cecelia Bruggemeyer Pippa Macmillan Jan Zahourek Kate Brooke John Henry Baker

Tuba Martyn Jarvis

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Trombone Philip Dale Laura Agut Edward Hilton

Timpani Adrian Bending

Flute Lisa Beznosiuk Neil McLaren Oboe Nicholas Daniel Adrian Rowlands Clarinet Antony Pay Katherine Spencer Bassoon Howard Dann Hugo Arteaga Horn Gavin Edwards Martin Lawrence Richard Bayliss David Bentley David McQueen

*Participants in the Ann and Peter Law OAE Experience Scheme.

Help the next generation of gifted period instrument players. To find out more visit oae.co.uk/support or contact: Marina Abel Smith, Head of Individual Giving marina.abelsmith@oae.co.uk Telephone 020 7239 9380

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States of Independence

Programme Notes Edward Elgar (1857–1934) Serenade for strings 1 Allegro piacevole 2 Larghetto 3 Allegretto

Sir Edward Elgar

Elgar single-handedly put Britain back on the map after nearly a century-and-a-half of floundering in the musical doldrums. Not since the death of Handel in 1759 had we been blessed with such a monumental creative talent. Elgar was already in his forties before achieving full recognition in 1899 with the ‘Enigma’ Variations, after which his creative flame burned with a blinding iridescence for two decades and then nothing, save for a handful of twilight fancies and sketches for a Third Symphony. By the time of his death, he had, like those other great arch-Romantics Richard Strauss and Jean Sibelius, become something of a musical anachronism – greatly respected, but rather old-fashioned.

An essentially modest man, Elgar 010

preferred walking his dogs around the glorious Malvern countryside, a round of golf, a day at the races or tinkering with some new-fangled invention to mingling with the musical jet set.

Elgar's output during the 1890s was dominated by choral music, including the two oratorios The Black Knight (1893) and The Light of Life (1896), and the cantatas King Olaf (1896) and Caractacus (1898). Yet by same distance his two most celebrated pieces of the decade were instrumental in origin: the aforementioned ‘Enigma’ Variations and the enchanting Serenade for strings of 1892.

The Serenade is scored immaculately – Elgar started out as a gifted violinist, playing in the British premiere of Dvořák’s Sixth Symphony under the composer’s baton – with particular care being taken over the dovetailing of the two violin lines. The opening Allegro’s gently rising and falling phrases carry the unusual Italian marking piacevole (‘pleasant’), while the central Larghetto mines a vein of gentle nostalgia that was to become an indelible ‘nobilmente’ feature of Elgar’s later work.

A particularly grateful touch occurs towards the end of the finale, where the music is brought full circle by a recollection of the first movement as though it were the most natural thing in the world. No wonder the Serenade was the earliest of his pieces that Elgar declared himself ‘truly satisfied with’.

Richard Strauss (1864–1949) Violin Concerto 1 Allegro 2 Lento, ma non troppo 3 Rondo: Presto

Richard Strauss

Synthesising the dazzling virtuosity of Paganini and Liszt with the technical wizardry of Berlioz and Wagner, Richard Strauss produced a series of spectacular tone poems that required orchestral musicians to play with the scintillating bravado of a virtuoso soloist. 'I spent a couple of days on the train with a German friend of mine,’ jibed celebrated British conductor Sir Thomas Beecham. ‘We amused ourselves by seeing how many notes we could take out of Ein Heldenleben while still leaving the music essentially intact.

By the time we finished, we had taken out 15,000!'

Remarkably, not only was Strauss one of the leading composers of his age, he was also a renowned conductor, who insisted upon excruciatingly high standards. A tiny gesture from Strauss’s little finger was all that was required to inspire an audible change in the quality

of an orchestra’s sound. His ten golden rules for conductors contain such gems as: ‘You should not perspire when conducting – only the audience should get warm,’ and ‘never let the brass and woodwind out of your sight – if you can hear them at all they are too loud.’

Strauss could hardly have wished for a more auspicious start in life. His father, Franz Joseph, was principal horn at the Bavarian Court Opera, and a favourite of Wagner’s Money was never a problem at home and music was everywhere, so young Richard was free to develop his precocious talent in the most natural way. Despite receiving no formal tuition, he was composing fluently by the age of six, had mastered the modern orchestra at twelve – as is evidenced by his first published work, the Festmarsch – and by his late teens was already established as Germany’s leading young composer.

In fact, Strauss had only just turned 18 when during the late summer of 1882 he put the finishing touches to the finale of his only violin concerto.

Written for his violin teacher Benno Walter, leader of the Bavarian Court Orchestra, Strauss cunningly cast the concerto in one of the violin’s ‘open-string’ keys – D minor – in order to help facilitate some of the soloist’s more complex intricacies. Walter was delighted with the work and duly gave both the piano-accompanied 1882 premiere in Vienna with his protégé sat at the piano, and the 1890 orchestral premiere in Köln, conducted by Franz Wüllner. Both were well received, with one critic left hoping that one day it

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might supplant Max Bruch’s ubiquitous G minor Concerto. The fact that it didn’t is due largely to the fact that while Bruch’s concerto represents virtually the peak of his creative achievement, for Strauss it was more of a warming-up exercise for the blazing masterpieces yet to come.

INTERVAL Jean Sibelius (1865–1957) Symphony No.2 in D 1 Allegretto 2 Tempo Andante, ma rubato 3 Vivacissimo – Lento e soave – Tempo primo – Lento e soave (attacca) – 4 Finale. Allegro moderato

Jean Sibelius

Sibelius’s long life coincided with a politically volatile period in Finnish history during which a wave of national pride swept across the country in defiance of Russian oppression and occupation. Little wonder that his rousing symphonic poem Finlandia (1899) was eagerly adopted as a popular rallying cry for Finnish independence, nor that Russia banned any further performances.

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Sibelius’s symphonic music captures the way the passing of time in Finland plays tricks with the mind, underpinning surfaces teeming with bustling activity and strange rustlings with granitic tonal fundamentals. Just as surely as his tone poems gave expression to his proud belief in his country’s legends and traditions, so his symphonies revitalised a genre that was close to collapsing under its own expressive weight. Feeling increasingly like a lone voice in the musical wilderness, Sibelius fell creatively silent (at least publicly) during the late 1920s, with 30 years of his life still remaining. He died in Järvenpää just two months short of his 92nd birthday.

The opening decade of the 20th century had been a period of mixed fortunes for Sibelius. His international reputation grew steadily as he developed rapidly from a highly accomplished talent into one of music’s most original thinkers. Yet behind the scenes he found himself slipping further and further into debt, while his frequent bouts of heavy drinking placed an increasing strain on his marriage.

His state of mind hardly improved when his hauntingly melancholy Valse triste (1903) became an international sensation – desperately short of cash, he had accepted a one-off payment of 300 marks from his publishers and waived his rights to royalties. On the plus side, Sibelius somehow cobbled the money together to build a villa (named Ainola, after his wife Aino) in Järvenpää, a forested area not far from the Finnish capital Helsinki, which was destined to remain his home and inspiration for over half a century.

Sibelius's villa 'Ainola' in Järvenpää

It is easy when listening to the Second Symphony to conjure up images of Sibelius communing with nature in Finland’s icy, rugged landscapes, yet the music’s constant fluctuating between cool contentment, vibrant optimism and impassioned lyricism was inspired originally by a protracted working holiday in Florence and sun-drenched Rapallo (on the north-western coast of Italy) during the winter and early spring of 1901. The music’s spontaneous sense of ease and structural inevitability are also deceptive as some of the material (most notably the slow movement) was derived from other abandoned projects he started around this time, including a setting of Dante’s Divine Comedy and a planned tone poem entitled Festival, based on the Don Juan legend. Premiered in March 1902, the Symphony scored an overwhelming success, playing to a further three packed houses during its first week.

Although Sibelius insisted that his latest masterwork was entirely free of extra-musical associations, the reaction of his conductor friend Robert Kajanus sums up the feelings of those present on the premiere night. ‘The Andante,’ he conjectured, ‘strikes one as the most broken-hearted protest against all the injustice that threatens at the present time to deprive the sun of its light and the flowers of their scent…

The Scherzo gives a picture of frenetic preparation. Everyone piles his straw on the haystack, all fibres are strained, and every second seems to last an hour.

One can sense in the oboe motif of the central trio section exactly what is at stake…The Finale develops towards a triumphant conclusion, intended to rouse in the listener a picture of a brighter and more confident future.’

At a more fundamental level, the symphony demonstrates, particularly during the opening Allegretto, a marked tendency towards more concise thematic inspiration than its predecessor. Sibelius appears determined to extract the maximum impact from the most economical of musical means, as in the first movement’s kaleidoscopic reappropriations of nine subtly interrelated motifs. So too in the inconsolable melodic strands of the Andante, which ends in total despair, the bustling obsessiveness of the scherzo and the same movement’s dreamy central oboe solo, which grows effortlessly out of a single note repeated several times over – a reworking of the symphony’s opening, composed in response to the tragedy of his sister-in-law’s recent suicide. This striking movement links directly into a finale whose rousing combination of indelible melody and stoic resilience culminates in a bracingly optimistic coda.

Julian Haylock

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States of Independence

Sibelius and Finnish independence Jean Sibelius is perhaps unique as a composer whose nationalism is regarded as inseparable from his music. That word has uneasy associations in our present climate, but Sibelius’ beloved status as a national icon stems from a celebrated 20th century moment of nation-building - Finland’s liberation from a repressive Russian Empire. More recently that image has been recognised as a creation of the Cold War. Finland’s frontline position on the borders of Russia, and its invasion by the Red Army in 1939 helped to forge Sibelius’ heroic status as a solid granite bulwark against the Soviet Union. Later generations of Finns have reevaluated that image. Without questioning the composer’s musical greatness, it’s possible to have a more nuanced view of his historical moment - in many ways an artistic golden age that was partly facilitated by the largesse of the Russian Empire.

The Sibelius monument in Helsinki 014

To understand the cultural significance of Sibelius, it’s necessary to make note of the unusual split identity of Finland.

The country and its people were part of the kingdom of Sweden for six centuries, and then it was annexed as a ‘Grand Duchy’ of Russia for over 100 years. Swedish was the nation’s only official language until 1863, but it was spoken by a minority of citizens - mainly the upper classes (of which Sibelius was a member). However, among the rest of the population the Finnish language was widely spoken, and one of the reasons that Finnish folk song developed was that it allowed the population to sing in their language even when they were not supposed to converse in it. Surprisingly, Finnish language education was encouraged under the Russians, who saw it as a way of countering Swedish influence. The dynamic tension between these two languages and the desire to advance Finnish culture despite the linguistic problem created fertile territory for a cultural renaissance: the leaders of a small group attempting to fashion an image of what their nation meant in relation to the wider world.

Finland’s formal national culture was essentially a creation of the

19th century, and was inseparable from the burgeoning political force which eventually led to its declaration of independence from Russia in 1917. Central to this nation-making movement was the publication of founding texts such as the Kalevala, a collection of epic poetry brought together

by Elias Lönnrot, and published in 1835, which gave the Finns not only a classic work of literature, but a means of constructing a past.

Drawing on tales which dated back to the Iron Age, it revealed Finland to have its own gods, customs and values, and was to be a major influence on Sibelius throughout his long life.

Ferdinand Sibelius, who gave him a violin and later encouraged his interest in composition. After a false start studying law, Sibelius studied at the Helsinki Music Institute, where he received his first formal composition lessons from figures such as Ferrucio Busoni, and formed a circle of artistic contemporaries such as Armas Järnefelt, all of whom were fascinated by the intellectual currents of their age, and keen to advance the possibilities for Finland’s own burgeoning culture.

Helsinki Music Institute

Elias Lönnrot

Born the son of a doctor in a prosperous garrison town, Jean Sibelius’ rich imagination and musical talents were apparent from a young age. He was encouraged by his uncle Pehr

While the musical culture in Finland was still a fledgling one, the relative prosperity which began to blossom under Emperor Alexander II soon translated into stipends for artistic-minded Finns who travelled to the great European capitals to further their learning. Sibelius was one of these lucky artists, and further studies in Berlin and

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Vienna gave him the chance to experience a number of concerts and performances - including the premiere of Strauss’ Don Juan, leading to an infatuation with Wagnerian opera. Richard Wagner’s rejuvenating use of ancient myth, staggering orchestration and overt nationalism could not fail to appeal to Sibelius and his contemporaries, but it also posed a challenge - how could one match anything resembling this in the Finnish language? There was no appetite for Finnish opera in Europe, and many singers quailed at the thought of attempting it.

Ultimately this predicament led to a creative solution, as Sibelius realised his greatest opportunities lay not in opera, but in creating symphonic works which could reflect his nation’s struggle while retaining an international appeal.

Sibelius came back with works such as his choral-symphony Kullervo, which brought together Kallevala myths with Finnish folk song, titanic orchestration and the increasingly-politicised mens’ choir movement, resulting in an instant smash hit.

Finland’s relative autonomy had been tolerated with its cultural programmes encouraged as a way of keeping the nation onside.

However by the 1880s, Russia increasingly perceived itself as under threat, especially from the Triple Alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy, and the question of why Finns enjoyed a comparative freedom compared to the Russian Empire’s millions of subjects. Sibelius threw in his lot with the national movement wholeheartedly, composing music for lottery soirees for national causes – resulting in the celebrated Karelia Suite, the rowdy Song of the Athenians and the unofficial national anthem Finlandia - performed during the independence celebrations of 1917.

The Finland Sibelius had returned to was somewhat different, as Russia’s emperors began tightening their controls. Prior to the 1890s,

In 1897 the new governor of Finland, Nikolay Bobrikov introduced a strict programme of Russification. Russian governance

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was to be asserted through controls over Finnish language, legislation and censorship. After a brief spell in Italy, Sibelius and his family returned with the Second Symphony, which you hear tonight. Less than two months later, an official edict was made conscripting Finnish youths into the Russian military. When the symphony was performed, audiences heard exactly what they wanted to hear in its poignant, rousing ostinati.

essential to his remarkable creative streak - the long compositional silence of Sibelius’s late years (he wrote almost nothing after 1926 and died in 1957) falls entirely within the period of Finnish independence that began in 1917.

The influence of those productive years and his transformative influence is beyond doubt, however. It might surprise you to note that Finland has produced more world-class composers and performers per capita than any other country.

Thomas Short

Russian soldiers in Helsinki, 1917

Finnish Independence Day celebrations, 2015

As unease grew, the Finnish national movement transformed from the artist-led to something altogether different. National awakening transformed into a class struggle. This shift in power meant that Sibelius and his Swedish-speaking artistic cohorts were no longer at the vanguard of the independence movement.

However, many have argued that the nation-building movement was 017

States of Independence

Interview: Vladimir Jurowski Our Principal Artist Vladimir Jurowski constructed this programme in consultation with our players, to build on his previous collaborations with us playing Tchaikovsky, Mahler and other 19th century composers on period instruments.

We are very sorry that Vladimir is unable to join us for this concert, but we are sharing this interview to explore his vision.

This programme is quite an unusual one for us. Why did you choose to perform these works?

Over the years working with the OAE, many of my programmes have pushed the ‘temporal boundaries’ of what is considered ‘period instrument territory’ – we have made some very interesting explorations into the Romantic era with Liszt and Mahler.

And now this programme brings us just inside the 20th century, so it feels like a natural progression in our relationship. We constructed the programme around the Sibelius Second Symphony, as we together wanted to fit this well-known work, that focuses the season’s theme, into the OAE’s plans, and discover what new light will be thrown on it.

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''Many of my programmes have pushed the 'temporal boundaries' of what is considered 'period instrument territory''' Vladimir Jurowski

What differences will performing them with a period instrument orchestra, rather than a symphony orchestra, bring?

The theme of our 2018/19 season is Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. How do these works relate to those ideas?

As with our performance of Mahler’s Second Symphony, I think that we will discover a lot of things about the textures and balances within this ‘Romantic’ orchestration and the traditions that have accrued from how that soundworld has been nurtured over the years. Sibelius himself throughout his career was more and more concerned with paring back this kind of rich, Romantic sound, in favour of a clarity and starker quality of sound that he felt better expressed what he was looking to say, and although the Second Symphony is relatively early in this process for him I think we will find some illuminating views on this journey of his. The Straussian and Elgarian string sonorities that we are used to also will come across rather differently with the OAE, and that should open a fascinating window onto how those composers would have expected to hear their orchestral music.

The Sibelius symphony was composed in 1901-02, and from its first performance there was a strong public and critical feeling that Sibelius had wanted to express (particularly with the grandiose finale) sympathy with the ongoing popular struggle for Finland’s independence, in a time when the Russians were imposing sanctions on Finnish language and culture. How much Sibelius intended it as a patriotic or nationalist message is debated, and certainly he didn’t stress it himself, but the composition certainly did begin while he was travelling in Italy, where he had gone to soak up some of that stereotyped Mediterranean warmth and relaxed attitude to life. So from that perspective also the symphony could be said to have evolved out of a ‘pursuit of happiness’! The Elgar and Strauss do not have any particular connection to the theme, other than their relative proximity to the time of the composition of the symphony.

The Strauss concerto is from 20 years earlier, 1882, and the Elgar falls in the middle, being composed in 1892, I suppose you could say that they span a period in which Europe was being more and more coloured by notions of individual worth and liberal views, and the positive benefits to society and human existence which these ‘revolutionary’ ideals were hoped to bring.

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Left to right: Max Mandel – principal viola Camilla Morse-Glover – cello, OAE Experience Scheme Ursula Paludan Monberg – horn

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States of Independence

I know what you did last Summer...

5 Widely regarded as the greatest football player of all time, Pelé quickly rose to fame after becoming the youngest player to participate in a World Cup final match. For the match in June 1958, Pelé was only 17 when he scored two of the winning goals for Brazil against Sweden, taking their goal-count to an impressive 5-2 win.

2 Nadia Comăneci made history when she was 14 in July 1976 at the Montreal Summer Olympics. She became the first person to ever be awarded a ‘perfect 10’ in Olympic gymnastics and holds the record for being the youngest Olympics gymnastics all-around champion ever. While it is technically not actually possible for Comăneci to have her record legally beaten (as a result of the age eligibility in the sport being raised to 16), we still think it’s pretty impressive.

Artist's impression of how Strauss may have looked on his summer holidays

Strauss had only just turned 18 when he composed his Violin Concerto during his summer holidays. While most of us probably opted for less-productive ways to spend our summers, he's not alone in his teenage feats. Here are some examples of other famous teenage summer holiday accomplishments.

1 Mark Zuckerberg is famous (or, perhaps now, infamous) for developing one of the largest social networking platforms in existence; Facebook. In July 2003, when Zuckerberg was 19 and in his second year at Harvard, he developed ‘FaceMash’. This rather questionable website, which allowed the students of Harvard to rate female students as ‘hot or not’, gradually evolved into Facebook as we know it today.

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6 Love it or hate it, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a classic novel that has withstood the test of time.

What makes her accomplishment even more prominent is that the beginnings of the novel were conceived when she was only 18, as a result of her step-sister’s lover, Lord Byron, suggesting they compete to write the best ghost story in the Summer of 1815.

3 Business magnate, investor, author and philanthropist (phew!) Richard Branson demonstrated a talent for entrepreneurship when he was only 16. His alternative 1968 magazine, Student, for which he interviewed a number of prominent personalities of the late 1960s, was an overnight success and kick-started his career as the founder of the Virgin Group.

4 World-renowned for his co-invention of Cubism and other artistic innovations, it is no surprise that Pablo Picasso was doing more than twiddling his thumbs during his summers. Recognising his artistic talent, Picasso’s father persuaded the officials at the School of Fine Arts in Barcelona to let his son take the entrance exam for their advanced class. Of course, the officials were extremely impressed with the 13 year old’s work and admitted him into the Academy.

7 Although technically not in the summer holidays, Malala Yousafzai deserves a place on our list for becoming the youngest-ever Nobel laureate after being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in December 2014.

Yousafzai rightly earned her Prize for her endless campaigning to give all girls the same access to education, as a result of her suffering from the oppressive enforcements of the Taliban on girls and women. After horrendously being targeted and shot in the head in 2012 for her activism, Malala has gone on to become one of the most influential figures in recent history.

Anna Bennett

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States of Independence

Biographies

Lubbock Fine is proud to support the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

Thierry Fischer - conductor Director of the Utah Symphony Orchestra since 2009 and recently extended to 2022, Thierry Fischer has revitalized the orchestra with creative programming, critically acclaimed performances, and new recordings. In April 2016 he took the orchestra to Carnegie Hall for the first time in 40 years, and together they have released CDs of Mahler symphonies and newly commissioned works. Since January 2017 Fischer is also Principal Guest Conductor of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra.

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Recent guesting has included Boston Symphony, London Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic, Bergen Philharmonic, Rotterdam Philharmonic, BBC Symphony, Maggio Musicale Firenze, Salzburg Mozarteumorchester, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande and Sao Paulo Philharmonic, also Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Mostly Mozart New York, Scottish Chamber and London Sinfonietta.

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Please contact partner Russell Rich russellrich@lubbockfine.co.uk or feel free to call him on 020 7490 7766.

Paternoster House, 65 St Paul’s Churchyard, London EC4M 8AB

Whilst Principal Conductor of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales 2006-2012 Fischer appeared every year at the BBC Proms, toured internationally, and recorded for Hyperion, Signum and Orfeo. His recording of Frank Martin’s opera Der Sturm with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus won the ICMA award in 2012 (opera category). In 2014 he released a Beethoven disc with the London Philharmonic on the Aparte label.

Fischer started out as Principal Flute in Hamburg and at the Zurich Opera. His conducting career began in his 30s when he replaced an ailing colleague, subsequently directing his first few concerts with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe where he was Principal Flute under Claudio Abbado. He spent his apprentice years in Holland, and became Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor of the Ulster Orchestra 2001-2006.

He was Chief Conductor of the Nagoya Philharmonic 2008- 2011, making his Suntory Hall debut in Tokyo in May 2010, and is now Honorary Guest Conductor.

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Alina Ibragimova - violin Performing music from baroque to new commissions on both modern and period instruments, Alina Ibragimova has established a reputation as one of the most accomplished and intriguing violinists of her generation. This is illustrated by her prominent presence at the BBC Proms since 2015 and most recently in 2018 where Alina gave the World Premiere of the Rolf Wallin Violin Concerto with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Edward Gardner.

Over the next season, Alina will have a strong focus on Shostakovich Concerto’s No. 1 and No.2, which she will record with Vladimir Jurowski for Hyperion Records. She looks forward to debut engagements with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (Gardiner), the Toronto Symphony and Minnesota Orchestras, and will return to the London Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Europe (Haitink), Swedish Radio Symphony (Harding), Seattle Symphony (Ludovic Morlot) and Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (Jurowski).

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With her long-standing duo partner; pianist Cédric Tiberghien, Alina has performed complete cycles of both the Beethoven and Mozart violin sonatas at the Wigmore Hall. Highlights among recent engagements included a three-week tour of Japan and Korea, extensive touring of North America and a Berlin debut recital at the Pierre Boulez Saal. In 18/19, the duo looks forward to debuts at the Konzerthaus Vienna and a return tour of Japan and Korea.

Born in Russia in 1985 Alina studied at the Moscow Gnesin School before moving with her family to the UK in 1995 where she studied at the Yehudi Menuhin School and Royal College of Music. She was also a member of the Kronberg Academy Masters programme.

Alina records for Hyperion Records and performs on a c.1775 Anselmo Bellosio violin kindly provided by Georg von Opel.

Saving Michael Haydn Tuesday 19 May 2020 Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall Alina joins us to explore music by Joseph Haydn's often-ignored, but almost as prolific, younger brother.

Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment That creative thirst remains In 1986, a group of inquisitive London unquenched. The Night Shift series of musicians took a long hard look at informal performances are redefining that curious institution we call the concert formats. Its base at London’s Orchestra, and decided to start again Kings Place has fostered further from scratch. They began by throwing out the rulebook. Put a single conductor creativity, such as Bach, the Universe and Everything, a trailblazing Sunday in charge? No way. Specialise in morning series with contributions from repertoire of a particular era? Too esteemed scientists. And from 2017, it restricting. Perfect a work and then started Six Chapters of Enlightenment, move on? Too lazy. The Orchestra of six extraordinary seasons exploring the the Age of Enlightenment was born. music, science and philosophy of the And as this distinctive ensemble playing golden age from which the Orchestra on period-specific instruments began takes its name. to get a foothold, it made a promise to itself. It vowed to keep questioning and Now more than thirty years old, the inventing as long as it lived. Residencies OAE is part of our musical furniture. at Southbank Centre and the It has even graced the outstanding Glyndebourne Festival didn’t numb its conducting talents of Elder, Rattle, experimentalist bent. A major record Jurowski, Iván Fischer, John Butt and deal didn’t iron out its quirks. Instead, Sir András Schiff’s with a joint title of the OAE examined musical notes with Principal Artist. But don’t ever think the ever more freedom and resolve. ensemble has lost sight of its founding vow. Not all orchestras are the same.

And there’s nothing quite like this one.

Andrew Mellor

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SUPPORTING

THROWING OUT THE RULEBOOKS

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OAE Education

Students from Cricket Green School performing with our musicians and 1500 singers at the #RAHMerton concert.

OAE TOTS at Saffron Hall

A programme to involve, empower and inspire Over the past twenty years OAE Education has grown in stature and reach to involve thousands of people nationwide in creative music projects.

Our participants come from a wide range of backgrounds and we pride ourselves in working flexibly, adapting to the needs of local people and the places they live.

The extensive partnerships we have built up over many years help us engage fully with all the communities where we work to ensure maximum and lasting impact. We take inspiration from the OAE's repertoire, instruments and players.

This makes for a vibrant, challenging and engaging programme where everyone is involved; players, animateurs, composers, participants, teachers, partners and stakeholders all have a valued voice.

Last season we undertook

Support our education programme

265 workshops 54 concerts in 33 towns, cities and villages with over 20,165 people across the country.

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The work we do could not happen without the support of our generous donors.

If you would like to support our Education programme please contact: Marina Abel Smith Head of Individual Giving marina.abelsmith@oae.co.uk Telephone 020 7239 9380

2019: Musical Communities To sit alongside Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness, in 2019 we are creating a programme of events inspired by the communities we live and work in, exploring how we can work together to build relationships and how music can be a fantastic tool for creativity.

A snapshot of OAE Education in Spring 2019 OAE TOTS More than 800 London nursery and reception children joined us last month for concerts entitled A World Around Us, presented by double bass, Cecelia Bruggemeyer.

Schools More than 1,000 pupils age 5 to 7 from our six partner London Boroughs joined us for a wonderful journey through Mozart’s Symphony No 29, led by James Redwood.

Opera We were delighted to have been the orchestra for the community opera Agreed at Glyndebourne.

Special needs Workshops have been taking place in our special schools and colleges, culminating in a performance at the Royal Albert Hall with our friends from Cricket Green school, the Merton concert bands and 1,200 singers.

Flagship We are creating our new community opera, The Moon and the Hares, which will tour to Durham, Norfolk, Suffolk and Devon – exciting times!

Nurturing Talent We’ve worked with our Experience students, LPO Young Artists, students from Huddersfield University and Community Music (CM) in Whitechapel. Meanwhile, our young players in String Club in King's Cross are coming on really well this year.

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OAE team

Chief Executive Crispin Woodhead

Finance Officer Fabio Lodato

Director of Finance and Governance Ivan Rockey

Digital Content Officer Zen Grisdale

Development Director Emily Stubbs Director of Marketing and Audience Development John Holmes Director of Press Katy Bell Projects Director Jo Perry General Manager Edward Shaw Orchestra Manager Philippa Brownsword Choir Manager David Clegg

Marketing and Press Officer Anna Bennett Box Office and Data Manager Carly Mills Head of Individual Giving Marina Abel Smith Development Officer Helena Wynn Development Events Coordinator Kiki Betts-Dean Development Manager Catherine Kinsler Trusts and Foundations Manager Andrew Mackenzie

Projects Officer Ella Harriss Librarian Colin Kitching

ART FOR THE HOME AND OFFICE Sculpture | Paintings | Prints | Art Advisory | Installation Artists include: Nelson Mandela, HRH The Prince of Wales, Lincoln Seligman, Jan Coutts, Monroe Hodder, Maria Filopoulou, Chris Levine, Bettina Seitz and others

www.belgraviagallery.com Online and Surrey Hills 020 7495 1010 | laura@belgraviagallery.com Contact us to arrange an appointment

Education Director Cherry Forbes Education Officer Andrew Thomson

The OAE is a registered charity number 295329 and a registered company number 2040312 Registered office: Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9AG Telephone 020 7239 9370 info@oae.co.uk Design and art direction –LucienneRoberts+ Photography – Alex Grace Programme Editor - Anna Bennett

Board of Directors Sir Martin Smith [Chairman] Steven Devine Denys Firth Nigel Jones Max Mandel David Marks Rebecca Miller Roger Montgomery Imogen Overli Olivia Roberts Andrew Roberts Susannah Simons Katharina Spreckelsen Mark Williams Crispin Woodhead OAE Trust Sir Martin Smith [Chair] Paul Forman Julian Mash Caroline Noblet Imogen Overli Rupert Sebag-Montefiore Diane Segalen Maarten Slendebroek Leaders Kati Debretzeni Margaret Faultless Matthew Truscott Players’ Artistic Committee Steven Devine Max Mandel Roger Montgomery (Chair) Andrew Roberts Katharina Spreckelsen Principal Artists John Butt Sir Mark Elder Iván Fischer Vladimir Jurowski Sir Simon Rattle Sir András Schiff Emeritus Conductors William Christie Sir Roger Norrington

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Supporters

The OAE continues to grow and thrive through the generosity of our supporters.

We are very grateful to our sponsors and Patrons and hope you will consider joining them. We offer a close involvement in the life of the Orchestra with many opportunities to meet players, attend rehearsals and even accompany us on tour.

OAE Thirty Circle We are particularly grateful to the following members of the Thirty Circle who have so generously contributed to the re-financing of the Orchestra through the OAE Trust.

Thirty Circle Patrons Bob and Laura Cory Sir Martin Smith and Lady Smith OBE Thirty Circle Members Victoria and Edward Bonham Carter Nigel Jones and Françoise Valat-Jones Selina and David Marks Julian and Camilla Mash Mark and Rosamund Williams Our Supporters Ann and Peter Law OAE Experience scheme Ann and Peter Law Principal Sponsor

Corporate Partners E.S.J.G. Limited Lubbock Fine Chartered Accountants Mark Allen Group Parabola Land Stephen Levinson at Keystone Law Swan Turton Corporate Associates Aston Lark Bannenburg and Rowell Belgravia Gallery Kirker Holidays Zaeem Jamal Event Sponsors Ambriel Sparkling Wine Markson Pianos 034

Season Patrons Julian and Annette Armstrong Adrian Frost Bruce Harris John Armitage Charitable Trust Nigel Jones and Françoise Valat-Jones Selina and David Marks Haakon and Imogen Overli Sir Martin Smith and Lady Smith OBE Mark and Rosamund Williams Project Patrons Julian and Camilla Mash Philip and Rosalyn Wilkinson Aria Patrons Denys and Vicki Firth Madeleine Hodgkin Stanley Lowy Gary and Nina Moss Rupert Sebag-Montefiore Maarten and Taina Slendebroek Caroline Steane Eric Tomsett Chair Patrons Mrs Nicola Armitage – Education Director Hugh and Michelle Arthur – Viola Victoria and Edward Bonham Carter – Principal Trumpet Anthony and Celia Edwards – Principal Oboe Sir Vernon and Lady Ellis – Co-Principal Viola Ian S Ferguson and Dr Susan Tranter Double Bass James Flynn QC – Co-Principal Lute/Theorbo Paul Forman – Co-Principal Cello, Co-Principal Violin and Co-Principal Horn Jonathan and Tessa Gaisman - Viola Jenny and Tim Morrison – Second Violin Caroline Noblet – Oboe

For more information on supporting the OAE please contact: Emily Stubbs Development Director emily.stubbs@oae.co.uk Telephone 020 7239 9381

Andrew Nurnberg – Co-Principal Oboe Jonathan Parker Charitable Trust – Co-Principal Cello Professor Richard Portes CBE FBA – Co-Principal Bassoon Olivia Roberts – Violin John and Rosemary Shannon – Principal Horn Roger and Pam Stubbs – Sub-Principal Clarinet Crispin Woodhead and Christine Rice – Principal Timpani

Sir Timothy and Lady Lloyd Michael and Harriet Maunsell MM Design - France Peter Rosenthal Roger Mears and Joanie Speers David Mildon in memory of Lesley Mildon John Nickson & Simon Rew Andrew and Cindy Peck Emily Stubbs and Stephen McCrum Shelley von Strunckel Ivor Samuels and Gerry Wakelin Rev’d John Wates OBE and Carol Wates Mr J Westwood

Education Patrons John and Sue Edwards – Principal Education Patrons Mrs Nicola Armitage Patricia and Stephen Crew Rory and Louise Landman Andrew & Cindy Peck Professor Richard Portes CBE FBA

Young Ambassador Patrons Rebecca Miller William Norris

Rising Stars Supporters Annette and Julian Armstrong Mrs Rosamund Bernays Denys and Vicki Firth Mr Bruce Harris Ms Madeleine Hodgkin Mrs Sarah Holford Nigel Jones and Francoise Valat-Jones Mr Peter Lofthouse Mark and Liza Loveday Mr Andrew Nurnberg Old Possum's Practical Trust Imogen and Haakon Overli The Reed Foundation Associate Patrons Julia and Charles Abel Smith Nick Allan Noël and Caroline Annesley Mrs A Boettcher Catherine and Barney Burgess David and Marilyn Clark David Emmerson Peter and Sally Hilliar Noel De Keyzer Madame M Lege-Germain

Young Patrons Joseph Cooke and Rowan Roberts David Gillbe Nina Hamilton Marianne and William Cartwright-Hignett Sam Hucklebridge Alex Madgwick Henry Mason Gold Friends Michael Brecknell Mr and Mrs C Cochin de Billy Geoffrey Collens Chris Gould Silver Friends Dennis Baldry Haylee and Michael Bowsher Penny and Robin Broadhurst Tony Burt Christopher Campbell Michael A Conlon Mr and Mrs Michael Cooper Anthony and Jo Diamond Dr Elizabeth Glyn Malcolm Herring Patricia Herrmann Val Hudson Rupert and Alice King Cynthia and Neil McClennan Stephen and Roberta Rosefield David and Ruth Samuels Susannah Simons

Her Honour Suzanne Stewart Bronze Friends Tony Baines Keith Barton Mr Graham Buckland Dan Burt Mrs SM Edge Mrs Mary Fysh Ray and Liz Harsant The Lady Heseltine Auriel Hill Stephen Larcombe Julian Markson Stuart Martin Sir Nicholas Montagu Stephen and Penny Pickles John Ransom Paul Rivlin Anthony and Carol Rentoul Alan Sainer Mr Anthony Thompson Gillian Threlfall Mr and Mrs Tony Timms Mrs Joy Whitby David Wilson Trusts and foundations Angus Allnatt Charitable Foundation Apax Foundation Arts Council England Catalyst Fund Arts Council England Ashley Family Foundation Arts Council England Barbour Foundation Boltini Trust Boshier-Hinton Foundation Brian Mitchell Charitable Settlement Catherine Cookson Charitable Trust The Charles Peel Charitable Trust Chapman Charitable Trust Chivers Trust Cockayne – Grant for the Arts London Community Foundation John S Cohen Foundation Derek Hill Foundation D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust Dunard Fund Ernest Cook Trust Esmee Fairbairn Foundation Fenton Arts Trust Fidelio Charitable Trust Foyle Foundation

GarfieldWeston Foundation Geoffrey Watling Charity The Garrick Club Charitable Trust The Golden Bottle Trust Goldsmiths’ Company Charity Idlewild Trust Jack Lane Charitable Trust JMCMRJ Sorrell Foundation J Paul Getty Jnr General Charitable Trust John Lyon’s Charity Lord and Lady Lurgan Trust The Mark Williams Foundation Michael Marks Charitable Trust National Foundation for Youth Music Nicholas Berwin Charitable Trust Old Possum’s Practical Trust Orchestras Live Palazzetto Bru-Zane Paul Bassham Charitable Trust The Patrick Rowland Foundation PF Charitable Trust Pitt-Rivers Charitable Trust PRS Foundation Pye Charitable Settlement RK Charitable Trust RVW Trust Schroder Charity Trust Sir James Knott Trust Small Capital Grants Stanley Picker Trust Strategic Touring Fund The Loveday Charitable Trust The R&I Pilkington Charitable Trust The Shears Foundation The Sobell Foundation Valentine Charitable Trust Violet Mauray Charitable Trust The 29th May 1961 Charitable Trust

We are also very grateful to our anonymous supporters and OAE Friends for their ongoing generosity and enthusiasm.

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Heaven or Hell?

Hero or villain?

Vivaldi and Pergolesi: Sacred Baroque

Beethoven’s Major Heroes

Monday 11 November 2019 Queen Elizabeth Hall

Tuesday 28 January 2020 Queen Elizabeth Hall

Faust: The Life of a Composer

Liszt and Wagner: Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know

Wednesday 25 March 2020 Queen Elizabeth Hall

Friday 26 June 2020 Royal Festival Hall

Remembered or forgotten?

Blessed or cursed?

Mozart’s Final Flourish

Mendelssohn’s Elijah

Friday 7 February 2020 Royal Festival Hall

Thursday 3 October 2019 Royal Festival Hall

Saving Michael Haydn

If Music be the Food of Love, Curse Me

Tuesday 19 May 2020 Queen Elizabeth Hall

Sunday 26 April 2020 Queen Elizabeth Hall

Introducing our 19/20 Resident Orchestra season at Southbank Centre Welcome to Salvation and Damnation, the third part of our Six Chapters of Enlightenment.

These Chapters are the six special seasons we’re staging to explore through music the golden age of science and philosophy that gave our orchestra its name.

This time we’re asking the tough questions – questions that taxed the composers and thinkers of the Enlightenment. How will I be judged? What will people think of me when I’m gone?

These concerts feature music that is often uplifting, occasionally challenging, and always compelling.

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To unlock these questions we’re joined by a host of great artists, including singers Ian Bostridge and Iestyn Davies, violinist Alina Ibragimova and pianist Stephen Hough.

We’ll be playing music by composers you’re used to hearing us perform, such as Vivaldi, Mozart and Beethoven, and some that you’re not, including Wagner, Liszt and Schoenberg. southbankcentre.co.uk/oae Pictured opposite - Left to right - Alina Ibragimova (Saving Michael Haydn), Masaaki Suzuki (Mendelssohn's Elijah), Ian Bostridge (If Music be the Food of Love, Curse Me), Iván Fischer (Mozart's Final Flourish), Sir Roger Norrington (Beethoven's Major Heroes), Thomas Mann (Faust: The Life of a Composer), Stephen Hough (Lizst and Wagner: Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know), Katherine Watson (Vivaldi and Pergolesi: Sacred Baroque)

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KIRKER MUSIC FESTIVALS F O R

D I S C E R N I N G

T R A V E L L E R S

Kirker Holidays offers an extensive range of independent and escorted music holidays.

These include tours to leading festivals in Europe such as the Puccini Festival in Torre del Lago and the Verdi Festival in Parma, as well as Glyndebourne, Buxton and opera weekends in Vienna, Milan and Venice.

We also host our own exclusive music festivals on land and at featuring internationally acclaimed musicians. For those who prefer to travel independently we arrange short breaks with opera, ballet or concert tickets, to all the great classical cities in Europe.

THE KIRKER MUSIC FESTIVAL IN TENERIFE A SEVEN NIGHT HOLIDAY | 12 JANUARY 2019 For our fourth exclusive music festival on the island of Tenerife, we will present a series of six concerts featuring the Gould Piano Trio, pianist Benjamin Frith, soprano Ilona Domnich and violist Simon Rowland-Jones.

Staying at the 5* Hotel Botanico, surrounded by lush tropical gardens, we shall also enjoy a programme of fascinating excursions. Highlights include the Sitio Litro Orchid Garden, a cable car journey to the peak of Mount Teide and a visit to the primeval cloud forest of the Anaga Mountains. We will also visit historic and picturesque villages along the spectacular north coast, including Garachico with its 17th century convent.

Price from £2,698 per person (single supp. £375) for seven nights including flights, transfers, accommodation with breakfast, six dinners, six private concerts, all sightseeing, entrance fees and gratuities and the services of the Kirker Tour Leader.

THE KIRKER MUSIC FESTIVAL IN MALLORCA A SIX NIGHT HOLIDAY | 29 MAY 2019 The works of Frédéric Chopin are central to our Festival in Mallorca and for our seventh visit we will be joined by the Phoenix Piano Trio, Marta Fontanals-Simmons, soprano and Lorena Paz Nieto, mezzo-soprano.

Based in the village of Banyalbufar, we will discover the gloriously unspoilt north coast of Mallorca. There will be visits to the picturesque artists’ village of Deia, the capital Palma and the villa of San Marroig. Our series of private concerts includes a recital in the monastery at Valldemossa where Chopin spent three months with his lover the aristocratic Baroness Dudevant, better known as the writer George Sand.

Price from £2,290 per person (single supp. £189) for six nights including flights, accommodation with breakfast, two lunches, six dinners, five concerts, all sightseeing and gratuities and the services of the Kirker Tour Leader.

Speak to an expert or request a brochure:

020 7593 2284 quote code GOG www.kirkerholidays.com

Perfectly tuned insurance

Because helping even the youngest musician strikes a chord with us Our Music policy has been carefully designed to allow you to enjoy playing your instrument with complete peace of mind, whatever your age. Lark Music is focused on protecting your possessions and supporting the musical arts.

www.larkmusic.com Lark Music is a trading name of Aston Lark Limited Registered in England and Wales No: 02831010.

Registered office: Ibex House, 42-47 Minories, London, EC3N 1DY Aston Lark Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

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