Spring 2023 Season Brochure

Concerts & Events Spring 2023

Welcome

Welcome to our Spring season. The opportunity to be together again as a community, experiencing world-class artists on our doorstep, has had particular significance this autumn and we hope that the spring will afford the same opportunities. In difficult times, communities often turn to the arts for solace and we strive to be an on-going resource for the region in this respect. We hope that there will be something for everyone this spring.

Our programme spans orchestral music, gospel, minimalism, jazz, big band, brass band, choral, early music, new music and spoken word. It represents one of the most varied programmes in the country, but crucially has one element running through it like a stick of rock: quality. Quality is a pre-requisite at Saffron Hall, so you can be certain that whatever you come to see, however unfamiliar, the quality is guaranteed.

In particular, I am looking forward to welcoming back pianist Paul Lewis, for the start of a three-season exploration of Schubert’s sonatas. Paul has established quite a rapport with our audience and our exceptional Steinway piano. Other classical highlights will include the return of one of the world’s finest opera stars, Bryn Terfel, the Aurora Orchestra with their most exciting ‘from memory’ project to date and the return of award-winning Dunedin Consort with the sensational soprano Nardus Williams.

Our Resident Orchestras, Britten Sinfonia and London

Philharmonic have exceptional programmes this spring. Britten Sinfonia join forces with Stephen Layton for Fauré’s beautiful Requiem with a star line-up of soloists.

Hearing vast symphonic works in Saffron Hall is an experience never to be forgotten, and the London Philharmonic performing Mahler’s epic Fifth Symphony under the baton of Music Director Edward Gardner will be one of those occasions.

Our roster of jazz, world and folk artists continues to grow. For the first time, we welcome Syrian clarinettist Kinan Azmeh and folk star Rhiannon Giddens to the Hall. If concert hall events are not your ideal setting, do try one of our cabaret table events in the Hall or one of our popular foyer folk or jazz clubs.

They come with excellent food attached in the form of local food trucks. I would always urge audiences to try something new and if you are open to contemporary sounds in an informal atmosphere, then our new series Saffron Sessions is for you. The music of Philip Glass, Meredith Monk and more await.

Whatever you decide to come to this spring, I would urge you to try something new because there is nothing more satisfying than making a connection with a whole new world of sounds.

I look forward to welcoming you to Saffron Hall soon.

Angela Dixon Chief Executive

Still to come this Autumn

Fri 4 Nov, 8pm

Karine Polwart & Dave Milligan

Scottish singer, songwriter and storyteller Karine Polwart collaborates with pianist, improviser and composer Dave Milligan for a sumptuously intimate collection of songs.

Sat 19 Nov, 7.30pm

Dunedin Consort

Celebrating its 25th anniversary season this year, Dunedin Consort is Scotland’s foremost Baroque ensemble, recognised the world over for its vivid yet nuanced performances.

Fri 25 Nov, 7.30pm

Courtney Pine: Spirituality Tour

The legendary jazz hero takes to the stage with his bass clarinet accompanied by Zoe Rahman, the Mercury nominated pianist in this second chapter to their Ballad Book Tour.

Sun 27 Nov, 3pm

London Philharmonic Orchestra: A Child of our Time

Tippett’s arrangements of African American spirituals are at the heart of this powerful work, composed during WWII but ending in a spirit of healing and hope.

Fri 9 Dec, 8pm

Pekka Kuusisto

with Manchester Collective

The Finnish superstar violinist is electric in performance, showcasing unparalleled freedom and an infectious disregard for the ‘rules’ of classical music.

Thu 22 - Thu 29 Dec

Robin Hood

Hit the bullseye this Christmas as pantomime returns to Saffron Hall with Robin Hood - the Greatest Pantomime Adventure.

Mon 2 Jan, 4pm

A New Year’s Celebration

Supported by an anonymous donor

BBC Concert Orchestra

Chloe Rooke conductor

Emma Johnson clarinet

Jennifer France soprano

Programme to include Mozart Clarinet Concerto and operatic arias, plus waltzes, polkas, and marches by Johann Strauss II

Join the BBC Concert Orchestra for a sparkling New Year’s concert to round off the festive period. A programme of Viennese exuberance and elegance, we begin with the sublime Clarinet Concerto Mozart wrote in Vienna and conclude with a second half packed with the music forever associated with that city, the refined waltzes, whirling dances of the Strauss family and their contemporaries. A joyous start to the New Year, and a celebration of one of the world’s great musical cities.

Fri 6 Jan, 7.30pm Paul Lewis

Supported by an anonymous donor

Paul Lewis piano

Piano sonatas by Franz Schubert: No.7 in E flat Major, D568 No.14 in A minor, D784 No.17 in D major, D850

British pianist Paul Lewis was among the first artists to perform at Saffron Hall when we opened our doors – he even selected our Steinway grand –and has been delighting audiences here ever since. In this first of four recitals, over three seasons, he will explore Schubert’s sonatas, starting with the lyrical No.7, the haunting No.14 and the imperious No.17. This is a landmark project for a pianist who was described by Gramophone Magazine as “one of the great Schubertians of our time”.

Tickets £18 - £50

Under 25s half price

Presented by Saffron Hall

Tickets £10 - £25

Under 25s half price

Presented by Saffron Hall

Gold+ members reception

Paul Lewis © Kaupo Kikkas

Sat 14 Jan, 8pm

Kinan Azmeh with LPO soloists

Kinan Azmeh clarinet

London Philharmonic Orchestra soloists

Kinan Azmeh The Fence, the Rooftop and the Distant Sea

Kinan Azmeh Café Damas

Kinan Azmeh In The Element

Syrian clarinettist and composer

Kinan Azmeh has gained international recognition for his rich sound and distinctive compositional voice across diverse musical genres. Winner of an Opus Klassik award in 2019, and described as “intensely soulful” and a “virtuoso” by The New York Times and “spellbinding” by The New Yorker, Kinan Azmeh performs his own, mesmerising music alongside soloists from the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Middle Eastern inspired street food from The Wandering Yak available to purchase from 7pm.

Sat 4 Feb, 7.30pm

Tickets £15 - £20

Under 25s half price

Presented by Saffron Hall

Paul

Simon’s Graceland reimagined by the London African Gospel Choir

Supported by Saffron Building Society

The London African Gospel Choir brings its glorious reinterpretation of Paul Simon’s Graceland to Saffron Hall, offering a fresh and joyful new take on a seminal album –for which Simon was inspired by, and collaborated with, South African musicians. The London African Gospel Choir is an internationally acclaimed group of African and Caribbean singers, instrumentalists and dancers. With its irresistible rhythms and contagious energy, the group has become renowned for hugely uplifting, powerful and lifeaffirming performances.

Tickets £20 - £35

Under 25s half price

Presented by Saffron Hall

London African Gospel Choir © Graham Perowne Photography

Silver members reception

Sun 5 Feb, 4pm

BBC Symphony Orchestra

Sakari Oramo conductor

Julie Price bassoon

Graz˙yna Bacewicz Overture for Orchestra

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Bassoon Concerto

Edward Elgar Romance for Bassoon and Orchestra

Antonín Dvorˇák Symphony No.8

The BBC Symphony Orchestra returns under the baton of its Chief Conductor Sakari Oramo. This irresistible programme begins with the effervescent

Overture by Polish composer

Graz˙yna Bacewicz and culminates in Dvorˇák’s colourful and joyous Eighth Symphony. These works frame two pieces in which Julie Price takes centre stage: Mozart’s concerto shows the bassoon at its most genial and conversational, while Elgar’s Romance reveals the instrument’s more soulful side.

Sat 11 Feb, 7.30pm

Delius’ Hassan

The Golden Road to Samarkand

Britten Sinfonia

Britten Sinfonia Voices

Jamie Phillips conductor

Joseph Tawadros oud

Antonio Vivaldi Concerto for Mandolin, arranged for oud and strings

Joseph Tawadros New work for oud and orchestra

Frederick Delius Hassan

Middle Eastern music of heartwrenching beauty meets the Western imagination of sensuality and drama along the medieval Silk Road. Delius’ richly evocative incidental music to James Elroy

Flecker’s play is very rarely performed – here we experience it in a compelling adaptation for narrator and orchestra. Oud

virtuoso Joseph Tawadros introduces us to this evocative middle Eastern instrument, a close cousin of the lute.

Tickets £20 - £45

Under 25s half price

Presented by Saffron Hall

Tickets £12 - £36

Under 25s half price

Presented by Britten Sinfonia

Joseph Tawodros

Sun 19 Feb, 2.30pm

Saffron Opera Group

Don Giovanni

Saffron Opera Group Orchestra & Chorus

Michael Thorne conductor

Cast to include Charles Rice, Alexandra Lowe and Nicholas Crawley

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Don Giovanni

Mozart’s outrageous farce tells the tale of an incorrigible young playboy who blazes a path to his own destruction in a single day. Based on the story of Don Juan, Don Giovanni follows an irresistible (yet irresponsible and amoral) youth who is loved by women almost as universally as he loves them.

Tickets £20 - £50

Under 25s half price

Presented by Saffron Opera Group

Saffron Opera Group

Fri 24 Feb, 7.30pm

Ronnie Scott’s presents Remembering

Oscar Peterson

Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club perform a very special concert in honour of legendary pianist Oscar Peterson, featuring a unique line-up of two pianists, a drummer, a guitarist, and two double-bassists! The music in the show is drawn from the Great American Songbook, alongside Oscar’s own compositions from the rarely heard Canadiana Suite and the aptly titled Hymn to Freedom. Alongside the music will be anecdotes about his life and some virtuosic demonstrations of how to play just like Oscar!

Sun 26 Feb, 3pm

Saffron Walden Symphony Orchestra

Richard Hull conductor

Sergei Prokofiev Romeo & Juliet Suite No.2

John Adams The Chairman Dances

Malcolm Arnold English Dances Set 1

Aram Khatchaturian Waltz from Masquerade

Arturo Márquez Danzón No.2

The Saffron Walden Symphony Orchestra presents a concert of dance-inspired music, starting with Prokofiev’s take on Romeo & Juliet featuring the everpopular Montagues and Capulets before moving to an episode from John Adams’ opera Nixon in China. Malcolm Arnold’s rip-roaring English Dances take us via a well-known Waltz to the toe-tapping rhythms and sounds of Mexico.

Tickets £15 - £30

Under 25s half price

Presented by Saffron Hall

Tickets £17 - £20

Under 18s £5, 18-25s £10

Presented by Saffron Walden Symphony Orchestra

Bryn Terfel

© Mitch Jenkins / DG

Sat 4 Mar, 7.30pm

Sir Bryn Terfel

Supported by a circle of donors

Sir Bryn Terfel bass-baritone

Annabel Thwaite piano

Hannah Stone harp

Programme to include music by Franz Schubert, Claude Debussy, Richard Wagner, and Gerald Finzi, traditional Welsh folksongs and a selection of songs by Ivor Novello.

Widely held to be one of the finest singers in the world, Bryn Terfel is almost as famous for his acting as for his singing, bringing depth of character and emotion to every performance. In what is set to be a stunning recital, he performs a sumptuous selection of music, from Schubert, Debussy and Wagner to numbers by Ivor Novello and traditional Welsh folksongs.

Sun

12

Mar,

4pm

Ben Goldscheider & Richard Uttley

Supported by a Platinum member

Ben Goldscheider horn

Richard Uttley piano

Ludwig van Beethoven Horn Sonata in F Major Op.17

Robert Schumann Adagio and Allegro Op.70

Mark Simpson Nachstück

Paul Hindemith Horn Sonata

Eugene Bozza En Forêt

Since winning the BBC Young Musician Brass Category Final in 2016, horn-player Ben Goldscheider’s ascent has been dizzying, with a wealth of prestigious performances and fulsome reviews to his name. And his star continues to rise, with audiences worldwide enchanted by playing described as “a joy” by BBC Music Magazine. Don’t miss this “young man with a timeless gift” (Voix des Arts) as he teams up with pianist Richard Uttley to play music from Beethoven to Bozza.

Tickets £25 - £75

Under 25s half price

Presented by Saffron Hall

Tickets £10

Under 25s free

Presented by Saffron Hall

Thu 16 Mar, 7.30pm

An Evening with Sir Ranulph Fiennes

Named by the Guinness Book of Records as ‘the world’s greatest living explorer’, Sir Ranulph Fiennes has spent his life in pursuit of extreme adventure, risking life and limb (and some fingers…!) in some of the most ambitious private expeditions ever undertaken. Join the pioneer of exploration as he takes you around the world from the comfort of Saffron Hall.

Sat 18 Mar, 7.30pm

Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment B Minor Mass

Supported by Charles & Jill Rawlinson

Choir of the Enlightenment

Václav Luks director

Anna Devin soprano

Julia Doyle soprano

Hugh Cutting countertenor

Hugo Hymas tenor

Roderick Williams baritone

Johann Sebastian Bach

B Minor Mass

An exceptional line-up of musicians performs one of the great masterpieces of Western music: Bach’s monumental Mass in B minor. Renowned for its revelatory performances of this repertoire, the peerless period instrumentalists of the OAE delve deeper and reveal new colours in Bach’s great statement of faith. Václav Luks makes his debut with the orchestra and is joined by a stellar group of soloists.

Tickets £20 - £32

Age guidance 14+

Under 25s half price

Presented by Saffron Hall

Tickets £20 - £50

Under 25s half price

Presented by Saffron Hall

Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment © Emma-Jane Lewis photography

Sat 25 Mar, 7.30pm

Saffron Walden

Choral Society

Handel: Israel in Egypt

The Brook Street Band

Quintin Beer conductor

Grace Davidson soprano

Rebekah Jones mezzo

Ben Durrant tenor

George Frideric Handel Israel in Egypt

Handel’s oratorio Israel In Egypt is dominated by dramatic virtuosic choruses. The text follows the story of the Exodus of the Children of Israel from Egypt, with vivid evocations of hailstones, lightning, plagues of frogs, flies and lice and the crossing of the Red Sea. It culminates with the celebratory “Sing ye to the Lord; for He hath triumphed gloriously”.

Sun 26 Mar, 4pm

Doric String Quartet

Supported by two anonymous donors

Alex Redington & Ying Xue violins

Hélène Clément viola

John Myerscough cello

Ludwig Van Beethoven Quartet in G Op.18/2

Alban Berg String Quartet Op.3

Bedrˇich Smetana String Quartet No.1 ‘From my life’

The Doric String Quartet showcases the sheer breadth of the string quartet repertoire in this scintillating programme. There’s youthful Beethoven and innovative Berg, as well as Smetana’s deeply personal quartet, ‘From My Life’. Acclaimed for its intimate yet vibrant interpretations, the quartet has been praised in The Sunday Times as “… flamboyant when called for, but not otherwise … One marvellous utterance followed by another”.

Tickets £18 - £30

Under 25s half price

Presented by Saffron Walden

Choral Society

Tickets £12 - £25

Under 25s half price

Presented by Saffron Hall

Doric String Quartet © George Garnier

Dunedin Consort

© Jen Owens

Fri 31 Mar, 7.30pm

Dunedin Consort plays Handel

This concert is part of a series supported by the Padfield Family

Nardus Williams soprano

Benjamin Bayl director

Music by George Frideric Handel: Overture from Admeto

Cantata Ero e Leandro

‘Tu del ciel’ from The Triumph of Time and Truth

Concerto grosso Op.6, No.6 in G minor

Cantata Tra le fiamme

‘Per me già di morire’ from La Resurrezione

A fiery, all-Handel programme, delving into the extraordinary music he composed while in Rome. This is where Handel mastered his mature Italian style, its richness and theatricality a defiant reaction to a papal ban on opera that in turn saw his cantatas and oratorios become glorious, virtuosic showcases.

Sat 1 Apr, 7.30pm

Joanna Eden presents Ella & Beyond

Len Phillips Swing Orchestra

Joe Pettitt musical director

Joanna Eden vocalist

Toni Kofi saxophone

Enrico Tomasso trumpet

Ella Fitzgerald’s almost 60-year career spanned huge pinnacles of 20th Century jazz; there’s no better person to guide us from Big Band to bebop and beyond!

Through Ella’s life story, Joanna Eden hosts an enchanting and informative concert; sharing music from a dynasty of jazz stars from Armstrong to Ellington to Bird accompanied by Len Phillips Swing Orchestra and award winning virtuosos

saxophonist Tony Kofi and trumpeter Enrico Tomasso.

Tickets £10 - £30

Under 25s half price

Presented by Saffron Hall

Tickets £10 - £25

Under 25s half price

Presented by Saffron Hall

Sat 15 Apr, 7.30pm

Britten Sinfonia with Daria van den Bercken

Thomas Gould violin/director

Daria van den Bercken piano

Johann Sebastian Bach Brandenburg Concerto No.5

Mathilde Wantenaar New work for piano and strings (world premiere)

Igor Stravinsky Dumbarton Oaks

Joseph Haydn Symphony No.22

“The Philosopher”

Daria van den Bercken is a passionate champion of Baroque keyboard music who finds innovative ways to bring it to new listeners. Exciting young Dutch composer Mathilde

Wantenaar’s new piano concerto is paired with the first ever virtuoso keyboard concerto, Bach’s fifth Brandenburg. Thomas Gould leads Britten Sinfonia in Stravinsky’s neo-Baroque chamber concerto and Haydn’s superb early symphony, ‘The Philosopher’.

Sat 22 Apr, 4pm

An Afternoon at The Oscars

BBC Concert Orchestra

Richard Balcombe conductor

Louise Dearman vocals

Graham Bickley vocals

Programme to include music from The King & I, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, The Wizard of Oz, Mary Poppins and Frozen

Join us as the red carpet is rolled out to welcome you to this glamorous and glitzy celebration of Oscar-winning music. Experience the full VIP treatment as you listen to the spectacular 65-piece BBC Concert Orchestra and acclaimed West End vocalists

Louise Dearman and Graham Bickley perform a spell-binding selection of award-winning hits. With music from On the Town and My Fair Lady to Frozen and The Wizard of Oz, you’ll have the time of your life at this unforgettable afternoon!

Tickets £12 - £36

Under 25s half price

Presented by Britten Sinfonia

Tickets £15 - £40

Under 25s half price

Presented by Saffron Hall

Sun 23 Apr, 1.30pm & 3.30pm

CBeebies Ocean Adventure

BBC Concert Orchestra

All aboard for a fun-filled CBeebies musical ocean adventure for all the family! Take a deep breath and dive underwater in the concert hall submarine with its musical crew, the BBC Concert Orchestra.

Favourite CBeebies characters

JoJo and Gran Gran are on board with a Gran Gran plan, and Andy has his submarine pod at the ready.

Join the crew to search for endangered creatures, find out fascinating facts, and collect sounds and pictures for your very own musical ocean scrapbook. A magical multi-media event featuring CBeebies theme tunes, orchestral treats, live action film and animation and a few surprises along the way.

Tickets £10 - £25

Under 25s half price

Presented by Saffron Hall

Aurora Orchestra © Nick Rutter

Mon

1 May, 7pm

Aurora Orchestra

American Rhapsody

Supported by the Saffron Hall Board

Nicholas Collon conductor

Tom Poster piano

Aaron Copland Appalachian Spring Suite

Caroline Shaw Valencia

George Gershwin arr. Iain

Farrington Rhapsody in Blue

Charles Ives Three Places in New England (with film by Jon Frank)

Leonard Bernstein arr. Iain

Farrington Symphonic

Dances from West Side Story

An evening of American greats. Tom Poster, the soloist in Rhapsody in Blue, is famed for his passionate and witty performances. We witness an Appalachian Spring with Copland, visit New England with Ives – accompanied by a film by Jon Frank – and experience gangland New York in dances from Bernstein’s West Side Story.

Sun

7 May, 7pm

London

Philharmonic Orchestra with Alina Ibragimova

Supported by an anonymous donor

London Philharmonic Orchestra

Edward Gardner conductor

Alina Ibragimova violin

Antonin Dvorˇák Four Slavonic Dances

Béla Bartók Violin Concerto No.1

Gustav Mahler Symphony No.5

World-class violinist Alina

Ibragimova returns to Saffron

Hall following her sensational debut in 2017 to perform

Bartók’s rhapsodic Violin

Concerto No.1. There’s lively Czech charm in four of Dvorˇák’s Slavonic Dances, which brim with vigour and joie de vivre, and the programme culminates in Mahler’s stirring Fifth Symphony.

Tickets £18 - £36

Under 25s half price

Presented by Saffron Hall

Tickets £24 - £55

Under 25s half price

Presented by Saffron Hall

Rhiannon Giddens

© Ebru Yildiz

Sun 14 May, 7.30pm

Rhiannon Giddens & Francesco Turrisi

Folk and roots superstar

Rhiannon Giddens is, in the words of the Smithsonian Magazine, an “electrifying singer and banjo player” who “gives fresh voice to old American traditions”. She is joined at Saffron Hall by fellow multi-instrumentalist Francesco Turrisi, with whom she has enjoyed a long and fruitful collaboration, including a Grammy-nominated album There is No Other and Grammy-winning album They’re Calling Me Home.

Tickets £15 - £35

Under 25s half price

Presented by Saffron Hall

Sun 21

May,

3pm Saffron Walden Symphony Orchestra

Richard Hull conductor

Stephanie Godwin clarinet

John Foulds Mirage

Malcolm Arnold Clarinet

Concerto No.2

Hector Berlioz Symphonie

Fantastique

Clarinettist Stephanie Godwin makes her Saffron Hall debut in a concert of music inspired by visions and dreams. John Foulds has been described as “the greatest 20th Century composer of genius to be almost entirely ignored”. His great 1910 tone poem Mirage had to wait almost a century for its premiere. Malcolm Arnold’s cheeky nature comes to the fore in his 2nd Clarinet Concerto, especially in the jazzinspired finale. The concert ends with Berlioz’s visionary Symphonie

Fantastique.

Tickets £17 - £20

Under 18s £5, 18-25s £10

Presented by Saffron Walden Symphony Orchestra

Get ready for Saffron Sessions, a series of boundary-crossing performances brimming with creative artistry and bold collaborations.

Sat 27 May, 8pm

Zawadzki Trio

Vocalist, violinist, pianist and songwriter Alice Zawadzki is a musical one-off. Loosely connected to the jazz world but inhabiting her own realm, her music vibrates with a vivid intensity but also echoes to wide open spaces, incorporating the punchy rhythms and pathos of Eastern European folk music, spacious jazz-electronica and pithy self-penned songs.

It’s underpinned with a seductively supple expressive voice that switches from soaring lyricism to hushed whispers in a heartbeat. Her all-star trio harnesses the virtuosity and acclaimed creative energies of pianist Fred Thomas and bassist Misha Mullov-Abbado.

Street food available to purchase from 7pm.

Tickets £15 - £20

Under 25s half price

Presented by Saffron Hall

Alice Zawadzki Trio

Roderick Williams © Theo Williams

Sun 28 May, 4pm

Mark Padmore, Roderick Williams & Julius Drake Seven Ages

Mon 29 May, 7pm

Britten Sinfonia & Polyphony Fauré’s Requiem

Supported by Charles & Jill Rawlinson Stephen Layton conductor

Mark Padmore tenor

Roderick Williams baritone

Rory Kinnear narrator

Julius Drake piano

Music by Benjamin Britten, Ralph Vaughan-Williams, Johannes Brahms, Franz Schubert, Gabriel Fauré & others

Four outstanding artists join forces for an afternoon of poetry and music charting the highs and lows of The Seven Ages of Man. Rory Kinnear is an extraordinary actor who brings his voice to poetry by writers such as Shakespeare, Donne, Dickinson, Carol Ann Duffy and A.A. Milne. Music from Brahms to Britten is interpreted by three greats: tenor Mark Padmore, baritone Roderick Williams and pianist Julius Drake.

Tickets £20 - £30

Under 25s half price

Presented by Saffron Hall

Rachel Redmond soprano

Matthew Brook baritone

Arvo Pärt Trisagion

Pe¯teris Vasks Musica dolorosa

Francis Poulenc Motets (selection)

Gabriel Fauré Requiem

“One of the world’s finest interpreters of choral music” (Classic FM Magazine), Stephen Layton conducts Britten Sinfonia and his outstanding vocal group Polyphony in Fauré’s wonderfully intimate Requiem, which ends in radiant transcendence. In the first half we hear powerful pieces for strings by two great Baltic composers. Arvo Pärt adapts the spoken Orthodox funeral service whilst Pe¯teris Vasks’ Musica

dolorosa is full of winding, yearning melodies.

Tickets £12 - £36

Under 25s half price

Presented by Britten Sinfonia

Fri 2 Jun, 7.30pm

City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra with Benjamin Grosvenor

Supported by Charles & Jill Rawlinson

Riccardo Minasi conductor

Benjamin Grosvenor piano

Franz Schubert Overture in the Italian Style

Frédéric Chopin Piano Concerto No.2

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Symphony No.41 “Jupiter”

The CBSO returns under conductor Riccardo Minasi. Chopin’s Piano Concerto No.2 is performed by Benjamin Grosvenor, about whom Le

Monde wrote “… the alchemist has gold in his fingers, an amber and feline touch, a visionary art”.

Schubert takes us to Italy in his sunny Overture, and Mozart’s magnificent ‘Jupiter’ Symphony completes the programme.

Sat 3 Jun, 7.30pm

Black Dyke Band

Prepare to be wowed by “the most famous brass brand in the world”: the Black Dyke Band. But book fast – this ensemble sold out Saffron Hall on its last appearance here. With its roots in the 19th Century, the Black Dyke Band has taken the tradition of brass band playing into the 21st with a mix of classic band tunes, jazz, pop and film scores, all delivered with the camaraderie and sense of fun that makes these musicians so special.

Tickets £24 - £55

Under 25s half price

Presented by Saffron Hall

Tickets £15 - £35

Under 25s half price

Presented by Saffron Hall

Sat 17 Jun, 7.30pm

Ladysmith Black Mambazo

Following their much anticipated 2022 performance, which sold out months in advance, we’re delighted to bring back Ladysmith Black Mambazo for one more special concert. For sixty years Ladysmith Black Mambazo have sung powerful, uplifting songs that emote the struggles and passion of South Africa. Nelson Mandela called Ladysmith “South Africa’s cultural ambassadors”.

The group sing a cappella in a joyously energetic performance that combines loud powerful choruses with softer, almost whispering chants where voices blend harmoniously, and tightly choreographed dance moves. Featured on Paul Simon’s Graceland album, they have toured the world since, and were re-united with Paul Simon a few years ago in the Graceland world tour.

Tickets £16 - £40

Under 25s half price

Presented by Saffron Hall

Ladysmith Black Mambazo

Sat 24 Jun, 7.30pm

Saffron Walden

Choral Society

140th Anniversary Celebration

Quintin Beer conductor

Richard Carr organ/piano

Hubert Parry I was glad

Ralph Vaughan Williams

5 English Folk Songs

Roderick Williams Sing Joyfully (world premiere)

John Rutter Birthday Madrigals

William Walton Coronation Te Deum

Hubert Parry/Liz Dilnot Johnson

Blake Reimagined

John Rutter Gloria

Saffron Walden Choral Society is celebrating its 140th Anniversary in 2023 and has commissioned a new composition from Roderick Williams, to celebrate the joy of singing. Both the new work and Blake Reimagined (Jerusalem) will include opportunities for the audience to sing with us.

Tickets £15 - £25

Under 25s half price

Presented by Saffron Walden

Choral Society

George Harliono piano

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Variations on a Minuet by Duport K.573

Ludwig van Beethoven 32 Variations in C minor WoO 80

Johannes Brahms Variations on a theme by Paganini Op.35

Prodigiously talented young pianist George Harliono grew up near Saffron Walden, and he returns to bring us a programme full of delights. Mozart’s sparkling variations embellish a humble dance tune with wit and charm, and Beethoven’s 32 Variations in C minor range from extreme virtuosity to quiet simplicity, while Clara Schumann found Brahms’ Paganini Variations so fiendishly challenging that she called them his “Witch’s Variations”.

Tickets £10

Under 25s free

Presented by Saffron Hall

Young Artist Coffee Concert

George Harliono © Kaupo Kikkas

Sun 2 Jul, 3pm

Saffron Walden

Symphony Orchestra

Richard Hull conductor

Felix Mendelssohn Ruy Blas

Paul Hindemith Mathis der Maler

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Symphony No.4

The SWSO close their season with some familiar favourites and a less well-known but hugely dramatic work. Mendelsson’s overture Ruy Blas takes the themes of Victor Hugo’s play (duplicity, trickery, love and murder) and weaves a musical tapestry. Music from Hindemith’s Symphony Mathis der Maler (Matthias the painter) was later incorporated into a 1935 opera which fell foul of the German authorities and Tchaikovsky’s turbulent 4th Symphony was dedicated to his benefactor Nadezhda von Meck and premiered in 1878.

Sat 8 Jul, 7.30pm

Cavalleria Rusticana & Pagliacci

Cambridge Philharmonic and Chorus

Harry Sever conductor

Lee Bisset Santuzza

Sarah Pring Mamma Lucia

Gyula Nagy Tonio/Alfio

Adam Gilbert Turiddu/Canio

Fflur Wyn Nedda

Tom Mole Silvio

Pietro Mascagni Cavalleria

Rusticana

Ruggero Leoncavallo Pagliacci

One of the best-loved doublebills in the operatic repertoire, Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci were never intended as a pair. But the intensity of the emotions, vivid humanity of the librettos, and monumental beauty of the music have brought these two together for ever. Cambridge Philharmonic returns with a concert version of these iconic works.

Tickets £17 - £20

Under 18s £5, 18-25s £10

Presented by Saffron Walden

Symphony Orchestra

Tickets £15 - £35

Under 25s from £10

Presented by Cambridge

Philharmonic Orchestra

Fri 4 Aug, 7pm National Youth Orchestra

Supported by Saffron Hall Gold members

National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain

Carlos Miguel Prieto conductor

Bold, brilliant, brave: join us as hundreds of teenagers redefine what it means to be an ‘orchestral musician’ with a spirited performance from the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain.

Every note of an NYO concert resounds with an incredible energy created by hundreds of passionate young people expressing their love of music, and an eagerness to share it with as many people as possible. Featuring a programme that challenges the musicians and moves the audience.

Tickets £15 - £25

Under 25s free Presented by Saffron Hall

National Youth Orchestra © Nick Singleton

Wed 30 Aug, 7pm

Aurora Orchestra From memory

Supported by Dominic & Ali Wallis

Nicholas Collon conductor

Programme to be announced

Following electrifying sold-out appearances in recent seasons, Aurora Orchestra returns to Saffron Hall for the latest in its series of performances by heart.

Watch this space for details of their thrilling theatrical presentation of a major 20th century work. It is sure to be one of the summer’s unmissable highlights.

Tickets £24 - £55

Under 25s half price

Presented by Saffron Hall

Aurora Orchestra

Booking

Buying tickets

Online

www.saffronhall.com

By phone

0845 548 7650

(7p per minute + access charge) 10am–5pm Monday to Saturday inclusive

(excluding Public Holidays)

In person

Saffron Walden Tourist Information Centre, 1 Market Place, Saffron Walden 9.30am–5pm Monday to Saturday 10.30am–1pm Public Holidays (closed Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day)

For full terms & conditions of sale please visit www.saffronhall.com

If you have any questions or queries please contact info@saffronhall.com or 01799 588 545

All information is correct at time of going to print. Saffron Hall reserves the right to substitute artists and vary the programme if necessary.

Tickets

We encourage all audience members to use e-tickets.

The option to receive your tickets by post is also available for a charge of £1.

Booking fee

Saffron Hall charges a £2 fee per transaction for bookings made in person and via phone, and a £1 fee per transaction for web bookings.

Refunds & exchanges

We will continue to offer all bookers the opportunity to request a full refund if an event is substantially changed, postponed or cancelled.

Concessions

For most Saffron Hallpresented events, under 25 tickets are half price.

Accessibility

Saffron Hall is continuously working to improve accessibility for its visitors. Access tickets can be booked online - if you are new to booking access tickets online please get in touch so we can set this up for you. Alternatively, access tickets can be booked by emailing access@saffronhall.com or calling 0845 548 7650 (7p per minute + access charge).

We have allocated wheelchair spaces, wheelchair companion seats and step-free seating as well as an Essential Companion ticket. Parking for wheelchair users and people with limited mobility is available on a first come, first served basis.

For more access information please visit our website.

Visit

Car

Saffron Hall is easy to get to. We’re a half-hour drive from Cambridge and Bishop’s Stortford and easily accessible from the M11. Directions are available on our website.

Parking

Over 400 free car parking spaces are available on site.

Train

The nearest station is Audley End Station, two miles away. Regular services run from London Liverpool Street and Cambridge.

Minibus

We run a free minibus service between Audley End Station and the Hall for most Saffron Hall-presented events. To check if this service is available for the event you have booked, please visit our website.

Food & drink

Saffron Hall’s bar is open for 1 hour prior to each performance and during the interval, serving a selection of drinks and light snacks.

Stay in touch

Sign up to our email mailing list to be the first to find out about our latest updates at Saffron Hall. Visit our website or contact us by email or phone to find out more.

Our address is Saffron Hall

Audley End Road

Saffron Walden

CB11 4UH Design

Apropos-site.com

COVID-19 information

Due to the ongoing pandemic we reserve the right to change our conditions of entry. To ensure you are kept up to date with the latest information regarding visiting Saffron Hall, please provide us with your email address when booking. Alternatively, please call 01799 588 545.

January

Mon 2, 4pm

A New Year’s Celebration

Fri 6, 7.30pm

Paul Lewis

Sat 14, 8pm

Kinan Azmeh with LPO soloists

Fri 20, 8pm

Foyer Jazz

February

Fri 3, 8pm

Foyer Folk

Sat 4, 7.30pm

London African

Gospel Choir

Sun 5, 4pm

BBC Symphony Orchestra

Fri 10, 8pm

James McVinnie Ensemble

Sat 11, 7.30pm

Delius’ Hassan

Sun 19, 2.30pm

Saffron Opera Group

Fri 24, 7.30pm

Remembering

Oscar Peterson

Sun 26, 3pm

Saffron Walden

Symphony Orchestra

Spring Diary

March

Fri 3, 8pm

Foyer Jazz

Sat 4, 7.30pm

Sir Bryn Terfel

Fri 10, 8pm

Foyer Folk

Sun 12, 4pm

Ben Goldscheider & Richard Uttley

Thu 16, 7.30pm

An Evening with Sir Ranulph Fiennes

Sat 18, 7.30pm

Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

Sat 25, 7.30pm

Saffron Walden

Choral Society

Sun 26, 4pm

Doric String Quartet

Fri 31, 7.30pm

Dunedin Consort

April

Sat 1, 7.30pm

Joanna Eden presents

Ella and Beyond

Fri 14, 8pm

Foyer Jazz

Sat 15, 7.30pm

Britten Sinfonia with Daria van den Bercken

Fri 21, 8pm

Foyer Folk

Sat 22, 4pm

An Afternoon at The Oscars

Sun 23, 1.30pm & 3.30pm

CBeebies:

Ocean Adventure

May

Mon 1, 7pm

Aurora Orchestra

Fri 5, 8pm

Manchester Collective & Sean Shibe

Sun 7, 7pm

London Philharmonic Orchestra with Alina Ibragimova

Sun 14, 7.30pm

Rhiannon Giddens & Francesco Turrisi

Fri 19, 8pm

Foyer Jazz

Sun 21, 3pm

Saffron Walden

Symphony Orchestra

Sat 27, 8pm

Alice Zawadzki Trio

May continued

Sun 28, 4pm

Mark Padmore, Roderick

Williams & Julius Drake

Mon 29, 7pm

Britten Sinfonia & Polyphony

June

Fri 2, 7.30pm

CBSO with Benjamin Grosvenor

Sat 3, 7.30pm

Black Dyke Band

Sat 17, 7.30pm

Ladysmith Black Mambazo

Sat 24, 7.30pm

Saffron Walden

Choral Society

Sun 25, 4pm

George Harliono

July

Sun 2, 3pm

Saffron Walden

Symphony Orchestra

Sat 8, 7.30pm

Cavalleria Rusticana & Pagliacci

August

Fri 4, 7pm

National Youth Orchestra

Wed 30, 7pm

Aurora Orchestra

Cover image: Sean Shibe © Iga Gozdowska