Spring 2018/19 Brochure

CONCERTS & EVENTS

Trustees Dr Nigel Brown OBE (Chairman) David Barrs Dr Pamela Davis Caroline Derbyshire Mark Hayes Professor Sir Barry Ife CBE Polly Lankester Geoffrey Lewis John Lodge Hugh Parnell Partners Cambridge Institute of Music Therapy Research, Anglia Ruskin University Essex Music Education Hub Fairycroft House Guildhall School of Music & Drama Mind in West Essex Orchestras Live Saffron Academy Trust Saffron Centre for Young Musicians Saffron Walden Dementia Action Alliance Saffron Walden Museum Saffron Walden Town Council & the Mayor of Saffron Walden Serious Steinway & Sons Uttlesford Dementia Action Alliance Uttlesford District Council Resident Orchestra Britten Sinfonia

We are proud to acknowledge the following, who have all made major gifts in support of Saffron Hall Trust for the 2018/19 season Essex County Council Foyle Foundation Dr Nigel Brown OBE Adrian Frost Professor Sir Barry Ife CBE John Lebus John & Jo Padfield Jim & Hilary Potter Charles Rawlinson MBE Barry & Ann Scrutton Concert Sponsors Dr Nigel Brown OBE Christine & Geoffrey Lewis Charles Rawlinson MBE Saffron Building Society The Arts Society Saffron Walden Bryn Terfel Circle Chris & Nanette Beenham Marijke Curtis Anne & Denis Dunstone Nikki Edge Adrian Frost Caroline & Meredith Lloyd-Evans John & Jo Padfield Design shared.institute Cover photo Scotish Dance Theatre: RITUALIA ©Brian Hartley

Welcome Welcome to our 2018/19 Spring programme. As we start our fifth birthday celebrations I am looking forward to the fantastic events ahead. Iestyn Davies, our Artist in Residence, returns for two concerts in the Spring after his sensational recital this Autumn.

Our Associate Ensemble, the Hallé, is back with Music Director Sir Mark Elder, and our Resident Orchestra, Britten Sinfonia, concludes its series with Thomas Adès, performing Beethoven alongside Gerald Barry.

This Spring our dance programme continues with an eclectic mix of shows.

Barbican Associate Boy Blue brings vibrancy and energy to the stage, the National Youth Dance Company showcases the best raw young talent and Scottish Dance Theatre presents a spectacular re-imagining of Stravinsky’s Les Noces.

It has always been our aim to establish strong relationships

with outstanding artists and ensembles and for them to build relationships with our audiences, local schools and engage with our community work. And many artists are doing just that. Artists who will perform in the hall and also work with young people include the Hallé, Jess Gillam, Britten Sinfonia, Nicola Benedetti, Boy Blue, English Touring Opera, Sō Percussion, Iestyn Davies and Mark Simpson.

We believe that the performing arts should sit at the heart of a community and run through the lives of everyone. At a time when arts education within the school curriculum is falling away and public funding for the arts is disappearing, Saffron Hall is enriching and enhancing lives and showing what a venue can and should be doing in the 21st century.

I look forward to seeing you at Saffron Hall soon.

Angela Dixon Chief Executive

Still to come this Autumn Sat 10 November, 7.30pm Britten Sinfonia: The Last Letter Britten Sinfonia presents a compelling evening of music and poetry to commemorate the centenary of the First World War Armistice Sun 11 November, 3pm Saffron Walden Symphony Orchestra A concert commemorating the 100th anniversary of the end of the Great War Wed 14 & Thu 15 November Theatre Hullabaloo: Luna An enchanting first theatrical experience for 2–5 year olds and their families

Fri 16 November, 7.30pm Orphy Robinson presents: Van Morrison’s Astral Weeks Celebrating the 50th anniversary of Van Morrison’s ‘Astral Weeks’ Sat 17 November, 7.30pm Saffron Walden Choral Society SWCS mark the centenary of the end of WW1 in a concert of German, French and British works Wed 21 November, 7.30pm Carolyn Sampson, Iestyn Davies & Joseph Middleton Two world-class singers join forces in this ravishing joint song recital spanning four centuries Supported by Charles Rawlinson MBE

Fri 23 November, 7.30pm Sō Percussion The cutting-edge contemporary percussion ensemble present works by Steve Reich and Bryce Dessner Sat 24 November, 7.30pm Cambridge University Symphony Chorus Bach’s glittering ‘Christmas Oratorio’ celebrates the Christmas story in the brightest of musical lights Sun 25 November, 3pm Czech National Symphony Orchestra A programme of Smetana, Bruch and Dvořák with violin soloist Jennifer Pike Supported by Dr Nigel Brown OBE

Sat 8 December, 7.30pm Kansas Smitty’s House Band The London-based jazz octet make their Saffron Hall debut Supported by Professor Sir Barry Ife CBE

Sun 9 December, 7.30pm London Community Gospel Choir The legendary choir present a special Christmas celebration Sponsored by Saffron Building Society

Sun 16 December, 3pm Rutter & Chilcott Conduct Christmas Carols A programme packed with seasonal favourites including ‘Jesus Child’ and ‘The Shepherd’s Carol’ Sat 22 December, 7.30pm Britten Sinfonia: Messiah Our Resident Orchestra are joined by a stellar quartet of soloists for this festive performance

Fri 30 November, 7.30pm Lau Scottish folk pioneers Lau perform Sun 23 December, 3pm music from their latest album A Victorian Christmas Join two legends of stage and Sun 2 December, 3pm screen, Robert Powell and Susan The Travelling Companion Jameson, to celebrate the delights A New Sussex Opera performance of Christmas past of Charles Villiers Stanford’s ‘The Travelling Companion’

Sat 5 January, 7.30pm New Year 2019 Spectacular London Gala Orchestra

Sun 13 January, 10.30am OPUS Finalists Open Workshop with Sir James MacMillan

Stephen Ellery conductor Natasha Day soprano Stephen Anthony Brown compere/tenor

Britten Sinfonia’s OPUS composition competition seeks out exciting new, unpublished compositional talent. This year composers have been challenged to write for a piano quintet with folk singer. Join Sir James MacMillan, Britten Sinfonia principal players, folk singer Hannah Rarity and five shortlisted composers for a day exploring the creative process.

Programme to include Strauss II The Blue Danube Strauss I Radetzky March Op.228 Strauss II Czardas from Die Fledermaus Strauss II Wiener Blut Op.354 Ivanovici Waves of the Danube Where your fabulous 2019 begins! Be whisked away to the fairy tale world of New Year celebrations in Vienna. Packed full of musical magic – dazzling Strauss classics, romantic waltzes, passionate songs and toe-tapping tunes. Heartwarming memories guaranteed!

Tickets £14.50–26.50 Presented by London Gala Orchestra

Admission is free but tickets must be reserved in advance Presented by Britten Sinfonia

Fri 18 January, 7.30pm Britten Sinfonia Elder conducts Mahler & Brahms Sir Mark Elder conductor Anna Stéphany mezzo-soprano Britten Suite on English Folk Tunes Mahler Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen Brahms Symphony No.2 in D major Brahms as Brahms wished it to be heard. The first concerts in Sir Mark Elder’s partnership with Britten Sinfonia were hailed by press and public alike: “Played by an ensemble of this size and discipline, the effect was exhilarating” (The Times).

They join forces for the second instalment of their Brahms Symphony Cycle, paired with Mahler songs and Britten’s last orchestral work.

Tickets £10–50 Presented by Britten Sinfonia

Sir Mark Elder ©Mark Allan

Sat 26 January, 7.30pm The English Concert Supported by Christine & Geoffrey Lewis

Harry Bicket director/harpsichord Nadja Zwiener violin

Sun 27 January, 3pm The Glenn Miller Orchestra Ray McVay musical director

One of the world’s greatest Big Programme to include Bands transports you back to Vivaldi Concerto for strings in G the heady days and music of the minor RV 157 1940s. Come and hear the music Purcell Suite from Abdelazer Z.570 that got us through the war and Bach Concerto for violin in A laid the foundation of pop right up minor BWV 1041 to the present day – In the Mood, Bach Orchestral Suite No.3 in D Moonlight Serenade, Little Brown BWV 1068 Jug and the song that became pop history’s first gold disc, The high baroque era was an age Chattanooga Choo Choo. of limitless musical possibilities – of brilliant innovations, virtuoso reworks, and music of electrifying theatricality and grandeur.

Celebrate all that splendour in a concert that embraces the London stage, the glitter of 18th-century Venice and the timeless beauty of Johann Sebastian Bach.

Tickets £14–32 Presented by Saffron Hall

Tickets £16–28 Presented by Saffron Hall

Sat 9 February, 7.30pm Transfigured Nights

Sun 10 February, 3pm Saffron Walden Symphony Orchestra

Alisa Weilerstein cello Inon Barnatan piano Sergey Khachatryan violin Colin Currie percussion Sam Walton percussion Owen Gunnell percussion

Richard Hull conductor Jérôme Sadler piano Gershwin Cuban Overture Barber Adagio for Strings Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue Hanson Symphony No.2 ‘Romantic’

Beethoven Piano Trio in D Op.70 No.1 ‘Ghost’ Schoenberg Verklärte Nacht Op.4 Enjoy swinging rhythms and Shostakovich Symphony No.15 soaring melodies in this concert in A Op.141 (chamber version) of American music featuring pianist Jérôme Sadler in the everThis meeting of exceptional popular Rhapsody in Blue. musicians is about more than The concert concludes with the sublime music-making: it is best symphony you’ve never a journey, via Beethoven and heard, Hanson’s wonderful Schoenberg, into the dark heart ‘Romantic’ written in 1930. of Romanticism, finishing with Shostakovich’s enigmatic final symphony, in an arrangement for piano trio and percussion.

Tickets £18–26 Presented by Saffron Hall

Tickets £15–18 Presented by Saffron Walden Symphony Orchestra

Talvin Singh

Fri 15 February, 7.30pm Talvin Singh

Sun 17 February, 7.30pm BBC Symphony Orchestra

Talvin Singh tabla Shriram Sampath flute Shephali Frost voice Preetha Nararayanan violin Francesca Ter Berg cello

Douglas Boyd conductor Christine Rice mezzo-soprano Jess Dandy contralto Stuart Jackson tenor James Newby baritone

Composer, producer, virtuoso tabla player and Mercury Music Prize-winning recording artist, Talvin Singh doesn’t acknowledge boundaries – and his collaborations with musicians ranging from Yoko Ono to Terry Riley have only made his own voice more compelling.

He’s been called an “Asian underground bad boy” and for this brand new project, he brings together cellist Francesca Ter Berg, vocalist Shephali Frost, Preetha Nararayanan on violin and Shriram Sampath on flute to create something that can’t be defined: it just has to be heard.

Weber arr. Berlioz L’Invitation à la valse Berlioz Les Nuits d’été Berlioz Symphonie fantastique

Tickets £10–25 Presented by Saffron Hall

Tickets £24–55 Presented by Saffron Hall

“Which can lift us to the sublimest heights – music, or love?”

Hector Berlioz was the ultimate Romantic composer, pouring out his most passionate emotions in music of dazzling imagination and power. Broadcast live on BBC Radio 3, this celebration concert sweeps from the tender poetry of Les Nuits d’été (with the original 4 different voices) to the no-holds-barred phantasmagoria of his Symphonie fantastique: as astonishing now as it was in 1830.

Wed 20 February, 7.30pm Sat 23 February, 7.30pm Castalian String Quartet BBC Concert Orchestra

Beethoven String Quartet Op.18 No.6 Fauré String Quartet Op.121 Brahms String Quartet Op.51 No.2 Emotion recollected in maturity: both Johannes Brahms and Gabriel Fauré waited many years before writing string quartets.

Then they confided their thoughts and emotions in some of the most intensely personal music they ever wrote. The award-winning Castalian String Quartet are always welcome visitors to Saffron Hall. For this concert, they pair these two mature masterpieces with Beethoven’s Op.18 No.6 – a delightfully irreverent entertainment from a young genius at the top of his game.

Tickets £10–15 Presented by Saffron Hall

Rumon Gamba conductor Jess Gillam saxophone Thomas Gould violin

Programme to include Grieg Peer Gynt Suite No.1 Op.46 Vaughan Williams The Lark Ascending Bizet Carmen Suite No.1 Join us at Saffron Hall for an evening of stunning classical favourites including BBC Young Musician finalist Jess Gillam reprising her ‘Last Night of the Proms’ piece Scaramouche.

The Mayor’s Reception 2019 Join Jess Gillam & musicians for a post-concert reception hosted by the Mayor of Saffron Walden to raise funds for Saffron Hall’s community project Come Together, one of his chosen charities. For more details please visit our website.

Tickets £15–45 Presented by Saffron Hall

Jess Gillam ŠKaupo Kikkas

Sun 24 February, 3pm Paul Lewis

Fri 8 March, 7.30pm Boy Blue Project R.E.B.E.L

Paul Lewis piano

Boy Blue present Project R.E.B.E.L, an energy-fuelled work performed by some of the UK’s most talented young hip hop dancers. Choreographed by Kenrick ‘H2O’ Sandy with music composed and arranged by Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante, Project R.E.B.E.L is a rallying call. With themes of revolution and liberty, the piece explores social tensions and cultural identity in 21st-century Britain and features a special curtain-raising performance from Saffron Walden County High School students.

Haydn Piano Sonata in E minor Hob XVI:34 Brahms Three Intermezzi Op.117 Beethoven Diabelli Variations Op.120 Few great composers strike as many sparks off each other as Haydn, Beethoven and Brahms, and Paul Lewis’ exploration of their piano music has been one of the highlights of recent seasons at Saffron Hall. Now, this “masterly” pianist (The Independent) reaches journey’s end with Haydn at his darkest, Brahms’s autumnal Op.117, and – to crown it all – the boundless invention and wit of Beethoven’s mighty Diabelli Variations.

Tickets £14–26 Presented by Saffron Hall

Tickets £5–20 Presented by Saffron Hall

Boy Blue ©Mark Allen

Sat 9 March, 7.30pm Maya Youssef

Sun 10 March, 3pm Haffner Wind Ensemble

Maya Youssef qanun

Beethoven Rondino in E Flat Major WoO 25 Dvořák Serenade in D Minor Op.44 Mozart Serenade in B Flat Major ‘Gran Partita’ K.361

“The act of playing music is the opposite of death, it’s a life and hope affirming act” says Syrian musician Maya Youssef. Born in Damascus, Maya is a virtuoso on the qanan (the traditional Syrian 78-stringed plucked zither) and combines her extraordinary musical gifts with a generosity of outlook, warmth, humour and optimism. Now based in the UK, she released her critically acclaimed debut album Syrian Dreams in 2017 and has just won one of the prestigious Songlines Magazine Awards.

Tickets £15–20 Presented by Saffron Hall

“It started simply enough, like a rusty squeezebox…and then suddenly high above it, sounded a single note on the oboe”.

Remember that great scene from Amadeus? That piece – Mozart’s ‘Gran Partita’ – is the climax of this gloriously inspired concert from the Haffner Wind Ensemble.

First, though, comes Beethoven’s playful “little Rondo”, and a trip to the Czech countryside for Dvořák’s folk-inspired serenade for winds: spirited, tuneful and utterly brilliant.

Tickets £18–26 Presented by Saffron Hall

Thu 14 March, 7.30pm An Evening with Welsh National Opera

Sat 16 March, 7.30pm Waltham Singers The Brilliance of Youth

WNO Orchestra Joyce El-Khoury soprano Jason Howard baritone

The Salomon Orchestra Tim Carey piano Frederick Jones tenor Sam Carl bass-baritone

Sponsored by The Arts Society Saffron Walden

WNO Orchestra returns to Saffron Hall for an unmissable evening of opera classics. Soprano Joyce El-Khoury and baritone Jason Howard join the orchestra to celebrate a wide variety of operatic repertoire including works by Verdi, Puccini, Dvořák, Tchaikovsky and Wagner, before transporting us to the bright lights of Broadway.

Tickets £16–50 Presented by Saffron Hall

Puccini Messa di Gloria Shostakovich Piano Concerto No.2 Verdi Chorus of the Crusaders and Pilgrims from I Lombardi Verdi Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves from Nabucco Verdi Overture to La Forza del Destino Waltham Singers and frequent collaborators, the Salomon Orchestra, present a scintillating programme of youthful works, including Puccini’s joyful graduation exercise and Shostakovich’s birthday present for his 19-year-old son, with local soloist Tim Carey.

Tickets £17–20 Presented by Waltham Singers

Jean-Sélim Abdelmoula

Sun 17 March, 3pm Sat 23 March, 7.30pm Jean-Sélim Abdelmoula Saffron Walden Choral Young Artist Coffee Concert Society The Glories of Venice Jean-Sélim Abdelmoula piano

Bishop’s Stortford Sinfonia Janet Wheeler conductor

Schubert Six moments musicaux Schumann Fantasie in C Major Op.17

Programme to include Vivaldi Double Trumpet Concerto in C Major The young Swiss pianist Monteverdi Beatus Vir Jean-Sélim Abdelmoula is no Gabrieli Jubilate Deo ordinary talent – but don’t Schütz Jauchzet dem Herren Marcello Oboe Concerto in D minor just take our word for it.

Vivaldi Gloria Sir András Schiff himself praised

Abdelmoula’s “great sensitivity Saffron Walden Choral Society and imagination”, and he’s acted and the Bishop’s Stortford as his mentor in the music at the Sinfonia celebrate the music of very heart of the classical piano repertoire. Hear the results today, “La Serenissima” in a programme as Abdelmoula explores the poetry of choral classics and concerti and humour of Schubert’s Moments grossi encompassing iconic works musicaux, and the high Romantic

by Monteverdi, Gabrieli, their adventure of Schumann’s great C pupil Schütz, and Vivaldi’s ever major Fantasie. popular Gloria.

Tickets £10 (under 18s free) Presented by Saffron Hall

Tickets £10–28 Presented by Saffron Walden Choral Society

Iestyn Davies ŠChris Sorensen

Sun 24 March, 3pm Sat 30 March, 7.30pm Iestyn Davies & Fretwork Bill Laurance plus support James Heather Iestyn Davies countertenor Programme to include Nyman No Time in Eternity Purcell An Evening Hymn Nyman Balancing the Books Purcell Music for a While When Michael Nyman started reinventing the English baroque back in the 1980s, one critic described the result as “pumpaction Purcell”. This concert combines these two singular musical styles through the stunning voice of countertenor Iestyn Davies and viol consort Fretwork serving as the bridge across three centuries. Expect bold harmonies, wondrous inventions, and melodies that will haunt your dreams – whether from the 17th century or the 21st.

Tickets £14–26 Presented by Saffron Hall

“If jazz is to continue to appeal to future generations then it needs people like Bill Laurance to renew its relevance” said Jazz Journal, and in 2014 Laurance’s debut solo album went straight to the top of the jazz charts.

Now the Snarky Puppy keyboard player continues his musical explorations: creating and playing contemporary music that blends grit, groove and feel-good funk to create a sonic landscape that’s simultaneously undefinable, and pure Bill Laurance. Ninja Tune pianist James Heather will play an opening set that complements Bill Laurance’s performance.

Tickets £10–25 Presented by Saffron Hall

Sun 31 March, 4pm An Afternoon at the Musicals With the stars of the West End

Fri 5 April, 7.30pm Kathryn Tickell & The Darkening

The London Jazz Ensemble With Joanna Strand, Jacqui Tate, Luke McCall & Stephan Ulberini

Kathryn Tickell northumbrian pipes

Celebrate Mother’s Day in style!

Stars from West End musicals including Les Misérables and Phantom of the Opera come together for an array of songs and duets, bridging time and the worlds of jazz and musicals.

Featuring your favourite tunes from classic musicals such as West Side Story, Kiss Me Kate, Carousel, South Pacific and many more. Come and enjoy a teatime treat for all the family!

Tickets £14–30 Presented by Saffron Hall

Multi-award winning Kathryn Tickell is a BBC Radio 2 Folk Artist of the Year and a recipient of the Queen’s Medal for Music. She started playing the Northumbrian pipes at the age of nine, and now – well, in the words of Living Tradition, “To say that Kathryn plays pipes is like saying that Shakespeare was a bit of a writer”.

A supreme folk-artist, Tickell understands that tradition is about the present and the future, as well as the past; whether she’s performing with Evelyn Glennie or Sting, her music communicates vibrantly and poetically in the here and now. This concert features her new band The Darkening playing material from their new album.

Tickets £8–20 Presented by Saffron Hall

Kathryn Tickell ©GS Studios

Sat 6 April, 7.30pm Iestyn Davies

Sun 7 April, 3pm The Hallé

Iestyn Davies countertenor Lutenist to be announced Actor to be announced

Sir Mark Elder conductor Viktoria Mullova violin

Dowland A Delightful Thing “Sorrow was there made fair / And passion wise, tears a delightful thing”. The Elizabethan lutenist John Dowland knew that in love, the only thing sweeter than happiness was sorrow. Few living interpreters understand his music more profoundly than Iestyn Davies. He’s devised an evening of poetry, music and drama for voice and lute to explore a composer for whom a single teardrop can hold a universe of emotion.

Tickets £18–26 Presented by Saffron Hall

Berlioz Overture to Les Francs Juges Sibelius Violin Concerto Debussy Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune Debussy Nocturnes: Nuages and Fêtes Ravel La Valse Gothic horror, cloaked in shadow.

A sensuous daydream, wrapped in silks and perfumes. Like Monet and Cézanne, French composers certainly know how to paint a picture, and this concert will do exactly that. With Viktoria Mullova as soloist, Sibelius’ Violin Concerto offers a bracing contrast.

Tickets £24–55 Presented by Saffron Hall

©The Hallé

Sun 14 April, 3pm BBC Big Band Nat King Cole 100 Nat King Cole came out of the backwoods of Alabama and conquered the world’s hearts with a voice of pure velvet. Mona Lisa, Nature Boy, Stardust, Let There Be Love – everything he sang became a classic, and they’re all here, ready to work their magic all over again in this swinging 100th anniversary celebration with the legendary BBC Big Band and vocalist Atila.

BBC Big Band

Tickets £15–30 Presented by Saffron Hall

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Saffron Hall member Jane Richardson meeting Courtney Pine ŠRoger King

BBC Radio 3 Big Chamber Weekend Navarra Quartet Mark Simpson clarinet Richard Uttley piano Simon Höfele trumpet Leonard Elschenbroich cello Adam Newman viola

Fri 26 April, 7.30pm Schumann Märchenerzählungen Kurtág Hommage à Robert Schumann Simpson Hommage à Kurtág Janáček String Quartet No.1 ‘Kreutzer Sonata’ Beethoven Piano Trio Op.11

Sat 27 April, 5pm

Sat 27 April, 7.30pm

Ireland Fantasy-Sonata Simpson Night Music Maxwell Davies Sonata Op.1 Simpson Lov(escape) Simpson Barkham Fantasy Howells Rhapsodic Quintet Op.31

Gershwin Three Preludes Simpson New Work Bernstein Sonata for Clarinet Antheil Sonata for Trumpet Copland Sextet Barber Adagio for Strings Brahms Clarinet Trio Op.114

Few young British composers are as colourful and original as former BBC Young Musician of the Year and BBC New Generation Artist Mark Simpson. “The bravura, the assurance and the sheer generosity of this music is unarguable” wrote The Spectator last year – but Simpson is also a virtuoso clarinettist, and he enjoys the intimacy of making chamber music with friends. In collaboration with BBC Radio 3, he’s in residence at Saffron Hall all weekend, introducing his own music (including a brand new work) and joining a team of star guests in the music he loves best: from the poetry of Schumann and Brahms to the exuberance of Bernstein and Gershwin. Three concerts, one extraordinary musician.

Tickets for both evening concerts are £10 (under 18s free). The 5pm concert is free but must be booked.

Presented by Saffron Hall

Mark Simpson ©Kaupo Kikkas

Foyer Jazz: 1 February, 8pm

Martin Speake

Foyer Folk: 22nd February, 8pm

Kit Hawes & Aaron Catlow Foyer Jazz: 28th February, 8pm

Dave Kelbie’s Dime Notes Foyer Jazz: 13th April, 8pm

Dan Forshaw Quintet Foyer Folk: 25th April, 8pm

Kitty Macfarlane

Foyer Jazz: 10th May, 8pm

Sara Colman & Rebecca Nash

Foyer Folk: 24th May, 8pm

Jackie Oates

Foyer Jazz: 7th June, 8pm

Tony Kofi

Foyer Folk: 21st June, 8pm

Edgelarks

All tickets £13.50

Foyer Club: Informal club nights with table seating, bar and street food.

Sun 28 April, 3pm BBC Symphony Orchestra & Alexander McCall Smith

Wed 1 May, 7.30pm Castalian String Quartet

Alexander McCall Smith author

Haydn String Quartet Op.76 No.5 Elgar String Quartet Op.83 Beethoven String Quartet Op.59 No.2

Alexander McCall Smith is one of the world’s most prolific and best-loved authors. His highly successful series The No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency sold over twenty million copies in the English language alone, and his books have become bestsellers throughout the world. For one afternoon only, McCall Smith joins forces with the BBC Symphony Orchestra to bring to life muchloved characters from Botswana, Scotland and Italy, wrapped around with an eclectic array of his favourite music to guarantee a unique and magical experience.

In the dying months of the First World War, Elgar retreated into the Sussex countryside and wrote a string quartet: dark, mysterious and intensely beautiful. His wife called it “wood magic”, and it will cast its spell over the whole of this typically imaginative programme from the Castalian Quartet – a haunting contrast to the joyous sunlight of Haydn’s pioneering Quartet Op.76 No.5, and a wonderfully thoughtprovoking upbeat to Beethoven’s epic second ‘Razumovsky’ Quartet.

This concert will be recorded for broadcast on BBC Radio 3.

Tickets £20–45 Presented by Saffron Hall

Tickets £10–15 Presented by Saffron Hall

Connecting through music & the arts Schools Our schools engagement programme enables thousands of young people to get up-close to some of the world’s top artists, including violinist Nicola Benedetti, and the Hallé orchestra.

This spring, primary school children will be watching Britten Sinfonia’s interactive musical retelling of Lewis Carroll’s Alice Through the Looking Glass, and music teachers from across our region will be building their skills with expert training from the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

(top) Dominic Peckham working with local primary schools as part of the Big Sing

(bottom) Wynton Marsalis working with a Saffron Centre for Young Musicians student

“ Magical. Gone are the pressures of everyday life. It brings us peace.”

Together in Sound participant & carer

Together in Sound

Communities In April, local school children will be making and sharing music with Together in Sound – our music therapy & dementia project, exploring the powerful social and emotional benefits of participating in the arts together.

Together in Sound is delivered in partnership with the Cambridge Institute for Music Therapy Research (CIMTR) at Anglia Ruskin University.

Come Together is a new Saffron Hall project that brings together 50 local people to forge intergenerational connections through dance & theatre. Working in association with Britten Sinfonia, Fairycroft House, Mind in West Essex, Orchestras Live, Saffron Walden Museum and SWCHS, Come Together aims to unite people of all ages through the arts, combatting loneliness and celebrating friendship.

All photos ©Roger King

Sir Bryn Terfel ©Mitch Jenkins

Wed 8 May, 7.30pm Sir Bryn Terfel Supported by a circle of local donors

Sat 11 May, 7.30pm Saffron Walden Symphony Orchestra

Bryn Terfel bass-baritone

Richard Hull conductor

Programme to include a selection of English and Welsh song, Lieder and opera arias by composers including Ireland, Vaughan Williams, W.S. Gwynne Williams, Schumann and Schubert

Dvořák In Nature’s Realm Op.91 Mahler Blumine Sculthorpe Kakadu Mahler Symphony No.1

With some artists, the name is enough, and Sir Bryn Terfel needs no introduction. Whether he’s singing Wotan, Falstaff or a devastatingly human Hans Sachs, he’s a legend of the opera stage – but his charisma, his warmth and his glorious voice light up everything he sings, from Broadway showstoppers to the folk songs of his native Wales. No question, his Saffron Hall debut should be a very big night indeed.

Tickets £24–70 Presented by Saffron Hall

Saffron Walden Symphony Orchestra present a concert of music inspired by nature. We take you on a journey through fields of flowers, crocodile-infested waters and finally to Mahler’s great celebration of the natural world.

Tickets £15–18 Presented by Saffron Walden Symphony Orchestra

Pre-show Deli Boxes

Visit saffronhall.com/visit to find out more

Sunday 12 May, 3pm Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra Alexander Shelley conductor London Voices Jan Lisiecki piano David DQ Lee countertenor Ana Sokolović Golden slumbers kiss your eyes…

Ravel Piano Concerto in G Dvořák Symphony No.9 The National Arts Centre Orchestra is Canada’s flagship ensemble, and under its energetic British-born conductor Alexander Shelley, it’s been getting glowing reviews. For this European tour, the NAC Orchestra brings its very own gift from the New World – not just Dvořák’s hugely popular symphony, but a ravishing new song cycle on the themes of childhood nostalgia and time forever lost, specially written for the orchestra and countertenor.

Tickets £20–48 Presented by Saffron Hall

Jan Lisiecki ©Holger Hage

Sat 18 May, 7.30pm Britten Sinfonia Beethoven Symphonies No.7 & 8

Sun 19 May, 2pm & 4pm Family Jam: Drums!

Family Event

Thomas Adès conductor Lawrence Power viola

Blow off some steam in these fun high-energy workshops for all the family led by Barbican Artistic Associates Drum Works.

Whether you’ve never picked up a drum stick in your life or you’re a seasoned percussionist you’ll be able to join in! Vibrant, energetic and very loud!

Beethoven Symphony No.7 Gerald Barry Viola Concerto (world premiere) Beethoven Symphony No.8 A game of musical chairs plus a short but inventive symphony all brought together with a jubilant and joyous close. Britten Sinfonia and Thomas Adès’ Beethoven partnership, described by The Times as “dazzlingly played… impelled by Thomas Adès’ impassioned conducting” returns to Saffron Hall with Symphonies No.7 and No.8.

Tickets £10–35 Presented by Britten Sinfonia

Tickets £10 (Age guidance 7+) Presented by Saffron Hall

©Susana Sanroman

Sat 1 June, 7.30pm Scottish Dance Theatre RITUALIA & new Emanuel Gat commission

Sun 2 June, 11am & 2.30pm Scottish Dance Theatre: Innocence Family Event

Colette Sadler choreographer Emanuel Gat choreographer

An exhilarating new Double Bill from Scottish Dance Theatre.

RITUALIA by Colette Sadler and a new commission by worldrenowned choreographer Emanuel Gat promise an evening of exquisite, cutting-edge dance.

RITUALIA is a thought-provoking visual feast that re-imagines Igor Stravinsky’s Les Noces, taking the theme of androgyny as it’s point of departure. Emanuel Gat’s bewitching choreography, combined with an ensemble of captivating dancers, complete this compelling Double Bill.

Fleur Darkin choreographer

Tickets £10–25 Presented by Saffron Hall

Tickets £7 (Age guidance 3+) Presented by Saffron Hall

A unique playroom performance, Innocence invites little ones (and their adults), to explore William Blake’s imagination and enter a realm of mystery, fun and adventure. Innocence is a magical theatrical journey led by Scottish Dance Theatre’s captivating dancers, with live music, songs, giggles and animal noises by Paul Bradley. A beautiful and engaging dance experience for young ones, their families and friends.

SDT Innocence Byre ©Sid Scott

Leave a Legacy of Music What does Saffron Hall mean to you? For many, Saffron Hall is a special place. A place of fun, of exploration, of inspiration. A home of musical memories. You can help safeguard the magic of Saffron Hall by leaving us a gift in your Will. Every contribution, large or small, will make a real difference, and will ensure that your love of music and the arts can live on for future generations to enjoy.

Find out more by requesting a copy of our legacy brochure, by calling us on 01799 588 545 or emailing Tiffany Drake at tiffany.drake@saffronhall.com.

Alternatively, please visit our website.

Marin Alsop and Nicola Benedetti at Saffron Hall ŠRoger King

Sun 9 June, 3pm The Sixteen Supported by Charles Rawlinson MBE

The Sixteen Choir & Orchestra Harry Christophers conductor Monteverdi Vespers of 1610 Imagine the glittering domes of St Mark’s Venice in the early 17th century, ringing and resounding with song. To hear Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610 performed live

Tickets £16–50 Presented by Saffron Hall

is to travel back in time, and to experience some of the greatest choral music of any era. It’s a masterpiece that crosses the centuries, and it’s performed today

by Harry Christophers and The Sixteen – artists who have spent a lifetime immersed in Monteverdi’s extraordinary imagination.

The Sixteen ©Firedog

Emanuel Ax ©Lisa Marie Mazzucco

Sat 22 June, 7.30pm Emanuel Ax

Sun 23 June, 3pm Tabea Debus & Alex McCartney Young Artist Coffee Concert

Emanuel Ax piano

Tabea Debus recorder Alex McCartney theorbo

Brahms Two Rhapsodies Op.79 George Benjamin Piano Figures Schumann Fantasiestücke Op.12 Ravel Valses nobles et sentimentales Chopin Mazurkas Op.50 Chopin Andante spianato et grande polonaise brillante Op.22

Programme to include Telemann Sonata in C Major Moritz Eggert Außer Atem for three recorders and one player Alastair Penman Mirrored Lines Handel arr. Tabea Debus ‘Sorge nel petto’ from Rinaldo

To critics, he’s the embodiment of “mastery coupled with humanity”. Emanuel Ax is one of the supreme musicians of our time, utterly devoted to the inner truth of everything he plays. His Saffron Hall debut is a major event, and his programme, typically, is a musical journey of discovery from the understated poetry of George Benjamin to the high romance of Chopin.

Dubbed “one of the most exciting young musicians in the early music world” by Classic FM, Tabea Debus’ commitment to virtuosity, musicality and innovation shines through her playing. This programme features a colourful choice of music, ranging from the 17th century until the present day, showcasing well-known compositions alongside her own arrangements, rare baroque jewels and freshly-penned compositions.

Tickets £18–36 Presented by Saffron Hall

Tickets £10 (under 18s free) Presented by Saffron Hall

Sun 30 June, 3pm Saffron Walden Symphony Orchestra

Sat 6 July, 7.30pm Verdi Requiem

Richard Hull conductor

Cambridge Philharmonic Orchestra & Chorus Programme to include music from Saffron Walden Choral Society Jaws, Star Wars and Jurassic Park Timothy Redmond conductor Anush Hovhannisyan soprano Victoria Simmonds mezzo-soprano Welcome to another celebration Peter Auty tenor of the greatest music from the silver screen. With a focus on John Martin Snell bass Williams this year, we’ll bring to life all those marvellous moments Verdi Requiem from your favourite films again.

Verdi drew on all the power of his theatrical experience to create a piece once described as “opera in church vestments”.

From the hushed opening to the dramatic bass drum blows and blazing trumpets of the ‘Dies Irae’, this promises to be a thrilling Cambridge Philharmonic debut at Saffron Hall.

Tickets £15–18 Presented by Saffron Walden Symphony Orchestra

Tickets £10–30 Presented by the Cambridge Philharmonic

Sat 13 July, 7.30pm National Youth Dance Company MADHEAD Botis Seva choreographer National Youth Dance Company present their new work created by acclaimed 2018/19 Guest Artistic Director, Botis Seva. This new commission sees Seva and the company of 40 young

Tickets £5–20 Presented by Saffron Hall

dancers present a unique evening fusing contemporary dance, physical theatre and hip hop. Seva’s choreographic style combined with the young dancers’ energy and talent is set to produce an enthralling and energetic experience.

National Youth Dance Company

Sat 20 July, 7.30pm The Ronnie Scott’s All Stars present ‘The Ronnie Scott’s Story’

Fri 26 July, 7.30pm National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain & Nicola Benedetti

Celebrating the 60th Anniversary of one of the world’s most iconic music venues, the Ronnie Scott’s All Stars take to the road to celebrate the ‘Ronnie Scott’s Story’. Direct from London’s world-famous jazz club and combining world-class live jazz alongside rare archive photos and video footage, this is an unmissable guided musical tour of this music institution.

Andrés Orozco-Estrada conductor Nicola Benedetti violin Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto Op.35 Prokofiev Romeo & Juliet The National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain is one of the wonders of the musical world, and once you’ve experienced 165 worldclass teenage musicians raising the roof you’ll understand why!

With Nicola Benedetti joining them in Tchaikovsky’s violin concerto, and powerhouse maestro Andrés Orozco-Estrada unleashing the raw passion of Prokofiev’s Romeo & Juliet, this should be remarkable.

NYO Teen Hangout There will be a pre-show event for young people from 6.30pm offering the chance to find out more about NYO and meet the players. See website for details.

Tickets £10–25 Presented by Saffron Hall

Tickets £10–45 All under 18 tickets £5 Presented by Saffron Hall

National Youth Orchestra ŠJason Alden

Thoughts & Talks Wed 16 January, 7.30pm An Evening with Dr David Starkey

Wed 20 March, 7.30pm An Evening with Tim Brooke-Taylor

Thu 9 May, 7.30pm An Evening with Sheila Dillon

Saffron Walden County High School presents

Music Concerts 12 November 2018 13 December 2018 13 March 2019 4 July 2019 Saffron Walden Music Festival 1–3 March 2019 Music Academy Recital 15 July 2019

Dance Musicals & Mixers 4 December 2018 Theatre The 39 Steps (Upper-school production) 5–7 February 2019 Lower-school production 25–27 June 2019

©Roger King

Saffron Walden County High School has been at the heart of the community in Saffron Walden since 1950 and is now one of the top performing non-selective state schools in England. Saffron Hall is a magnificent addition to the facilities at the school and one that the students benefit from every day. Over 2,000 people saw Saffron Hall and SWCHS’s outstanding joint production of The Glass Knight in March 2016, and regular school

concerts, drama productions and dance performances showcase the work of the large number of students involved in the Arts at SWCHS. The school’s Sixth Form Music Academy continues to flourish, providing incredible opportunities for talented musicians to improve their skills through an excellent teaching programme, masterclasses and connections with artists who appear at Saffron Hall.

SWCHS holds a ‘Platinum’ ArtsMark Award from Arts Council England, marking the school’s exceptional contribution to the Arts. www.swchs.net

Booking Buying tickets Online www.saffronhall.com

Print at home tickets For your convenience print at home tickets are available for most events.

By Phone 0845 548 7650 10am–5pm Monday to Saturday inclusive (excluding Public Holidays).

The option to collect or receive tickets is also available. A charge of £1 applies if you would like your tickets posted.

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).

On the door The Saffron Hall box office opens 1 hour before each performance begins.

Accessibility Saffron Hall is fully accessible.

Customers with access requirements can book their tickets by contacting the Box Office on 0845 548 7650 or by emailing info@saffronhall.com

There are 6 wheelchair spaces and 10 level access seats (subject to availability). For concessions and other access Booking fee info please see website.

Saffron Hall charges a £2 fee Parking for Blue Badge holders per transaction for bookings made in person and via phone, is available on a first come, first and a £1 fee per transaction for served basis. web bookings.

For full details about our facilities and conditions of Refunds and exchanges sale please visit: Tickets can only be refunded or exchanged if a performance www.saffronhall.com is cancelled. Returns may be taken for sold–out events; If you have any questions please visit our website for or queries please contact more information. info@saffronhall.com or 01799 588 545 Concessions For all Saffron Hall presented All information is correct at events, under 18 tickets are half time of going to print. price (except Schools Concerts Saffron Hall reserves the right and Family Jam). to substitute artists and vary the programme if necessary.

Visit Saffron Hall is an awardwinning 740-seat performance space built in the grounds of Saffron Walden County High School, just minutes away from Saffron Walden’s historic town centre. The hall’s critically acclaimed acoustic and state-of-the-art facilities surpass many of the world’s more established venues.

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.

Train The nearest station is Audley End Station, two miles away.

Regular services run from London Liverpool Street to Cambridge.

Air Saffron Hall is approximately a 30 minute drive from Stansted Airport.

Minibus We run a free minibus service between Audley End Station and the hall for most Saffron Hall-presented events. You can hop on anytime from an hour before and up to an hour after the performance. To check if this service is running for the event you have booked, please visit our website.

Parking Over 400 free car parking spaces are available on site.

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

Deli boxes are available to pre-order at selected events and can be booked via our website or by emailing info@saffronhall.com Our address is Audley End Road Saffron Walden, CB11 4UH

Programme 2019 JANUARY Saturday 5 Friday 11 Sunda 13 Wednesday 16 Friday 18 Friday 25 Saturday 26 Sunday 27

7.30pm 8pm 10.30am 7.30pm 7.30pm 8pm 7.30pm 3pm

London Gala Orchestra Foyer Jazz OPUS Finalist Open Workshop An Evening with Dr David Starkey Britten Sinfonia: Elder conducts Mahler & Brahms Foyer World Music The English Concert The Glenn Miller Orchestra

FEBRUARY Friday 1 Saturday 9 Sunday 10 Friday 15 Sunday 17 Wednesday 20 Friday 22 Saturday 23 Sunday 24 Thursday 28

8pm 7.30pm 3pm 7.30pm 7.30pm 7.30pm 8pm 7.30pm 3pm 8pm

Foyer Jazz Transfigured Nights Saffron Walden Symphony Orchestra Talvin Singh BBC Symphony Orchestra Castalian String Quartet Foyer Folk BBC Concert Orchestra Paul Lewis Foyer Jazz

MARCH Friday 8 Saturday 9 Sunday 10 Thursday 14 Saturday 16 Sunday 17 Wednesday 20 Saturday 23 Sunday 24 Saturday 30 Sunday 31

7.30pm 7.30pm 3pm 7.30pm 7.30pm 3pm 7.30pm 7.30pm 3pm 7.30pm 4pm

Boy Blue: Project R.E.B.E.L Maya Youssef Haffner Wind Ensemble An Evening with Welsh National Opera Waltham Singers Jean-Sélim Abdelmoula An Evening with Tim Brooke-Taylor Saffron Walden Choral Society Iestyn Davies & Fretwork Bill Laurance An Afternoon at the Musicals

APRIL Friday 5 Saturday 6 Sunday 7 Saturday 13 Sunday 14 Thursday 25 Fri 26 & Sat 27 Sunday 28

7.30pm 7.30pm 3pm 8pm 3pm 8pm See p.26–27 3pm

Kathryn Tickell Iestyn Davies The Hallé Foyer Jazz BBC Big Band: Nat King Cole 100 Foyer Folk BBC Radio 3 Big Chamber Weekend BBC Symphony Orchestra & Alexander McCall Smith

MAY Wednesday 1 Wednesday 8 Thursday 9 Friday 10 Saturday 11 Sunday 12 Saturday 18 Sunday 19 Friday 24

7.30pm 7.30pm 7.30pm 8pm 7.30pm 3pm 7.30pm 2pm & 4pm 8pm

Castalian String Quartet Sir Bryn Terfel An Evening with Sheila Dillon Foyer Jazz Saffron Walden Symphony Orchestra Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra Britten Sinfonia: Beethoven Symphonies No.7 & 8 Family Jam: Drums Foyer Folk

JUNE Saturday 1 Sunday 2 Friday 7 Sunday 9 Friday 21 Saturday 22 Sunday 23 Sunday 30

7.30pm 11am & 2.30pm 8pm 3pm 8pm 7.30pm 3pm 3pm

Scottish Dance Theatre: RITUALIA Scottish Dance Theatre: Innocence Foyer Jazz The Sixteen Foyer Folk Emanuel Ax Tabea Debus & Alex McCartney Saffron Walden Symphony Orchestra

JULY Saturday 6 Saturday 13 Saturday 20 Friday 26

7.30pm 7.30pm 7.30pm 7.30pm

Verdi Requiem National Youth Dance Company The Ronnie Scott’s All Stars National Youth Orchestra & Nicola Benedetti

Saffron Hall Audley End Road Saffron Walden CB11 4UH United Kingdom

Box office 0845 548 7650 Admin 01799 588 545 Facebook / Twitter / Instagram @saffronhallsw info@saffronhall.com www.saffronhall.com