Saffron Hall 2016-17 Concerts & Events Brochure

Concerts and Events

2016 –17 Saffron Walden www.saffronhall.com

www.saffronhall.com | 0845 548 7650

At Saffron Hall we believe passionately in the power of music and the arts to transform lives. It is therefore with a great sense of pride that this season we introduce our Resident Orchestra, build on our work with young people and communities and broaden our programming to include opera and dance. News of our first dance event will be in our Spring brochure in November.

Angela Dixon Chief Executive

I have worked with Britten Sinfonia for over ten years, bringing them into the Barbican as Associate Ensemble in 2012 and now as Resident Orchestra at Saffron Hall. They are one of the most forward-thinking and creatively adventurous ensembles I know.

Not only will they bring concerts of outstanding quality and music of great diversity, they will also work with us in local schools and throughout the community. Discover them for yourself – they are your orchestra!

Last season we celebrated the violin and this season we embrace the voice. Singing has always been a vital part of the Saffron Hall story. Last season we introduced 300 children to opera through their performances in our newly-commissioned youth opera, The Glass Knight. During 2016-17 we will use singing to reach communities in Braintree and more locally in our ongoing work with schools.

Back in the concert hall, we welcome major international singers including: Gerald Finley with Royal Opera House Music Director, Sir Antonio Pappano; Anne-Sophie von Otter; and Sir Willard White. Favourite contributors Saffron Walden Choral Society, The Sixteen and BBC Singers all make welcome returns,

2

COVER IMAGE: ENGLISH TOURING OPERA © RICHARD HUBERT SMITH IMAGES FROM TOP LEFT: ANTONIO PAPPANO © MUSACCHIO & IANNIELLO LICENSED TO EMI CLASSICS, ANGELA DIXON © PAUL ECCLESTONE WWW.ARTHOUSEDIGITAL.COM, ANNE SOFIE VON OTTER © EWA-MARIE RUNDQUIST, BROOKLYN RIDER, ED GARDNER © BENJAMIN EALOVEGA, YURI TEMIRKANOV © SASHA GUSOV, SIR WILLARD WHITE, MADELEINE PEYROUX ©MARINA CHAVEZ

Welcome to Saffron Hall’s 2016–17 season of concerts and events.

www.saffronhall.com | 0845 548 7650

and Gabrieli make their Saffron Hall debut performing our first Easter Oratorio. Later in the season, we will be announcing more events including a family singing day.

Following the huge success of Das Rheingold, the wonderful Saffron Opera Group continue their epic in-concert Wagner Ring Cycle. Our large orchestra pit holds 70 musicians and so fully-staged opera has always been an exciting prospect. I am thrilled to announce a new relationship between Saffron Hall and English Touring Opera, who will perform three Baroque operas this Autumn. They will also partner with us to present a community performance of Bach’s St John Passion, pairing choirs from across our community with ETO’s professional soloists, and they will also lead a series of workshops in local schools.

The immediacy and sheer impact of symphonic music in the hall is remarkable, so I am delighted that we continue to attract great orchestras from around the world. This season we welcome the Bergen Philharmonic, under the baton of the former Music Director of English National Opera, Edward Gardner, and the St Petersburg Philharmonic, with Yuri Temirkanov. For home-grown talent, do try a concert by the Saffron Walden Symphony Orchestra, whose ambitious programme always delights audiences.

In just three short years Saffron Hall has built unprecedented audience support with over half of our concerts selling out at an early stage. More concerts will be announced in November for the Spring. I do hope you will join us again for another superb season.

My season highlights Britten Sinfonia plays Steve Reich Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra Gerald Finley & Sir Antonio Pappano Anne Sofie von Otter & Brooklyn Rider Madeleine Peyroux

More Spring events Look out for our next brochure in November announcing more jazz, classical and family concerts, plus a big community choir project and a major dance event.

We look forward to welcoming you.

3

www.saffronhall.com | 0845 548 7650

Britten Sinfonia © B EALOVEGA

Your Resident Orchestra Britten Sinfonia We are thrilled that from the 2016-17 season onwards we will be Resident Orchestra at Saffron Hall. Since performing the opening concert at Saffron Hall in 2013 we have developed a close affinity with the venue and relish the opportunity to perform and work in its acclaimed world-class acoustic. As Resident Orchestra we will work closely with Angela Dixon and her team to develop distinctive and innovative programmes and projects, not only on the concert stage but within Saffron Walden County High School and across the local community.

Our programmes and projects will provide a springboard for audiences to gain a deeper understanding of the music, and to get to know our musicians and guest artists, including: • Open rehearsals for audiences and school groups • Pre and post-concert talks and events with guest artists and our musicians • Concerts for families and young people • Masterclasses and bespoke learning projects • Performances by the talented young musicians of Britten Sinfonia Academy We look forward to welcoming you to our concerts and events at Saffron Hall.

David Butcher Chief Executive & Artistic Director 4

Britten Sinfonia is one of the world’s most celebrated and pioneering ensembles. The orchestra is an Associate Ensemble at the Barbican, has a residency in Norwich and at the University of Cambridge, and performs a chamber music series at Wigmore Hall. Britten Sinfonia appears regularly through-out the UK and abroad and is a BBC Radio 3 broadcast partner. Recordings for Harmonia Mundi and Hyperion have received numerous nominations and awards and in 2013 Britten Sinfonia was the recipient of the Royal Philharmonic Society Music Award for Ensemble.

www.saffronhall.com | 0845 548 7650

Nicola Benedetti © SIMON FOWLER

Sunday 25 September 3pm Saturday 24 September 7.30pm

London Philharmonic Orchestra Vladimir Jurowski conductor Nicola Benedetti violin Brahms Violin Concerto No.1 Bruckner Symphony No.4 A magnificent season opener with some of Saffron Hall’s favourite artists. Principal Conductor Vladimir Jurowski leads the orchestra through Bruckner’s symphonic depiction of a day of hunting, and Nicola Benedetti performs Brahms’ Violin Concerto which unites his love of Magyar dance rhythms with exquisitely tender lyricism.

TICKETS £18-£48 PRESENTED BY SAFFRON HALL

Words in Walden Presents Once Upon a Tune – A Concert for Families Saffron Walden Symphony Orchestra Richard Hull conductor James Mayhew narrator / illustrator

Humperdinck Hansel and Gretel Overture Rossini La Cenerentola Tchaikovsky Sleeping Beauty Suite Op.66a Come and be swept away into the world of fairytales. As the orchestra plays, James Mayhew will create his beautiful illustrations on stage, bringing to life the stories which inspired the music.

TICKETS £12/£6 CHILDREN AGE GUIDANCE 4+ PRESENTED BY WORDS IN WALDEN IN AID OF UTTLESFORD HOMESTART

5

www.saffronhall.com | 0845 548 7650

National Youth Jazz Orchestra © CARL HYDE

Sunday 9 October 2.30pm

Saffron Opera Group Die Walküre Saffron Opera Group Orchestra Michael Thorne conductor Cast includes Andrew Greenan Wotan Elaine McKrill Brünnhilde Michael Bracegirdle Siegmund Elisabeth Meister Sieglinde Wagner Die Walküre Saffron Opera Group continues its journey through Wagner’s Ring Cycle with a concert performance of Die Walküre. A superb cast of soloists joins an invited orchestra in this epic story of incestuous love, terrible ambition and devastating defiance.

TICKETS £15-£25 SUNG IN GERMAN WITH ENGLISH SURTITLES PRESENTED BY SAFFRON OPERA GROUP

6

Friday 14 October 7.30pm

National Youth Jazz Orchestra What is Hip?

Mark Armstrong artistic & music director Programme to include works by Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Yellowjackets, Tower of Power, Kool & the Gang, and Kylie Minogue The most exciting up-and-coming jazz talents of today celebrate the music that makes us groove, from the forties to the noughties. Be wowed by the band which has launched many stellar careers, including Guy Barker and Amy Winehouse.

During the afternoon NYJO will work with aspiring jazz musicians at SWCHS. TICKETS £10-£22 PRESENTED BY SAFFRON HALL

www.saffronhall.com | 0845 548 7650

Sunday 23 October 2pm

Sean Shibe in Recital Young Artist Coffee Concert Sean Shibe guitar

Dowland Forlorn Hope Fancy Walton Five Bagatelles for Guitar Lennox Berkeley Sonatina for Guitar Op.52/1 Britten Nocturnal after John Dowland Op.70

Sunday 16 October 7.30pm

Britten Sinfonia & The Sixteen

Harry Christophers conductor Thomas Gould leader/director Tallis Why fum’th in fight Vaughan Williams Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis Britten Prelude & Fugue James MacMillan Stabat Mater (world premiere tour) Britten Sinfonia – in the company of The Sixteen – open their season as Saffron Hall’s Resident Orchestra. The programme features an eagerly anticipated premiere from James MacMillan, a modern master of choral writing, alongside works which have influenced him – including Vaughan Williams’ Renaissance-inspired Fantasia.

TICKETS £14-£35 PRESENTED BY BRITTEN SINFONIA

Pre-concert event 6.15pm James MacMillan joins Britten Sinfonia Academy young musicians on stage for a pre-concert talk and performance.

24 year-old Sean Shibe – the first ever guitarist admitted to the BBC New Generation Artists scheme – performs a lyrical English programme including Walton’s Five Bagatelles, a dazzling piece which showcases the guitar’s capacity for melancholy and toe-tapping syncopation.

TICKETS £10/UNDER 18s FREE PRESENTED BY SAFFRON HALL

Masterclass @SWCHS 4pm Watch Sean as he gives a masterclass to students from the school.

Sunday 30 October 3pm

Stephen Hough in Recital Stephen Hough piano

Schubert Sonata in A minor D.784 Franck Prelude Choral and Fugue Stephen Hough Sonata III (Trinitas) Liszt Valses Oubliées Nos.1 & 2 Liszt Transcendental Etudes Nos.11 & 10 Combining awe-inspiring technical brilliance with profound spiritual enquiry, Stephen Hough offers a programme tracing the darkness-to-light journey of three great pianist-composers. He also includes his own Sonata III, a beautiful meditation on the mystery of the Christian Trinity.

TICKETS £12-£26 PRESENTED BY SAFFRON HALL

7

www.saffronhall.com | 0845 548 7650

English Touring Opera Wednesday 2 November 7.30pm

Monteverdi Ulysses’ Homecoming Jonathan Peter Kenny conductor James Conway director The Old Street Band Cast includes Benedict Nelson Ulisse Carolyn Dobbin Penelope Katie Bray Minerva John-Colyn Gyeantey Eumaeus Returning home from the Trojan War after an absence of 20 years, Ulysses has to confront his wife’s suitors, who have taken over his home.

The most tender and moving of Monteverdi’s operas, Ulysses’ Homecoming is a masterpiece of extraordinary eloquence.

ALL OPERA PERFORMANCES TICKETS £16-£40 SUNG IN ENGLISH WITH SURTITLES PRESENTED BY SAFFRON HALL IN ASSOCIATION WITH ENGLISH TOURING OPERA

During their week at Saffron Hall, ETO will be delivering a series of workshops in secondary schools exploring the world of opera and how it is produced.

8

Thursday 3 November 7.30pm

Cavalli La Calisto

Timothy Nelson conductor & director The Old Street Band Cast includes Paula Sides Calisto George Humphreys Giove Nick Pritchard Mercurio Tai Oney Endimione Catherine Carby Diana Adrian Dwyer Linfea The infatuation of Jove with the lovely Calisto and the unlikely attraction of Virgin Diana to the handsome Endymion entangle them in love wars as comical as they are dangerous. Cavalli’s La Calisto irreverently charts the relations between gods, men and women in a rich and heady score.

www.saffronhall.com | 0845 548 7650

ETO Xerxes ® ®RICHARD RICHARD HUBERT SMITH

Friday 4 November 7.30pm

Saturday 5 November 3pm

Jonathan Peter Kenny conductor James Conway director The Old Street Band

Jonathan Peter Kenny conductor James Conway director The Old Street Band

Handel Xerxes

Julia Riley Xerxes Laura Mitchell Romilda Galina Averina Atalanta Clint van der Linde Arsamenes Andrew Slater Ariodate Carolyn Dobbin Armastris Peter Brathwaite Elviro Against the epic backdrop of the Battle of Britain, a prince-turned-pilot fights his brother for the love of the same woman. Mixing humour and seething emotions with soaring singing and some of Handel’s best-known music, Xerxes is an enthralling night of fun.

Bach St John Passion

Granta Chorale Alec Hunter Academy Choir Anglia Ruskin Chamber Choir Soloists to be announced English Touring Opera joins forces with local choirs for a new kind of performance of Bach’s great St John Passion, featuring fresh English translations of the chorales from writers of different faiths including Dr Rowan Williams and Giles Fraser.

TICKETS £10/£5 UNDER 18s SUNG IN GERMAN AND ENGLISH PRESENTED BY SAFFRON HALL

“Covent Garden would count itself lucky to host a baroque show of this calibre” —  The Independent on Xerxes 9

www.saffronhall.com | 0845 548 7650

Saffron Hall: Young Voices In the first year of our Learning & Participation programme over 1,000 young singers performed on our stage.

This season, we will give young people across our region the opportunity to work with BBC Concert Orchestra, Gabrieli and English Touring Opera.

The Glass Knight © ROGER KING

“Performing in The Glass Knight has really opened my eyes about opera. It’s been amazing.”

SWCHS cast member 10

www.saffronhall.com | 0845 548 7650

Sunday 6 November 7.30pm

Britten Sinfonia plays Steve Reich Synergy Vocals Clark Rundell conductor Beryl Korot video

Steve Reich WTC 9/11 Steve Reich Pulse (European premiere tour) Steve Reich & Beryl Korot Three Tales Hear Steve Reich at his most innovative and prophetic. Britten Sinfonia celebrates the master of minimalism’s 80th birthday with a new work written for the ensemble, Pulse. The concert also includes his hypnotic multi-media fable about the influence of technology, and his moving response to the disaster of 9/11.

TICKETS £10-£30 PRESENTED BY BRITTEN SINFONIA

Pre-concert talk 6.30pm with Britten Sinfonia musicians

Friday 11 November 7.30pm

Anne Sofie von Otter Brooklyn Rider So Many Things

Anne Sofie von Otter mezzo-soprano Brooklyn Rider Programme to include works by Philip Glass, John Adams, Björk, Kate Bush, Nico Muhly & Elvis Costello The trailblazing New York-based string quartet teams up with innovative operatic mezzo Anne Sofie von Otter. Pop, indie and classical worlds meet and merge in an evening of eclecticism at its most enthralling.

Programme subject to change.

TICKETS £12-£26 PRESENTED BY SAFFRON HALL

Sunday 13 November 2pm

Louis Schwizgebel in Recital Young Artist Coffee Concert Louis Schwizgebel piano

Schumann Kinderszenen Op.15 Beethoven 32 Variations in C minor WoO.80 Schubert Piano Sonata in C minor D.958 At 29, the Swiss-Chinese pianist Louis Schwizgebel has already been hailed a master of his instrument. Here, his recital includes a dramatic sonata by Schubert written as the composer neared death, and a work by Beethoven which takes a stormy theme similar to Schubert’s opening bars and transforms it in variations of incandescent inventiveness.

TICKETS £10/UNDER 18s FREE PRESENTED BY SAFFRON HALL

Masterclass @SWCHS 4pm Watch Louis as he gives a masterclass to the school’s Music Academy students.

11

www.saffronhall.com | 0845 548 7650

“A great interpreter of a poetic lyric” The Guardian on Madeleine Peyroux

Sunday 27 November 3pm

Saffron Walden Symphony Orchestra Richard Hull conductor Frank Burnet narrator

Wednesday 30 November 7.30pm

Madeleine Peyroux

This science and space-based family concert features Holst’s unforgettable Planets Suite.

Frank Burnet’s witty tale of the history of life on earth, set to music by Joanna Ive, takes us from the Big Bang up to the present day.

The smoky vocals and straight-to-theheart emotional delivery of American singer-songwriter Madeleine Peyroux have earned comparisons with the greatest jazz legends of the past. She comes to Saffron Hall in a pared-back trio setting to perform seminal classics from her new album Secular Hymns.

TICKETS £15/£3 CHILDREN PRESENTED BY SAFFRON WALDEN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

TICKETS £12-£26 PRESENTED BY SAFFRON HALL IN ASSOCIATION WITH SERIOUS

Joanna Ive/Frank Burnet Evolutionary Notes Holst The Planets

12

www.saffronhall.com | 0845 548 7650

Madeleine Peyroux © MARY ELLEN MARK

Sunday 4 December 7.30pm Saturday 3 December 7pm

A Christmas Carol BBC Symphony Orchestra BBC Singers Martin André conductor Actors to be announced

Selection of festive music Neil Brand A Christmas Carol Bah, humbug! Join the world’s favourite skinflint and the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Singers for Dickens’ timeless Yuletide classic, adapted for actors, orchestra, and singers by composer Neil Brand.

Gerald Finley and Sir Antonio Pappano in Recital Gerald Finley baritone Sir Antonio Pappano piano

Beethoven Adelaide; In questa tomba oscura; La partenza; Der Kuss Liszt Three Petrarch Sonnets Respighi Four Scottish Folksongs Ravel Chants populaires Shostakovich Romances on Verses

by English Poets Tosti Selected songs

Pre-performance event for families Explore the music of A Christmas Carol with members of the BBC Symphony Orchestra and BBC Singers.

Baritone Gerald Finley is loved by audiences both as a superlatively nuanced musician and as an uninhibited, bighearted entertainer. Hear him with Antonio Pappano – the Royal Opera’s brilliant Music Director, and frequent collaborator – in an extraordinarily varied evening of song.

BOOKING INFORMATION TO BE ANNOUNCED AGE GUIDANCE 8+

TICKETS £14-£32 PRESENTED BY SAFFRON HALL

TICKETS £12-£26 AGE GUIDANCE 8+ PRESENTED BY SAFFRON HALL

13

www.saffronhall.com | 0845 548 7650

“Compelling and dramatic” The Times on Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra and Edward Gardner

The Best of Times © MICHAEL MORPURGO

Saturday 17 December 7.30pm Sunday 11 December 1.30pm & 4.30pm

Michael Morpurgo The Best of Times Michael Morpurgo narrator Danielle de Vries dancer Daniel Pioro violin The Storyteller’s Ensemble Simon Reade director

When Princess Serafina grows sad, her distraught husband Prince Frederico sets off on a journey to find a cure. Much-loved author Michael Morpurgo narrates his uplifting Christmas story, accompanied by beautiful English pastoral music and middle-European gypsy melodies.

TICKETS £8-£20 AGE GUIDANCE 5+ PRESENTED BY SAFFRON HALL

14

Saffron Walden Choral Society Messiah

Chameleon Arts Orchestra Janet Wheeler conductor Rebecca Bottone soprano Catherine Hopper mezzo-soprano Mark Wilde tenor Nicholas Merryweather bass Handel Messiah Handel’s oratorio Messiah – which, in the ‘Hallelujah Chorus’ contains perhaps the greatest exclamation of spiritual joy in English music – is a perennial Christmas favourite. Join Saffron Walden Choral Society and a world-class cast of soloists for this masterpiece of choral music.

TICKETS £10-£25 PLUS CONCESSIONS PRESENTED BY SAFFRON WALDEN CHORAL SOCIETY

www.saffronhall.com | 0845 548 7650

Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra © ODDLEIV APNESETH

Sunday 15 January 3pm Thursday 22 December 7pm

BBC Concert Orchestra BBC Concert Orchestra Saffron Walden Choral Society Saffron Walden County High School Chamber Choir Ben Gernon conductor Laura Wright soprano

Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra Edward Gardner conductor Leonard Elschenbroich cello

Grieg Peer Gynt Suite No.1 Elgar Cello Concerto in E minor Bartók Concerto for Orchestra

Join Ben Gernon, the BBC Concert Orchestra and a host of local singers in a celebration of Christmas music, songs and carols including White Christmas, Silent Night and Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite.

The Bergen Philharmonic makes an eagerlyanticipated first UK tour with its new maestro (ex-ENO Music Director) Edward Gardner. Their programme includes Elgar's iconic Cello Concerto, and a much-loved Norwegian masterpiece which brilliantly evokes the landscape of Scandinavia.

TICKETS £12-£26 PRESENTED BY SAFFRON HALL

TICKETS £18-£40 PRESENTED BY SAFFRON HALL

15

www.saffronhall.com | 0845 548 7650

Saffron Hall: Schools Last year we gave students and teachers from 19 local schools the opportunity to participate in broad-ranging activities with leading professional musicians.

This season, in addition to our growing programme with local schools, we’ll be introducing a number of new performing arts opportunities for students and teachers at Alec Hunter Academy in Braintree.

Benedetti Sessions © ROGER KING

“I will always remember the day that Nicola Benedetti came and played right in front of me. She’s my role model.”

Isabel, aged 8, St Thomas More Catholic Primary School 16

www.saffronhall.com | 0845 548 7650

Friday 20 January 7.30pm

St Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra Yuri Temirkanov conductor Nikolai Lugansky piano

Prokofiev Romeo and Juliet Rachmaninov Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini Ravel Daphnis et Chloé Suite No.2

© ROB STOTHARD

The best of Russia comes to Saffron Hall.

Legendary conductor Yuri Temirkanov leads the renowned St Petersburg Philharmonic through suites from two of the best-loved ballets in the repertoire, and towering pianist Nikolai Lugansky performs Rachmaninov’s most romantic and popular score.

TICKETS £18-£48 PRESENTED BY SAFFRON HALL

Saturday 28 January

Saffron Walden Choral Society Singing Day with Mary King Come and experience the choral side of musical theatre and benefit from the expertise of one of its leading lights. Mary King, well-known from her television work including Operatunity, Musicality and BBC Choir of the Year, introduces familiar and contemporary chorus material and explores the vocal and expressive skills needed to bring it to performance.

BOOKING DETAILS TO BE ANNOUNCED PRESENTED BY SAFFRON WALDEN CHORAL SOCIETY

Music for Thought

A participatory music project for those living with dementia and their carers.

Taster session in Autumn 2016 Main project weekly sessions during Spring 2017 Explore singing, playing percussion instruments, and compose your own music with Julian West and musicians from the Royal Academy of Music. From complete novice to violin virtuoso, all are welcome.

If you are, or someone you know is, living with dementia then please contact Natalie Ellis to find out how you can take part: natalie.ellis@saffronhall.com 01799 588 533 A COLLABORATION BETWEEN WIGMORE HALL, THE ROYAL ACADEMY OF MUSIC AND SAFFRON HALL

17

www.saffronhall.com | 0845 548 7650

“Esfahani makes the harpsichord seem an instrument reborn” The Times

Mahan Esfahani © BERNHARD MUSIL DG

Saturday 4 February 7.30pm

Mahan Esfahani directs Britten Sinfonia Friday 3 February 7.30pm

The English Concert Rachel Podger violin / director

Mahan Esfahani harpsichord / director Thomas Gould violin / director Claudia Huckle contralto

Soler Obertura ‘Alentad armonias’ D Scarlatti A selection of sonatas De Falla Harpsichord Concerto Francisco Coll New work (world premiere tour) De Falla El amor brujo

Bach Suite No.1 in C major BWV.1066 Telemann Quintet in F minor TWV.44:32 CPE Bach String Symphony in G major WQ.182 Bach Suite No.2 in A minor after BWV.1067 Telemann Concerto in B flat major TWV.44:43 Revisionist and revolutionary, the American-Iranian harpsichordist Mahan Bach Concerto in C minor BWV.1060 Esfahani has turned the world of baroque Violinist/director Rachel Podger music upside-down with his fiery (and harnesses the virtuosic energy and literally riotous) performances. With Britten dynamism of the English Concert to Sinfonia he performs and directs a sizzling celebrate the achievements of the Bach Mediterranean programme bursting with family. There are favourite concerti and colour and life. orchestral works by Johann Sebastian TICKETS £10-£25 Bach and his son Carl, and also Carl’s PRESENTED BY BRITTEN SINFONIA godfather, Georg Philipp Telemann.

Pre-concert talk TICKETS £14-£32 6.30pm With Mahan Esfahani PRESENTED BY SAFFRON HALL 18

www.saffronhall.com | 0845 548 7650

Max the Brave © ED VERE

Sunday 12 February 2.30pm

Saffron Opera Group Siegfried Saffron Opera Group Orchestra Michael Thorne conductor Cast includes Andrew Greenan Wotan Elaine McKrill Brünnhilde Wagner Siegfried After the acclaim of last season’s Das Rheingold, Saffron Opera Group continues its in-concert Ring Cycle. Siegfried, the tale of a hero who conquers gods and monsters to find true love, is sung by a cast of internationally acclaimed soloists and an invited orchestra.

TICKETS £20-£30 SUNG IN GERMAN WITH ENGLISH SURTITLES PRESENTED BY SAFFRON OPERA GROUP

Saturday 18 February 2pm & 4pm

Max the Brave Britten Sinfonia Picture Book Concert Britten Sinfonia Ed Vere live illustration

Max is a fearless little kitten who longs to be a mouse-catcher... only he doesn’t know what a mouse looks like. Author Ed Vere and Britten Sinfonia take you on Max’s exciting musical journey of discovery – with a twist in the tail at the end!

TICKETS £12/£6 UNDER 18s AGE GUIDANCE 3-7 PRESENTED BY BRITTEN SINFONIA

19

www.saffronhall.com | 0845 548 7650

Robin Hood © RONALD GRANT ARCHIVE

Saturday 25 February 7pm

Sunday 26 February 3pm

BBC Symphony Orchestra Timothy Brock conductor

Richard Hull conductor Sam Haywood piano

Robin Hood Live Music Screening Douglas Fairbanks’ epic 1922 silent film Robin Hood set a new bar for Hollywood spectacle. Neil Brand’s new score, played live by the BBC Symphony Orchestra, gives this swashbuckling classic a dazzling new lease of life for the latest generation of movie-lovers.

Saffron Walden Symphony Orchestra Wagner Entry of the Gods into Valhalla Chopin Piano Concerto No.1 Sibelius Symphony No.1

Co-commissioned by Saffron Hall, the BBC Symphony Orchestra and the Barbican.

The windswept Nordic nature of Sibelius’s Symphony No.1, which owes an undoubted musical debt to Wagner’s cosmic thunderstorm from Das Rheingold, is contrasted with the more urbane and melodic delights of Chopin.

TICKETS £10-£22 PRESENTED BY SAFFRON HALL IN ASSOCIATION WITH SAFFRON SCREEN

TICKETS £15/£3 CHILDREN PRESENTED BY SAFFRON WALDEN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

20

www.saffronhall.com | 0845 548 7650

Saffron Hall: Our Community To date, community groups and amateur musicians have given 59 concerts to a total audience of over 20,000 people.

This season our community partners are doing even more, including collaborations with English Touring Opera, BBC Concert Orchestra and Britten Sinfonia.

© ROGER KING

“We love singing in Saffron Hall.

There's such a great connection between audience and performers and the acoustics are sublime!”

Jane, Saffron Walden Choral Society member 21

www.saffronhall.com | 0845 548 7650

Sir Willard White

Saturday 1 April 7.30pm

Sir Willard White & the Brodsky Quartet Close to You Saturday 25 March 7.30pm

Saffron Walden Choral Society There was a Child Chameleon Arts Orchestra Janet Wheeler conductor Anne Devin soprano Peter Auty tenor

Jonathan Dove There was a Child Poulenc Gloria Francis Poulenc’s Gloria – one of the greatest sacred works of the twentieth century – is coupled here with an equally beautiful secular piece by Jonathan Dove, composed to celebrate the short life of a young man who drowned aged only 19.

TICKETS £10-£20 PLUS CONCESSIONS PRESENTED BY SAFFRON WALDEN CHORAL SOCIETY

22

Sir Willard White bass-baritone

Programme to include Gershwin Summertime; Honey Man; I got Plenty O’ Nuttin’ Copland Long Time Ago; The Dodger; Hoedown Sinatra/Hollywood Quartet Close to You; PS. I love You Sinatra My Way Sir Willard White, one of the greatest all-round musical entertainers of our era, pays tribute to the legendary relationship between Frank Sinatra and the Hollywood String Quartet. With the Brodsky Quartet, he performs great Songbook standards made famous by Ol’ Blue Eyes, plus some classic American art-songs, and a few surprises.

Programme subject to change TICKETS £12-£26 PRESENTED BY SAFFRON HALL

www.saffronhall.com | 0845 548 7650

“Music-making of infectious vitality” The Financial Times on Gabrieli

Sunday 2 April 2pm

Laura van der Heijden and Tom Poster in Recital Young Artist Coffee Concert Laura van der Heijden cello Tom Poster piano

Programme to include Debussy Cello Sonata Martinů Variations on a Theme of Rossini Graham Fitkin “L” Fauré Cello Sonata No.2 in G minor Just 19 years-old, the 2012 BBC Young Musician Competition winner (and Prince’s Foundation for Children & the Arts ambassador) has made a name for herself as a very special emerging talent. Here, with recital partner Tom Poster, she includes Fitkin’s kitsch and sensual work written for Yo-Yo Ma, and a set of variations for cello and piano by Martinů which brilliantly mirror the vocal virtuosity of Rossini.

Programme subject to change TICKETS £10/UNDER 18s FREE PRESENTED BY SAFFRON HALL

Masterclass @SWCHS 4pm Watch Laura as she gives a masterclass to students from the school.

Gabrieli © ANDY STAPLES

Saturday 8 April 7.30pm

Gabrieli Easter Oratorio

Paul McCreesh director Nicholas Mulroy tenor More soloists to be announced Bach Sinfonia to Cantata BWV.42 Bach Cantata BWV.6 ‘Bleib bei uns, den es will Abend warden’ Bach Easter Oratorio BWV.249 The doubts and rising jubilation of the apostles on Easter Day find thrilling expression in the arias and joyous choruses of Bach’s Easter Oratorio. The award-winning period-instrument ensemble Gabrieli make their Saffron Hall debut with this profound meditation on the Easter story.

TICKETS £14-£32 PRESENTED BY SAFFRON HALL

23

www.saffronhall.com | 0845 548 7650

“A master” The New York Times on Sir András Schiff

Sir András Schiff © UTAKA SUZUKI

Saturday 22 April 7.30pm

Saffron Walden Symphony Orchestra Richard Hull conductor

Vaughan Williams Norfolk Rhapsody No.1 Elgar Sospiri Moeran Lonely Waters Delius Walk to the Paradise Garden Elgar ‘Enigma’ Variations Tenderness, melting melodies and bittersweet nostalgia link the works in this glorious concert of English music. The programme includes the ever-popular Enigma Variations, along with less familiar pastoral gems.

TICKETS £15/£3 CHILDREN PRESENTED BY SAFFRON WALDEN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

24

Thursday 4 May 7.30pm

Sir András Schiff in Recital András Schiff piano

Bach Capriccio in B-flat Major BWV.992 Bartók Six Dances in Bulgarian Rhythm Sz.107 ‘Mikrokosmos VI’ Bach Four Duets BWV.802-805 Bartók Piano Sonata BB.88 Sz.80 Janáček In the mists Schumann Fantasie in C Major Op.17 Saffron Hall welcomes back András Schiff with a programme exploring the expressive possibilities of the keyboard to the utmost.

From the intricate polyphony of Bach and song-like lyricism of Schumann, to works by Bartók at his most brilliant and percussive.

TICKETS £14-£32 PRESENTED BY SAFFRON HALL

www.saffronhall.com | 0845 548 7650

Sunday 21 May 2pm

Richard Uttley in Recital Young Artist Coffee Concert

Richard Uttley © KAUPO KIKKAS

Richard Uttley piano

Bach Partita No.4 in D major BWV.828 Francisco Coll Vestiges Scriabin Sonata No.4 in F sharp Op.30 Scarlatti Sonata in B minor K.87 Chopin Ballade No.1 in G minor Op.23 Young pianist Richard Uttley has featured as a ‘Rising Star’ in BBC Music Magazine and regularly performs at major international venues. Here he offers a programme which mixes the new (including Coll’s Vestiges, of which he gave the premiere in 2015) with masterpieces of romanticism from Chopin and Scriabin.

TICKETS £10/UNDER 18s FREE PRESENTED BY SAFFRON HALL

Masterclass @SWCHS 4pm Watch Richard as he gives a masterclass to the school’s Music Academy students.

25

Experience more with membership

Maxim Vengerov Š B EALOVEGA

Ticket sales cover less than 25% of our costs each year, so we need people like you to help us keep bringing inspirational culture to our stage. In return you’ll get priority booking, backstage access and more.

Become a member today at www.saffronhall.com 26

www.saffronhall.com | 0845 548 7650

Saturday 27 May 7.30pm

Beethoven: Britten Sinfonia with Thomas Adès Thomas Adès conductor Mark Stone baritone

Gerald Barry Beethoven Beethoven Symphony No.1 Beethoven Symphony No.2 Thomas Adès – as celebrated a conductor as he is a composer – brings his trademark clarity to Beethoven’s first two symphonies.

He complements them with Gerald Barry’s powerful and darkly humorous setting of Beethoven’s nightmarish love-letter to his ‘Immortal Beloved’.

TICKETS £10-£35 PRESENTED BY BRITTEN SINFONIA

Pre-concert talk 6.30pm With Mark Stone Saturday 24 June 7.30pm

Saffron Walden Choral Saffron Walden Symphony Society Chameleon Arts Orchestra Orchestra Saturday 17 June 7.30pm

Richard Hull conductor George Harliono piano

Janet Wheeler conductor Soloists to be announced

Sibelius Lemminkäinen’s Return Beethoven Piano Concerto No.5 ‘Emperor’ Tubin Symphony No.3 ‘Heroic’

Fauré Requiem Boulanger Selected choral pieces Ravel String Quartet in F major Ravel Introduction & Allegro

Fifteen year-old local pianist George Harliono performs Beethoven’s Emperor concerto, a work of all-encompassing grandeur and nobility, in a programme which also includes two orchestral masterpieces of Scandinavian tone-painting.

TICKETS £15/£3 CHILDREN PRESENTED BY SAFFRON WALDEN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

‘My Requiem is dominated from beginning to end by a very human feeling of faith in eternal rest,’ said Fauré. Saffron Walden Choral Society close their season with a performance of this spiritually universal work, with its beautiful Pie Jesu.

TICKETS £10-£20 PLUS CONCESSIONS PRESENTED BY SAFFRON WALDEN CHORAL SOCIETY

27

www.saffronhall.com | 0845 548 7650

The Glass Knight © ROGER KING

Saffron Walden County High School presents 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 showcase the work of the large number of SWCHS ensembles.

The school launched a Sixth Form Music Academy in September 2014, 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. www.swchs.net

SWCHS presents Music Each term SWCHS’s music ensembles – from string quartets to big bands – give outstanding student performances.

SWCHS presents Theatre The Drama department present a wide range of productions – from intimate studio performances in D3 to large-scale musicals and plays in Saffron Hall.

SWCHS presents Dance SWCHS’s dance presentation is a galaxy of dance styles and genres involving students of all ages.

Friday 3 – Sunday 5 March

Saffron Walden Music Festival

Saffron Walden’s very own Young Musician Competition – see the community’s most talented young people compete for the Mullucks Wells Trophy.

BOOKING DETAILS TO BE ANNOUNCED

28

www.saffronhall.com | 0845 548 7650

Visit Saffron Hall is an award–winning 740–seat performance space built in the grounds of Saffron Walden County High School.

CAR

The hall’s critically acclaimed acoustic and state–of–the–art facilities surpass many of the world’s more established venues and since the hall opened in November 2013, artists including the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Maxim Vengerov, Kronos Quartet, Nicola Benedetti, Sir András Schiff, Hugh Masekela and The Sixteen have performed on its stage.

Our address is: Saffron Hall, Audley End Road Saffron Walden, CB11 4UH

Just minutes away from Saffron Walden’s historic town centre, the £10–million venue is the result of a partnership between the School and Yellow Car Charitable Trust and is believed to be the largest gift of its kind to a state school.

B1

W

JUNCTION 9

D

IL

L

HI

LL

RD

B1383

We run a free minibus service between Audley End Station and the hall for most 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 your event, please visit our website.

Saffron Hall and the entire school grounds are smoke–free.

Saffron Walden

B1

052

NE

WP

AD RO N DE

MINIBUS

OR T

AUDLEY END RD

EN

The nearest station is Audley End Station, two miles away. Regular services run on the main line from London Liverpool Street to Cambridge, as well as the Stansted to Cambridge and Birmingham line.

B1053

(SAFFRON WALDEN COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL)

W

TRAIN

www.saffronhall.com

Saffron Hall

M11 JUNCTION 8

M

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

DESIGN: COG DESIGN / PRINT: GALLPEN COLOUR PRINT

IN

B1052

84

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.

29

www.saffronhall.com | 0845 548 7650

Booking information BUYING TICKETS

Online: www.saffronhall.com

By Phone: 0845 548 7650

STAGE

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) On the door: Saffron Hall box office opens an hour before each performance begins.

PRINT@HOME TICKETS

For your convenience print@home tickets are now available for most events booked online.

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

BOOKING FEES

Saffron Hall charges a £1 fee per transaction for phone and in person bookings.

REFUNDS AND EXCHANGES

Tickets can only be refunded or exchanged if a performance is cancelled. Returns may be taken for sold–out events; please visit our website for more information.

CONCESSIONS

For Saffron Hall presented events, children’s tickets are half price.

STALLS

BALCONY

ACCESS SEATS

ACCESSIBILITY

Saffron Hall is fully accessible. Patrons with access requirements can book their tickets by contacting the Box Office on 0845 548 7650.

There are 6 wheelchair spaces and 10 level access seats (subject to availability). Assistant dogs are welcome. Parking for Blue Badge holders is available on a first come, first served basis.

For Saffron Hall presented events, wheelchair patrons are eligible for a half price ticket (excluding lowest price band) and one free ticket for their assisting companion.

Registered disabled patrons who require full–time support to attend an event are also eligible for a free companion ticket.

For full details about our facilities and conditions of sale please visit www.saffronhall.com

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

30

www.saffronhall.com | 0845 548 7650

Concert & Events 2016–17 SEPTEMBER

Saturday 24 7.30pm Sunday 25 3pm

London Philharmonic Orchestra Words in Walden Presents Once Upon a Tune

OCTOBER

Sunday 9 2.30pm Friday 14 7.30pm Sunday 16 7.30pm Sunday 23 2pm Sunday 30 3pm

Saffron Opera Group Die Walküre National Youth Jazz Orchestra Britten Sinfonia & The Sixteen Sean Shibe in Recital Stephen Hough in Recital

NOVEMBER

Wednesday 2 7.30pm Thursday 3 7.30pm Friday 4 7.30pm Saturday 5 3pm Sunday 6 7.30pm Friday 11 7.30pm Sunday 13 2pm Sunday 27 3pm Wednesday 30 7.30pm

English Touring Opera Ulysses’ Homecoming English Touring Opera La Calisto English Touring Opera Xerxes English Touring Opera St John Passion Britten Sinfonia plays Steve Reich Anne Sofie von Otter & Brooklyn Rider Louis Schwizgebel in Recital Saffron Walden Symphony Orchestra Madeleine Peyroux

DECEMBER

Saturday 3 7pm Sunday 4 7.30pm Sunday 11 1.30pm & 4.30pm Saturday 17 7.30pm Thursday 22 7pm

A Christmas Carol Gerald Finley and Sir Antonio Pappano in Recital Michael Morpurgo The Best of Times Saffron Walden Choral Society BBC Concert Orchestra

JANUARY

Sunday 15 3pm Friday 20 7.30pm Saturday 28 TBA

Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra St Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra Saffron Walden Choral Society Singing Day

FEBRUARY

Friday 3 7.30pm Saturday 4 7.30pm Sunday 12 2.30pm Saturday 18 2pm & 4pm Saturday 25 7pm Sunday 26 3pm

The English Concert Mahan Esfahani directs Britten Sinfonia Saffron Opera Group Siegfried Britten Sinfonia Max the Brave Robin Hood BBC Symphony Orchestra Saffron Walden Symphony Orchestra

MARCH

Saturday 25 7.30pm

Saffron Walden Choral Society

APRIL

Saturday 1 7.30pm Sir Willard White & Brodsky Quartet Sunday 2 2pm Laura van der Heijden and Tom Poster in Recital Saturday 8 7.30pm Gabrieli Saturday 22 7.30pm Saffron Walden Symphony Orchestra

MAY

Thursday 4 7.30pm Sunday 21 2pm Saturday 27 7.30pm

Sir András Schiff in Recital Richard Uttley in Recital Britten Sinfonia with Thomas Adès

JUNE

Saturday 17 7.30pm Saturday 24 7.30pm

Saffron Walden Symphony Orchestra Saffron Walden Choral Society

31

Saffron Hall Audley End Road Saffron Walden CB11 4UH United Kingdom Box office: 0845 548 7650 www.saffronhall.com

Stay in touch @saffronhallsw saffronhallsw

Saffron Hall gratefully acknowledges generous support from the Yellow Car Charitable Trust.

Administration: 2 Great Chesterford Court, Great Chesterford, Essex CB10 1PF, United Kingdom. 01799 588 545.

32

Printed on paper sourced from sustainable forests.

www.saffronhall.com | 0845 548 7650