Classical Season Guide 2012/13. Featuring Northern Sinfonia

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CLASSICAL SEASON GUIDE

2012/13

Featuring Northern Sinfonia

Classical Concerts at The Sage Gateshead. Bringing people and music together.


Welcome

to The Sage Gateshead Classical Season 2012/13 This brochure breaks exciting new ground for us in several ways. It’s the first time we’ve ever presented our whole classical offer in a single brochure, and it’s also our most wide-ranging and most structured classical programme since we opened The Sage Gateshead.

Making up the rest of our 2012/13 classical season, I’m delighted to say we’ve been able to re-introduce visiting orchestras; Opera North’s epic journey

Northern Sinfonia, Orchestra of The Sage Gateshead, are at the centre of all our classical thinking and planning. They play with a sense of physical excitement, enjoyment and musical depth and subtlety that combine to make every Northern Sinfonia concert a special occasion. This year we’re following up their acclaimed Beethoven and Schubert symphony cycles with the complete symphonies of Brahms and Schumann, and having such exceptional Sinfonia musicians to draw on also gives us a wonderful palette for distinctive chamber music programmes, as you’ll see in these pages.

through Wagner’s four-part Ring reaches its third instalment; lovers of new and contemporary music will find several must-see events during the season, and throughout the year there’s also an engaging thread of the popular programmes that have become firm favourites in our Classic FM, Gala and Christmas programmes. As you read through these pages, once you’ve marked those events that are your personal first choices I hope you will dig deeper and explore some of the events beyond your first interests. Every concert in this richly varied season contains carefully planned, rewarding repertoire which will be played to the highest

standards in halls, judged by conducting superstar Lorin Maazel (after his debut here) as amongst the five most exciting, immediate acoustics in the world. Whatever you choose from this enticing menu we look forward to welcoming you to The Sage Gateshead, and I and my colleagues hope you have many really rewarding and enjoyable musical experiences here during 2012/13. Anthony Sargent, General Director

Anthony Sargent

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Europe in the 1960s and America in the present day, all in the intimate setting of Hall Two.

Northern Sinfonia Spotlight NSS

Things to look out for The Romantic Symphony

Northern Sinfonia and Music Director, Thomas Zehetmair present the symphonies of Brahms and Schumann. With musical and personal connections these two masters of the 19th century took the symphonic form on from Beethoven and created a Romantic sound and style that would open the door for the next generation of great symphonists; Rachmaninov, Tchaikovksy and Mahler. Known for stylistic excellence, meticulous precision and intimate understanding, Zehetmair and Northern Sinfonia’s interpretation of these great works is not to be missed.

Concert Series Immerse yourself in the joy of the classical repertoire with some of the

most famous works in history. Whether you prefer the beauty of Vaughan Williams’s ‘The Lark Ascending’, the intensity of Elgar’s Cello Concerto, the energy of Grieg’s Piano Concerto or the virtuosity of Vivaldi’s ‘The Four Seasons’, there is something here for everyone. Each concert is packed full of popular masterpieces that you’ll hear on television, film and radio.

The Late Mix

If you are looking for something unusual and interesting then look no further than Hall Two at 9pm. Here you’ll find extraordinary works that you won’t hear in regular concerts, experience a modern view of music from the past and learn about composers who changed the course of musical history. Music from Venice in the 1500s, Austria in the 1700s, Paris in the 1920s, Eastern

See the talented and versatile musicians of Northern Sinfonia step into the spotlight for solo and ensemble performances. After selected concerts, musicians from all sections of the Orchestra will showcase their talent with music that is close to their hearts. Hall One stage will be their forum and ticket holders are invited to enjoy and learn about the people who make up this wonderful Northern Sinfonia.

Rising Stars

The Sage Gateshead is proud to be a member of the European Concert Halls Organisation (ECHO) and delighted to host the ECHO Rising Stars. Nominated and selected by the member venues from across Europe these young artists are at the start of their careers that are sure to be glittering and are given the intimate platform of our Hall Two.

Gala

Our Gala concerts are special, one off evenings, perfect for nights out with family and friends.

Gabrieli Residency

(See page 14) We are delighted to welcome Paul McCreesh and his Gabrieli Consort and Players to celebrate two anniversaries. The ensemble’s namesake, Giovanni Gabrieli, is celebrated at the 400th anniversary of his death with a re-creation of a Venetian Coronation from St. Mark’s, Venice, presented in Durham Cathedral. 2012 also marks the 30th anniversary of the founding of the Gabrieli Consort by Paul McCreesh, celebrated with a performance of one of their most exciting programmes from in Hall One, ‘Three Odes to St Cecilia’. St Cecilia’s day is the date and what better way to thank the patron saint of music than enjoying this beautiful music in stunning surroundings.

Ian Watson: Sub-principal - Second Violin

Paul McCreesh

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Concert Calendar

SEPTEMBER

Look out for these symbols throughout the calendar.

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SUNDAY 16TH SEPTEMBER

The Romantic Symphony 1

7PM - HALL ONE

FRIDAY 28TH SEPTEMBER

John Wilson: Conductor Northern Sinfonia

HALL ONE

Calling All Workers

Unless otherwise stated, ticket prices are: Hall One: A: £32 B: £26 C: £19 D: £10 Hall Two: £16 Concessions available Concerts start at 7.30pm in Hall One and 8pm in Hall Two unless otherwise stated.

NSS Northern Sinfonia Spotlight (see page 5 for details)

2012

Buses (see page 42 for details)

Pre-concert talk at 6.30pm

Principal Conductor John Wilson opens the season with a concert of some of the best British light music. Hear delightful and memorable tunes by Eric Coates, Arthur Sullivan and Henry Wood amongst others. This is the perfect way to see out your summer, letting John and Northern Sinfonia ‘call you back to work’.

Gala

Booking Dates Sage Supporters and Northern Sinfonia Friends can book from Saturday 19th May. 2011/12 subscribers can book from Saturday 26th May. Public booking opens on Friday 15th June. If you would like to join one of our membership schemes and benefit from priority booking, please contact Ticket Office on 0191 443 4661. Prices and discounts The more you book, the more you save*: 4-7 concerts 10% off 8-11 concerts 15% off 12-19 concerts 20% off 20+ concerts 25% off *Does not apply to Gala concerts, ECHO Rising Stars, Opera North, Christmas concerts, ‘The Messiah’ and the Gabrieli Consort concerts.

Thomas Zehetmair: Conductor Northern Sinfonia Schumann Symphony No.1 in B flat ‘Spring’ Brahms Symphony No.1 in C minor When Robert Schumann encountered a young Johannes Brahms, one of the most fascinating, explosive and fruitful friendships in musical history began. Brahms revived Schumann’s flagging spirit; Schumann nurtured Brahms’s emerging skills. “He’ll become a great symphonist” said Schumann of his young follower, and he was right. When Brahms’s symphonic journey eventually launched, it did so like an arrow-shot in slow motion, his first symphony steamrolling towards a truly angelic Andante and a cheering, striding finale. B

John Wilson: Principal Conductor

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Thomas Zehetmair: Music Director

When buying a package you can pay in instalments over a six month period. Please tick the box on the booking form or ask at Ticket Office for more details.

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NSS Northern Sinfonia Spotlight

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P Pre-concert talk at 6.30pm

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SEPTEMBER

2012

OCTOBER 2012

Brahms and Schumann

Mozart’s Haffner THURSDAY 4TH OCTOBER

SATURDAY 13TH OCTOBER

SATURDAY 29TH SEPTEMBER

HALL ONE

HALL ONE

HALL TWO

Kyra Humphreys: Director/Violin Northern Sinfonia

John Wilson: Conductor Northern Sinfonia

Schumann Piano Trio No.2 in F

Mozart Adagio and Rondo for Violin and Orchestra

Coates Concert Valse: Dancing Nights

Dietrich Allegro from Frei Aber Einsam Sonata

Shostakovich Chamber Symphony in A flat (arr. Barshai from Tenth String Quartet)

Brahms Scherzo from Frei Aber Einsam Sonata

Mozart March in D Serenade No.7 in D ‘Haffner’

Schumann Intermezzo & Finale from Frei Aber Einsam Sonata

1776, and Salzburg’s elite gathered for the society wedding of the decade. For the marriage of Siegmund Haffner’s daughter, Mozart delivered the ultimate gift: a mighty Serenade built on a symphonic scale, with a concerto’s virtuosity but the palatable qualities of a fine Champagne. Hear it here alongside gorgeous and graceful miniatures from the same pen and Rudolph Barshai’s dexterous arrangement of Shostakovich’s moving Tenth Quartet.

Northern Sinfonia

Brahms Trio for horn, violin and piano in E flat

Kyra Humphreys

Another look at the complex companionship of Johannes Brahms and Robert Schumann, now through the prism of their chamber music. The ‘Frei Aber Einsam’ sonata was a three-movement work dedicated to the violinist Joseph Joachim; Brahms and Schumann wrote a movement each, with their friend Albert Dietrich contributing another. It’s a complex, troubled but ultimately touching piece, heard here as a prelude to Brahms’s towering Horn Trio.

Classical Concerts at The Sage Gateshead. Bringing people and music together.

Dancing Nights

Ravel Ma Mere L’Oye (complete ballet score) Vaughan Williams Symphony No.5 in D As London waned under attacks from enemy bombers, Ralph Vaughan Williams offered its people his Fifth Symphony. Suddenly, against the severity of war, there was the serenity of peace – a glimpse of spiritual victory that felt as real in the music as could be imagined. John Wilson conducts Vaughan Williams’s great masterpiece and delicate dance scores by Coates and Ravel. Tickets A/B:£26 C:£19 D:£10

Concert Series

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NSS Northern Sinfonia Spotlight

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P Pre-concert talk at 6.30pm

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OCTOBER 2012 The Romantic Symphony 2

OCTOBER 2012 Cori Spezzati

ECHO Rising Stars

SATURDAY 27TH OCTOBER

SUNDAY 28TH OCTOBER

FRIDAY 19TH OCTOBER

9pm - HALL TWO - IN THE ROUND

11AM - HALL TWO

HALL ONE

Alan Fearon: Conductor Northern Sinfonia Chorus

Adam Banda: Violin

Thomas Zehetmair: Conductor Northern Sinfonia

Venetian polychoral style G Gabrieli, A Gabrieli, Adrian Willaert, Gioseffo Zarlino, Claudio Merulo, Monteverdi

Brahms Symphony No.2 in D Schumann dug deep to find some inner strength as he wrote his second symphony in the midst of sickness. “I have tried to prevail against my physical condition”, wrote Schumann of the piece, and its ultimate triumph suggests he succeeded. Fighting from the very start, the symphony burns towards moments of thrilling invention, and ultimately to uplifting renewal and optimism – the sort expressed by Brahms’s own Second Symphony, his glowing vision of the miracle of life. P

For one night The Sage Gateshead becomes the intricate baroque splendour of St Mark’s Basilica in Venice. There, four centuries ago, the walls would have resounded with the sound of choirs and instruments projecting from all directions; echoes real and manufactured; splendour on an unheard scale. Marking four hundred years since the death of Giovanni Gabrieli, Northern Sinfonia Chorus conjure all the magnificence of the Venetian cori spezzati style, live in Gateshead!

The Late Mix

Schumann Symphony No.2 in C

Adam Banda’s main influence stems from the rich tradition of Hungarian music. In this recital he brings two composers from his homeland – Dohnányi and Bartók, alongside Tchaikovsky, and the wonderful Ravel Tzigane.

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NOVEMBER 2012

NOVEMBER 2012

The Magic Flute

Dreams of Summer

Volkov’s Beethoven

György Ligeti

FRIDAY 2ND NOVEMBER

SATURDAY 10TH NOVEMBER

THURSDAY 15TH NOVEMBER

WEDNESDAY 21ST NOVEMBER

HALL ONE

HALL ONE

HALL ONE

9pm - HALL TWO

Mario Venzago: Conductor Juliette Bausor: Flute Northern Sinfonia

Bradley Creswick: Director/Violin Northern Sinfonia

Ilan Volkov: Conductor Mike Svoboda: Sackbut Northern Sinfonia

Northern Sinfonia

Delius On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring Summer Night on the River

Ibert Flute Concerto Schoeck Sommernacht

When Othmar Schoeck received a commission for a new orchestral score in 1945, he was typically unenthused. Then his daughter returned from school entranced by Gottfried Keller’s poem ‘Summer Night’. Schoeck knew the poem’s shimmering, magical verses and immediately had the inspiration for the most atmospheric orchestral score he’d write. Mario Venzago conducts ‘Sommernacht’ alongside Dvorák’s most propulsive symphony and colourful gems by Ibert and Mozart. B

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Nancarrow (arr Mikhasoff) Piano Player Studies

Benedict Mason Concerto for Sackbut

Ligeti Horn Trio

Dowland (arr. Andrew Manze) Pavan ‘Lachrimae Antiquae’

Haydn Sinfonia Concertante in B flat

DvoRák Symphony No.7 in D minor

Bartók Contrasts

Thomas Adès Three Studies from Couperin

Beethoven Symphony No.7 in A

Vaughan Williams The Lark Ascending Mozart Symphony No.38 in D ‘Prague’ In Prague, Mozart felt welcomed and respected. One of the results of his rapport with the Czech people was a symphony that broke new ground in orchestral composition. Changeable, thrilling, dramatic and argumentative, the Prague Symphony felt more free and more intense than any that went before it. Hear it here against the rhapsodic beauty of musical landscapes by Delius, Vaughan Williams and Haydn.

Northern Sinfonia premieres Benedict Mason’s ‘Concerto for Sackbut’ and presents afresh a symphony that sounded like nothing on earth when it was first heard in 1812. While Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony represented a struggle against fate, his Seventh was controlled, inspired and propelled by the power of rhythm. Ilan Volkov lights the blue touch paper on Beethoven’s most blazingly triumphant orchestral work. B

NSS

Tickets A/B:£26 C:£19 D:£10

Concert Series B

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When the pianist Eckart Besch asked György Ligeti to write a companion piece to Brahms’s Horn Trio (29th September), the composer had an instantaneous reaction. “I heard the sound of a horn as if coming from a distant forest in a fairy tale”, he later recalled. The resulting music, among the most directly emotional Ligeti ever created, has become a touchstone of stylistic individuality and heartfelt commitment. We hear it here in the context of Ligeti’s great predecessor Béla Bartók and his great obsession with Conlon Nancarrow.

The Late Mix

Mozart Overture: The Marriage of Figaro

Mozart Overture: The Magic Flute

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NOVEMBER 2012

NOVEMBER 2012

Three Odes to St Cecilia

Venetian Coronation Mass

A Sci-Fi Odyssey SUNDAY 25TH NOVEMBER

THURSDAY 22ND NOVEMBER

FRIDAY 23RD NOVEMBER

7PM - HALL ONE Carl Davis: Conductor Northern Sinfonia

Purcell Welcome to all the Pleasures

Britten Hymn to St Cecilia

‘A Venetian Coronation 1595’ is a musical re-creation of the Coronation Mass for the Venetian Doge Marino Grimani, evoking the grand pageantry of what would have been a truly magnificent event. A performance that is at once theatrical and ceremonial.

Purcell Hail, bright Cecilia!

Tickets A:£32 B:£26 C:£15

Purcell Ode for St Cecilia’s Day (1683)

Purcell Ode for St. Cecilia’s Day (1692) Celebrating the music of Britten and Purcell, ‘Three Odes for St Cecilia’ is a concert of works written in praise of St Cecilia, patron saint of music, by two of Britain’s finest composers.

Ever popular visiting conductor, Carl Davis, brings a spectacular programme of Sci-Fi TV and movie classics. From theme tunes to television classics ‘Red Dwarf’ and ‘Doctor Who’, to the epic sounds of Strauss, used in ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’, from ‘The Lord of the Rings’ to ‘Jurassic Park’, there is something here at every end of the Sci-Fi spectrum.

Gala

DURHAM CATHEDRAL Gabrieli Consort and players

Durham Cathedral

Carl Davis

Gabrieli Residency

HALL ONE Gabrieli Consort and players

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2012

Messiah

DECEMBER

SATURDAY 1ST DECEMBER

Bruckner’s Apocalyptic

7PM - HALL ONE

WEDNESDAY 5TH DECEMBER

Matthew Halls: Conductor Joanne Lunn: Soprano Christopher Ainslie: Countertenor Thomas Hobbs: Tenor Matthew Brook: Bass Northern Sinfonia Northern Sinfonia Chorus

Andris Nelsons: Conductor Stephen Johnson: Presenter City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra ‘Tuned In’ Lecture with excerpts played by the Orchestra

Christmas

When the Bishop of London banned religious-themed works from London theatres in the 1730s, Handel saw an opportunity to maintain the public’s appetite for sacred stories and dramatic music. He created the oratorio ‘Messiah’ for concert performance in sacred buildings. Part German Passion, part English Anthem, part Italian Opera, ‘Messiah’ changed the landscape of vocal music in Britain and has held audiences awestruck for nearly three centuries – a towering and inspired creation for soloists, chorus and Orchestra that still brings audiences to their feet.

Rejoice

Pastoral

SATURDAY 8TH DECEMBER 7.30PM - HALL ONE

THURSDAY 13TH DECEMBER HALL ONE

SUNDAY 9TH DECEMBER 3PM - HALL ONE

HALL ONE

Handel Messiah

2012

Bruckner Symphony No.8 in C minor From the summer of 1884, Anton Bruckner struggled to give birth to his last completed symphony – the grand and complex masterpiece that was his Eighth. The resulting piece is one of magical solemnity, an incomparable portrait in sound glistening with the strings of Bruckner’s newly discovered harp. Here Stephen Johnson puts an undoubted but troubled masterpiece in context while Andris Nelsons and his CBSO bring the music to life.

Thomas Zehetmair: Conductor/ Violin Northern Sinfonia

Simon Halsey: Conductor Northern Sinfonia Northern Sinfonia Chorus Quay Voices Quay Lads Quay Lasses

Haydn Violin Concerto in C Symphony No.60 in C ‘Il distratto’

Our annual festive concert led by the wonderful Simon Halsey. Expect seasonal music and readings, as well as some carols to join in with. Supported by the Vardy Foundation.

Christmas

DECEMBER

Beethoven Symphony No.6 in F ‘Pastoral’ Between the tumultuous upheavals of his Fifth and Seventh Symphonies, Beethoven’s Sixth feels like a sudden step into daylight – into the softened world of the countryside, its quiet exaltation and its strengthening sense of communion. For Beethoven, the countryside was a distraction. As was the theatre for Joseph Haydn, who plundered one of his wittiest theatrical scores to spawn the symphony ‘Il distratto’, his most overtly amusing and prank-prone orchestral piece. Tickets: A/B:£26 C:£19 D:£10

Concert Series

Tickets: A:£36 B:£29 C:£22 D:£13

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NSS

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DECEMBER

2012

JANUARY 2013

The Snowman

The Gruffalo

New Year Viennese

SUNDAY 23RD DECEMBER

FRIDAY 28TH DECEMBER

TUESDAY 1ST JANUARY

2PM AND 5PM - HALL ONE

2PM AND 5PM - HALL ONE

3PM AND 7PM - HALL ONE

MONDAY 24TH DECEMBER

Terry Davies: Conductor Northern Sinfonia

Bradley Creswick: Director Northern Sinfonia

New for 2012 - we’ll be screening the hugely acclaimed films ‘The Gruffalo’ and ‘The Gruffalo’s Child’, accompanied live by Northern Sinfonia playing René Aubry’s exciting scores.

See in the New Year in traditional Viennese style with Northern Sinfonia and a stunning array of waltzes, polkas and marches from the Viennese master - Johann Strauss.

Alan Fearon: Conductor Claire Tustin: Animateur Northern Sinfonia ‘The Snowman’ has become something of a Christmas tradition here at The Sage Gateshead. Bring all the family along to watch the classic animated film on the big screen, accompanied live by Northern Sinfonia playing Howard Blake’s score.

NSS

© Snowman Enterprises Ltd. 1982, 2012

Three Baroque Tenors SATURDAY 12TH JANUARY HALL ONE Bernard Labadie: Conductor Ian Bostridge: Tenor Northern Sinfonia Works by handel, vivaldi, boyce, gasparini and caldara Meet Annivale Pio Fabri – a florid tenor with a voice as powerful as they come. Then there’s Francesco Borosini, a born stage animal blessed with vocal and physical characterisation like none other. And finally John Beard, whose renditions of ballads and simple songs will touch you as words never could. Legend of the concert stage Ian Bostridge transforms himself into ‘Three Baroque Tenors’ who revolutionised 18th century music with panache and aplomb. B

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Bradley Creswick: Leader of Northern Sinfonia

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Northern Sinfonia Chorus

Ian Bostridge

Christmas

Tickets £15 Family Ticket £50 (four people, must include at least one child)

Tickets £18 Family Ticket £60 (four people, must include at least one child)

Christmas

11AM AND 2PM - HALL ONE

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Russian Masters

JANUARY 2013

SUNDAY 13TH JANUARY

Serenade of Strings

The Classical Symphony

HALL TWO

FRIDAY 18TH JANUARY

THURSDAY 24TH JANUARY

Northern Sinfonia

HALL ONE

HALL ONE

Stravinsky The Soldier’s Tale

Kyra Humphreys: Director Northern Sinfonia

Rimsky-Korsakov Quintet

Elgar Introduction and Allegro

Nicholas McGegan: Conductor Antonio Meneses: Cello Northern Sinfonia

Glinka Trio Pathetique

Suk Meditation on an Old Bohemian Hymn

Shostakovich Piano Quintet As war and Stalin’s purge raged through Soviet Russia, its people faced a bleak future. “It felt like hope would never return”, said violinist Rostislav Dubinsky. But Shostakovich’s new ‘Piano Quintet’ was akin to a lifeline. “People discussed it in trams, they tried to sing the defiant second theme of the finale in the street,” Dubinsky recalled. That second theme is the emotional core of an undeniably shattering piece, heard alongside chamber greats from Russia tinged with melancholy.

Vaughan Williams Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis

Post War Paris TUESDAY 29th JANUARY 9pm - HALL TWO - CABARET STYLE Northern Sinfonia Faure Nocturne No.13 for piano

Mozart Symphony No.15 in G

Milhaud String Quartet No.6

Haydn Cello Concerto in C Symphony No.101 in D ‘The Clock’

Ravel Tzigane for violin and piano Les Albums Des Six

J.C. Bach Symphony No.2 in B flat

Holst St. Paul’s Suite

When an unsuspecting Joseph Haydn arrived in London in 1791, the music-obsessed capital went mad for him. In the heat of the moment, Haydn wrote a series of symphonies that repaid the adoration of his new English fans with music of intensity, drive, humour and majesty. The audience enjoyed ‘The Clock’ so much they demanded its first two movements be immediately repeated. It’s preceded here by a glistening Haydn concerto and works by Mozart and the ‘London’ Bach.

Dvorák Serenade for Strings The woody textures and delicious blend of stringed instruments have drawn some of the most charmed and perfect creations from composers the world over. Here we sample some of the finest, from the luminous, shimmering prayer of Vaughan Williams’s ‘Tallis Fantasia’ to the chugging warmth and joie de vivre of Dvorák’s ‘Serenade for Strings’. A proper winter warmer.

NSS

Tickets: A/B:£26 C:£19 D:£10

Concert Series B

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Honegger Danse de la chevre Debussy Sonata for Cello Poulenc Sonata for trumpet, trombone and horn Paris, 1920. Whilst Stravinsky and Debussy were busy changing the course of musical history, a group of Parisian composers were observing as if from a pavement café, imitating what they admired and ridiculing what they didn’t. They became known as Les Six – their music infused with satire, fashion, curiosity and the newly discovered exoticism of jazz. We sample their stylish sounds here alongside works by the establishment figures they so loved and mocked.

The Late Mix

JANUARY 2013

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FEBRUARY 2013

FEBRUARY 2013 Nelson Mass

FRIDAY 1ST FEBRUARY

FRIDAY 8TH FEBRUARY

HALL ONE

HALL ONE Simon Halsey: Conductor Kate Valentine: Soprano Claudia Huckle: Alto James Oxley: Tenor Henk Neven: Bass Northern Sinfonia Northern Sinfonia Chorus

Andrew Litton: Conductor Christian Ihle Hadland: Piano Bergen Symphony Orchestra Delius On the Mountains Beethoven Piano Concerto No.3 in C minor

A Night at the Ballet

Eric Whitacre Songs of Immortality

Strauss Ein Heldenleben (‘A Hero’s life’)

Finzi Dies Natalis

For his orchestral rollercoaster ride ‘A Hero’s Life’, Richard Strauss cast around for a heroic figure to depict, and settled on someone pretty close to home – himself. This excitable musical autobiography brims with panache but matures to a place of noble reflection. If Strauss’s piece is a humbling glimpse of life’s journey, so too is Beethoven’s third Piano Concerto, created during the agonising early stages of his deafness but resounding nonetheless in its own heroism and defiance. Tickets: A:£36 B:£29 C:£22 D:£13 B

Haydn Mass in D minor ‘Nelson Mass’

SUNDAY 10TH FEBRUARY 7pm - HALL ONE Martin Yates: Conductor Northern Sinfonia Northern Sinfonia welcomes, for the first time, Martin Yates. A regular conductor of the Royal Ballet Covent Garden since 2004, Martin brings a programme of classics from ‘Romeo and Juliet’ to ‘The Nutcracker’. A wonderful opportunity to let these great works, played by a great Orchestra, take the centre stage.

Gala

A Hero’s Life

As Haydn began work on a new Mass subtitled ‘In A Time Of Need’ in 1798, Lord Nelson blew the French fleet out of the water at the Egyptian port of Aboukir. Consciously or not, Haydn captured the victory in ‘The Benedictus of his Mass’, where blazing trumpets burst gloriously into the usually -calm vocal textures – a brilliant contrast to the gradual, sleepy awakening of Finzi’s tender songs on birth.

P Juliette Bausor: Section Leader - Flute

Simon Halsey

James Oxley

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FEBRUARY 2013

FEBRUARY 2013

The Romantic Symphony 3

Unfinished Masterpiece

Beethoven Violin Concerto

FRIDAY 15TH FEBRUARY

FRIDAY 22ND FEBRUARY

THURSDAY 28TH FEBRUARY

HALL ONE

HALL ONE

HALL ONE

Thomas Zehetmair: Conductor Northern Sinfonia

Mario Venzago: Conductor Christian Poltera: Cello Northern Sinfonia

Mario Venzago: Conductor Veronika Eberle: Violin Northern Sinfonia

Schubert Symphony No.8 in B minor ‘Unfinished’

W. F. Bach Adagio and Fugue in D minor

Brahms Symphony No.3 in F Schumann Symphony No.3 E flat ‘Rhenish’ Schumann’s Rhine-inspired Third Symphony was written shortly before the composer began a shocking descent into insanity. Brahms was there to care for Schumann in his last days, and when he came to write his own Third Symphony Brahms filled it with the Rhenish charm of Schumann’s: its impulsive musical flow, relentless melodic invention and deep luminous orchestration – a touching homage to the Schumann Brahms knew and adored. B

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Veronika Eberle

Mendelssohn Symphony No.1 in C minor

Elgar Cello Concerto in E minor

Beethoven Violin Concerto in D

Mozart Symphony No.41 in C ‘Jupiter’

Fervor and ferocity gripped Felix Mendelssohn as he began work on his First Symphony, its C minor key and heightened sense of power and dissonance echoing the revolutions of Beethoven himself. That composer’s own Violin Concerto, however, appears an oasis of calm in his mature creative life: an expression of quiet serenity and love in its intertwining of solo violin with supporting Orchestra.

Mozart didn’t know his ‘Jupiter’ symphony would become his last, but it’s difficult to imagine how he could have followed a work of such scale, majesty, intensity and liberation. At the dusk of his own career, Elgar looked around at a world he barely recognised; his shy, angry and profound Cello Concerto was his lament for lost times, while we open with a piece unfinished at its composer’s own untimely death.

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Tickets: A/B:£26 C:£19 D:£10

Mario Venzago: Principal Conductor

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Concert Series NSS

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Thomas Zehetmair: Music Director

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2013

MARCH

2013

Harmoniemusik

Can’t Help Singing

Fischer’s Beethoven

THURSDAY 7TH MARCH

SUNDAY 10TH MARCH

THURSDAY 14TH MARCH

9pm - HALL TWO - IN THE ROUND

7PM - HALL ONE

HALL ONE

Northern Sinfonia

John Wilson: Conductor Kim Criswell: Vocal Northern Sinfonia

Thierry Fischer: Conductor Baiba Skride: Violin Northern Sinfonia

Northern Sinfonia welcome John Wilson back again, this time with regular guest vocalist Kim Criswell, to sing the songs of some of Hollywood’s greatest stars. A Broadway regular, Kim brings her incredible skills to songs made popular by artists as diverse as Julie Andrews and Liza Minelli. A night to leave you singing all the way home.

Bartók Music for Strings, Percussion and Celeste

SUNDAY 24TH MARCH 7PM - HALL ONE Wayne Marshall: Conductor Mary Carewe: Vocal Northern Sinfonia

Martin Violin Concerto Beethoven Symphony No.8 in F

B

The Late Mix

In July 1782 Mozart unveiled one of his most weird and wonderful creations: an opera enthused with Ottoman themes that sounded less ‘Austrian’ than anything he’d write. ‘The Abduction from the Seraglio’ used Turkish cymbals and piccolo to support its exotic and heartfelt narrative of devotion and freedom. Exactly two centuries later Mozart’s own ‘suite’ version was discovered, scored for his beloved ‘harmoniemusik’ ensemble of glowing, piercing winds which brings the same music to life with uncanny conviction and style.

Gala

Mozart Harmoniemusik from Il Seraglio

Cabaret! Berlin to Broadway

Paradoxes and surprises, new sensations and curious colourings – all abound in the three works heard here. The delicate shadings of Beethoven’s short Eighth Symphony posed a far bigger challenge to the composer than the furious rhythms of the Seventh (15th November). Bartók’s mysteriously scored creation has the feeling of music from another world – at once utterly foreign and beguilingly beautiful. In between come the soaring, luminous lines of Frank Martin’s Violin Concerto, played by the irrepressible Baiba Skride.

Mary Carewe first joined Northern Sinfonia singing all of the greatest James Bond themes, and we’re delighted to welcome her back with a programme of her first love – true, grown up, cabaret. Accompanied by conductor Wayne Marshall (a master of cabaret and American music) let yourself be led through the seedy streets of pre-WWII Germany through to the Broadway homages of the 60s. But don’t tell mama.

Gala

MARCH

NSS

Thierry Fischer

Baiba Skride

Classical Concerts at The Sage Gateshead. Bringing people and music together.

NSS Northern Sinfonia Spotlight

B Buses

P Pre-concert talk at 6.30pm

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MARCH

2013

Distant Light FRIDAY 29TH MARCH

MARCH Petite Symphony

ECHO Rising Stars

SATURDAY 30TH MARCH

SUNDAY 31ST MARCH

HALL ONE

HALL TWO

11 AM - HALL TWO

Bradley Creswick: Director Northern Sinfonia

Northern Sinfonia

Daniela Koch: Flute Oliver Triendl: Piano

Bartók Rumanian Folk Dances Peteris Vasks Violin Concerto ‘Distant Light’ Prokofiev (arr. Barshai) Visions Fugitives Bartók Divertimento Even as the Russian revolution unfurled outside his window, Prokofiev maintained work on his ‘Vision Fugitives’ – snapshots of life and feeling, by turns mournful and mischievous and surely among the most elegant and revealing of Prokofiev’s works. The very human foibles of Prokofiev’s miniatures are countered by the heavenly ingle span of ‘Distant Light’, the violin concerto by Latvian Peteris Vasks that is fast becoming a modern classic.

2013

Gounod Petite Symphonie JanáCek Mládi Ibert Trois Pieces Breve Enescu Dectet

Daniela Koch has already cemented her place as an exciting young flautist, winning international competitions, and performing concertos across Europe with a diverse range of orchestras. In this recital, through works by Mozart, Schubert, Enesco and Taffanel we really hear the variety in how composers have used the flute.

Jenny Chang: Sub-principal - Second Violin

It was only in his eighth decade upon this earth that Leos Janácek allowed the spirit and enthusiasm of youth to impregnate his works. A series of late, youth-themed masterpieces from his seventies is exemplified by Mládi – a wind sextet that bubbles forth with generosity and warmth from a grateful composer who waited many years for recognition. Charming works from France and Enescu’s Romania complete this showcase for Northern Sinfonia’s brilliant winds.

Louisa Tuck: Section Leader - Cello

Classical Concerts at The Sage Gateshead. Bringing people and music together.

NSS Northern Sinfonia Spotlight

B Buses

P Pre-concert talk at 6.30pm

www.thesagegateshead.org 29


APRIL

2013

APRIL

Grieg Piano Concerto

Contemporary America

THURSDAY 4TH APRIL

2013

ECHO Rising Stars

Angela Hewitt

SUNDAY 14TH APRIL

FRIDAY 19TH APRIL

FRIDAY 12TH APRIL

11AM - HALL TWO

HALL ONE

HALL ONE

9pm - HALL TWO

Igor Levit: Piano

Rory McDonald: Conductor Denis Kozhukhin: Piano Northern Sinfonia

Northern Sinfonia

Beethoven Diabelli Variations

Angela Hewitt: Director/Piano Northern Sinfonia

Steve Reich Violin Phase

Beethoven Overture to Leonora No.3

Igor Levit is an incredibly versatile musician, working with top orchestras as well as incredible chamber musicians. In this recital he tackles Beethoven’s hugely exciting set of variations on Diabelli’s simple waltz.

Elliott Carter Piano Quintet

Grieg Piano Concerto in A minor

John Cage Fourteen

Something in Italy got under Felix Mendelssohn’s skin. At least, you’d think as much hearing his Fourth Symphony. Bathed in southern warmth, it contains some of Mendelssohn’s most exhilarating music, its strident opening theme lunging out over pulsating winds. Inspiration of a very different sort impregnates the still beauty at the heart of Grieg’s Piano Concerto, whose central Adagio remains a miracle of simplicity and poignancy. Tickets: A/B:£26 C:£19 D:£10

Concert Series NSS

B

Mozart Piano Concerto No.9 in E flat ‘Jeunehomme’ Bach Keyboard Concerto No.3 in D

David Lang These Broken Wings

Mozart Piano Concerto No.20 in D minor

It was in America where 20th century music was subjected to the freest and most inspiring brands of experimentation. The Sage Gateshead’s Composer in Association David Lang curates this concert which includes his own propulsive and playful ‘These Broken Wings’, music from the provocative and wild, as well as to the hypnotic and serene from the pens of Steve Reich, Elliott Carter and John Cage.

He might have been a young man when he wrote it, but you can almost feel Mozart maturing through his Ninth piano concerto – in the stylish confidence of its opening movement, in its slow Andantino, cast in a light more still and grave than anything he’d written. “In her hands, it’s something profound” said a review of Angela Hewitt’s recent recording of the work. Don’t miss her here, pitting energetic Bach against glowing Mozart.

The Late Mix

Mendelssohn Symphony No.4 in A ‘Italian’

Bach Keyboard Concerto No.7 in G minor

P

Angela Hewitt

Classical Concerts at The Sage Gateshead. Bringing people and music together.

NSS Northern Sinfonia Spotlight

B Buses

P Pre-concert talk at 6.30pm

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APRIL

2013

MAY 2013

ECHO Rising Stars

Fiddle Fantasia

Dean’s Beethoven

SUNDAY 28TH APRIL

FRIDAY 3RD MAY

THURSDAY 9TH MAY

11AM - HALL TWO

HALL ONE

HALL ONE

Isabelle Druett: Mezzo soprano Anne Le Bozec: Piano

Bradley Creswick: Director/Violin Northern Sinfonia

Brett Dean: Director Northern Sinfonia

With her rich sumptuous voice, it’s easy to hear why Isabelle Druet is quickly becoming such an in demand singer. In this recital Isabelle looks to Shakespeare as her inspiration, with works from composers including Berlioz, Saint-Saëns, Brahms and Ivor Gurney.

Albinoni Adagio for Strings

Beethoven (arr. Brett Dean) Adagio Molto e Mesto (from the First Razumovsky Quartet)

Hubay Herje Kati (arranged for strings only) Jay Ungar The Ashokan Farewell Richard Martin: Section leader - Trumpet

Brett Dean Testament Beethoven Symphony No.3 E flat ‘Eroica’

Handel Concerto Grosso Op.6 Vivaldi The Four Seasons Ever versatile and virtuosic, the North East’s very own Bradley Creswick directs Northern Sinfonia in this concert of favourites for strings and solo violin. Included are Vivaldi’s four most famous concertos and heart-rending autumn-coloured works by Ungar and Albinoni. Spring will certainly be the prevailing mood, though, in a concert that promises energy in spades.

Beethoven could bear it no longer. On 6th October 1802 he sat down to write to his brothers, but what came out might as well have been addressed to the world. He knew he was going deaf, but he railed against his decline with everything he had. The defiance of the Heiligenstadt Testament was thrust into the Third Symphony and the Op.59 string quartet – strong, heroic and humbling. Brett Dean directs these pieces and his own reflection on Beethoven’s stance against physical decline. P

Tickets: A/B:£26 C:£19 D:£10

Concert Series B

Michael O Donnell: Principal - Oboe

Classical Concerts at The Sage Gateshead. Bringing people and music together.

Brett Dean NSS Northern Sinfonia Spotlight

B Buses

P Pre-concert talk at 6.30pm

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MAY 2013

MAY 2013 Seven Last Words

SUNDAY 12TH MAY

FRIDAY 17TH MAY

HALL TWO

HALL ONE

Northern Sinfonia Shostakovich Two Pieces for String Octet (Prelude and Scherzo) Brett Dean Epitaphs Strauss Capriccio Mendelssohn Octet “The flight of the clouds and the veil of mist are lighted from above. A breeze in the leaves…a wind in the trees.” These were the words from Goethe’s ‘Faust’ that inspired the 16-year-old Mendelssohn to write his first great masterpiece – the resplendent, enchanting and extraordinary Octet. Before it comes Brett Dean’s ‘Epitaphs’ – a homage to five great figures of our time in string quintet form.

The Two Of Us: The Lennon and McCartney Songbook

Nicholas Collon: Conductor Northern Sinfonia Northern Sinfonia Chorus

SUNDAY 26TH MARCH 7PM - HALL ONE

James MacMillan Seven Last Words from the Cross MAHLER (arr. Britten) What the Wild Flowers Tell Me Shostakovich Symphony No.9 in E flat When Soviet forces prevailed on the Eastern Front in 1945, the authorities expected a celebratory work from Shostakovich full of nobility, pride and power. Instead he delivered one of his most curious and comic creations, a symphony that lurches brilliantly from circus-like humour into suggestions of darkness and angst. Before it, in utter contrast, comes the intense spiritual power and depth of James MacMillan’s meditation on the crucifixion.

Following our John Lennon Songbook concert, we revisit Lennon, focusing on his incredible songwriting relationship with Paul McCartney. Once again we are joined by Joe Stilgoe, alongside award-winning jazz singer Claire Martin and actor and vocalist Mark McGann. Join us for this rare opportunity to hear all your Beatles favourites, including ‘Penny Lane’, ‘All You Need Is Love’, ‘Yesterday’, ‘Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds’, ‘Strawberry Fields’ and more, accompanied by Northern Sinfonia.

P

Danse Concertantes THURSDAY 30TH MAY HALL ONE Ainars Rubikis: Conductor Lise de la Salle: Piano Northern Sinfonia Prokofiev Classical Symphony

John Wilson: Conductor Northern Sinfonia

Gala

Epitaphs

Saint Saëns Piano Concerto No.2 in G minor Stravinsky Danses Concertantes Mozart Symphony No.31 in D ‘Paris’ “I feel certain it shall please” wrote Mozart upon finishing his Paris symphony after a series of frustrating false-starts in France. The new symphony did just that, brimming with an effervescence, hope and freshness that tuned directly in to the city’s love for the bold and gregarious. Saint-Saëns, Stravinsky and Prokofiev all lived in Paris after Mozart, their music never losing that elegance, élan and energy which its citizens so adore. NSS

Classical Concerts at The Sage Gateshead. Bringing people and music together.

NSS Northern Sinfonia Spotlight

B Buses

P Pre-concert talk at 6.30pm

B

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2013

THE SAGE GATESHEAD HALL PLANS

The Romantic Symphony 4

The Ring Cycle

SUNDAY 9TH JUNE

HALL ONE

HALL ONE

Richard Farnes: Conductor Opera North

Level 3

SATURDAY 29TH JUNE 2013

Thomas Zehetmair: Conductor Northern Sinfonia Schumann Symphony No.4 D minor

Level 1 Stalls

Level 2

A

A

A

Wagner Siegfried

A

May 1841, and Clara Schumann could hear her husband at work on his Fourth Symphony. “I know it is emerging from the bottom of his heart’ she wrote.” In fact, her husband was writing Clara into the piece: in the delicately winding string and bassoon theme of the work’s opening, Schumann purposefully captured their fragile but heartfelt love. The distinct, mature colouring of Brahms’s final symphony brings our season-long double portrait of Brahms and Schumann to a close. P

BB

BB

The third part of Wagner’s epic ‘Ring Cycle’, being performed over four years by Opera North. In the penultimate part of this great tragedy of love and power, the hero, Siegfried, awakens the warrior maiden Brünnhilde, lying in a deep sleep surrounded by magic fire, and makes her his wife.

A

C

C A

A

Brahms Symphony No.4 in E minor

C D

A

B

A BB

BB C

Stage

Tickets: A:£47 B:£35 C:£28 D:£18

Opera North

JUNE

HALL ONE The areas behind the stage are not always on sale. Please ask Ticket Office.

C

Stage

Stage

D

D

HALL ONE AND TWO In seats on the sides of Levels 2 and 3, you have to lean forwards to obtain a full view of the stage. Please ask our staff for more information.

HALL TWO Hall Two is a flexible, ten-sided space, and is set up for each concert according to what will provide the best experience for the audience: there are three levels, and levels 2 and 3 are gallery-style spaces.

Thomas Zehetmair: Music Director

Classical Concerts at The Sage Gateshead. Bringing people and music together.

NSS Northern Sinfonia Spotlight

B Buses

P Pre-concert talk at 6.30pm

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About Northern Sinfonia Northern Sinfonia, Orchestra of The Sage Gateshead, has built a distinctive reputation as a fresh-thinking and versatile Orchestra. Members are chosen to be part of a community of musicians who present a wide range of repertoire from both the orchestral and chamber canons spanning three centuries of composers. Under its Music Director, Thomas Zehetmair, Northern Sinfonia has taken a dedicated approach to stylistic excellence in all the genres that it performs aiming to present the music ‘as if the ink were still wet on the page’.

Tegwen Jones: Sub-principal - Viola

Performances in its world-class home are complemented by an extensive programme of activity in the local and regional community as well as nationally and internationally, through performance, learning and participation. This season, engagements include the 2012 BBC Proms and the Southbank Centre’s 2013 yearlong festival ‘The Rest is Noise’. The Orchestra will perform in regular destinations including Middlesbrough, Kendal, Harrogate, Dewsbury, Huddersfield and Nottingham. The 2012/13 season will see the Orchestra perform for, and

Classical Concerts at The Sage Gateshead. Bringing people and music together.

work with, families and schools across the region, advanced music students through The Sage Gateshead’s Young Musicians Programme including with its youth Orchestra Young Sinfonia, and advanced composition students at Newcastle University. A full series of classical concerts is complemented with regular collaborations with artists from other art forms to create special moments of musical integration. Sting, Pet Shop Boys, Joanna Newsom, Debbie Harry and Raul Malo have worked with the Orchestra and the musicians have taken an active role in The Sage Gateshead’s three celebrated festivals; Gateshead International Jazz Festival, Fiddles on Fire and SummerTyne Americana. In 2012 Northern Sinfonia will join forces with Danish band Efterklang for a national tour of material from their new album Piramida.

Festival with the Orchestra. The Chorus appear at the BBC Proms in 2012 with the BBC Philharmonic in the premiere of James Macmillan’s ‘Credo’.

Northern Sinfonia Chorus Northern Sinfonia Chorus was founded in 1973 by Northern Sinfonia Timpanist, Alan Fearon their current Chorus Master, and the Chorus has been working with Northern Sinfonia ever since movong to The Sage Gateshead, performing regularly with Northern Sinfonia as well as a cappella. Whilst performing the major masses and oratorios the Chorus has varied its repertoire to match the range of the Orchestra, including performances of David Lang’s ’Little Match Girl Passion’ and his 40-part motet, ‘i never’, commissioned by The Sage Gateshead. The Chorus regularly perform outside The Sage Gateshead and have travelled to Hong Kong

www.thesagegateshead.org 39


Join in and learn with us The Sage Gateshead is both a live music venue and a centre for music education that enables everyone to become involved in, stimulated and excited by music of any genre. We deliver a range of music programmes and projects across the whole of the North East and Cumbria as well as at The Sage Gateshead. These include classes for early years and families, young musicians (including Quay Voices, Stringendo, Sinfonic Winds and Young Sinfonia ensembles, who often have the opportunity to work with Northern Sinfonia); schools and adults as well as a Silver Programme for people over the age of 50. We also deliver two music degree courses with the University of Sunderland (BMus in Popular, Contemporary and Jazz and BA in Community Music).

community musicians and tutors, many of whom perform regularly across the region, nationally and internationally. For more information, please visit www.thesagegateshead.org/join-in. You can also email us at joinin@thesagegateshead.org or call 0191 443 4661. “MySage is... Bringing the music world to my community.” Ernie Stafford, BA (Hons) Community Music Student “MySage is... Inspiring me to play the best music of my life.” Kevin Lees, Folk and Traditional Music degree student and Folkworks Summer Schools tutor.

There are opportunities to explore and create all kinds of music, for people of all ages, at every level of ability and experience. So, whether you are young or old, a beginner or have years of experience; you want to pursue music professionally or as a social pastime or you would just like to join a choir, play in a band, brush up on your music theory, or learn the steel pans – we are sure you will find an opportunity to join in, enjoy and learn with us. All our programmes and classes are delivered by a highly experienced team of

Classical Concerts at The Sage Gateshead. Bringing people and music together.

Every gift is important to us and there are many ways you can support us Join our Sage Supporters An annual membership which supports the work of The Sage Gateshead and offers a range of benefits, including generous discounts and invitations to exciting events. Become a Northern Sinfonia Friend An annual membership that supports the work of Northern Sinfonia, benefits include priority booking for our Classical Season and exclusive members’ evenings. Become a Principal Partner A great way to demonstrate a significant commitment to a favourite ‘chair’ in our orchestra, Northern Sinfonia.

Support us through Payroll Giving Make a regular donation directly through your employer’s payroll giving scheme. It’s an easy and tax-effective way to support our work. Make a Gift in your Will Making a Gift in your will is one of the most enduring gifts you can make. As well as tax benefits, you have the satisfaction of knowing your donation will go on supporting our work long into the future. Donate by Text Text SAGE04 £3 to 70070 to donate £3 to North Music Trust and make a difference today (you can make a donation of any value you wish between £1 and £10).

Join Sage Supporters

and support the future of music! Benefits include:

• Discounts • Advance notice of concerts • Special events

L I S T E N L E A R N L O V E

We are a charity and need your support Membership starts from £40 per year With your support we can bring exceptional artists to the region, support music making and musicians locally, provide hundreds of participation and training opportunities and help thousands of people to realise their potential. For information visit Ticket Office, go to www.thesagegateshead.org/support or email sagesupporters@thesagegateshead.org

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Booking Information Booking Dates Sage Supporters and Northern Sinfonia Friends can book from Saturday 19th May 2011/12 Subscribers can book from Saturday 26th May. Public booking opens on Friday 15th June. If you would like to join one of our membership schemes and benefit from priority booking, please contact Ticket Office on 0191 443 4661. Prices and discounts The more you book, the more you save*: 4-7 concerts 10% off 8-11 concerts 15% off 12-19 concerts 20% off 20+ concerts 25% off *Does not apply to Gala concerts, ECHO Rising Stars, Opera North, Christmas concerts, The Messiah and the Gabrieli Consort concerts.

You can book: In person at The Sage Gateshead’s Ticket Office. By phone on 0191 443 4661 or online at www.thesagegateshead.org (please note that packages are not yet available through our website). By completing and returning the booking form at the back of their brochure. When buying a package you can pay in instalments over a six month period. Please tick the box on the booking form or ask at Ticket Office for more details. Ticket Office is open seven days a week – 10am-8pm on show days and 10am-6pm on non-show days. Concessions Concessions for under 16s, students, people over 60 and unemployed are offered at £2 off for all of the concerts in this brochure. For every performance, one free ticket is available for the essential carer of those who need assistance to attend the performance. Ask Ticket Office for details and bookings.

Conditions A copy of our full conditions is available on our website or by requesting a copy by sending us a stamped addressed envelope. Handling fees of £2.50 apply per transaction for telephone, internet and postal bookings (fees do not apply when booking a package). We regret that no refunds can be given except where an event is cancelled. We will always attempt, where possible, to exchange unwanted tickets for concerts as long as we have the tickets returned to us at least 48 hours prior to the performance, for an administration fee of £2.50. Travel We have our own car park directly behind the building, with pedestrian lift access. There are spaces for blue badge holders by the lifts in the car park or other spaces immediately to the rear of the building along the rear access road. There is a drop off and pick up point in St Mary’s Square adjacent to our West (Tyne Bridge) doors. Thanks to the generosity of Nexus you can travel free on the Metro to and from Gateshead if you have a ticket for a concert here: simply retain your concert ticket for inspection on the Metro. We are also on the Q1 Quaylink bus service (the yellow buses) which drops off in St Mary’s Square. Buses We run buses from Hexham (via Corbridge) and Alnwick (via Felton and Morpeth) to a selection of our concerts, look out for the B symbol. You can book a space on the bus for £6.50 return per concert. Please book your bus tickets when you book your event tickets.

Classical Concerts at The Sage Gateshead. Bringing people and music together.

THANK YOU The Sage Gateshead values its partnerships with individuals, trusts and foundations, and companies. Core revenue support for The Sage Gateshead is also provided by Arts Council England, North East and Gateshead Council. ENDOWMENT – HELD BY THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION The Sage Group plc The Barbour Trust Northern Rock Foundation The Garfield Weston Foundation Joan and Margaret Halbert The Shears Foundation The David Goldman Programme The Go-Ahead Group plc Northern Arts Board Fenwick Ltd Northumbrian Water Benfield Charitable Trust Sir James Knott Trust Greggs plc The David Boardman Trust Roland Cookson Fund THE SAGE GATESHEAD REVENUE Arts Council England, North East Gateshead Council Northern Sinfonia Trust PRS for Music Foundation Youth Music The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust Esmée Fairbairn Foundation The Gillian Dickinson Charitable Trust Sage Supporters The Shears Foundation Paul Hamlyn Foundation The Garfield Weston Foundation The Vardy Foundation Baring Foundation

CORPORATE PARTNERS PLATINUM PARTNER

GOLD PARTNERS

SILVER PARTNERS

BRONZE PARTNERS Barclays Corporate, The Open University, RSM Tenon, Technip. CORPORATE SPONSORS Capital Shopping Centre Group PLC , Eldon Square and Metrocentre supporting The Big Sing. PROJECT SUPPORTERS Newcastle City Council, Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, Darlington Borough Council, DCSF Music Manifesto and Music and Dance Scheme. NORTHERN SINFONIA TRUST SUPPORTERS Northern Sinfonia Trust is a registered charity, number 509792. Donors include The Hadrian Trust, The WA Handley Charity Trust, Sir James Knott Trust, The Radcliffe Trust, Northern Sinfonia Friends, Principal Partners, supporters of The Cornerstone Appeal. To make a donation or to find out more about how you can support The Sage Gateshead please call 0191 443 4651 or email support@thesagegateshead.org

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The Sage Gateshead St Mary’s Square Gateshead Quays Gateshead NE8 2JR Chairman: Lord Puttnam of Queensgate Visit www.thesagegateshead.org for information on all our projects at The Sage Gateshead, around the region and nationwide. Ticket Office: 0191 443 4661 Welcome Desk: 0191 443 4666 Photography: Mark Savage, Dan Brady, Chris Christodoulou, Ben Ealovega, Matthias Heyde, Faye Thomas, Beind Noelle, Robert Piccoli, Alberto Venzago. The information in this brochure is correct at the time of the going to print: we reserve the right to make changes which circumstances may necessitate. North Music Trust is registered in England as a company limited by guarantee, number 4044936 and as a charity, number 1087445. Front cover image is Bradley Creswick, leader of Northern Sinfonia. Concert Text: Andrew Mellor

www.thesagegateshead.org


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