Concert Series 2012/13

Concert Series 2012/13

box office 024 7652 4524 www.warwickartscentre.co.uk

Met Opera Live in HD Tickets £25.50 (£20.50) More information on www.warwickartscentre.co.uk

On Sale from 18 May 2012:

On Sale from September 2012:

Sat 13 Oct 5.55pm

Sat 5 Jan 5pm

New Production Director: Bartlett Sher Conductor: Maurizio Benini

Conductor: Fabio Luisi

L’Elisir d’Amore Donizetti

Les Troyens Berlioz With Deborah Voigt, Susan Graham, Marcello Giordani, Dwayne Croft

With Anna Netrebko, Matthew Polenzani

Sat 19 Jan 5.55pm

Maria Stuarda Donizetti

Sat 27 Oct 5.55pm

Otello Verdi

Met Premiere Production Director: David McVicar Conductor: Maurizio Benini

Conductor: Semyon Bychkov With Johan Botha, Renée Fleming

With Joyce DiDonato, Elza van den Heever

Sat 10 Nov 5.55pm

The Tempest Adès

Sat 16 Feb 5.55pm

Rigoletto Verdi

Met Premiere Production Director: Robert Lepage Conductor: Thomas Adès

New Production Director: Michael Mayer

With Simon Keenlyside

With Piotr Beczala, Željko Lucic, Diana Damrau

Sat 1 Dec 5.55pm

Sat 2 Mar 5pm

Conductor: Harry Bicket

New Production Director: François Girard Conductor: Daniele Gatti

La Clemenza di Tito Mozart

With Elına Garanıa, Giuseppe Filianoti, Barbara Frittoli

Parsifal Wagner With Katarina Dalayman, Peter Mattei, Evgeny Nikitin, René Pape

Sat 8 Dec 5.55pm

Un Ballo in Maschera Verdi New Production Director: David Alden Conductor: Fabio Luisi

Sat 16 Mar 4pm

Francesca da Rimini Zandonai Conductor: Marco Armiliato

With Marcelo Álvarez, Karita Mattila, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Kathleen Kim, Stephanie Blythe

With Eva-Maria Westbroek, Marcello Giordani

Sat 27 Apr 5pm

Giulio Cesare Handel

Sat 15 Dec 5.55pm

Aida Verdi

Conductor: Fabio Luisi With Liudmyla Monastyrska, Roberto Alagna, Olga Borodina

New Production Director: David McVicar Conductor: Harry Bicket With David Daniels, Natalie Dessay

L’Elisir d’Amore

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Welcome to Warwick Arts Centre’s 31st edition Concert Series.

I’m really proud to be introducing our latest series of magnificent concerts by some of the best orchestral musicians to be heard in the UK today. Proud, because since 1981, Warwick Arts Centre has striven, in occasionally adverse circumstances, to bring some of the world’s best classical music and musicians to your doorstep, and with this Concert Series, we continue that tradition undimmed.

The excitement of the 2012 Olympics and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee will have abated by the time the first note of our series is struck in October by our good friends and neighbours from the CBSO with Andris Nelsons. Our aim is to maintain the impetus of a continuing series of stirring events throughout 2012/13 with a programme to rival any great city.

We have never shied away from bringing our wonderful audiences new or unfamiliar works and this year’s Concert Series is no exception.

Gently mixed with the familiar and great works of the period, we bring you a selection of Twentieth Century works which have stood the test of time and demonstrate that the act of composition and musical expression is alive and responsive to new thinking and historical interpretation.

We value our subscribers highly. It is true to say that without your continued and sustained support we would not be in a position to bring you the great orchestras and musicians in this year’s programme. In return we hope you will join us in our passion to spread the word about experiencing wonderful music live in a great environment!

Please join us and encourage friends and family to help us fill the Butterworth Hall for every concert.

Finally, we are tremendously grateful to Simon Yates for his continuing support for this year’s Concert Series. He represents a growing cadre of supporters without whom Warwick Arts Centre would be a lesser place.

Alan Rivett Director Warwick Arts Centre

Thanks to the University of Warwick for the continued support of Warwick Arts Centre.

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Concert Series Subscription

Car Parking

Booking opens Thu 17 May 2012

Please always allow plenty of time for parking when you visit us. We have plenty of parking on campus, but to ensure you get into one of the closer car-parks we advise arriving at least 30 minutes before the start of the performance. After 6pm parking is FREE of charge across campus.

Become a Subscriber!

– Early choice on all the best seats – Save up to 20% on ticket prices – Spread the cost of your tickets – Free ticket exchange* – No booking fees

*with 24 hours notice and from within the Series

To book you must complete the booking form (centre of this brochure) or contact Box Office on 024 7652 4524 for assistance.

Forms are also available to download from www.warwickartscentre.co.uk

Advantages of arriving early!

• Ensure your car parking place • Visit the Mead Gallery – free of charge and open until 9pm Mon – Sat

• Enjoy a pre-concert meal in Gusto Oven & Bar or a drink or snack in the Café Bar or in the Theatre Bar • Attend a pre-concert talk – a fantastic introduction to the evening ahead Car parks 7 and 4/4a These are the nearest car parks to the Arts Centre and they use an environmentally friendly token machine at all times, although parking is FREE after 6pm. Please be prepared that at the end of a busy night it can take some time to exit from the upper floors of Car Park 7.

Using tokens • As you enter Car Parks 7 or 4/4a you will receive a token which you will need to validate at the pay station (located on the ground floor entrance on Car Park 7 and next to the barrier in 4/4a)

Individual Ticket Prices

by Seating Area

A: £36 (£34), B: £33.50 (£31.50), C: £29.50 (£28.50), D: £25 (£24), E: £18.50 (£17.50), F (Choir): £11.50 concessions in brackets

Young Subscribers Best available tickets £12 each for 18 – 26 year olds.

You can purchase these tickets in advance with the subscription form in the centre of this brochure.

Booking opens for individuals on Mon 6 August 2012 (50p booking fee applies)

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•

You can validate your token anytime in the evening - on your way in, in the interval, or at the end of the performance (N.B. if you validate it on your way in you will save yourself the potential queue at the end of the night)

• To validate your token, simply put it into the pay machine, and the screen will display £0.00, press the button and your token will be returned to you. Keep it with you.

• Insert your token on exiting from the car park and the barrier will raise (if you find the barriers are already up, hand your token to a parking attendant)

Car parks 8 and 15 Car Park 8 is approx 7 minutes walk from the Arts Centre and Car Park 15 approx 10 minutes walk. Car Parks 8 and 15 do not use a token machine and have no exit barrier. If you don’t mind a slightly longer walk, they can be quicker to exit at the end of the night.

City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra

Conductor – Andris Nelsons Violin – Christian Tetzlaff Wednesday 10 October 8pm Stravinsky – Scherzo á la russe Brahms – Violin Concerto Interval Rachmaninov – Symphonic Dances

You can’t have missed the buzz about Andris Nelsons and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.

“With a third top conductor in charge – after Rattle and Oramo – Birmingham seems to have made its own luck”, declared one critic, before wondering “what further heights the young Latvian Andris Nelsons can persuade the already world-class CBSO to scale.”

But don’t take his word for it; judge for yourself, as Nelsons, the CBSO, and the incomparable Christian Tetzlaff open our orchestral series in spectacular style – and launch our season–long exploration of the colour, energy and sheer emotion of 20th century music with Rachmaninov’s magnificent Symphonic Dances. With its soaring melodies and thrilling orchestral virtuosity, it neatly complements Stravinsky’s brilliantly deadpan Scherzo composed just a few years later. The perfect contrast, and the perfect complement, to Brahms’s serene Violin Concerto. And you’ll never hear them played with more passion, conviction and flair than by the CBSO under Andris Nelsons.

Andris Nelsons

Ticket prices by Seating Area A: £36 (£34), B: £33.50 (£31.50), C: £29.50 (£28.50), D: £25 (£24), E: £18.50 (£17.50), F (Choir): £11.50 Save up to 20% by becoming a Subscriber. See p4 for details.

Pre-concert Talk Conference Room 6.45pm. Tickets £2, Subscribers £1 Stephen Maddock, Chief Executive, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, in conversation with Christian Tetzlaff.

50p booking fee applies

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Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra Conductor – Michael Sanderling Violin – Mikhail Simonyan Wednesday 24 October 8pm Prokofiev – Excerpts from Cinderella Suite Khachaturian – Violin Concerto Interval ˇ Dvorák – Symphony No.9

Folk-songs and fairy tales: Dvorák ˇ may have written his Ninth Symphony “from the New World”, but his heart was still in Bohemia.

So forget about the Hovis ad. If you only ˇ know the Largo of Dvorák’s Ninth, you’re in for a glorious surprise, as the 19th century’s most warm-hearted composer pours all his nostalgia and inspiration into a symphony that sighs, sings and dances with emotion.

Michael Sanderling

Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra

There’s real sweetness, too, beneath the glittering surface of Prokofiev’s Cinderella, and if you love his Romeo and Juliet, you’ll know that unforgettable tunes come as standard.

The Dresden Philharmonic’s Music Director Michael Sanderling has a special connection to this music – his father Kurt championed some of Russia’s greatest 20th century composers. So he’ll drive straight to the brooding soul of Khachaturian’s flamboyant Violin Concerto; the perfect partner for Mikhail Simonyan, the Siberia-born virtuoso who’s already attracting comparisons with some of the greatest players of the century.

Pre-concert Talk Conference Room 6.45pm. Tickets £2, Subscribers £1 Paul McGrath, Director of Music, University of Warwick, talks about tonight’s programme.

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Ticket prices by Seating Area A: £36 (£34), B: £33.50 (£31.50), C: £29.50 (£28.50), D: £25 (£24), E: £18.50 (£17.50), F (Choir): £11.50 Save up to 20% by becoming a Subscriber. See p4 for details.

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Conductor – Rory Macdonald Piano – Natasha Paremski Trumpet – Mike Allen Wednesday 28 November 8pm Vaughan Williams – Fantasia on a theme by Thomas Tallis Shostakovich – Concerto for Trumpet & Piano Interval Delius – The Walk to the Paradise Garden Sibelius – Symphony No.5

“Today I saw 16 swans. One of the greatest experiences of my life.

God, what beauty!” From that transcendent vision, Sibelius created the finale of his Fifth Symphony. It’s one of the greatest, but simplest tunes, ever written – and once you’ve heard it, you’ll never forget it.

So it’s the ideal climax to a concert that glows with some of the most ravishing sounds in 20th Century music.

Vaughan Williams’ Tallis Fantasia reawakes the spirit of medieval England in music of profound stillness and soaring passion, and Frederick Delius takes a story of doomed love and drenches it in sunset colours. Under the acclaimed young Scottish conductor Rory Macdonald, it all adds up to a wonderfully indulgent evening with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. But it’s not all serenity: and with pianist Natasha Paremski and RPO trumpeter Mike Allen, Shostakovich’s zingy pre-war Concerto will go down like a shot of ice-cold vodka!

Ticket prices by Seating Area A: £36 (£34), B: £33.50 (£31.50), C: £29.50 (£28.50), D: £25 (£24), E: £18.50 (£17.50), F (Choir): £11.50 Save up to 20% by becoming a Subscriber. See p4 for details.

Pre-concert Talk Conference Room 6.45pm. Tickets £2, Subscribers £1 Natasha Paremski

Ian Maclay, MD of Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, in conversation with Natasha Paremski.

50p booking fee applies

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Piano Recital with Peter Donohoe Wednesday 16 January 8pm Tchaikovsky – Scherzo a la Russe Opus 1 No.1 Tchaikovsky – Intermezzo in E flat minor Opus 1 No.2 Prokofiev – Sonata No.1 in F minor Opus 1 Bartók – Rhapsody opus 1 Interval Schumann – Variationen uber den Namen Abegg in F Major Opus 1 Berg – Sonata Opus 1 Brahms – Sonata No1 in C major Opus 1

First things first! There’s something specially revealing about a fledgling composer stepping forward at the start of their career – and for a truly great interpreter, that makes for an irresistible challenge. That’s why Peter Donohoe has devised this captivating programme: a whole evening devoted to great composers’ Opus Ones.

Tchaikovsky snaps a couple of green sprigs from Russian folksong, Bartók pays a debt to Liszt, and an angry young Prokofiev throws his romantic toys right out of the pram.

Then Schumann borrows a coat from Chopin; Berg hurls a truly monumental challenge, and Johannes Brahms shows why Schumann said he’d “sprung fully armed, like Minerva, from the head of Zeus”.

Peter Donohoe brings a lifetime’s insight to each and every one of them – as well as the most breathtaking technique in the business. Youth meets experience: expect power, tenderness, and the perennially fresh touch of one of the supreme virtuosos of our time.

Ticket prices by Seating Area A: £36 (£34), B: £33.50 (£31.50), C: £29.50 (£28.50), D: £25 (£24), E: £18.50 (£17.50), F (Choir): £11.50 Save up to 20% by becoming a Subscriber. See p4 for details.

Pre-concert Talk Conference Room 6.45pm. Tickets £2, Subscribers £1 Helen Leek, University of Warwick piano tutor, talks with Peter Donohoe.

Peter Donohoe

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European Union Chamber Orchestra

European Union Chamber Orchestra Conductor – Hans-Peter Hofmann Violin – Tasmin Little Friday 25 January 8pm Grieg – Holberg Suite Mozart – Violin Concerto No.4 Interval Elgar – Elegy for Strings Górecki – Three Pieces in Old Style Haydn – Symphony No.48 Maria Theresa

The European Union Chamber Orchestra is an orchestra with the spirit of a string quartet – a crack team of superb young players, united by the sheer joy of making music together. And you can hear it in every note, with critics raving over their “warmth of sound, the elegance of phrasing and the razor-sharp focus of their ensemble”.

Tonight, they bring all their signature verve to a truly joyous programme: Grieg’s sunny mock-baroque suite, Elgar’s heartfelt Elegy, and a Haydn symphony fit for an empress. Then Henryk Górecki proves that 20th century music can be just as tuneful: if you’re one of the millions who fell in love with his Third Symphony, you’ll be bowled over by his atmospheric Three Pieces in Old Style.

And national treasure Tasmin Little joins the EUCO as first among equals in the teenage Mozart’s bubbly Fourth Violin Concerto. The music of friends.

Ticket prices by Seating Area A: £36 (£34), B: £33.50 (£31.50), C: £29.50 (£28.50), D: £25 (£24), E: £18.50 (£17.50), F (Choir): £11.50 Save up to 20% by becoming a Subscriber. See p4 for details.

Pre-concert Talk Conference Room 6.45pm. Tickets £2, Subscribers £1 Talk with members of the European Union Chamber Orchestra.

Details to follow.

Tasmin Little

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Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra

Conductor – Andrew Litton Piano – Christian Ihle Hadland Sunday 3 February 8pm Delius – On the Mountain Grieg – Piano Concerto Interval Strauss – Ein Heldenleben

Hearing is believing, and under its charismatic music director Andrew Litton, the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra definitely won’t hold back.

And naturally, they’re also sharing two very special gifts from Norway.

Grieg’s lovely Piano Concerto never gets any less popular; but there’ll be something particularly magical about hearing it played by one of Norway’s rising stars, accompanied by the orchestra that Grieg himself used to conduct. As for Delius’s On the Mountain, get ready for a wonderful discovery: a gorgeous musical landscape by a Bradford lad with Norway in his soul.

Pre-concert Talk Conference Room 6.45pm. Tickets £2, Subscribers £1

Ticket prices by Seating Area A: £36 (£34), B: £33.50 (£31.50), C: £29.50 (£28.50), D: £25 (£24), E: £18.50 (£17.50), F (Choir): £11.50 Save up to 20% by becoming a Subscriber. See p4 for details.

Paul McGrath, Director of Music, University of Warwick, in discussion with Ronal Vermeulen, Head of Programme for Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra.

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Richard Strauss never did anything by halves. And at the dawn of the 20th century, when he wanted to tell the world how he felt he took a gigantic orchestra, super-sized melodies and enough music to fill a symphony – and called it “A Hero’s Life”. Ear-splitting battles, swaggering pride and dream-like beauty: it’s all in there, not forgetting one of the steamiest love-scenes in all music!

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Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra At different ends of the 20th Century, two masters take classical tradition and make it dazzlingly new.

Mahler’s Fifth Symphony begins in terror and ends in triumph – but there’s a lifetime of emotion in between. From winter storms to dizzying waltzes and melting love-songs, it’s one of the most gripping experiences an orchestra, a conductor and an audience can share, and it’s a stirring finish to this kaleidoscope of a concert from the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra under former Music Director Jacek Kaspszyk.

Philip Glass’s Violin Concerto, meanwhile, weaves shimmering patterns into music of astonishing expressive power and beauty: a true modern classic, with a heart of pure song.

It’s an inspired showcase for the awardwinning young Polish violinist Agata Szymczewska, and Kaspszyk and the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra will bring a special intensity to Penderecki’s Chaconne. Bernstein’s Candide overture really gets things swinging!

Conductor – Jacek Kaspszyk Violin – Agata Szymczewska Tuesday 26 February 8pm Bernstein – Candide Overture Penderecki – Chaconne Glass – Violin Concerto Interval Mahler – Symphony No.5

Ticket prices by Seating Area A: £36 (£34), B: £33.50 (£31.50), C: £29.50 (£28.50), D: £25 (£24), E: £18.50 (£17.50), F (Choir): £11.50 Save up to 20% by becoming a Subscriber.

See p4 for details.

Pre-concert Talk Conference Room 6.45pm.

Tickets £2, Subscribers £1 Paul McGrath and Lucy Griffiths of the University of Warwick Music Centre talk about this evening’s concert.

Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra

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English Chamber Orchestra Conductor – Paul McGrath Warwick University Chamber Choir Soprano – Tinuke Olafimihan Mezzo Soprano – Gaynor Keeble Tenor – Nicholas Sharratt Baritone – Nicholas Lester Friday 14 March 8pm Britten – Simple Symphony Bartók - Divertimento Interval Mozart - Requiem The masked stranger, the mysterious commission, the dying Mozart frantically composing as his life ebbed away… if you’ve seen the play or film Amadeus, you’ll know the legend behind Mozart’s Requiem.

But the reality is even more incredible – as music’s greatest genius comes to terms with the ultimate mystery of human existence, and finds sorrow, courage and deep compassion: then pours it all out in music of unforgettable beauty and power.

The University of Warwick’s own Chamber Choir, under Director of Music Paul McGrath, join English Chamber Orchestra for one of the high points of our season.

First, though, McGrath and ECO celebrate the work of two of Mozart’s greatest 20th century fans. On the eve of the Second World War, Béla Bartók wrote a Divertimento that channelled the spirit of Mozart for an age of anxiety. Britten’s Simple Symphony reworks the tunes he hummed at school into a mini-masterpiece of irresistible freshness – tongue firmly in cheek.

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English Chamber Orchestra

Ticket prices by Seating Area A: £36 (£34), B: £33.50 (£31.50), C: £29.50 (£28.50), D: £25 (£24), E: £18.50 (£17.50), F (Choir): £11.50 Save up to 20% by becoming a Subscriber.

See p4 for details.

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Pre-concert Talk Conference Room 6.45pm.

Tickets £2, Subscribers £1 Paul McGrath and Lucy Griffiths of the University of Warwick Music Centre talk about tonight’s programme.

Philharmonia Orchestra Conductor – Vasily Petrenko Piano – Nikolai Lugansky Wednesday 24 April 8pm Liadov – The Enchanted Lake Tchaikovsky – Piano Concerto No.1 Interval Prokofiev – Symphony No.5

Philharmonia Orchestra

Moscow, January 1945: and as Sergei Prokofiev waits, baton poised, to begin his new Fifth Symphony, every gun in Moscow thunders out in ear-splitting salute. Prokofiev’s Fifth was forged in the fires of war: a symphony of iron and steel, dedicated to “the greatness of the human spirit”. And from serene beginning to headlong finish, it’s still one of 20th Century music’s most thrilling adventures.

Vasily Petrenko has this music in his blood; already acclaimed for his gripping Shostakovich recordings, expect him to deliver some serious voltage at the climax of this all-Russian programme with the Philharmonia. But there’s love amongst the ruins, too, with Tchaikovsky’s hugely popular, supremely romantic First Piano Concerto – and no better soloist than the masterly Nikolai Lugansky, a pianist who combines old-school keyboard fireworks with truly poetic insights. Guns, roses, and epic emotions - Liadov’s magical tone-poem will feel like the calm before the storm.

Ticket prices by Seating Area A: £36 (£34), B: £33.50 (£31.50), C: £29.50 (£28.50), D: £25 (£24), E: £18.50 (£17.50), F (Choir): £11.50 Save up to 20% by becoming a Subscriber. See p4 for details.

Pre-concert Talk Conference Room 6.45pm. Tickets £2, Subscribers £1 Paul McGrath, Director of Music, University of Warwick, in discussion with Vasily Petrenko.

50p booking fee applies

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Moscow State Symphony Orchestra Conductor – Pavel Kogan Cello – Nina Kotova Wednesday 22 May 8pm Khachaturian – Waltz from Masquerade Khachaturian – Adagio from Spartacus Shostakovich – Cello Concerto No.1 Interval Tchaikovsky – Symphony No.6 Pathetique

Maybe it’s the life-and-death brass playing; maybe it’s the raw intensity of the strings.

Maybe it’s the fact that every single player puts body and soul into this music. But one thing’s for sure: once you’ve heard Tchaikovsky played by a Russian orchestra, everything else seems tame.

In the final concert of our season, we’re thrilled to welcome a true legend, conductor Pavel Kogan, in the greatest of all Russian symphonies. With its delirious highs and pitch- black despair, Tchaikovsky’s Sixth is

never less than overwhelming; but tonight’s performance should be in a class of its own.

And that goes double for Shostakovich’s First Cello Concerto, performed tonight by Nina Kotova, a player born and bred in the great Russian tradition.

Two of Khachaturian’s most tuneful hits should whet the palate nicely – but trust us, when you hear the way Kogan and the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra play them, you won’t be thinking of The Onedin Line.

Moscow State Orchestra Pavel Kogan

Ticket prices by Seating Area A: £36 (£34), B: £33.50 (£31.50), C: £29.50 (£28.50), D: £25 (£24), E: £18.50 (£17.50), F (Choir): £11.50 Save up to 20% by becoming a Subscriber. See p4 for details.

Pre-concert Talk Conference Room 6.45pm. Tickets £2, Subscribers £1 Paul McGrath and Lucy Griffiths of the University of Warwick Music Centre talk about tonight’s programme.

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I Fagiolini Johann Sebastian Bach - Jesu Meine Freude David Lang - The Little Match Girl Passion Director – Robert Hollingworth Puppetry – Matthew Robins Produced by Opera North projects Creative Advisor – John Fulljames

Fri 21 Dec 7.30pm Theatre £19 (£17), £17 (£15). Under 26s £12 SPECIAL OFFER FOR SUBSCRIBERS: Best available seats £15 if booked before 6 August 2012

The Hilliard Ensemble & Fretwork New work by Nico Muhly, Gavin Bryars Cadman Requiem plus madrigals from Gibbons’ First Book of Madrigals and Motets Voices - David James, Rogers Covey-Crump, Steven Harrold, Gordon Jones Viols - Liam Byrne, Asako Morikawa, Reiko Ichise, Richard Tunnicliffe, Richard Boothby

Tue 12 Feb 8pm Butterworth Hall £19 (£17), £17 (£15). Under 26s £12 SPECIAL OFFER FOR SUBSCRIBERS: Best available seats £15 if booked before 6 August 2012

In this unique seasonal concert, Gramophone Awardwinning vocal ensemble, I Fagiolini, bring together one of JS Bach’s greatest motets, Jesu Meine Freude, with David Lang’s beautiful Little Match Girl Passion.

Based on Hans Christian Andersen’s heart-breaking children’s story, Lang’s Pulitzer Prize-winning piece takes its inspiration from Bach’s St Matthew Passion, and is here animated with exquisite shadow puppetry by Matthew Robins. The two pieces are threaded together by delicate and evocative Christmas carols from Germany and Andersen’s native Denmark, to create an unusually poignant and beautiful yuletide concert.

“An irrepressible force in the early music world, bringing bags of style, energy and dramatic excitement to everything they touch.” International Record Review on I Fagiolini “Silhouettes that have something of the deft wit of Picasso sketches.”

Michael Billington, The Guardian, on shadow-puppeteer Matthew Robins.

The Hilliard Ensemble

Nico Muhly is one of today’s most interesting, eclectic & soughtafter composers: a former boy chorister, he is as adept at writing for cathedral choirs as for Björk, for symphony orchestras as for films, such as The Reader and Joshua. It is a great coup for Fretwork and The Hilliard Ensemble to commission a new work from him, especially such a substantial one. He is taking the direction on Gibbons’s book of madrigals to heart: Apt for viols & voyces.

I Fagiolini

Gavin Bryars has been much in the news recently with the centenary of the sinking of the Titanic, owing to his iconic piece based on that tragedy. His response to another tragedy is the subject of his Cadman Requiem, which mourns the passing of his friend Bill Cadman on flight Pan Am 103 over Lockerbie on 21 December 1988.

Orlando Gibbons’ First Book of Madrigals & Motets was published in 1612, contains the most famous, perfect and one of the shortest madrigals: The Silver Swan. The collection as a whole is a masterpiece of concision and expression, marking Gibbons out as one of England’s greatest composers.

50p booking fee applies

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Coull Quartet Concerts 2012-2013 Roger Coull – Violin Philip Gallaway – Violin Rose Redgrave – Viola Nicholas Roberts – Cello Chamber music has been called “the music of friends”. And for four decades as Quartet in Residence at the University of Warwick, the four extraordinary musicians of the Coull Quartet have explored every facet of human emotion. Their annual concert series is at the heart of the Warwick Arts Centre programme: concerts where the intimate becomes universal, secrets are shared, and everyone present is invited to experience the innermost feelings of some of the greatest minds in human history, in music of joy, sorrow and transcendent beauty.

So join Roger Coull, Philip Gallaway, Rose Redgrave ˇand Nicholas Roberts as they take timeless music and make it vibrantly new. They salute Benjamin Britten’s 100th birthday, and sample ˇthe wisdom that Beethoven, Haydn and Shostakovich distilled into their late quartets. They rediscover two Russian gems that should never have been forgotten. And they throw themselves truly madly and deeply into the Romantic world of Robert Schumann: the composer who dreamt of writing “the ideal music of the soul”. Refresh your soul this season with music’s most intimate experience.

Tickets per concert £16 (£13) Subscribers can save up to 40% on Coull Quartet concerts if they book in advance – see booking form or ask at Box Office

Coull Quartet

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The Coull Quartet

Must It Be?

Russian Winter

Thu 22 November 7.15pm Helen Martin Studio

Thu 21 February 7.15pm Helen Martin Studio

Haydn – Quartet in G Op.77 No 1 Shostakovich – Quartet No 12 in D flat Op.133 Beethoven – Quartet in F Op.135

Shostakovich – Quartet No 11 in F minor Op.122 Tchaikovsky – Quartet No 3 in E flat minor Op.30 Glazunov – Prelude and Fugue in D minor Haydn – Quartet in F Op.77 No 2

“Must it be?” wrote Ludwig van Beethoven over the last movement of his very last quartet. What follows might surprise you – as he answers his own question with a peal of laughter. But then, nothing is predictable in this concert of late masterpieces by composers whose spirit grew younger even as they grew older.

Haydn opens his penultimate quartet with a catchy march, Beethoven mixes deadpan wit with sublime tenderness, and in the year The Beatles released the White Album, Dmitri Shostakovich moves off in a startling new direction. Yet he’s never sounded more devastatingly like himself. Unforgettable.

Pre-concert talk: Helen Martin Studio 6.15pm. Tickets £1

They called him ‘Papa’, but there’s nothing pipe-and-slippers about Joseph Haydn’s final string quartet. Chamber music simply doesn’t get any more masterly – or entertaining. So there’s no better finish to a concert that begins with the life-and-death questions of Shostakovich’s 11th Quartet, before exploring two composers deeply embedded in Shostakovich’s musical DNA. Shostakovich supplied his teacher Glazunov with black market vodka; tonight, find out what Glazunov gave him in return!

Tchaikovsky’s Third Quartet, meanwhile, is a true lost masterpiece, bursting with all the melody, fantasy and passionate emotion you’d expect from the composer of the Pathétique symphony. You’ll wonder why you’ve never heard it before.

Pre-concert talk: Helen Martin Studio 6.15pm. Tickets £1

A Nightingale Sings

Death in Venice

Thu 9 May 7.15pm Helen Martin Studio

Wed 12 June 7.15pm Helen Martin Studio

Haydn – Quartet in E flat Op.76 No 6 Britten – Quartet No 1 in D Op.25 Schumann – Quartet in F Op.41 No 2

Haydn – Quartet in D Op.76 No 5 Britten – Quartet No 3 Op.94 Schumann – Quartet in A Op.41 No 3

“I’ve been composing so much that it seems uncanny” declared Robert Schumann. “I should like to sing myself to death, like a nightingale”. And in his Second Quartet, he sang his heart out, in music that bubbles over with freshness, warmth and the irresistible joie de vivre of a man in love.

Death in Venice… at the end of his life, Benjamin Britten turned Prospero, and dissolved his enchantments in the shimmering waters of his Third Quartet. He called its finale ‘La Serenissima’, and it’s hard to believe that such ravishing music was being written in the 1970s.

Benjamin Britten unleashed the same energy in his bracing wartime First Quartet – every bit the work of a young genius let off the leash.

It’s an exuberant start to the Coulls’ Britten birthday celebrations, and the perfect foil to the wit and wisdom of Haydn’s glorious late quartet.

But hear it for yourself, at the still centre of an evening that opens with a glowing, sparkling surge of imagination from the 65 year old Haydn, and ends with the delirious lovesongs of Robert Schumann’s ardent Third Quartet. Young love, great conversation, and the biggest questions of all: the Coull Quartet proves, once again, that four players can say more than the mightiest orchestra.

Pre-concert talk: Helen Martin Studio 6.15pm. Tickets £1

Pre-concert talk: Helen Martin Studio 6.15pm. Tickets £1

50p booking fee applies

www.warwickartscentre.co.uk

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butterworth hall seating plan

book online www.warwickartscentre.co.uk (50p ticket booking fee applies)

A B C D E F

book by telephone Box Office: 024 7652 4524 (50p ticket booking fee applies)

visit us Warwick Arts Centre, The University of Warwick Coventry CV4 7AL

box office opening hours

mon-sat: 9.30am-9pm sun: 2pm - 8pm (50p ticket booking fee applies)

this brochure is available in large print. Call 024 7652 4524

how to find us by car:

On approaches to Coventry, simply follow the brown signs for Warwick Arts Centre. We are situated in the centre of the main campus of the University of Warwick. Once on the University of Warwick campus, head for car parks 6, 7 or 8.

by bus:

Regular bus services from Coventry, Leamington Spa and Kenilworth stop outside the Arts Centre. Centro Hotline: 024 7655 9559

by train:

Services run regularly from Birmingham, Leicester and London to Coventry, a short taxi or bus ride away.

feedback Your observations are essential to us, so please feel free to contact us should you have any questions about your evening, or have feedback about your experience.

CP = Car Park For Sat Nav our postcode is CV4 7AL 18

box office 024 7652 4524

per ticket booking fee applies

access

booking information

terms & conditions

We have been working on improving our access services:

Visa, Mastercard, Delta, Maestro, Amex cards:

All tickets are sold according to our terms and conditions.

Full terms & conditions and privacy policy can be found at www.warwickartscentre.co.uk or ask for a copy at Box Office.

• Increased number of blue badge holder spaces on campus. Please consider fellow visitors - any non blue badge holders parking in a disabled bay may be clamped or fined.

• Parking Stewards positioned at key drop off points; our Stewards will either wait with you whilst your driver parks the car, or will accompany you to the venue and wait inside with you.

• If you have mobility issues and require any assistance simply call Box Office in advance.

We will arrange for our one of our Stewards to bring a wheelchair to the car park and assist you to the Arts Centre.

For full access information visit our website or ask for a leaflet at Box Office. Though it is not essential, you are advised to book in advance so we can readily provide any assistance.

Disabled patrons may also bring a companion free of charge. Contact Box Office for details.

Spaces reserved in Car Park 7 Wheelchair access at ground level to Hall, Studio Theatre, Café Bar, Box Office, Cinema, Conference Room, Music Centre, Bookshop and Rise.

Lift access to Theatre, Theatre Bar, National Grid Room and Mead Gallery.

Guide dogs are welcomed and can be cared for during performances, by arrangement.

Receivers for our Sennheiser infra-red facility are freely available from Box Office.

Toilet facilities accessible on all levels.

We accept Visa, Mastercard, Delta, Maestro, Amex cards There is a 50p per ticket booking fee added to all tickets sold at Warwick Arts Centre, whether by phone, online or over the counter (excluding schools and groups of 9+).

reservations: Pay within 4 days, or 30 minutes before, whichever is sooner.

exchanging tickets: Tickets are not normally refundable. Tickets can be exchanged for another performance or for a credit voucher valid for 180 days. However, you must return your original tickets to the Box Office at least 24 hours before the performance (14 days for groups of 9+). There is an administration fee of 50p per ticket. Tickets purchased as part of a subscription or package deal cannot be exchanged for credit vouchers. The booking fee is not refunded. Any credit not used after 180 days have elapsed will go to the Warwick Arts Centre Development Fund.

postage We charge 75p for posting your tickets to you at a UK billing address (if booked one week in advance otherwise we will hold them for collection at the Box Office on the day of performance).

All tickets, discounts and offers subject to availability. Unless otherwise stated, discounts and concessions cannot be combined or used in conjunction with any other offers. Warwick Arts Centre reserves the right to make occasional special ticket offers in addition to those listed here. Warwick Arts Centre reserves the right to change programmes and artists without notice. Please contact the Box Office or check website for updated information, especially if travelling some distance.

DATA PROTECTION Warwick Arts Centre is committed to upholding the Data Protection principles of good practice. When processing your booking (whether over the phone, in person or online) we will ask you for your name, address, email and telephone number.

This is essential for non-cash bookings. We will also ask you if you would like to be kept informed about forthcoming events and campaigns at Warwick Arts Centre or other arts organisations. You can update your account online at any time at www.warwickartscentre.co.uk

terms & conditions for subscription tickets Subscription forms are not returnable.

Tickets may be exchanged for other concerts within the main series, but not for any other events.

pricing

Booking fees do not apply to subscription tickets.

Warwick Arts Centre is committed to accessibility and aims to remain competitive with ticket prices. Please note that, on occasions, ticket prices are set by external promoters and we have no control over their value. Where we can, we offer a range of discounts. We are especially committed to access for young people.

discounts: Discounted tickets, where they are available, are shown in brackets and available to over 60s in full time retirement, recipients of job seekers allowance, full time students, Coventry Passport to Leisure holders and Rugby Leisure Pass holders.

schools:

We number booking forms in order received by the Box Office and subscriptions are processed in the order in which they are received, however, priority seating allocation is given to 10 and 9 Series Subscribers.

In the event of multiple subscribers choosing the same seats, priority will be given to those booking a higher number of concerts.

Although we endeavour to allocate subscribers the seats which they have requested we cannot guarantee this for all bookers.

Subscription tickets will be allocated from 28 June 2012.

We end our priority booking period on 28 June, however, subscription forms can be received after this date. Under 26s subscriptions are processed after 1 July and tickets are allocated on a best available basis, unless there is a special request to be seated near to another full-paying subscriber.

Call the Box Office for details of schools rates.

Subscription tickets will be posted to you from Mon 30 July 2012.

groups

Individual booking opens on Mon 6 August 2012.

On selected events we offer a discounted rate for groups (price shown in brackets plus every 10th ticket FREE). No booking fee. Check Box Office for availability.

Any bookings by Subscribers for subsequent concerts in the 2012/13 Series are subject to the usual terms and conditions.

Experience the full flavour of the Arts Centre... and try Gusto Oven & Bar this season

supporters

All information correct at time of going to press.

Warwick Arts Centre is part of the University of Warwick.

We gratefully acknowledge the following supporters:

Gusto has a warm, established atmosphere with friendly service which will make you feel right at home.

Passionate about our work, we serve a concert menu bursting with flavour; washed down with a well deserved glass of something cold, just in time for the show!

We look forward to welcoming you today.

For opening times and to see our menu visit www.gustoovenandbar.co.uk

Simon Yates

for the Concert Series

Reservations: 024 7652 2900 or email havefun@gustoovenandbar.co.uk

Cover illustration: Parenthesis. Words: Richard Bratby

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Concert Series 2012/13 City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra - Wed 10 Oct 2012 Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra – Wed 24 Oct 2012 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra – Wed 28 Nov 2012 A Recital with Peter Donohoe – Wed 16 Jan 2013 European Union Chamber Orchestra – Fri 25 Jan 2013 Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra – Sun 3 Feb 2013 Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra – Tue 26 Feb 2013 English Chamber Orchestra – Fri 14 Mar 2013 Philharmonia Orchestra – Wed 24 Apr 2013 Moscow State Symphony Orchestra – Wed 22 May 2013

box office 024 7652 4524 www.warwickartscentre.co.uk