Emanuel Ax
26 February; 5 and 12 March 2010
Barbican Hall
The Polish-born, American pianist Emanuel Ax is the centre of three concerts, each presenting music by Frédéric Chopin, Robert Schumann and the UK premiere of a specially commissioned work by one of three much sought-after composers, who have taken the Polish and German composers as their inspiration.
The reason: 2010 is the two-hundredth birthday year of both Chopin and Schumann, both of whom were accomplished pianists and the majority of whose writing is for the keyboard. Indeed, Ax is so in awe of their music that, of it, he quotes piano god Artur Schnabel: ‘The best music is better than it can ever be played.’
In his first concert (26 Feb) Ax is joined by the Chinese-American cellist Yo-Yo Ma for an intimate performance of works by the masters, plus a new piece, ‘Remembering Schumann’, by the American Peter Lieberson.
Ax is back on 5 March for a solo concert of the birthday boys, with the inclusion of Three Mazurkas by British composer Thomas Adès (the mazurka is a type of Polish dance – a form used by Chopin to explore his technique). The pianist returns with soprano Dawn Upshaw on 12 March to play ‘Rahel’ by Argentinean composer Osvaldo Golijov, plus songs by (guess who?) Schumann and Chopin.
Emanuel Ax - © J Henry Fair
Christine Schäfer, Matthias Goerne and Hilary Hahn
23 March 2010
Barbican Hall
To see one world-class soloist in concert is a treat – but three! An extraordinary line-up features the soprano Christine Schäfer, the baritone Matthias Goerne and violinist Hilary Hahn (Gramophone Artist of the Year 2008), with the Munich Chamber Orchestra conducted by Alexander Liebreich. The repertoire played is all by one composer – Johann Sebastian Bach. A Baroque-period composer, Bach worked quietly as the cantor of a church in Leipzig – playing the organ, rehearsing the choir and writing music for the services – but following his death in 1750 he had an extraordinary influence on all who came after him, and left an even more extraordinary output of over a thousand published works. Of those, this concert sees Schäfer and Goerne singing solo arias and duets from Bach’s cantatas (dramatic works for singers and orchestra setting biblical text), and Hahn playing some of his solo violin works.
Angels in America
26 March 2010
Barbican Hall
The Hungarian composer Peter Eötvös (pronounced “Ootvoosh”) sees the UK premiere of his opera ‘Angels in America’ presented in a concert performance (without theatrical sets) by the BBC Symphony Orchestra under American conductor David Robertson, with a cast of seven singers. Eötvös has set Tony Kushner’s searing Pulitzer Prize-winning play, working with his own wife, who adapted the seven-hour drama into a much shorter libretto (opera script). The subject is Aids – America’s late twentieth-century nightmare, as told through a web of dreams and memories, which is touched by reality as the lives of two troubled New York couples – Louis Ironson and his lover Prior Walter, and Mormon lawyer Joe Pitt and his wife Harper – become intertwined.
The composer, who creates wonderful textures in his orchestral writing, attended many musicals in order to flavour his score with sassy Broadway sounds and fix this urban tale firmly in the Big Apple.
Philippe Jaroussky sings arias by Handel and JC Bach
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Handel 'Arrival of the Queen of Sheeba' from Solomon
JC Bach 'No,che non ha la sorte', Aria 'Vo solcando' from Artaserse
Handel 'Inumano fratel - Stille amare' from Tolomeo
Handel Water Music Suite No 1 in F major
JC Bach 'Perfida Cartismandua - Tra l’orror' from Carattaco
Handel 'Sta nell’ircana' from Alcina
JC Bach 'Cara, la dolce fiamma' from Adriano in Siria
JC Bach Harpsichord Concerto in F minor
Handel 'Scherza infida' from Ariodante
JC Bach 'Ch’io parta?' from Temistocle
Concerto Cologne
Philippe Jaroussky (countertenor)
The 31-year-old French countertenor (highest male voice, effectively a falsetto) originally studied violin and piano before focusing on singing, and such musicianship is apparent in his high, pure tone and astonishing coloratura (singing individual words to fast and precise rising and falling scales). Despite his tender age, he has already notched up an impressive recording and performing career, and has been acclaimed for his sense of drama, particularly in repertoire by Monteverdi and Vivaldi. He recently released and toured a CD of French fin-de-siècle songs, but here he returns to music more associated with his voice type – a programme of arias by George Frideric Handel and Johann Christian Bach (the former, a leading Baroque composer, who settled in London; the latter, the eldest son of Johann Sebastian Bach, who was known as ‘the English Bach’ because he also lived here). In this concert, the young singer joins the German period-instrument ensemble Concerto Cologne, which also plays instrumental works by the same composers.
Handel's Messiah
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The English Concert
Harry Bicket conductor
Lucy Crowe (soprano)
Patricia Bardon (mezzo-soprano)
Allan Clayton (tenor)
James Rutherford (bass)
When Handel's Italian opera company went bankrupt in the 1730s due to changing musical tastes in England, the German composer (and British citizen) didn’t despair, but rather applied his genius to another type of music: the oratorio. This was also an Italian form, but this time Handel set the words in English and rejuvenated his popularity. Unlike opera, oratorios do not require sets and costumes; they are usually based on religious stories and written for solo singers, choir and orchestra – with the novelty that the choir gets as many good tunes as the soloists. Consequently, it has proved enduringly popular, particularly with amateur choral societies. But there is nothing amateur about The English Concert, a period-instrument ensemble and choir, which under its new conductor, Harry Bicket, is celebrating more than 35 years of top-level performance.
Handel, we are told, wrote ‘Messiah’ (about the life of Jesus) in just over three weeks in 1741. If this is true, it must rank among the most astonishing bursts of ingenious musical inspiration, packed full as it is of wonderful, memorable tunes, both poignant and rousing. Those who think they haven’t heard this oratorio before will be surprised by how much they recognise – not least the ‘Hallelujah Chorus’. This is certainly one concert from which you will emerge whistling the tunes… all of them.
Handel Remixed
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Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields
Harry Christophers, conductor
David Daniels (countertenor)
For those who have never heard a countertenor – the highest male voice – why not start at the very top, in both senses? David Daniels is America’s finest. His mellifluous tones and rich vibrato make him an ideal exponent of the stately music of the baroque period (1600-1750), particularly that of the German-born London resident George Frideric Handel (who died 250 years ago). And here Daniels sings along with an orchestra that plays original instruments from Handel’s era. What makes this concert exciting, though, is that along with some original works Handel’s music has been given a contemporary twist by five British composers: Michael Nyman, John Tavener, Jocelyn Pook, Nico Muhly and Craig Armstrong.
This promises to be an exciting evening of exquisite melodies pepped up with film-score style zip. Jonathan Lennie
Dido and Aeneas
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Les Arts Florissants
William Christie, conductor
Malena Ernman (Dido)
Luca Pisaroni (Aeneas)
Who is Britain's greatest composer? One main contender is Henry Purcell, who, although he died in 1695 at the age of 36, dazzled his time, and still does ours, with daring harmonies and exquisite melodies. His brilliance and innovation led him to compose what is considered the first proper British opera, 'Dido and Aeneas'. It is a setting from Virgil's 'Aeneid', telling of how the hero Aeneas, on his way back from the siege of Troy, stopped off in Carthage to have an affair with Queen Dido. When he leaves her, she kills herself, but not before singing the beautiful lament 'When I Am Laid in Earth', the culmination of a slow unburdening of restrained passion, complemented by some wonderful ensemble singing.
The 50-minute opera is performed here by Les Arts Florissants, an acclaimed French choir and orchestra that plays baroque instruments and was founded 30 years ago by the American conductor William Christie. If that was not enough, the opera is presented twice in the same evening, with late drinks available. Jonathan Lennie
