CAL PERFORMANCES PRESENTS

Saturday, December 10, 2011, 7pm Zellerbach Hall

Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra Nicholas McGegan, conductor

Dominique Labelle, soprano Daniel Taylor, Thomas Cooley, Nathaniel Watson, baritone

Philharmonia Chorale Bruce Lamott, director

PROGRAM

George Frideric Handel (1685–1759) , HWV 56 (1741)

Part I

INTERMISSION

Part II

PAUSE

Part III

This performance will be approximately three hours in length.

This performance is made possible, in part, by Patron Sponsors Roger and Silvija Hoag.

Cal Performances’ 2011–2012 season is sponsored by Wells Fargo.

CAL PERFORMANCES 23 PROGRAM NOTES PROGRAM NOTES

Handel’s Messiah Messiah is a child of the Enlightenment, that the very first section, drawn from the first five and in 1733, Alexander’s Feast and Ode revolutionary mindset that promoted reason verses of Isaiah 40, which Jennens structured as for St. Cecilia’s Day in 1736, and Israel in rimo le parole, poi la musica: first the over unexamined belief, but was --chorus, a formula that will repeat Egypt in 1739, and most recently 1740’s L’Allegro, Pwords, then the music. Ask a roomful of no Edward Gibbon, Thomas Paine or Thomas itself—sometimes with significant expansion— il Penseroso ed il Moderato, to texts adapted from people to identify the of Messiah, and Jefferson proclaiming a humanistic philosophy throughout the entire . John Milton by Charles Jennens. a roomful of hands will go up. Ask that same based on rational inquiry. Instead, he sought to Now it was Handel’s turn to clothe Jennens’s So it was a seasoned veteran who determined gathering to name the librettist, and puzzled si- defend his deeply felt and conservative Anglican masterful compilation with compelling and en- that Jennens’s new libretto would be ideal for a lence is likely to follow. To be sure, Messiah is Christianity against what he saw as intellec- tertaining music. He was more than up to the forthcoming concert series scheduled not a setting of a freshly written, original book; tual attacks on the core of the Christian mes- task. By 1741, was an to begin in late 1741. Handel started compos- the text is a compilation of passages from the sage. In July 1741, Jennens wrote to his friend English institution, resident for 30 years, citi- ing Messiah on August 22 and completed the Old and New Testaments. But that makes it no Edward Holdsworth: zen for the past 14 years, a robust (if not always manuscript on September 14—that’s 24 days, less impressive an achievement. The work of a Handel says he will do nothing next altogether healthy) man in his mid-50s. As a or three and a half weeks. Such speed has typi- perceptive and passionate writer, Messiah’s li- Winter, but I hope I shall perswade self-employed freelance musician, responsible cally left commentators nonplussed if not down- bretto is just as noteworthy in its own way as him to set another Scripture Collection to the dictates of the public rather than the right confounded: how could anybody write a George Frideric Handel’s immortal music. So I have made for him, & perform it for directives of courtly or clerical patrons, he had work of Messiah’s length in such an incredibly before that music, a look at those fine words— his own Benefit in Passion Week. I hope seen his full share of triumph and failure, boom short time? ThatMessiah contains quite modest and their curator—is very much in order. he will lay out his whole Genius & Skill and bust, hits and flops. As recently as 1737, he amounts of recycled or borrowed material only Charles Jennens’s palatial home at Gopsall, upon it, that the Composition may ex- had suffered a sickening financial loss from the exacerbates commentarial befuddlement. Here North West Leicestershire—near Bosworth cell all his former Compositions, as the collapse of an season in which he was a and there awkward scansion betrays a repur- Field, where the War of the Roses was conclu- Subject excells every other Subject. The partner, followed by a ‘palsy’ (probably a stroke) posed melody, such as “For unto us a Child is sively ended—was demolished in 1951 after Subject is Messiah. that left him temporarily without the use of his born”—originally “Nò, di voi non vo fidarmi,” years of neglect and abuse. Much the same can Jennens did indeed manage to “perswade” right hand. Showing his customary powers of a duet from a recent . But on the whole, be said about Jennens himself: glamorous in his his eminent friend and colleague, but vic- recuperation, he not only regained his health Messiah is original work. So how did Handel day, his star faded rapidly and commentarial tory was tempered with disappointment, as but also his financial footing. Nothing seemed write it so quickly? wrecking balls gutted his posthumous reputa- we hear in another letter to Holdsworth, from to keep him down for long; Handel was tough, The answer is far simpler than one might tion. “Suleyman the Magnificent,” japed 18th- December 1741: resilient, and supremely confident in his ability expect and has nothing to do with romantic century Shakespeare scholar George Steevens. I heard with great pleasure at my ar- to produce music that met public approval. notions of divine inspiration, sleep deprivation, “A vain fool crazed by his wealth,” sniped rival in Town, that Handel had set the He had good reason for that confidence. As starvation or tearstained manuscripts. Handel Johnson. Oratorio of Messiah; but it was some far back as 1710, his first London visit had re- always composed quickly—speed is a basic sur- Prickly, prissy, snippy, snooty and wasp- mortification to me to hear that instead sulted in the blockbuster hit and, for de- vival skill for any hardworking theatrical com- ish, Jennens was manifestly not a man of the of performing it here he was gone to cades, he had produced a steady stream of Italian poser in any era—and Handel was nothing if people. But charges that he was an intellectual Ireland with it. However, I hope we shall in addition to a sizeable catalog of in- not a survivor. He was a past master at turning featherweight are unfounded. The sharpest hear it when he comes back. strumental music. His nontheatrical enterprises out yards upon yards of finished manuscript on barbs are products of Steevens’s malicious envy These letters reveal that Messiah represents a kept him afloat during the 1730s as the Italian schedule and to specification and, even consid- of Jennens’s classy Shakespeare editions and, as departure from Handel’s customary active and opera craze subsided, leaving Handel searching ering the unusual challenges posed by Messiah, such, deserve permanent retirement. Christopher collaborative relationship with his librettists, in- for another high-profit genre that could restore a libretto fundamentally unlike any he had ever Hogwood duly notes Jennens’s “self-importance cluding Jennens in previous projects such as Saul, his endangered fortunes. He didn’t have to look set before, three and a half weeks from start to and intolerance, the high-handed manner of a L’Allegro and (probably) . Handel very far: the oratorio stood ready to provide him finish is impressive but altogether believable. wealthy country gentleman, opinionated and apparently set the completed Messiah libretto as with the next stage in his career. He was no new- Speedy, yes; formulaic, no. Messiah is no cruel in his criticism, whose ostentation made handed to him, without the usual rounds of edi- comer to the genre: as far back as 1707, he had dutiful progression of followed by many of his contemporaries enemies.” But, he torial negotiations. That speaks well of Jennens’s written Il triunfo del Tempo e del Disinganno for but rather a skillful blend of vocal forms also points out Jennens’s many accomplish- literary skill, for his elegantly structured libretto his Roman patron Cardinal Pamphili, and the and genres, sometimes blurring the custom- ments, his educated taste, his passionate dedica- deserves a full share of the credit for Messiah’s flamboyant the following year. ary boundaries between recitative, aria and tion to Handel’s music, his well-designed libretti perennial popularity. Jennens based his scrip- Early in his English residency, he wrote Acis and chorus. Throughout Messiah, Handel changes and his often splendid editorial advice—such as tural selections on both theological and musical Galatea and for the Duke of Chandos. key, tempo, meter and mode as best serves the restoring an excised “Allelujah” to the Part I fi- considerations—Messiah is first and foremost an As the 1730s progressed, made up a text—such as the dramatic shifts throughout nale of Saul. oratorio libretto, not a religious tract. Consider steadily expanding share of his output: “But who may abide the day of his coming” in

24 CAL PERFORMANCES CAL PERFORMANCES 25 PROGRAM NOTES PROGRAM NOTES

Part I. Saving the best for last, Handel treats the Horace Walpole on Handel’s preference for with charity proved to be the oratorio’s turning churches, community centers, concert halls concluding numbers—44 through 47—as one English soloists over Italian opera singers (“he point, as sellout crowds cheered. Handel would and high school gymnasiums; on records, on sustained movement, almost in the manner of a has hired all the goddesses from farces and the produce Messiah at both Covent Garden and the the radio, in movies, on TV, even on YouTube. recitative-free operatic finale. singers of Roast Beef from between the acts at Foundling Hospital on a yearly basis for the rest Eighteenth-century historian Charles Burney For his Dublin series, booked in the city’s both theaters”), the performances were of his life; he died on April 14, 1759, in the in- recounts an incident at the Dublin premiere in shiny new Music Hall on Fishamble Street, warmly received. Thus emboldened, Handel terval between the April and May concerts. By which orchestra leader be- Handel planned an ambitious program of re- scheduled another series of six oratorio concerts then, Messiah had become a cherished fixture of came hopelessly lost during a solo in one of the cent hits as well as old favorites. He presented featuring the same company; they would begin the Easter season; only during the 19th century arias. Somehow he stumbled back to the proper L’Allegro on December 23, Acis and Galatea and on March 16 with a repeat of Samson followed did it become traditional Christmas fare. key, at which point Handel bellowed out lustily: the Ode on January 20. Esther and Alexander’s by a revival of L’Allegro on the 18th, with Messiah There can be no single, absolutely authori- “You are welcome home, Mr. Dubourg!” Feast followed on January 30 and February 13, set for its London premiere on Wednesday, tative version of Messiah. Handel was quick to You are welcome home. That’s the key to respectively. For the March concert version of March 23. In a fit of uncertainty about potential revise, rewrite and rework as necessary to meet Messiah—beloved, reassuring and familiar, it of- the company was joined by singer/actress backlash from Anglican right-wingers, Handel the needs of a particular performer or venue fers living proof that great art is for all people, in Susannah Cibber, shortly to achieve immortal- chose to advertise it only as “A New Sacred and, from 1742 through the early 1750s, the all times and in all places. The Roubiliac statue ity as the first soprano ever to perform Messiah: Oratorio,” rather than referring to it by name. oratorio underwent numerous and often signifi- on Handel’s tomb in Westminster Abbey shows that came about on Tuesday, April 13, 1742. But the oratorio’s identity and subject mat- cant changes. Although the Messiah revisions him holding the score to Messiah. He needs no Words are wanting to express the ex- ter were known about town nonetheless, and the are convoluted and confusing, a standardized other epitaph. quisite Delight it afforded to the admir- same day (March 19) as Handel’s advertisement Messiah has evolved that generally conforms to ing crouded Audience. The Sublime, appeared, the Universal Spectator published a let- the score as Handel performed it in the 1750s. Scott Fogelsong the Grand, and the Tender, adapted to ter signed with the pseudonym “Philalethes”— But the variants offer abundant opportunity the most elevated, majestick and mov- i.e., lover of truth. for exploration, such as a recent recording that ing Words, conspired to transport and But it seems the Old Testament is not to proudly declares itself as reproducing the 1742 charm the ravished Heart and Ear. be prophan’d alone, nor God by the Name of Dublin original. Thus theDublin Journal, snagging the Jehovah only, but the New must be join’d with So, finally, the question: Why Messiah? Why honors of posting the very first of uncountable it, and God by the most sacred the most merci- wasn’t Bach’s Christmas Oratorio adopted for Messiah reviews, on April 17, 1742. Another ful name of Messiah; for I’m inform’d than an sing-it-yourself festivals, or the St. Matthew less formal appraisal came from the Reverend Oratorio call’d by that Name has already been Passion at Eastertime? Those pieces are revered Dr. Delaney, so taken with Mrs. Cibber’s perfor- perform’d in Ireland, and is soon to be perform’d and respected—but it is Messiah that has joined mance of “He was despisèd” that he exclaimed, here: What the Piece itself is, I know not, and hands with Santa Claus, Messiah that everybody “Woman, for this, be all thy sins forgiven!” therefore shall say nothing about it; but I must can whistle, Messiah that inspired the Hallelujah Dublin heard Messiah twice more, in May and again ask, If the Place and Performers are fit? Hustle. That’s actually quite understandable, for June; Handel departed for London on August The tone is respectful but the message is alone of the great sacred choral works of modern 17, determined to recapture the affection of a clear enough: the objection was not so much to music—Bach’s masses and passions, Mozart’s London public that had cooled towards him in the oratorio, but rather to the blending of theater and Haydn’s masses, Beethoven’s Missa solem- recent years. with religion, an issue that was to dog London’s nis and the Verdi Requiem—Messiah stands Handel returned to a London that was riding reception of Messiah for years to come. Whether apart as having at least one foot in homey, a wave of religious piety, thanks to the energies the London premiere was even successful or not popular theater. Messiah does not call upon of John and Charles Wesley, Anglican revival- remains a bit uncertain, although the Earl of us to repent, to anguish or to ponder: its rai- ists whose influence ran towards the puritanical, Shaftesbury states firmly that Messiah “was but son d’être is to offer reassurance. It was created in particular regarding that perennial scapegoat indifferently relish’d.” to provide pleasure and entertainment, and if it of evangelical reformers, the popular theater. Subsequent outings were few and far be- managed to tuck a bit of spiritual renewal into Handel, ever sensitive to the overall public tem- tween during the 1740s. Then fortune sud- the mix, so much the better. The theatricality perature, decided to hold off from introducing denly smiled on Handel’s undervalued ora- that caused so much consternation in the 1740s Messiah and chose instead to re-establish his torio. Handel arranged a performance of the has proven to be Messiah’s greatest strength in London presence with the new Samson, given complete Messiah for May 1, 1750, at London’s the long run. There’s something fundamen- six performances starting on February 18, 1743. Foundling Hospital, as a dedication for the tally friendly about it, something instinctively Despite a few brickbats tossed by an unamused new organ he had donated. The association loveable and approachable. So it thrives—in

26 CAL PERFORMANCES CAL PERFORMANCES 27 ORCHESTRA ROSTER ORCHESTRA ROSTER

PHILHARMONIA BAROQUE ORCHESTRA Nicholas McGegan, Music Director

The Players and Their Instruments Philharmonia Baroque’s musicians perform on historically accurate instruments. Below each player’s name is information about his or her instrument’s maker and origin. violin violoncello timpani Carla Moore, Concertmaster Tanya Tomkins* Kent Reed* Johann Georg Thir, Vienna, 1754 Lockley Hill, London, 1798 Anonymous, , c. 1840 Maria Caswell Phoebe Carrai organ Antoni Rief, Vils, Tyrol, 1725 Anonymous, Italy, c. 1690 Hanneke van Proosdij* Jolianne von Einem† Paul Hale Winold van der Putten, Finsterwolde, Netherlands, Rowland Ross, Guildford, England, 1979; Joseph Grubaugh & Sigrun Seifert, Petaluma, 1988; 2004; after 18th century chest organ after Antonio Stradivari, Cremona after A. Stradivari

Katherine Kyme William Skeen harpsichord Carlo Antonio Testore, Milan, 1720 Anonymous, Italy, c. 1685 Charles Sherman* Anthony Martin John Phillips, Berkeley, 1993; Italian harpsichord after Thomas Oliver Croen, Walnut Creek, 2005; 18th-century Florentine prototypes; generously lent by after F. Gobetti, Venice, 1717 Kristin Zoernig* John Phillips. Joseph Wrent, Rotterdam, Netherlands, 1648 Maxine Nemerovski Timothy Johnson, Bloomington, Indiana, 1999; * Principal after A. Stradivari † Principal Second Violin Marc Schachman* Laurie Young Stevens H. A. Vas Dias, Decatur, Georgia, 2001; Anonymous, Paris, c. 1720 after T. Stanesby, England, c. 1710 PHILHARMONIA BAROQUE TOUR STAFF Noah Strick Michael DuPree Celia Bridges, Cologne, 1988 H. A. Vas Dias, 1998; after T. Stanesby, c. 1700 Peter Pastreich, Executive Director Sara Usher Michael Costa, General Manager Desiderio Quercetani, Parma, 2001; bassoon Jeffrey Phillips, Artistic Administrator after A. Stradivari Danny Bond* Alexander Kort, Stage Manager Lisa Weiss Peter de Koningh, Hall, Netherlands, 1978; Daniel Bowes, Music Librarian Anonymous, London; after Testore after Prudent, Paris, c. 1765 E. J. Chavez, Stage Equipment Coordinator Alicia Yang Marilyn Boenau Thomas Winter, Keyboard Technician Richard Duke, London, 1762 Paul Halperin, Zell i.W., Germany, 2002; after Deper, Vienna trumpet Lisa Grodin* Mathias Eberl, Salzburg, 1680 Caleb Hudson* Rainer Egger, Basel, 2009; after J. L. Ehe III, David Daniel Bowes Nuremberg, 1746 Richard Duke, London, c. 1780 Fred Holmgren Ellie Nishi Fred Holmgren, Massachusetts, 2004; Anonymous, Germany, 18th century after J. L. Ehe III, 1746

28 CAL PERFORMANCES CAL PERFORMANCES 29 CHORALE ROSTER ABOUT THE ARTISTS

PHILHARMONIA CHORALE King’s LINES Ballet, American Conservatory Bruce Lamott, Director Theater and Girls Chorus. Among the most-recorded period-instru- soprano tenor ment orchestras in the or in Europe, Philharmonia has made 32 highly Angela Arnold Trey Costerisan praised recordings, including its Gramophone Jennifer Ashworth Kevin Gibbs Award-winning recording of Handel’s , Anne-Claire Baconnais Corey Head for Harmonia Mundi, Reference Recordings, Claire Kelm Jimmy Kansau and BMG. In 2011, the orchestra launched its Barbara Rowland Mark Mueller own label, Philharmonia Baroque Productions,

Amy White Jonathan Smucker Beach Randi with an acclaimed recording of Berlioz’s Les an francisco’s Philharmonia Baroque Nuits d’été and Handel arias featuring mezzo- alto bass SOrchestra has been dedicated to historically soprano . Subsequent Terry Alvord John Bischoff informed performance of Baroque, Classical releases include a colletion of three Haydn Elspeth Franks Tom Hart and early-Romantic music on original instru- symphonies, and a recording of Vivaldi violin Lynda Higson Josh Henderson ments since its inception in 1981. Under Music concerti (including The Four Seasons) featuring Linda Liebschutz John-Elliott Kirk Director Nicholas McGegan, Philharmonia soloist Elizabeth Blumenstock. Heidi Waterman Jim Monios Baroque was named Musical America’s 2004 Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra was foun- Celeste Winant Chad Runyon Ensemble of the Year, and, according to Los ded by harpsichordist and early music pioneer Angeles Times critic Alan Rich, has become “an Laurette Goldberg. ensemble for early music as fine as any in the world today.” The Orchestra performs an an- nual subscription season in the , and is regularly heard on tour in the United States and internationally. In August 2011, the Orchestra toured the Ravinia, Mostly Mozart, and Tanglewood Festivals to sold-out halls and critical acclaim. The Orchestra has its own professional cho- rus, the Philharmonia Chorale, and welcomes such talented guest artists as mezzo-soprano Susan Graham, countertenor David Daniels, 2008 Beach Randi conductor , violinist Monica Nicholas McGegan (Music Director) is loved Huggett, recorder player Marion Verbruggen by audiences and orchestras for performances and soprano . that match authority with enthusiasm, scholar- The Orchestra has had numerous successful ship with joy, and curatorial responsibility with collaborations with celebrated musicians, com- evangelical exuberance. posers, and choreographers. Philharmonia Through his 25 years as its music director, Baroque premiered its first commissioned McGegan has established the San Francisco- work, a one-act opera by entitled based Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and To Hell and Back, in November 2006. In colla- Philharmonia Chorale as the leading period boration with the Mark Morris Dance Group, performance ensemble in America—and at the Philharmonia Baroque gave the U.S. premieres forefront of the “historical” movement world- of Morris’s highly acclaimed productions of wide thanks to notable appearances at Carnegie Henry Purcell’s King Arthur and Jean-Philippe Hall, the London Proms, the Amsterdam Rameau’s ballet-opera Platée. Philharmonia Concertgebouw and the International Handel Baroque has also collaborated with many Bay Festival, Göttingen, where he was artistic direc- Area performing arts groups, such as Alonzo tor from 1991 to 2011.

30 CAL PERFORMANCES CAL PERFORMANCES 31 ABOUT THE ARTISTS ABOUT THE ARTISTS

In Göttingen and with Philharmonia L’Allegro at Ravinia and the Mostly Mozart Boston Classical Orchestra; and ten perfor- labels. Her recording of Handel’s Baroque he has defined an approach to period Festival in New York. mances in spring 2011 at the Göttingen Festival (Virgin Classics) won the 2002 . style that sets the current standard: probing, se- Mr. McGegan is committed to the next ge- in Germany with Nicholas McGegan, inclu- Born in Montreal and trained at McGill rious but undogmatic, recognising that the mu- neration of musicians, frequently conducting ding a Handel Gala that will celebrate his 20- and Boston universities, Ms. Labelle enjoys sic of the past doesn’t belong in a museum or in and coaching students in residencies and enga- year tenure as the festival’s artistic director. She sharing her technical and musical insights with academia but in vigorous engagement with an gements at , the , and Mr. McGegan, with whom she has recor- young singers, and has taught master classes at audience, for pleasure and delight on both sides Aspen Music Festival and School, and the Music ded and performed extensively, are also colla- , McGill, Smith College and of the platform edge. Academy of the West. borating in performances of Handel’s the University of Massachusetts with more being Active in opera as well as the concert hall, Born in England, Nicholas McGegan was and Alexander’s Feast, with San Francisco’s planned. She lives in central Massachusetts with he was principal conductor of Sweden’s perfectly educated at Cambridge and Oxford and taught Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra. her husband and two children. preserved 18th-century theater Drottingholm at the , London. He was Her recent appearances with Hungarian 1993–1996, running the annual festival the- made an Officer of the Most Excellent Order conductor Iván Fischer include the Countess An exclusive recording art- re. And he has been a pioneer in the process of the British Empire (OBE) in the Queen’s Almaviva in Mozart’s Nozze di Figaro at Teatro ist for Sony Classical of exporting historically informed practice Birthday Honours for 2010 “for services to Perez Galdos in Las Palmas and in Budapest, a Masterworks, Daniel beyond the small world of period instruments music overseas.” His awards also include the Bach B-minor Mass in Washington DC, and Taylor is one of the most to the wider one of conventional symphonic Handel Prize, an honorary professorship a Bach St. Matthew Passion with the Royal sought-after forces, guest-conducting orchestras like the at Georg-August University, Göttingen; the Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam. in the world. He has made Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra and Order of Merit of the State of Lower Saxony In addition to her renowned Handel, Mozart more than 80 recordings, Philadelphia Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony, (Germany); the Medal of Honour of the City of and Bach interpretations, she is drawn to con- including Bach

Toronto Symphony and Sydney Symphony, the Göttingen, and an official Nicholas McGegan temporary music. She sings Seven Romances on Marie-Reine Mattera with the English Baroque New York, Los Angeles and Hong Kong philhar- Day, declared by the Mayor of San Francisco in Poetry of Alexander Blok by one of her favorite Soloists/Gardiner (DG Archiv), Handel’s monics, the Northern Sinfonia and the Scottish recognition of two decades’ distinguished work modern , Shostakovich, at the Mt. Rinaldo (Gramophone Award) with Cecilia Chamber Orchestra, as well as opera companies with the Philharmonia Baroque. Desert Festival of in Maine in Bartoli/AAM/Hogwood, Sakamoto’s pop-opera including Covent Garden, San Francisco, Santa the summer of 2011. Her recent performance Life with the Dalai Lama narrating (Sony), Bach Fe and Washington. Soprano Dominique Labelle of Britten’s Les Illuminations with the New Cantatas with the Bach Collegium Japan/ His discography of over 100 releases inclu- takes great pride in her work England String Ensemble and Susan Daveny Suzuki (BIS). des the world premiere recording of Handel’s with colleagues and in her Wyner was called “heated” and “voluptuous” Mr. Taylor’s debut at Glyndebourne in Susanna, which attracted both a Gramophone probing explorations of the by the Boston Globe. She has performed and re- Handel’s (recorded for Erato) was Award and Grammy Award nomination, and repertoire from the Baroque corded ’s The Rewaking with the greeted with critical praise and followed on recent issues of the same composer’s , to new music. Throughout Lydian String Quartet. his operatic debut in Jonathan Miller’s pro- Samson, and Acis and Galatea (a rarity in that her career, her musicianship Ms. Labelle first came to international pro- duction of (for EMI). His North it unearths the little-known version adapted by and passionate commitment minence as Donna Anna in ’s dar- American opera debut came in Handel’s Cesare Felix Mendelssohn). He is also credited with the to music-making have led to ing production of Mozart’s , set at the New York . first performance in modern times of Handel’s close and enduring collaborations with a num- in Spanish Harlem, which she performed in Highlights of past engagements include masterly but mislaid . Under their new la- ber of the world’s most respected conductors and New York, Paris and Vienna. She has also won Handel’s Messiah with San Francisco Symphony bel, Philharmonia Baroque Productions (PBP), composers, most recently Nicholas McGegan, great acclaim for her portrayal of Micaela in and St. Louis Symphony (both with Harry Philharmonia has recently released two archival Iván Fischer, Jos van Veldhoven and the Pulitzer Bizet’s . Christophers); the New York Philharmonic/ recordings: Berlioz’s Les nuits d’été and selec- Prize-winning composer Yehudi Wyner. She Among her numerous recordings of ope- Helmuth Rilling; Handel’s Israel in Egypt with ted Handel arias with the late Lorraine Hunt also treasures her long association with the late ra and concert repertoire is Monsigny’s Le the Cleveland Orchestra/McGegan; Orff’s Lieberson, and Haydn Symphonies Nos. 88, 101 Robert Shaw. Déserteur, with Opera Lafayette and Ryan Carmina Burana with the Toronto Symphony/ and 104. Upcoming releases include Vivaldi’s Recent and upcoming engagements include Brown (Naxos), with whom she also performed Oundjan; Bach Christmas Oratorio with the Four Seasons and other concerti with Elizabeth Handel’s Messiah with Kent Nagano and the in Gluck’s Armide at Lincoln Center’s Frederick National Arts Centre/Pinnock; Bernstein’s Blumenstock as violin soloist. Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal, and with P. Rose Hall and at the Kennedy Center in Chichester Psalms with the Philadelphia Mr. McGegan has enjoyed dance collabo- Gerard Schwartz and the Seattle Symphony Washington DC. She can also be heard on Orchestra/Dutoit; Handel’s Saul with rations with Mark Morris, notably the premie- Orchestra; Yehudi Wyner’s Fragments from recordings on the Virgin Veritas, Deutsche Bachakademie Stuttgart/Rilling (for Hänssler re performances of Mr. Morris’s production of Antiquity with the Lexington Symphony; Harmonia Mundi, RCA Victor Red Seal, Koss, Classics); and Schnittke’s Faust Cantata with Rameau’s Platée at the Edinburgh Festival and Barber’s Knoxville, Summer of 1915 with the Denon, New World, Carus and Muisica Omnia the Rotterdam Philharmonic/Gergiev. He has

32 CAL PERFORMANCES CAL PERFORMANCES 33 ABOUT THE ARTISTS ABOUT THE ARTISTS performed and recorded extensively with both Requiem in New York under the baton of Kent Boston, Mr. Watson attended the Eastman Bruce Lamott has been direc- the Gabrieli Consort under Paul McCreesh and Tritle, Brahms Liebeslieder Waltzes, and Messiah School of Music and Yale University. He has tor of the Philharmonia Chorale the Monteverdi Choir with . with the Minnesota Orchestra (Vanska) and studied for many years with Herbert Burtis. for more than a decade. He first Mr. Taylor recently made his debuts with Baltimore Symphony (Polochik). performed with Philharmonia the Israel Philharmonic and the Madrid Recent recital highlights included per- Baroque Orchestra in 1989, as National Orchestra, and returned to the St. formances of works by Monteverdi and continuo harpsichordist for Louis Symphony, to Boston’s Handel & Haydn Schütz (Berkeley); Britten (Britten Festival, Handel’s . Society, to the Nashville, San Diego and San Aldeburgh); Haydn and Beethoven (Göttingen); Mr. Lamott was previously the Director Francisco symphonies, and to the Calgary and Schubert’s Die schöne Müllerin with pianist of Choruses and Conductor of the Mission Philharmonic, the Toronto Symphony and the Donald Sulzen. Candlelight Concerts at the Carmel Bach Quebec Symphony. He toured Europe with the Mr. Cooley lived in Munich for ten years, Festival, where his 30-year tenure also included , and appeared in four as a member of the Staatstheater am performing as a harpsichordist and presenting as recital at London’s Wigmore Hall, in Barcelona Gärtnerplatz, singing featured roles in operas by a lecturer and education director. In eight sea- at the Palau de la Musica and at New York’s Mozart and Rossini. sons as Choral Director and Assistant Conductor Carnegie Hall. Mr. Cooley’s recent recordings include of the Sacramento Symphony, he conducted an- Mr. Taylor is Professor of Voice at the Handel’s Samson (Göttingen Handel Festival The Philharmonia Chorale was formed in nual choral concerts of major works, including Conservatoire de Musique in Montreal, Orchestra/McGegan, Carus); Vivaldi’s Dixit 1995 to provide a vocal complement whose flu- both Bach Passion settings and Haydn’s The Professor of Voice at the University of Ottawa, Dominus (Deutsche Grammophon); Mozart’s ency in the stylistic language of the baroque Seasons, as well as preparing the chorus for most an Adjunct Professor at McGill University, and Requiem (Windsbacher Knabenchor, Sony) and period matched that of Philharmonia Baroque of the standard symphonic choral repertoire. a Visiting Scholar at the University of Victoria Mozart’s Mass in C minor (Handel & Haydn Orchestra. The 24 members of the Chorale are Mr. Lamott received a bachelor’s degree and Artist-in-Residence at Banff Centre for the Society/Christophers, Coro Allegro). professional singers with distinguished solo and from Lewis and Clark College and an M.A. and Performing Arts. He is Artistic Director and ensemble experience. Chorale members appear Ph.D. in musicology from Stanford University, Conductor of the Choir and Orchestra of the Baritone Nathaniel Watson regularly with organizations such as the San where he researched the keyboard improvisation Theatre of Early Music. is a versatile artist who has Francisco Symphony, Carmel Bach Festival and practices of the baroque period. Mr. Lamott performed successfully in a American Bach Soloists, are guest soloists with then joined the musicology faculty at UC Davis, American tenor Thomas wide variety of musical styles most of the area’s symphonic and choral organi- where he directed the Early Music Ensemble. Cooley is establishing a since 1982. Highlights in- zations, appear in roles with regional opera com- He currently resides in San Francisco, where worldwide reputation as a clude Der Freischütz with the panies, and have been members and founders he teaches choral music and music history at singer of versatility, expres- New York Philharmonic and of some of the country’s premier vocal ensem- San Francisco University High School, and siveness and virtuosity. Equally Sir , Beethoven’s bles, including Chanticleer, the Dale Warland is part-time professor of music history at the at home on the concert stage Symphony No. 9 under Kurt Masur and in Singers and Theatre of Voices. San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Among and in the opera house, his re- Carnegie Hall with Sir Roger Norrington in the Founded by John Butt, a baroque keyboard- his other music-related activities, Mr. Lamott pertoire ranges across more SchilhanslMichael conductor’s debut concert in America. He ap- ist and one of the world’s leading Bach schol- also teaches continuo realization in the Merola than four centuries. peared in the title role in the Boston Early Music ars, the Chorale has been led by conductor and Program of and lectures Season highlights in 2010–2011 include Festival production of Cavalli’s Ercole amante in musicologist Bruce Lamott since 1997. In its for the San Francisco Opera Guild. Mendelssohn’s Lobgesang with the National Boston, at Tanglewood, and at the Utrecht first decade, the Chorale’s repertoire included Arts Centre Orchestra (Rizzi), Beethoven Missa Festival in Holland, and was featured in the nine Handel oratorios, Bach’s St. John Passion Solemnis with the Atlanta Symphony (Runnicles) production of Weill’s and Christmas Oratorio, Mozart’s C minor and Cathedral Choral Society, Berlioz Requiem Mahagonny. Recent seasons have included per- Mass and—in collaboration with other cho- at Carnegie Hall (Spano), Haydn Creation formances of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio with ral ensembles—Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. with the Indianapolis Symphony (Boyd) and Nicholas McGegan and Philharmonia Baroque; The Chorale made its New York debut at the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra (McGegan), Messiah with the National Symphony at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in 1998 and ap- Bach St. Matthew Passion in Koln and Kennedy Center; Mendelssohn’s Paulus and peared with Philharmonia Baroque at the new Saarbrucken, Mozart Requiem (Christophers) Mahler’s Eighth Symphony with L’Orchestre Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall and Honneger Le Roi David (Shoenandt) in symphonique de Québec under Yoav Talmi; in Orange County. The Chorale appears on Amsterdam, Beethoven Symphony No. 9 with Purcell’s King Arthur with Tafelmusik; Mozart’s the Orchestra’s recordings of Arne’s Alfred, the Alabama Symphony (Brown), the title Magic Flute in Calgary; and Handel’s Scarlatti’s Cecilian Vespers and Beethoven’s role in Handel’s and the Saint-Saëns with Pacific Opera Victoria. Originally from Symphony No. 9.

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