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Programme produced by HarrietSmith;printed Clarion Beutel Brian Giebler Christopher Lowrey Ailish Tynan Benjamin Hulett Soloman Howard Elizabeth DeShong Brenda Rae The EnglishConcert Friday 5April2019 6.30pm,Hall concert performance Handel online. during your visit. Additional feedback canbegiven If anything limitsyour enjoyment pleaseletusknow with ahandkerchief. you feel theneedto coughorsneeze,pleasestifle it sake of other audiencemembersandtheartists,if prevent coughingduringaperformance. But,for the We appreciate thatit’snot always possible to members. can spoiltheenjoyment of your fellow audience set to Titmay causehigh-pitched feedback which entering thehall.Ifyour hearingaidisnot correctly you shouldswitch your hearingaidto Tsettingon Please remember thatto useourinductionloop a performance isstrictlyprohibited. capturing images orusingrecording devices during during theperformance. Taking photographs, Please turnoff watch alarms,phones, pagers etc Cabbell (tel 02036037930) by Trade WindsColourPrinters Ltd;advertising by Part of Barbican Presents 2018–19 following Part 1andPart 2 There willbetwo intervals of 20minutes director/ Iris Semele ( Apollo Steven Fox Priest

Jupiter

Somnus/Cadmus

Juno/Ino

Athamas

artistic director)

2 dramatic, wittyandfullof pathos. his characters musicthatisby turns the tale of godsandmortals, giving name. Handelvividlybringsto life as anoratorio, isanopera inallbut Semele with astellar castledby IestynDavies. a memorable performance of series. Lastseasonwe were treated to the latest instalment intheirHandel and TheEnglishConcertfor Tonight we welcome back HarryBicket Welcome , thoughinitiallypresented Semele , , Huw Humphreys, Head of to lookforward to on 25April2020. forget, ifyou enjoy this,there’s It promises to beathrilling evening. Don’t New York-based ClarionChoir. The EnglishConcertisjoinedby the sings theself-regarding Semele;and American Brenda Rae, who An international castisledby the

interval a duetandchorusinpraise of this celestialmusic. she now hearsaround her, and theAct endswith latter appears,rejoicing inthewonderful sounds and promising ameetingwithhersister Ino.The change of scene,conjuringupavisionof Arcadia a goddessherself,Jupiter distracts her witha discontented. Alarmedlestsheaimsto become reassure herof hisconstancy, butshestillseems Jupiter. Whenhearrives, inhumanform, itisto Semele, aloneinherpalace, awaits avisitfrom of Sleep,inpursuingherrevenge. resolves to seekhelpfrom Somnus,god eloquent accompanied , asshe and Graces, Juno’srage iskindledinan the princess‘insweet retreat’ amongCupids spy outSemele’sabode.WhenIrisdescribes her messengerIris,whomshehassentto , Juno,anything butcheerful,awaits In ‘apleasantcountry’evoked by acheerful Part 2 interval jubilant ‘Endlesspleasure, endlesslove’. the guiseof aneagle. TheAct concludeswithher with news of Semele’sabductionby Jupiter in reciprocate, butthey are interrupted by Cadmus Ino declares herlove to Athamas,whoseemsto ceremony endsinconfusion.Asguestsdisperse, on thealtar are suddenlyextinguished andthe A distant thunderclap marks hiswrath, flames – thegodJupiter, onwhomshecallsfor help. bridegroom. Semeleherselfhasasecret lover Ino nursesabarely suppressed passionfor the The brideappearsdistraught, whilehersister prepares to wed Athamas,Princeof Boeotia. Semele, daughter of KingCadmus of Thebes, At thetemple of Juno,goddessof marriage, Part 1 synopsis Semele: 20minutes 20minutes a cloud,announcesthebirthof Bacchus, Athamas atlastandApollo,descendingon on theheroine’s destruction,Inogainsher happiness. Thoughthechorusmoralises A final scene,however, turnsdisaster to thunder andlightning,burnsSemeleto death. cannot refuse andtheresulting epiphany, withits instructions, shedemandshiscompliance.He granting whatever shedesires. Following Juno’s coldness prompts Jupiter to swear anoath in herrival’s imminentfate. Semele’sapparent On hisapproach, Junohurriedlyleaves, exulting he agrees to appearinhistruegodlike form. and urges herto resist Jupiter’s advances unless mirror, into believing herselfalmostagoddess alone. Shetricks her, withtheaidof amagic In thisdisguise,Junofinds Semelerestless and Ino to sleepandassumethelatter’s identity. the dragons guarding Semele,shewillsend Pasithea. Borrowing hismagic rod to charm goddess utters thenameof hisbeloved nymph Juno andIris,isatfirst reluctant to help,untilthe leads usto thecave of Sleep.Somnus,awoken by ‘A soft symphony’ of dividedcellosandbassoons Part 3 god of wine,from Semele’sashes.

3 Programme notes 4 aspects, almostblasphemous.Likewise witha seemed difficult to categorise and,from several ’sessentialtruths,would have with appropriateness andcorrect form, sothat best-loved work. The18th centurywas obsessed called them,to whatwould ultimately prove his ‘that kindandgenerous nation’asHandel Londoners were lesswelcoming thantheIrish, originally presented inDublin. performances of the premiere of previous seasonthesamehousehad witnessed years earlierby theimpresario JohnRich.The was thetheatre inCovent Garden opened 10 or costumes,thoughtheactual settingfor each according to approved custom, withoutscenery Joseph andHisBrethren also featured thenewly written sacred drama it aspartof aLenten seasonwhich controversy ever since.Thecomposerpresented performances in1744 andhasgenerated puzzled someof theaudienceatitsearliest What exactly isHandel’s Hamilton had skilfullyinserted passages from from Milton’s Hamilton, whohad earlierfashioned though itwas probably hisfriendNewburgh dramatist and poetWilliamCongreve in1705, an adaptation of atext originallywritten by the Nobody knows whosuppliedhimwiththelibretto, The composerhimselfstayed silent ontheissue. longer seemedcommercially viableinLondon? among listeners for whomtheItalian variety no by Handelto launchEnglishvernacular of GluckandCherubini,apioneeringattempt episodes anticipate themonumental Classicism 1744 season?Oristhisdrama, whosegrander as offered to theoriginalsubscribersto the where itactually belonged.Isitanoratorio, work suchas By arrangement withFaber MusicLtd,London. The editionof ‘Semele’usedinthese performances ispublishedby Bärenreiter-Verlag, Kassel. Congreve by William alibretto after parts, three in oratorio An HWV58 Semele, Handel Frideric George , asascripture collectioncentred on Semele Agonistes Samson Messiah , thevexed questionwas and the first London andthefirst London . Both works were given, Semele , which Handel had , whichHandelhad . In both cases . Inboth cases ? That question ? Thatquestion Samson (1744) (1744)

spectacle was intended to inaugurate thenew of HenryPurcell. Subtitled‘AnOpera’, the composer JohnEccles, ayounger contemporary 1706 for theversatile Restoration theatre The had initiallybeenwritten inaround destruction. borrows Ino’sidentitysoasto lure Semeleto self- in ’spoem,into thegossipy oldnurseBeroe, Juno, butthelatter, instead of turningherself,as appear undertheirRoman namesJupiter and between himandhersister Ino.ZeusandHera to bemarrying,andalove interest isdeveloped figure of PrinceAthamas,whomSemele ismeant however, isrescued by thegodHermes,whosews to ashes.Thesix-month-oldchildshecarries, a thunderbolt,reducing thehaplesswoman her bed,whereupon hemanifests himselfas When herefuses, shedenieshimaccess to urges herto make himreveal histrueidentity. that herlover isbehaving too mysteriously and herself asanoldwoman, whoconvinces Semele suspicious of herphilanderinghusband,disguises of Thebes.Hera, Queenof Olympus,always affair withSemele,daughter of KingCadmus takes ahumanshapesoasto conductan divine status. Intheearlierof thesetwo narratives, by agodgives birthto asonwhohimselfassumes the Virgin Mary. Amortal woman made pregnant fascinatingly foreshadows theChristianstory of The Greek myth onwhichtheplot isbased walk’. inspired itsmostpopularnumber, ‘Where’er you addition of linesby Alexander Pope to other works by therespective authorsandhis his relies onaversion by theRoman poetOvidin Congreve’s recasting of thisstory asalyricdrama ‘the twice-born’,patron of wineandpleasure. term, from whichheemerges asthe god , him into Zeus’sthighto bringthepregnancy to (1685–1759) . To thisisadded theforlorn Semele

Handel’s treatment is superb throughout, presence thanCongreve had allotted to it. the choral element neededamore emphatic it, was composedfor hisoratorio season, Since though Handelwrote musicfor him. character of Cupidwas discarded altogether, saw several of hersolonumbersexcised; andthe of theopeningact. Semele,ontheother hand, re-emerged asachorus,heightening thetensions while ‘Cease,ceaseyour vows’, sungby apriest, a recitative into apowerfully doom-laden aria, ‘Hence, Iris,henceaway’ was transmuted from consisting of anair, duetandchorus.Juno’s show, becameafullyfledged musicalepisode arrival onOlympus,originallypresented in dumb libretto. Therole of Inowas developed sothather a judiciousnip-and-tuckto other features of the of thiscomicelementasthey could,whileapplying Handel andhisanonymous adaptor kept asmuch prods Somnus,godof Sleep,into unwilling action. with Jupiter orinthehilariousscenewhere Juno humour, whetherintherealism of herexchanges of and witty banter inplays suchas Not surprisingly, given Congreve’s mastery of 1972. this original to spendhisoldage fishing atHampton Wickand Master of theQueen’sMusick,retreated inahuff altogether. Eccles,whileretaining hispostas himself eventually forsook theenterprise Bracegirdle gave upthetitle-role andCongreve assignment, theglamorous actress Anne crotchety andeccentric,dawdled over the Things didnot gowell onthisoccasion.Eccles, of Handel’sItalian were later premiered). Queen’s Theatre intheHaymarket (where most commentators inthetraditional styleof classical using thesemassed voices not simply as Semele The DoubleDealer The Story of Semele in his hands becomes nuanced with inhishandsbecomesnuancedwith Semele remained unperformed until , theessentiallytragic tale , as Handel called , asHandelcalled The Way of theWorld whatever herdivinestatus, isalltoo humanas oath heknows willutterly destroy Semele. Juno, she gone?’,created by anobligationto fulfil the walk’ andhisgenuineanguishin‘Ah,whitheris soon touched by hissensitivityin‘Where’er you seems thestandard-issue amorous rake, we are within Congreve’s central trio.IfJupiter atfirst brilliantly exploits andheightens thecontrasts same manwithfatal consequences.Handel the ancienttrope of two women pursuingthe Intrinsically, however, whole of musicaldrama. surely oneof thefinest choral movements inthe sombre moral in‘Oterror andastonishment!’, rapturous ‘Blesstheglad earth’anddrawing a thunderbolts, celebrating music’spotency inthe Semele, shudderinginalarmatJupiter’s and reactions, frolicking withthegiddyyoung generate awholerange of different moods start andfinish of thepiece.Inbetween, they tragedy butasactive participantsatthe another as association linked works as different from one and successfulperformers, withwhomalong Beard, oneof thecomposer’s mostvalued and painter. Jupiter was sungby thetenor John composer herself,aswell asatalented dancer Discerning andaccomplished, shewas a to advantage inHandel’slastItalian operas. warble andagility of voice’ had beenshown a Frenchwoman trained inItaly whose‘natural to ElisabethDuparc, known as‘LaFrancesina’, varied andexceptional gifts.Semele was given These three roles were designedfor artistsof line mapsouttheroad to ruin. fatal hubris.Ineach of themanexuberant vocal and ‘Myself Ishalladore’ to emphasiseher suchas‘Endlesspleasure, endlesslove’ herself, Handelusesthesinger’sbravura in wretched fool’, herrival. Asfor theheroine the jealouswife bentoncrushingthat‘vain, and Semele ’s story explores . For thedual

5 Programme notes 6 insertion of asecularEnglish-language musical mixed. Someappearto have resented the Audience reaction to context. public ceremonial whichprovides itsbroader and private desires, asopposedto thegrand for example, focuses onpersonalrelationships the ‘Why dostthouthusuntimelygrieve?’, among asmall,tightlyknitcast.Anumbersuchas in Handel’sstage works, isonintimate exchanges contributions by thechorus,overall stress, as horns, trumpetsandtimpani.Despite crucial the chorusesanduse,atvarious points,of arias isreinforced by oboesand bassoonsin Finely wrought stringaccompaniment for the deployed inItalian opera of theprevious decades. kept to thesimplest,limited to thekindof band score’s theatricalaffinities, instrumentation is London’s finest players. Asifto underlinethe His was chosen,asever, from among the samedrama. to project two very different characters within Young, asingingactress withsufficient versatility role of JunoandInoHandelengaged Semele was decidedly was decidedly Programme note andsynopsis ©JonathanKeates loved of allhisdramatic works. theatricality have made dazzling variety of moodsandcompelling Nowadays, however, itscreative resourcefulness, reception of thisremarkable achievement. lifetime. Londonfailed Handelthrough itsdim which itwas never heard again duringHandel’s piece was revived thefollowing season,following passion for thecomposer‘smusic–when opera’ andwas notably absent–whatever his damned text for librettist of Handel’s were decidedlyunwelcome to CharlesJennens, themselves onhaving surpassed.Suchaspects in terms of refinement andpropriety, piqued of thatRestoration era whichtheGeorgians, the eroticism andthehumorous element,survivals by thewholescore. Otherswere made uneasy by ignoramuses’, thoughsheherselfwas captivated against it,vizthefine ladies, petits-maitres and his friendMaryDelany, noting ‘astrong party the opera peopleare enraged atHandel’,wrote the composerof trying to spike hisrivals’ guns.‘All drama into aLenten oratorio season,suspecting Messiah Semele . Refined andhypersensitive, he asbeingnothing but‘abawdy Semele and compiler of the andcompilerof the oneof thebest- Richard Haughton USA andEurope. tonight, Handel opera serieswiththework we hear St Cecilia’sDay ballet for andWayne Eagling’s works for mechanicalclockwork organ, Bach include hisown arrangements of Mozart’s Philharmonia. PlanswithTheEnglishConcert and Strauss’s Orchestra, ( ( the ( Highlights thisseasonincludereturn visitsto College of MusicandOxford University. Candide finta giardiniera Fe inrecent seasonshave included the MusicDirectorship. Productions atSanta Santa Fe Opera in2013 andfrom 2018 assumed period . HebecameChiefConductor of of TheEnglishConcert,oneof theUK’sfinest repertoire andin2007becameArtisticDirector for hisinterpretation of andClassical concert conductor, HarryBicket isespeciallynoted Internationally renowned asanopera and Harry Bicket About the performers Harry Bicket Remembrance Semele . BorninLiverpool, hestudiedattheRoyal director/harpsichord Four LastSongs , . Theorchestra continuesits , whichitalsoperforms inthe Roméo et Juliette , setto Handel’s The Magic Così fan tutte ) andPrague , Alcina Fidelio

), Cleveland Ode to and and , ), ), La La

Scottish ChamberOrchestra and Orchestre Radio andBBC Scottish Symphony orchestras, orchestras, Royal NorthernSinfonia, theBavarian Liverpool andRoyal Stockholm Philharmonic with theMonte-Carlo, Oslo,Rotterdam, Royal featuring Renée FlemingandDavid Daniels. debut there in 2004withanacclaimed guest attheMetropolitan Opera, following his returned in1999 and2003.Heisnow aregular with ’sproduction of He made hisGlyndebourneFestival debutin1996 the BBC Proms. Hall andBarbicanprojects; andappearances at DiDonato); tours to theFar East;regular Wigmore of UK, European andAmericanperformances Recent highlightswithTheEnglishConcertinclude Philharmonique deRadio France. Tauride ( A MidsummerNight’sDream at theLiceuBarcelona ( Within Europe hehasconducted performances masterclasses attheJuilliard School. and theMinnesota Orchestra. Hehasalsoled and SeattleSymphony orchestras, NACO Detroit, Houston, Indianapolis,SanFrancisco Paul Chamberorchestras, theBoston, Cincinnati, Philharmonic orchestras, LosAngelesandSaint , LosAngelesandNew York Cesare Figaro and theMetropolitan Opera ( Opera Company ( Marriage of Figaro Fidelio with LyricOpera of Chicago ( productions intheUnited States andCanada Highlights of recent seasonsincludeacclaimed Alcina Rinaldo , and ) andTheater anderWien( ). In the concert hall, he has conducted the ). Intheconcerthall,hehasconducted the Rodelinda and and and Alcina Mitridate, re diPonto Rinaldo Ariodante , ); ( Maometto II La clemenzadiTito and ); Santa Fe Opera ( (featuring Joyce ), Bordeaux Opera Orphée et Eurydice The Marriage of and ); Canadian ); Canadian , ) and appeared ) andappeared Lucio Iphigénie en Iphigénie en and Rodelinda Candide and and Giulio Giulio The The ); ); and , ,

7 About the performers 8 Dario Acosta ( she returned to Santa Fe Opera asCunegonde Kim again asAmina( also reprised Gilda( the BerlinState Opera underEunSunKim.She ’sproduction, arole shesang at ( Asher Fischontour to JapanandZerbinetta Queen of theNight( Stefan Soltesz inBarrieKosky’s production, Opera asAminta ( Last seasonshereturned to theBavarian State principal roles. leading opera housesinarange of demanding Brenda Rae isaregular guestattheworld’s Brenda Rae Brenda Rae Graham, featuring ariasby MozartandGluck. Daniels, and arias by Gluck,HandelandMozartwithDavid nominated CDsinclude of Enlightenment. His five recordings withthe Orchestra of theAge Signum. HarryBicket’s discography alsoincludes their mostrecent release isaconcerto discon Dame Sarah ConnollyandRosemary ; , Daniels,LucyCrowe, include releases onarange of labelsfeaturing Recordings to date withTheEnglishConcert Candide Ariadne aufNaxos ) inLaurent Pelly’s production conducted Il tenero momento Semele ) underLothar Koenigs in Gramophone La sonnambula Sento amor ) andworks with with Susan withSusan Award- , a disc of , adiscof ) under ) under ). In the USA ). IntheUSA ) under ) under Schwarzenberg, andherdebutatWeill Hallin celebrated Schubertiade inboth Hohenemsand Hall. Herrecital appearances includethe the Théâtre desChamps-Élysées andCarnegie and HarryBicket here attheBarbican,and Polissena ( On theconcertplatform shehassungtherole of which was alsoreleased onDVD. Glyndebourne Festival asArmida( the ViennaState Opera asLucia,andthe2011 de asAnneTrulove ( in thetitle-role of Berg’s She made debutsatEnglishNationalOpera operas andfurtherperformances inMunich. house debutsattheBerlinandHamburg State of repertoire, mostnotably Zerbinetta, leading to Frankfurt Opera, where shesangawiderange Brenda Rae isaformer ensemblememberof Philadelphia. Amenaide ( Semele atSeattleOpera, andin2017 added to make herhouseandrole debutasHandel’s Mme Herz( Pasquale traviata the 2013 Santa Fe Opera Festival asVioletta ( She made herAmericanoperatic stage debutat her Metropolitan Opera debut. the LyricOpera of Chicago andnext year makes Lammermoor performance there inthetitle-role of by HarryBicket, following heracclaimed Heaven Oresteia of Aeschylus Naxos Brenda Rae’s recordings include Antonini. C minor and debut atLaScala,singingMozart’sMassin and Schubert.InDecember2017 shemade her a programme of , Liszt,Debussy , Wagner’s ) andhassincereturned asNorina( and Offenbach’s ) aswell asboth MmeVladimirescu and Exsultate, jubilate . Sherecently made herdebutwith Die Feen ) to herrepertoire atOpera ) with ) withTheEnglishConcert , Lowell Liebermann’s The Rake’s Progress Fantasio , Milhaud’s , Opéra national under Giovanni Ariadne auf ). She went on ). Shewent on . Rinaldo Lucia di Lucia di The The ), ), Little Little Don Don ), ), La La Kristin Hoebermann concert sheperformed Beethoven’s Symphony Garden, andBavarian State Opera asSuzuki.In her debutsattheRoyal Opera House,Covent Chicago to singAdalgisa ( In 2016–17 shereturned to theLyricOpera of Sir . in Bernstein’s ‘Jeremiah’ Symphony, under the Accademia NazionalediSanta Cecilia ( she returned to Glyndebourneto singSuzuki both conducted by .InEurope of Mass No 6,aswell asgivingtheworld premiere Chicago Symphony Orchestra inSchubert’s of theBaroque, andmade herdebutwiththe performed Mendelssohn’s at theMetropolitan Opera. Inconcertshe ( Washington NationalOpera to singRuggiero soprano ElizabethDeShongincludereturns to Recent highlightsfor theAmericanmezzo- Elizabeth DeShong Elizabeth DeShong Alcina Three LiselMuellerSettings ), followed by Arsace ( ) andmade herdebutwith Juno/Ino by Maxwell Raimi, with Music withMusic ) andmade ) Borgia Opera’s production of Metropolitan Opera’s award in2010. OnDVD shecanbeseeninthe Washington National Opera’s ‘Artist of the Year’ Elizabeth DeShongwas therecipient of Dresser, Schoolboy andPage ( ( Hansel ( and thepasticheopera Seville II Angelina ( Her wide-ranging operatic roles include and theRoyal FlemishPhilharmonicOrchestra. National Symphony Orchestra, Washington DC, Symphony orchestras, Orchestra of St Luke’s, Cincinnati, Dallas,Pittsburgh andToronto the Cleveland Orchestra, theBaltimore, Orchestras withwhichshehasworked include Glyndebourne Festival. Opera, Opéra NationaldeBordeaux andthe Company, EnglishNationalOpera, ViennaState Chicago, LosAngelesOpera, Canadian Opera New York, SanFrancisco Opera, Lyric Opera of worldwide, includingtheMetropolitan Opera, She hasappeared atleading opera houses the Oregon Symphony Orchestra. Orchestra andMahler’sSymphony No 2with Verdi’s withtheRoyal Scottish National No 9 withtheBaltimore Symphony Orchestra, Davis hasbeenwarmly acclaimed. Toronto Symphony Orchestra underSirAndrew Lucrezia Borgia ), Arsace ( ), Hermia( . Herrecording of Hansel andGretel Semiramide ), Fenena ( A MidsummerNight’sDream The Enchanted Island ), Rosina ( The Enchanted Island Messiah ), Calbo( ), Maffio Orsini Lulu The Barberof with the withthe ). Maometto ) and the ) andthe Lucrezia and and ), ),

9 About the performers 10 Jon Adjahoe Mozart’s Requiem. debut withtheHandel&Haydn Societyin leading TheEnglishConcertandmakes his international tour of Fafner in operatic debutwithOpéra deMontréal as J DMcClatchy. Healsomakes hisCanadian The Unicorn,andMe title-role hecreated for thecompany in to Washington NationalOpera to reprise the Santa Fe Opera asColline( Angeles Opera astheMonk( Metropolitan Opera astheKing( Highlights thisseasonincludereturns to the concert stage. performances intheopera houseandonthe has already received praise for hisvivid Cafritz Young ArtistProgram andhe Washington NationalOpera’s Domingo– Soloman Howard isarecent graduate of Soloman Howard Soloman Howard Somnus/Cadmus Semele by JeanineTesori and , undertakes thecurrent withHarryBicket La bohème Don Carlo ), Los ), Los ) and ) and The Lion, The Lion, ), ), the revised editionof PhilipGlass’s Martin LutherKing,Jrintheworld premiere of creating theroles of Frederick Douglassand Boat Ring the latter hehasalsosungFafner inWagner’s Opera andWashington NationalOpera. For D J Sparr’s at theGlimmerglass Festival; andthetitle-role in Angeles Opera; Giovanni at theOpéra nationaldeBordeaux; at theMetropolitan Opera; Recent highlightsincludeperformances of Gustavo DudamelandChristianArming. sang Beethoven’s NinthSymphony underboth Walküre gave hisfirst performances of Hunding( Municipal deSantiago inChile. In concerthe ’s andattheTeatro three continents–withSanFrancisco Opera, Last seasonhemade opera housedebutson and Morgan State University. a graduate of theManhattan Schoolof Music bringing opera into thelarger community. Heis Appomattox of voting rights thoughhisperformances of Difference Award’ in2016 for raising awareness Soloman Howard withtheir‘Makinga The Anti-Defamation League presented ,amongothers. Elbphilharmonie, theViennaMusikverein and la MúsicaCatalana inBarcelona, ’s many prominent venues, includingthePalau de He hasappeared ontheconcertstages of andleading roles in , ) attheMiamiMusicFestival; healso at Santa Fe Opera; Approaching Ali attheKennedy Center, andfor The Magic Flute and Nabucco The Magic Flute at NorthCarolina La traviata and ; aswell as Appomattox Don Don Die Die at Los at Los , Aida Show

. Hans Lebbe Fenton ( North, Ferrando for , Quint ( In theUKhemade hisrole debutasPeter returning for Gonzalve ( Opera diRoma asMadwoman ( Baden-Baden Festspielhaus ( Besessenen world premiere of JohannesKalitzke’s (Henze’s Opera ( He made hisdebutsattheBavarian State in theroles of Tamino andNarraboth ( Flying Dutchman tutte Tamino ( from 2005to 2009,where hissuccessesincluded He was amemberof theHamburg State Opera opera house,concerthallandrecording studio. & Drama. Hehasagrowing reputation in the David Pollard attheGuildhallSchoolof Music at New College,Oxford, andstudiedwith Benjamin Huletttrained asachoral scholar Benjamin Hulett Benjamin Hulett ), Novice ( The Turn of theScrew Alcina The Magic Flute Phaedra ), ( ), DeutscheStaatsoper Berlin ) for Opera Holland Park ) andhereturned asaguest ), Theater anderWien(the Jupiter L’heure espagnole ) andSteersman ( ), Ferrando ( ) for Opera Elektra Curlew River ) andfor Così fan ), the ), the Salome Die Die The The ). ). ), ), ). ). and have received anumberof awards. from theearlyBaroque to new commissions and Alexander Soddy. Hisrecordings range Glynn, JosephMiddleton, SimoneYoung Johnson, MalcolmMartineau,Christopher pianists includingSirAndrásSchiff,Graham , collaborating with Freie Akademie desKunstes inHamburg and National Portrait Gallery, Henley Festival, Buxton Festival, Oxford Lieder, LeedsLieder, at theWigmore Hall,Aldeburgh Festival, interpreter of songandhasgiven recitals He isalsoincreasingly indemandasan BBC Proms andtheEdinburgh Festival. Sir SimonRattle. Hehasappeared atthe Sir , Trevor Pinnockand Hogwood, JuanjoMena,, Dutoit, SirJohnEliot Gardiner, Christopher Bolton, Frans Brüggen,ColinDavies, Charles conductors, includingFabio Biondi,Ivor In concerthehasworked withmany leading Limoges, Reims, Rouen andLuxembourg. Tom Rakewell ( Hipermestra Night’s Dream Festival Opera hehassungin Beppe ( as Edmondo( House,, National Theatre. Hemade hisdebutwith staging of Bach’s and heappeared inSirJonathanMiller’s Opéra deLilleandMadrid’s Teatro Real. Angeles PhilharmonicOrchestra underDutoit, Covent Garden, anddebutswiththe Los Opera andtheRoyal Opera, include returns to , Benjamin Hulett’srecent andcurrent highlights Pagliacci . Hehasalsosungtherole of , Handel’s The Rake’s Progress ). For theGlyndebourne St Matthew Passion Saul ), returning as andCavalli’s A Midsummer A Midsummer ) inCaen, at the at the

11 About the performers 12 ( ( Théâtre delaVilleLuxembourg; Sophie Grand Opera, Opéra ComiqueandGrand Héro ( tutte Scala andtheRoyal Opera; Despina( Opera; Papagena ( Opera; Tigrane ( in T Madame Podtotshina’s Daughter (Shostakovich’s ( Opera andScottish Opera; Madame Cortese Opera House,Covent Garden, Welsh National including Gretel ( She established herselfwithoperatic roles, a BBC Radio 3New Generation Artist. ,Covent Garden and of theVilarYoung ArtistProgramme atthe Singer of theWorld. Shewas amember Rosenblatt Recital SongPrizeatBBC Cardiff Irish soprano AilishTynan won the2003 Ailish Tynan Ailish Tynan Il viaggio aReims he CunningLittleVixen ) attheThéâtre duCapitole deToulouse; Béatrice et Bénédict ) for theRoyal Opera; thetitle-role Xerxes Iris ) for Royal Swedish Opera; Radamisto Hansel andGretel ) Marzelline( ), Nannetta ( The Magic Flute ) for Houston for Grange Park ) for EnglishNational Falstaff Fidelio ) attheRoyal ) for La ) and ) and ) and ) and Così fan Così fan Mahler’s EighthSymphony underMarc Albrecht Recent andforthcoming highlightsinclude and theWigmore HallSongCompetition. Song PrizeatBBC Cardiff Singerof theWorld for theBBC andhasbeenajurymemberfor the presented several episodesof and Mahler’sEighthSymphony. Shehasalso und Träume Her recordings includeFauré festivals andtheVinterfestspill inNorway. Gregynog, St Magnus, Brighton andWest Cork d’Afrique she gave thepremiere of JudithWeir’s festivals includingtheWigmore Hall(where Simon Lepper, givingrecitals atvenues and Burnside, JamesBaillieu,Graham Johnsonand works regularly withpianistsincludingIain She isalsoindemandasarecitalist and Sir Antonio Pappano andJac van Steen. Kirill Karabits, LorinMaazel, AndrisNelsons, Valery Gergiev, Michael Hofstetter, Paavo Järvi, Sir , , SirMarkElder, she hasworked includeMyung-whunChung, Night of theBBC Proms. Conductors withwhom has alsoappeared atboth theFirstandLast Messiah Verdi’s Requiem, Haydn’s Mahler’s Second,Fourth andEighthSymphonies, Highlights ontheconcertplatform have included Opéra ComiqueandOpéra deRouen. and MissWordsworth ( and areturn to Grange Park Opera. Verdi’s Requiem atKing’sCollege,Cambridge, Carnegie HalldebutwithTheEnglishConcert, Orchestra, recitals attheWigmore Hall,her in herdebutwiththeNetherlandsPhilharmonic andVaughan Williams’s ) andattheEdinburgh, Cityof London, , An IrishSongbook mélodies Saturday Classics , Messiah Hodie ) for Nuit Nuit , , Handel’s , Handel’s . She . She Nacht

St John’sSmithSquare; ’s Handel’s Philharmonie deParis withEnsemblePygmalion; London’s UnionChapel;Bach cantatas atthe with theChoirof Clare College,Cambridge,at (Unulfo) andNicoMuhly’s National Opera debutinHandel’s Recent engagements includehisEnglish Rousset andMasaaki Suzuki. , MartinPearlman, Christophe García Alarcón, ErinHelyard, , , Richard Egarr, Leonardo Bates, WilliamChristie,, has appeared includeRoberto Abbado, David around theworld. Conductors withwhomhe with leading opera companiesandorchestras stage andconcertplatform. Hehasworked rank of young onboth the opera Christopher Lowrey isemerging into thefront Christopher Lowrey Christopher Lowrey withLaNuova Musicaat Athamas Marnie ; Messiah Rodelinda

Oliver PrizeattheLondonHandelSinging Award, Sullivan Foundation Award, theMichael Pierre Massé.Hehasreceived aHelpmann Smythe, Derek LeeRagin, Ashley Stafford and Royal Collegeof Music.HestudiedwithRussell member of theChoirof Trinity College)andthe the (where hewas a and holdsdegrees from Brown University, Christopher Lowrey isoriginallyfrom the USA Monteverdi andVivaldi, amongothers. His discography includesworks by Handel, Provence Festival. premiere of Cavalli’s Discordia/Euripilo/Polluce inthemodern and theGöttingen HandelFestival; and The EnglishConcert;Gernando(Handel’s The Choiceof Hercules in Geneva andValencia; thetitle-roles in Opera; Oberon ( and (Vivaldi’s for theAdelaide Festival; Didymus( for theGlyndebourrneFestival; David ( His recent roles includeGuildenstern ( . Pergolesi’s Talens LyriquesinBasle;andaconcerttour of Handel Festival; Handel’s Festival; Handel’s tiempo edeldisinganno at Winchester College;Handel’s for theAdelaide Festival; Bach’s BminorMass Competition andtheKeasbey Award. ) attheBrisbaneBaroque Festival A MidsummerNight’sDream and at the London Handel attheLondonHandel with and with SandrinePiauand attheGöttingen Rinaldo attheAix-en- Il trionfo del ) with Pinchgut ) withPinchgut with Les withLes Theodora with with Hamlet Saul ) ) ) )

13 About the performers 14 Stephanie Berger and many more have not onlybrought their Pinnock, DominicDromgoole, Tom Morris Connolly, IestynDavies, AlisonBalsom,Trevor bring musicto life. Joyce DiDonato, DameSarah reflect and enhanceitspursuitfor new ways to The artisticpartnerswithwhomitcollaborates precision, delicacy andbeauty. for combiningurgency, passion andfire with The EnglishConcerthasearnedareputation principal guestdirector KristianBezuidenhout, Under theartisticdirection of HarryBicket and throughout theworld. unwavering initsdesire to connectwithaudiences for working andperforming together, and it’s alsouniqueinterms of thezealof itsplayers and thevariety of itslive andrecorded output, renowned for itsmusicalquality, its ambition The EnglishConcertisanoutstanding orchestra: The EnglishConcert The EnglishConcert

radically different path,presenting programmes regular Londonseriesallows themto explore a continues to grow. Meanwhile, theensemble’s and Barbican,theroster of great halls Théâtre desChamps-Élysées, Elbphilharmonie regularly takes intheTheater anderWien, with CarnegieHallandtheitinerary now This hasgrown from anongoingrelationship cycle isitsinternational HandelOpera tour. One cornerstone of theorchestra’s annual way itperforms. continue to helpTheEnglishConcertto shapethe extraordinary skillsto individualprojects but www.englishconcert.co.uk of Monterverdi’s thisyear withperformances the musicians.Itlaunchesitspartnershipwith to ahomeaudiencethatchallengeandinspire Vespers of 1610 . first seasonasMusicDirector of theCathedral Choir andtheClarionOrchestra, andisinhis Steven Fox isArtisticDirector of theClarion Steven Fox nomination. in Eternal recently released itssecondrecording, the current tour withHarryBicket. Thechoirhas Orchestra of St Luke’s underLeonard Slatkinand Highlights thisseasonincludeatour withthe premiere of hernew song‘BeautifulGame’. Gala inathree-song setthatincludedtheworld Gregorian chantwithMadonna attheMet Museum of Art.LastMay italsoperformed the MetLive Artsprogramme intheMetropolitan The ClarionChoirperforms regularly aspartof St Petersburg andLondon. Steinberg, reprising thepiecein2016 inMoscow, York premiere of 2011 White LightFestival. In2014 itgave theNew Center debut,performing Bach chorales, atthe Award. Thechoirmade anacclaimed Lincoln a Grammy anda recording, released in2016, was nominated for PBS’s NYC-Arts programme in2014, anditsdebut America andEurope. Thegroup was featured on appeared onsomeof thegreat stages of North The ClarionChoirisbasedinNew York andhas Clarion Choir Gramophone , whichreceived anEditor’s Choice artistic director magazine andaGrammy Passion Week BBC MusicMagazine by Maximilian Memory Memory Choral Choral conductor of theYale ScholaCantorum. where heserved for two years aspreparatory College, theJuilliard SchoolandYale University, masterclasses andmusicclinicsatDartmouth recordings withtheClarionChoir. Hehasgiven and received aGrammy nominationfor both his Associate of theRoyal Academy of Musicin2010 production, conducted Clarion’sfirst fullystaged opera Academy of MusicandtheVatican. In2017 he Hall inMoscow, theDuke’s HallintheRoyal Theatre inSt Petersburg, theRachmaninov as theGrand PhilharmonicHallandHermitage of themostprestigious hallsinternationally, such His performances have alsotaken himto some in Chicago. Quebec Opera andMusicof theBaroque Quebec andTucson Symphony orchestras, Haydn Society, Juilliard415, theCharleston, Philharmonia , Handel& orchestras andopera companiessuchasthe appeared asaguestconductor withrenowned of Gluck’s Program’s andJuilliard Opera’s production Metropolitan Opera LindemannYoung Artist He served asAssistant Conductor for the Associate Conductor atNew York CityOpera. the age of 21, andfrom 2008to 2013 was an Russia’s first period-instrumentorchestra –at He founded MusicaAntiquaSt Petersburg – Washington, DC. Choral SocietyattheNationalCathedral in The Magic Flute in2012. Sincethenhehas . Hewas namedan

15 About the performers 16 Harry Bicket Harry Bicket Harpsichord Director/Artistic Steven Fox Steven DirectorArtistic Clarion Choir Concert The English

Alto Melanie Russell Nola Richardson Molly Quinn Nacole Palmer Molly Netter Linda Jones Madeline Healey Jessica Beebe Soprano 1 Wilson Alfonso LealdelOjo Diana Lee Jacek Kurzydło Kinga Ujszászi Tuomo Suni Violin 2 Silvia Schweinberger Thérèse Timoney Julia Kuhn Alice Evans Nadja Zwiener Smith Kristen Dubenion- Luthien Brackett Christine Sticher Double Gavin Kibble Jonathan Byers Joseph Crouch leader

Keith McGowan and tunedby Keyboards supplied Tom Foster Harpsichord/Organ William Carter Stephen Burke Timpani Stian Aareskjold Mark Bennett Martin Lawrence Monberg Ursula Paludan Zoe Shevlin Alberto Grazzi Hilary Stock Marta Bławat Jonathan Ramseyer Lawrence Jones Tim Hodges Brian Giebler Andrew Fuchs Fox Steven Mikki Sodergren Timothy Parsons Tim Keeler Roger Isaacs

Sarah Fenn Orchestra Manager Alfonso LealdelOjo Chief Executive Jonathan Woody Neil Netherly Tim Krol Michael Hawes Kelvin Chan Joseph Beutel Bass Gill Rees Financial Controller Nick Hardisty Coordinator Production