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Home , Agrippina (opera), Alice Coote, Almira, Armida (Haydn), Armida (Sacchini), Armida (Weir)

Handel Tuesday 13 March 2018 6.30pm, Hall

The English Concert conductor/ Rinaldo Jane Archibald Sasha Cooke Goffredo Joélle Harvey Almirena/Siren Argante Jakub Józef Orli ´nski Eustazio Owen Willetts Araldo/Donna/Mago Richard Haughton Richard There will be two intervals of 20 minutes following Act 1 and Act 2

Part of Barbican Presents 2017–18

We appreciate that it’s not always possible to prevent coughing during a performance. But, for the sake of other audience members and the artists, if you feel the need to cough or sneeze, please stifle it with a handkerchief.

Programme produced by Harriet Smith; printed by Trade Winds Colour Printers Ltd; advertising by Cabbell (tel 020 3603 7930) Please turn off watch alarms, phones, pagers etc during the performance. Taking photographs, capturing images or using recording devices during a performance is strictly prohibited.

If anything limits your enjoyment please let us know The City of during your visit. Additional feedback can be given Corporation is the founder and online, as well as via feedback forms or the pods principal funder of located around the foyers. the 2 The Londonaudienceof 1711 lappeditup, was Handel’sfirst foray into Italian . of Such are theconfidence andimagination in thetitle-role of Iestyn Davies (whomade such animpact Tonight asimilarly illustriouscastisledby with astellar castledby AliceCoote. spine-tingling performance of series. Lastseasonwe were treated to a latest instalment intheirHandelopera and TheEnglishConcertfor Tonight we welcome back HarryBicket Welcome

Evgeny Kissin, andNicoMuhly. Iestyn Davies, Joyce DiDonato, SirHarrisonBirtwistle, Sir JamesMacMillan, George Benjamin,Andrew Norman, artists from around theworld. Recent artists include for exclusive interviews andcontent from thebestclassical Stream ordownload ourBarbican ClassicalMusicpodcasts Available on iTunes, Soundcloud and the Barbican website Barbican the and Soundcloud iTunes, on Available Barbican Classical MusicPodcasts Rinaldo thatit’sremarkable to thinkit two years ago). Rinaldo , the , the , Huw Humphreys, Head of ,Barbican to lookforward to on5April2019. And ifyou enjoy this,there’s It promises to beathrillingevening. opera ispacked withmemorable . magic of Handel’sinvention lives on,asthis dragons. Even withoutsuchprops, the mode of transport isachariot drawn by in theform of Armida,whosechosen battle scenesandasplendidsorceress together love, vengeance, forgiveness, music. Andnowonder –for effects asby Handel’sendlesslyinventive as delighted by theextravagant magical

Semele Rinaldo

brings brings interval vows vengeance. in hisdefence of . True to form, Armida love for Almirena andrenounces Armida’shelp ‘Almirena’, provoking Armida’sfury. Headmits his vengeance. Argante enters andfalls for thedecoy and leaves. Armidaistorn between love and as Almirena. Rinaldosuspectsthedeception then triesto seducehimby disguisingherself Armida offers thecaptive Rinaldoher love, release. spurns himwhilechallengingto secure her declares hislove for thegrieving Almirena. She garden inArmida’senchanted palace, Argante on, having lostboth Almirena andRinaldo.Ina away to Armida’s palace. Goffredo vows to fight in search of thesorcerer. Two sirens lure Rinaldo Eustazio, Goffredo and Rinaldoarrive atashore Act 2 interval to aidhismission. course, butnomatter). Rinaldocallsonthewinds Christian sorcerer (acontradiction interms, of brother Eustazio tells himto seekhelpfrom a Almirena, leaving Rinaldobereft. Goffredo’s love. Armidauseshermagic powers to abduct aviaries’, Almirena andRinaldosingof their In ‘adelightfulplace withfountains, pathsand promises to take charge. support canArgante hopefor victory. She that onlyby deprivingtheChristiansof Rinaldo’s dragons. Through black magic shehaslearnt Armida, whoarrives inachariot drawn by seeks thehelpof hismistress, thesorceress Rinaldo iftheChristianarmy isvictorious. Argante promises hisdaughter Almirena to theknight city, whichisruledby KingArgante. Goffredo command of Goffredo have laidsiegeto the Crusade (1096–99). Christianforces underthe The action issetinJerusalemduringtheFirst Act 1 Synopsis 20 minutes 20 minutes of virtue. this isBaroque convert to Christianity(don’tquestionthemaths: but spares himandArmidawhenthey hastily Saracens are defeated. Rinaldocaptures Argante, outcome of thebattlehangsinbalance, forward to victory andAlmirena’s love. After the reunited, review theirtroops. Rinaldolooks As battlelooms,Argante andArmida,now to redeem himselfwithdeedsof glory. reunited withRinaldoandAlmirena. Rinaldovows arise to protect her. Goffredo andEustazio are Rinaldo rushesforward to killthesorceress. Spirits Rinaldo’s rejection. Assheisaboutto strike her, Armida vows to killAlmirena inrevenge for it disappears. Eustazio touch thepalace gate withtheirwands, and themonsters are routed. AsGoffredo and Goffredo andEustazio withmagic wands, monsters bearinglittorches’. Thesorcerer equips the palace, theChristiansare repulsed by ‘horrible palace. Attempting to climbthemountain to storm them thatRinaldoandAlmirena are inArmida’s Goffredo andEustazio find thesorcerer, whotells Act 3 ). All join in praise ). Alljoininpraise

3 Synopsis 4 written expressly for London, and composing.’ That opera was of thenobilitywere impatientfor anOpera of his first biographer, JohnMainwaring, wrote, ‘Many triumphs, couldnot have been better timed.Ashis arrival inLondon,monthsafter hisItalian English resistance to all-sungopera. Handel’s different Italian works had conquered age-old 1710, so-called and empire’. London’selite was undeterred. By opera would sapthenationof her‘manhood the Growth of Sodomy’ thundered thatItalian writer of apamphletentitled‘PlainReasons for and anti-Catholicparanoia, theanonymous Exploiting atoxic mixof homophobia,xenophobia and , asdegenerate andeffeminate. with itstemperamental, overpaid primadonnas standing. Nay-sayers deridedthisexotic import, whose virtuositylefttheirEnglishcounterparts found craze for Italian opera anditssingers, The primelure for Handel was London’snew- monstrous thing’,inDanielDefoe’s words. city of nearlyamillioninhabitants –‘agreat and it pleasedhimto travel to London,thenaseething and to gowhithersoever heplease’.Thatautumn be absentfor a12-month ormore ifhechoseit, stretch credulity: agenerous salary, plus‘leave to future George I),onterms sofavourable asto Kapellmeister to Georg, Elector of Hanover (the age of 25thatinJune1710 helandedthepostof patrons. Suchwas hisinternational prestige atthe had cultivated thesupportof araft of influential Sassone’ (ThedearSaxon), ashewas dubbed, sojourn from late 1706 to early1710, ‘Ilcaro his own professional interests. DuringhisItalian the energy andacumen withwhichhepursued The young Handel’sgeniuswas matched by Ltd, Music Faber London. by with arrangement Performed by Bärenreiter-Verlag, Kimbell. Kassel, by edited David published is of ‘Rinaldo’ edition performances The in these used ’s ‘Gerusalemme liberata’ after by Hill, Aaron ascenario on based Rossi by Giacomo Italian acts three in opera An HWV7 Rinaldo, Handel Frideric George cobbledtogether from Rinaldo , thefirst-ever (1711)

Crusade epic end Hilltook anepisodefrom Torquato Tasso’s with dramatic coherence adistant third. To this priorities were variety of incidentandspectacle, him consolidate all-sungopera inLondon.His Hill was quickto seehow theSaxon couldhelp The theatre’s energetic young director Aaron 24 February 1711. premiered attheQueen’sTheatre, Haymarket, on Rinaldo’s beloved, Almirena. The theatre poet adding a‘sentimental’ heroine inthe personof by opera composersfrom Lullyto Dvorˇák), and Rinaldo andtheenchantress Armida(explored Tasso, dilutingthecomplex relationship between alia his andaudience’staste. Thisentailed, what hetermed ‘aPoet’s Privilege’to adapt itto resources available attheQueen’sTheatre, which numbers, heexploited thelavish orchestral in theadapted musicandthenewly composed almost invariably improved onhisoriginals.Both Italy. True to form, Handel theinveterate recycler pianga’ –was adapted from works composed in music –mostfamously Almirena’s ‘Lasciach’io take into account thatmore thanhalfof exaggeration, thoughperhapsnot by muchifwe Rossi’s eye-catching claimwas doubtlessan only two weeks.’ genius, to thehighestdegree of perfection, in an entire opera composedby thatsublime time to write, andIsaw to my great amazement our age, insettingitto music,scarce gave me could write faster. ‘MrHendel,theOrpheusof Handel engaged in‘acontest of skill’asto who according to hisprinted Wordbook, heand putHill’sdraft into verse; and , reducing thebloodyandheroic elementsin Gerusalemme liberata

(1685–1759)

, and used , andused Rinaldo inter

’s ’s by few of hiscontemporaries –against aweb of expand infinitely –aHandelian secret shared ‘Cara sposa’,inwhichthevocal lineseems to plum amongRinaldo’ssolosishisAct 1lament tune made itanimmediate popular hit.Butthe ‘Il Tricerbero umiliato’, whosejauntilydemotic Near thestart of Act 2hesailsaway, singing voice against aroistering of trumpets. ‘Or latromba insuonfestante’, which pitsthe Even more spectacular isRinaldo’sfinal , concerto grosso bravura showpiece ‘Venti, turbini’,ineffect a then locates hisinneralphamaleinthethrilling in thecontinuo-accompanied ‘Coringrato’. He pensive and/oramorous figure, mosteloquently dramatic power. For muchof Act 1Rinaldoisa his famed virtuosityin‘longdivisions’andhis duets, Handelcomposedfor himshowcase both and stillgreater actor’. Theeightarias,plustwo , simply, as‘thisgreat singer in thetitle-role, describedby themusichistorian Neapolitan NicoloGrimaldi(‘Nicolini’) The star draw amongHandel’scastwas the visible concerntaking snuff.’ wig, appearinthemidstof thesea,andwithout see awell-dressed young fellow infull-bottomed delightful grove andIwas not alittleastonished to with theprospect of theoceaninmidstof a editors’ gleewas unbounded.‘We were presented stage-hands forgot to move thewing-flats, the to hidehiscandle’.Whenatoneperformance from dragons failed to keep hishead down and as whenthe‘boy whoproduced fire andsmoke the editors of the satirical magazine things could,anddid,gowrong, to thedelightof Arthur (shades here of thePurcellian extravaganzas transformations andeven aflock of live sparrows machines, fire-snorting dragons, spectacular expense-spared staging, withitsmermaids,aerial went wildover both themusicandHill’sno- imagery (dulylambasted inthepress), audiences opera’s inconsistencies, absurdities andmuddled Handel’s reputation inLondon.Ignoringthe Rinaldo With arunof 15 performances inthe1711 season, aria atthecloseof Act 2,‘Vo’ far guerra’. a brilliantkeyboard solofor himselfinArmida’s andorganist, Handelalsoincluded consort of recorders. Capitalising onhisfame as Almirena’s avian aria‘Augelletti, checantate’) a included oboes,bassoons,four trumpets and(in and was anunalloyed triumphandsealed The FairyQueen for violin,bassoonandvoice. from the1690s). But The Spectator King King , self-importance. Like hisparamour, Armida,he the character’s swaggering, faintly grotesque Handel usesBoschi’shugevocal range to express the would-be suave love song‘Vieni,ocara’, for himinLondon.Ineach of hisarias,even was thefirst of many roles Handel composed testosterone baddies. Thesaracen kingArgante voice andpersonality, hespecialisedinhigh- the role of Pallante in Maria Boschiin1709 inVenice, where heplayed Handel had mettheItalian bassGiuseppe violent central section. grief dulyyieldsto outrage inthearia’sbrief, nature cannever besuppressed for long;and divided into three parts.ButArmida’sessential rich-textured stringaccompaniment, withviolins bassoon andoboeweave theirplaintagainst a mournful outer sectionsof thearia‘Ah,crudel’ after shehasbeenspurnedby Rinaldo.Inthe in hermagnificent her default setting,shereveals adeeperhumanity vengeful fury, graphically exploited by Handel,is dominates thestage whenever sheappears.If from Armida’sfire-snorting openingariashe the first of hisgreat operatic sorceresses; and temperament to match. For herHandelcreated Schiavonetti, evidently apowerful singerwith unsnappily namedsoprano Elisabetta Pilotti- Next inthepeckingorder in1711 was the heard inEngland’. the richestaccompaniment, whichhad beenthen many degrees themostpatheticsong,andwith chromatic counterpoint. For Burney thiswas ‘by of themelodiclineonrepeat of themelody, opera an Italian chambercantata to Handel’searly ch’io pianga’,whoseancestryreaches back via and exquisitely simple–sarabande aria‘Lascia most famous numberintheopera, theexquisite – passive figure, though shedoesgetto sing the For the rest of theopera Almirena isanessentially reworked from anItalian , is deceptive. Her spirited openingaria‘Combattidaforte’, whocreated therole of Almirena. Little isknown aboutIsabellaGirardeau, the the Italian serenata Handel had recycled thisfrom ’s ariain probably wouldn’t have cared ifthey had –that audiences would hardly have known –and doubtless brought thehousedown in1711. London festooned withthree trumpetsanddrums that makes aspectacular first entrance, inanaria scena Aci, Galatea ePolifemo . Theslightalteration neartheendof Act 2, . Forceful in .

5 Programme note 6 hauntingly between majorandminor, isoneof the Sirens’ SonginAct 2,‘Ilvostro maggio’, hovering and Argante –are allmusicallyvivid,whilethe Act 3)animprobably jollygavotte for Armida terse spatbetween RinaldoandArmida(in playful love duetfor RinaldoandArmida,a more thanthat.Theopera’s three duets–a Purcellian minuetsong‘Siamprossimi’, rather mellifluous, andinthecaseof Eustazio’s wistful, But theirmusicisnever lessthanpleasingand Eustazio way beyond theirdramatic significance. Francesca Vanini-Boschi) andhisbrother Goffredo (sungin1711 by Boschi’s wife, the Hill inflated theroles of theChristiancaptain To take advantage of theavailable singers,Aaron suffer from them’. which theheads of theaudiencemay sometimes London press to warn of the‘inconveniences onstage didn’talways fly to plan:acuefor the warbling recorders, thesparrows released ‘Augelletti’ aria,accompanied by atrioof means used.InAlmirena’s first-act Arcadian an expressive power outof allproportion to the with thethird note changedfrom Ato D,has European operatic map:‘[ that touch of patriotic pride,voiced by CharlesBurney, sheer exuberance of youth. There was alsoa to ascore teeming withcolour, invention andthe Hill dubbedits‘Machines andDecorations’, and opera inhislifetime: tribute both to whatAaron After full of highlights. most naggingly memorable numbersinanopera Surtitles by Kenneth Chalmers Notes andsynopsis ©Richard Wigmore success doeshonourto ournation’. had ever been composed in , that its great in compositionto any opera of thatperiodwhich stagings made now inthetitle-role. Itstally of 53 revisions for afinal revival in1731, withthegreat wholesale –anddramatically damaging – several timesbetween 1712 and1717, andmade was plentyof choice.Handelrevived ‘favourite songs’from theopera –andthere was quickto issueacollectionof Rinaldo Rinaldo had decisively putLondononthe ’s triumphant first run, the publisher ’s triumphantfirst run,thepublisher Rinaldo Handel’s most-performed Handel’smost-performed Rinaldo ] is so superior ] issosuperior Rinaldo

Richard Haughton La clemenzadiTito ( ( and Houston Grand Opera ( Rinaldo with LyricOpera of ( productions in theUnited States andCanada Highlights of recent seasonsincludeacclaimed Fe Opera. well asconductingBernstein’s Rinaldo .WithTheEnglishConcerthetours Symphony andamasterclass atthe Los AngelesChamberOrchestra, Cincinnati Marriage of Figaro et Eurydice return visitsto LyricOpera of Chicago ( RTÉ NationalSymphony Orchestra of , Highlights thisseasonincludehisdebutwiththe University andisanaccomplished harpsichordist. studied attheRoyal Collegeof MusicandOxford with anacclaimed Fe Opera in2013 andopenedthe2014 season . HebecameChiefConductor of Santa The EnglishConcert,oneof theUK’sfinest period repertoire andin2007becameArtisticDirector of for hisinterpretation of andClassical concert conductor, HarryBicket isespeciallynoted Internationally renowned asanopera and Harry Bicket About the performers Harry Bicket Orfeo Maometto II ); andtheMetropolitan Opera ( andgoesinto therecording studio,as ); Santa Fe Opera ( ), , New York ( ); Canadian Opera Company and conductor/harpsichord Fidelio ), Royal NorthernSinfonia, and . Born in Liverpool, he . BorninLiverpool, he ); Atlanta Opera Fidelio Candide and

and and ). In the ). Inthe Orphée Orphée with Santa withSanta ); ); The The

, debut there in2004withanacclaimed guest attheMetropolitan Opera, following his returned in1999 and2003.Heisnow aregular with ’sproduction of He made hisGlyndebourneFestival debutin1996 and regular Wigmore HallandBarbicanprojects. East, alongsideappearances attheBBC Proms touring, taking inEurope, AmericaandtheFar Work withTheEnglishConcert includesextensive Orchestre PhilharmoniquedeRadio France. orchestras, Scottish ChamberOrchestra and the Bavarian Radio andBBC Scottish Symphony Philharmonic orchestras, Royal NorthernSinfonia, Rotterdam, Royal Liverpool andRoyal Stockholm Ponto Wien ( Bordeaux Opera ( at theLiceuBarcelona ( Within Europe hehasconducted performances Minnesota Orchestra. Symphony orchestras, NACO andthe Houston, Indianapolis,SanFrancisco andSeattle Paul Chamberorchestras, theBoston, Detroit, Philharmonic orchestras, LosAngelesandSaint Orchestra, LosAngelesandNew York concert hall,hehasconducted theCleveland Mozart andGluck. momento and MozartwithDavid Daniels,and Sento amor Gramophone which was nominated for aGrammy Award. His cantata selections from Handel’s Renée FlemingandIanBostridge,aswell as including collectionsof Handelopera ariaswith with theOrchestra of theAge of Enlightenment, Bicket’s discography alsoincludesfive recordings Sarah ConnollyandRosemary .Harry , David Daniels,LucyCrowe, include releases onarange of labelsfeaturing Recordings to date withTheEnglishConcert featuring Renée FlemingandDavid Daniels. ) andappeared withtheMonte-Carlo, Oslo, Iphigénie enTauride La Lucrezia withSusanGraham, featuring ariasby , adiscof ariasby Gluck, Handel Award-nominated CDsalsoinclude Alcina with , with Lorraine HuntLieberson, Agrippina ) and Theater an der ) andTheater ander and Mitridate, re di Theodora and , Il tenero Lucio Rodelinda , and the , andthe and and ), ),

7 About the performers 8 stage attheDuke of York’s Theatre. Globe Theatre andsubsequentlyontheWest End ( residency. Herecently sangtherole of ,where hehascurated hisown at CarnegieHallandregularly appearsatthe Proms. Hehasappeared inconcertandrecital , LincolnCenter inNew York andattheBBC Zurich Tonhalle, Théâtre desChamps-Élysées in Scala, ,theAmsterdam Concertgebouw, Concert highlightsincludeperformances atLa Opera andinMunich,ViennaZurich. Glyndebourne Festival Opera, Welsh National , EnglishNationalOpera, Opera, LaScala,Milan,, Metropolitan Opera, New York, Chicago Lyric On theopera stage, hehasappeared atthe Muhly. with ThomasAdès, George BenjaminandNico interpretations have ledto fruitfulcollaborations and David ( such asOrlando,Rinaldo, ( audiences globallywithhisvocal agility inroles An esteemed Handelian,hehascaptivated Academy of Music,London. Cambridge, IestynDavies studiedattheRoyal Anthropology from St John’sCollege, After graduating inArchaeology and Iestyn Davies Iestyn Davies Farinelli andtheKing Rinaldo ). Hisintelligent andconsidered ) withMarkRylance atthe Agrippina )

Helen Tansey Jane Archibald Year’s Honours. Talent. Hewas awarded an MBEinthe2017 New 2013 Critics’Circle Award for Exceptional Young with andJonathanCohen)the Gramophone 2010 Young Artistof theYear Prize,three the recipient of theRoyal Philharmonic Society’s Iestyn Davies isaprolific recording artistandis the King and makes hisBroadway debutin Metropolitan Opera for appearances. Thisseasonhereturns to the andCleveland, andmany London The Exterminating Angel Benjamin’s Houseto perform George Highlights lastseasonincludedareturn to ( Entführung ausdemSerail disc the Opéra NationaldeParis; Sophie( auf Naxos ( the Metropolitan Opera, New York; Olympia in with recent engagements includingthetitle-role excitement across Europe andNorthAmerica Jane Archibald’s artistryhasgenerated Jane Archibald Les contes d’Hoffmann Lucia diLammermoor Arise, my muse . ) andCleopatra ( Written onSkin awards (in2012, 2014 for hisrecital ) andOphélie( Armida , and2017 for Bach ), Zerbinetta ( andKonstanze ( ; concertsinMoscow, The Exterminating Angel The Exterminating Angel ) inZurich;Adele andThomasAdès’s Giulio Cesare Hamlet Farinelli and Farinelli and Ariadne Der Der ) at ) at ) at ) at Die Die

Orchestra under Ludovic Morlot. and Entführung ausdemSerail include criticallyacclaimed recordings of for ClassicalAlbumof theYear. Recent highlights of Haydn arias,won aJUNOAward DVD recordings. Herfirst solodisc,aprogramme Jane Archibald hasfeatured onmany CDand Ravel’s Candide Britten’s performances of Bach’s role inStrauss’s include Mathilde( Other current andforthcoming highlights The Nightingaleandother ShortFables Zdenka ( first-ever Artist-in-Residence, taking theroles of with theCanadian Opera Company asits This seasonshemakes frequent appearances Louis Langrée. Mozart ariaswiththeCamerata and Thielemann andtheBerlinPhilharmonic Messiaen’s Orchestra andMichael Tilson-Thomas, Orchestra of LaScala,Brahms’s Exsultate, jubilate Her many concerthighlightsincludeMozart’s roles. ensemble, makingherdebutinmany coloratura to theViennaState Opera asamemberof the with theSanFrancisco Opera. Shethenmoved in hernative Canada, shewas anAdler Fellow After beginningherprofessional opera career for theCanadian Opera Company. the title-role in ( Covent Garden andinMunich;DonnaAnna Zerbinetta attheBaden-Baden Festspielhaus, Rosenkavalier Poèmes pourMi L’enfant et lessortilèges Les illuminations ) and the Fire/Princess/Nightingale in ) andtheFire/Princess/Nightingale in withtheSanFrancisco Symphony Arabella Poèmes pourMi ) at , Milan, and in ; ) atLaScala,Milan,andinBerlin; ) at the ; and ) attheTheater anderWien; and Daphne with Lorin Mazel and the withLorinMazelandthe ), Konstanze andthetitle-role in William Tell with the Seattle Symphony with theSeattleSymphony andGinevra ( , as well as concert , aswell asconcert St Matthew Passion , Cunégonde (Bernstein’s , Cunégonde(Bernstein’s under Jéremie Rhorer with Christian with Christian ) andthetitle- . Ein deutsches Ein deutsches Ariodante . Die Die , )

Dario Acosta Bates’s creating therole of Laurene JobsinMason she participated intwo majorworld premieres, Grand Opera andSeattleOpera. Lastyear Francisco Opera, DallasOpera, Houston New York, Opéra NationaldeBordeaux, San opera houses,includingtheMetropolitan Opera, She isalsosoughtafter by theworld’s leading acclaim onfour continents. Mahler, whoseworks shehassungto great others, frequently performing themusicof Gustav Orchestre Métropolitain deMontreal, among Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlinand Netherlands Radio PhilharmonicOrchestra, Francisco andTokyo Symphony orchestras, London, Melbourne,New Zealand,San season includeappearances withtheDallas, mezzo-soprano. Concert-stage highlightsthis Sasha Cooke isaGrammy Award-winning Sasha Cooke appearances withtheBoston, Chicago, Dallas, Previous orchestral engagements have included Read ThomasandJoby Talbot. Liebermann, Marc Neikrug,Kevin Puts,Augusta William Bolcom,Laura Kaminsky, Lowell and haspremiered works by MarkAdamo, She isknown for hercommitmentto new music at EnglishNationalOpera. Opera andthetitle-role inNicoMuhly’s Sasha Cooke The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs Goffredo atSanta Fe Marnie

9 About the performers 10 this seasonincludeherPittsburgh Opera debut Knoxville Symphony Orchestra. Otherhighlights Barber’s She beganthe2017–18 seasonperforming by WilliamChristie. production of Handel’s role debutasCleopatra inSirDavid McVicar’s returns to GlyndebourneFestival Opera for her talents of hergeneration. Thissummershe recognised asoneof themostpromising young American soprano JoélleHarvey isfast becoming Joélle Harvey Young ArtistDevelopment Program. School andtheMetropolitan Opera Lindemann She isagraduate of RiceUniversity, theJuilliard Sono Luminus. Naxos, Bridge,Yarlung, GPRRecords and Hyperion Records. Shehasalsorecorded for The Complete Songs,Vol 4 and SirMarkElder. Sherecently released Séguin, Jaap van Zweden, Waart, Michael TilsonThomas,Yannick Nézet- Haitink, SirAndrew Davis, AlanGilbert,Edode has worked includeRiccardo Muti,Bernard Leading conductors withwhomSashaCooke Angeles andSaintPaul Chamberorchestras. andtheOrpheus, andNew York Philharmonicorchestras, Cleveland Orchestra, theHongKong, Los Shanghai andSingapore Symphony orchestras, Detroit, Houston, New World, Pittsburgh, Seattle, Joélle Harvey Knoxville: Summerof 1915 Almirena/Siren Giulio Cesare with JuliusDrake on with the withthe , conducted , conducted Liszt: Liszt:

Marco Borggreve recorded withthesameforces. Christophers, awork whichshesubsequently here attheBarbicanwithTheSixteen underHarry Bicket andTheEnglishConcert;Michal( Tigrane ( Philharmonic ( (John Adams’s Symphony Orchestra andRoyal Concertgebouw Lied Francisco Symphony (Mahler’s (Magnificats by MendelssohnandBach); theSan Mass inCminor;withtheNew York Philharmonic Mostly MozartFestival inMozart’sRequiem and In concert,JoélleHarvey recently appeared atthe Giovanni revival of DmitriTcherniakov’s production of the Aix-en-Provence Festival; andZerlinaina Galatea ( at theRoyal Opera House,Covent Garden; Angeles Philharmonic;Sicle(Cavalli’s Opera; Pat Nixon ( to theNew York Philharmonicfor as ( age of 26withtheVienna Philharmonicunder and versatile singerstoday. Sincehisdebut atthe established himselfasoneof themostcharismatic Italian - LucaPisaroni has Luca Pisaroni ( Recent operatic engagements includeServilia include arecital atCarnegieHall. ,whilefuture seasonswillalso Luca Pisaroni La clemenzadiTito under ); the London underMichael TilsonThomas);theLondon Acis andGalatea at theAix-en-Provence Festival. The Marriage of Figaro Missa solemnis Argante El Niño Nixon inChina ) at Carnegie Hall with Harry ) atCarnegieHallwithHarry ) for GlyndebourneFestival ); and the Los Angeles ); andtheLosAngeles ) atLaFenice andfor ). She has also sung ). Shehasalsosung Das klagende Das klagende ) with the Los ) withtheLos ) and a return ) andareturn L’ under under Saul Don Don ) ) Chamber Orchestra underYannick Nézet-Séguin. Festival; and and National deParis; Festival; Giovanni labels, andhisdiscography includes Luca Pisaroni hasrecorded for allthemajor under Luisi. Gala withtheOrchestra Sinfonica dellaRAI Musicus WienattheMusikverein; andaRossini Luisi; Mozart’sMassinCminorwithConcentus with theFilarmonicadellaScalaunderFabio Harry Bicket; orchestratios of SchubertLieder Rinaldo Michael TilsonThomas;thecurrent tour of with theLondonSymphony Orchestra under ;Beethoven’s Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra under Philharmonie; Beethoven’s MassinCwiththe the ViennaKonzerthaus andLuxembourg include Rossini’s His appearances intheconcerthallthisseason the baton of Myung-Whun Chung. Don Pizarro ( Opera andlater make hisdebutintherole of and Leporello ( perform theroles of Alidoro ( Tchaikovsky ConcertHallinMoscow. Hewillalso sings Méphistophélès (Gounod’s Count Almaviva ( returns to theMetropolitan Opera stage as in Algeri the Opéra deParis andMustafà ( debuts asGolaud( at theRossini Opera Festival, followed by role II (Rossini’s This seasonbeganwiththerole of Mahomet houses, concerthallsandfestivals. has beenindemandattheworld’s leading opera Nikolaus Harnoncourtat theSalzburg Festival, he The Marriage of Figaro withTheEnglishConcertdirected by ) attheViennaState Opera. He The Marriage of Figaro and Le siègedeCorinthe DonGiovanni Fidelio Rinaldo Don Giovanni Petite messesolennelle The Marriage of Figaro Così fan tutte Pelléas et Mélisande ) at La Scala, Milan, under ) atLaScala,Milan,under from theGlyndebourne with the Mahler with theMahler from theSalzburg Missa solemnis Missasolemnis ) attheViennaState ) in his debut ) inhisdebut , with Opéra Don Giovanni Faust L’italiana Don Don ) at the ) atthe ) at ) at at at ) and ) and )

Anita Wasik award show atLaGrange auLac inEvian,a on the25thVictoires delaMusiqueClassique Usedomer Musikfestival, atelevised performance at SalleGaveau inParis andGermany’s highlights includeconcertswithIlPomo d’Oro English ConcertunderHarryBicket. Additional appearing inthecurrent tour asEustazio withThe Versailles andFestival deSaint-Denis,aswell as Orimeno (Cavalli’s the Aix-en-Provence Festival ontour intherole of at Frankfurt Opera asHandel’sRinaldoandjoins This season,hemakes hishouseandrole debut stagecraft. as anartistof strikingvocal beautyanddaring Competition, andisrapidly gainingareputation the 2015 Marcella SembrichInternational Vocal Opera NationalCouncilAuditions, aswell as the Grand Finalsof the2016 Metropolitan Polish JakubJózefOrl Jakub Józef Opera House. at theKarlsruhe Handel Festival and Societyof New York. Hehasalsosung Symphony Orchestra, Musica Sacra andthe Previously, hehasperformed withtheHouston d’Aix. 2017 HSBC Laureates of theAcadémie duFestival at New York’s NationalSawdust asoneof the makes hisWigmore Halldebutandgives arecital the Portland . Thissummerhe Kraków for Handel’s the Baroque, theTheatrumMusicumfestival in programme of Vivaldi withChicago’s Musicof au óe ri´nskiJakub JózefOrli ri´nskiOrli Eustazio ) attheChâteau de and Messiah ´n i ski won ski won with with

11 About the performers Jakub Józef Orli ´n ski has met with success at Baroque; (Giulio Cesare) for Bonn several vocal competitions, including the 2016 Theatre; Tullio () in Karlsruhe and ; Lyndon Woodside Oratorio-Solo Competition a tour of Mozart and Bach with Les Musiciens du (New York), International Vocal under ; Eustazio (Rinaldo) Competition (Poland), Rudolf Petrák’s Singing and the title-role in with the Lautten Competition (Slovakia), Debut Competition Compagney Berlin; Handel’s Il trionfo del (Germany), Mazovian Golden Voices e del disinganno at the Opera House; Competition (Poland) and Le Grand Prix de Messiah with the Ulster Orchestra and Pergolesi’s l’Opera (Romania). He earned his Master’s with the Orchestra of the Age of degree in vocal performance at the Fryderyk Enlightenment. Chopin University of Music in Warsaw and gained his Graduate Diploma at the Juilliard Recently he sang the title-role in Handel’s School. He has an exclusive recording contract Orlando at Heilbronn Theatre; Helicon (Caligula) with Erato/Warner Classics. at the Hanover State Opera; Andronico () at the Buxton Festival; Farinelli (Farinelli and the King) at the Duke of York’s Theatre; Famigliaro (L’incoronazione di Poppea) for ; Summer (The Fairy Queen) and Bach’s with Dutch Touring Opera; the title-role in Giulio Cesare for Finnish National Opera; and Orfeo () and Arsace () with Baroque under Martin Pearlman. Other engagements have included the 2013 Jerwood Project Awakening Shadow, a dramatisation of Britten’s Canticles in Glyndebourne; Messiah with Portland Baroque Orchestra; Ottone with Royal Academy Opera, Reykjavik Summer Opera and Iford Arts Festival; Owen Willetts roles in Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria for Birmingham Opera Company; the title-role in Orlando at the Owen Willetts Araldo/Donna/Mago Halle Opera House and Halle Handel Festival; arias in Bach’s St John Passion in a staged Owen Willetts began singing as a choral scholar production with Dutch Touring Opera; and The at Lichfield Cathedral and went on to study at the Fairy Queen under Emmanuelle Haïm. with Noelle Barker, Iain Leadingham and David Lowe. In concert, Owen Willetts has performed with , Telemann Chamber Current and future engagements include Oberon Orchestra, Vancouver Early Music Festival (A Midsummer Night’s Dream) for Virginia and . He has worked with Opera; Ottone (L’incoronazione di Poppea) many leading names in historical performance, for and in Aachen Theatre; including , , Narciso (Agrippina) for Oldenburg State Theatre, Emmanuelle Haïm, Marc Minkowski, Martin Göttingen’s Handel Festival and Brisbane Pearlman, and Raphaël Pichon. 12 Richard Haughton artists andvenues. From theBuxton Festival orthe longstanding relationships withexceptional its of The EnglishConcert’sthinkingand form part theatre andopera are alsoattheforefront of Ground-breaking collaborations inmusical Bach, CPEBach andhisgodfather Telemann. programme centred onthefamily affair of JS Podger returned withatypicallyflamboyant and ChristianCurnyn. LastseasonviolinistRachel including Laurence Cummings distinguished guest directors, with works also It endeavours. by Scarlatti are butthelatest of its Watts’s recent exploration of virtuosicarias ’s ’s debutsolorecital of themostrenowned artistsinrecent history. Purcell andHandelto Mozart,aswell assome recordings features masterworks from Bach to Its award-winning discography of over 100 fortepianist KristianBezuidenhout. newly appointed PrincipalGuestDirector and Artistic Director HarryBicket, together with his successorAndrew Manze,andcurrent guided alongtheway by founder , the finest chamberorchestras intheworld, The EnglishConcert(founded 1973) ranks among performances of Baroque andClassicalmusic, With anunsurpassedreputation for inspiring The EnglishConcert The EnglishConcert Sound theTrumpet Ilcaro Sassone and Elizabeth andElizabeth

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and Telemann, whilemusicalrepresentations were recounted through themusicof Purcell adventures of themisguidedhero DonQuixote Shakespeare andMigueldeCervantes. The 400th anniversary of thedeathsof both William literature asTheEnglishConcertcelebrated the Last seasonwas alsoprofoundly influenced by the musicaltreasures of Jewish communities. summer by anexploration attheWigmore Hallof Morris’s dramatic vision,whichwas followed last stage attheBristol OldVicthrough director Tom Handel’s much-loved hall to reach new audiences.Lastseasonsaw Handel, itsteps outsidethetraditional concert perceptions of genderthrough themusicof the SamWanamaker Playhouse to challenging Elizabethan settingsof Shakespeare’s Globeand it was theturnof hot ontheirheelsin2015 and2016. Lastseason followed in2014, with Radamisto Hall, continuesto flourish after thesuccessof concert, commissionedby New York’s Carnegie the ensemble’sseriesof Handeloperas-in- East. Completingtheround-the-world trip, and of theBard’s www.englishconcert.co.uk Davies appearsinthetitle-role of alongside anall-star cast.Thisseason,Iestyn shared between andJoyce DiDonato Giulio Cesare in2013. A MidsummerNight’sDream Ariodante set sailonatour to theFar Theodora Messiah Hercules , withthetitle-role and brought to life on and Rinaldo Alcina Orlando soon soon .

13 About the performers 14 Harry Bicket Harry Bicket Harpsichord Director/Artistic Concert The English

Christine Sticher Double Bass Jonathan Rees Gavin Kibble Joseph Crouch Louise Hogan Alfonso LealdelOjo Jacek Kurzydło Kinga Ujszászi Elizabeth MacCarthy Tuomo Suni Violin 2 Silvia Schweinberger Thérèse Timoney Julia Kuhn Alice Evans Nadja Zwiener Violin 1 leader Tom Foster Harpsichord William Carter Theorbo Robert Howes Timpani Paul Bosworth Simon Munday Stian Aareskjold Mark Bennett Trumpet Alberto Grazzi Bassoon Hannah McLaughlin Katharina Spreckelsen Oboe Tabea Debus Recorder Sarah Fenn Orchestra Manager Gijs Elsen Chief Executive Nicky ThomasMedia PR Consultants Gill Rees Accountant Nick Hardisty Coordinator Production

Iestyn DaviesA5 monoad.indd 1 Iestyn Davies © Chris Sorensen

and Fretwork and Davies Iestyn May 28 Mon delicate sounds Fretwork of consort NymanMichael accompanied by the A haunting programme of Purcell and Book nowBook atbarbican.org.uk/classical 02/03/2018 17:23 Iestyn DaviesA5 monoad.indd 1 Iestyn Davies © Chris Sorensen and Fretwork and Davies Iestyn May 28 Mon Book nowBook atbarbican.org.uk/classical delicate sounds Fretwork of viol consort NymanMichael accompanied by the A haunting programme of Purcell and 02/03/2018 17:23 Mon 4 Jun sings Vivaldi & Handel Franco Fagioli © Stephan Boehme

The charismatic countertenor performs a Baroque programme with a distinctly Italian flavour accompanied by the Baroque Orchestra

Book now at barbican.org.uk/classical

Franco Fagioli A5 mono programme ad.indd 1 02/03/2018 16:59