September 2015 Jean-Guihen Queyras INSIDE: Florian Boesch | Borodin Quartet Cuarteto Casals | Michael Collins Iestyn Davies | James Ehnes The English Concert | Pavel Haas Quartet Mark Padmore & Kristian Bezuidenhout Wigmore Hall /Kohn Foundation International Song Competition and many more Box Office 020 7935 2141 Online Booking www.wigmore-hall.org.uk How to Book Wigmore Hall Box Office 36 Wigmore Street, London W1U 2BP In Person 7 days a week: 10 am – 8.30 pm. Days without an evening concert 10 am – 5 pm. No advance booking in the half hour prior to a concert. Please note that the Box Office with be closed for bookings in person from Monday 27 July to Friday 4 September. By Telephone: 020 7935 2141 7 days a week: 10 am – 7 pm. Days without an evening concert 10 am – 5 pm. There is a non-refundable £3.00 administration fee for each transaction, which includes the return of your tickets by post if time permits. Online: www.wigmore-hall.org.uk 7 days a week; 24 hours a day. There is a non-refundable £2.00 administration charge. Standby Tickets Standby tickets for students, senior citizens and the unemployed are available from one hour before the performance (subject to availability) with best available seats sold at the lowest price. NB standby tickets are not available for Lunchtime and Coffee Concerts. Group Discounts Discounts of 10% are available for groups of 12 or more, subject to availability. Latecomers Latecomers will only be admitted during a suitable pause in the performance. Facilities for Disabled People full details available from 020 7935 2141 or [email protected] Wigmore Hall has been awarded the Bronze Charter Mark from Attitude is Everything TICKETS Unless otherwise stated, tickets are A–D divided into five prices ranges: BALCONY Stalls C – M W–Y Highest price T–V Stalls A – B, N – P Q–S 2nd highest price Balcony A – D N–P 2nd highest price STALLS Stalls BB, CC, Q – S C–M 3rd highest price A–B Stalls AA, T – V CC CC 4th highest price BB BB PLATFORM Stalls W – Y AAAA AAAA Lowest price This brochure is available in alternative formats. Please contact the Box Office if this would be of assistance to you. Telephone: 020 7935 2141, or Email: [email protected]. The right is reserved to substitute artists and vary programmes if necessary. Wigmore Hall • John Gilhooly OBE Director The Wigmore Hall Trust • Registered Charity No.1024838 Cover: Jean-Guihen Queyras © Marco Borggreve Benjamin Ealovega 2 Wigmore Hall/ Sunday 6 September 11.00 am and 2.30 pm 2015 Kohn Foundation Preliminary Stage – Day 1 Candidates will each perform a 15-minute International programme All day £13 concs £11 Free to Friends of Wigmore Hall and Mailing List Song Subscribers Competition Monday 7 September 11.00 am and 2.30 pm Preliminary Stage – Day 2 Kindly supported by the Kohn Foundation since 1997 Candidates will each perform a 15-minute programme JURY John Gilhooly OBE Chair All day £13 concs £11 Iain Burnside | Wolfgang Holzmair | Graham Johnson OBE Free to Friends of Wigmore Hall and Mailing List Angelika Kirchschlager | Sir Ralph Kohn FRS non-voting Subscribers Christoph Prégardien | Thomas Quasthoff | Maxine Robertson Asadour Santourian | David Stern | Ailish Tynan Tuesday 8 September 3.00 pm and 7.30 pm This Competition recognises the song tradition Semi-Final as a whole and requires contestants to perform in at least three languages. At the same time it 12 semi-finalists will each perform a 20-minute programme honours the Lied’s place at the heart of the song repertoire and celebrates the Shakespearean All day £15 concs £12 stature of Schubert in the genre. Please note there will be an interval from 6.00 pm to 7.30 pm. If you would like to reserve a table for dinner in the Wigmore Hall Restaurant, please contact the Box Office. BOOK FOR THE FIRST THREE STAGES AT THE SAME TIME £30 concs £25 Thursday 10 September 6.00 pm Final and Prize-Giving Four singers will each give a recital of 30 minutes £30 £25 £20 £15 £10 Please note there will be an interval from 8.20 pm to 9.30 pm. If you would like to reserve a table for dinner in the Wigmore Hall Restaurant, please contact the Box Office. Song Recital Series Photo by Benjamin Ealovega 3 Wigmore Hall /Kohn Foundation International Song Competition Related Events Sunday 6 September 6.00 pm – 7.00 pm Wednesday 9 September 2.00 pm – 6.15 pm Aspects of Schubert Masterclass with Graham Johnson OBE, rightly regarded among the Angelika Kirchschlager world’s greatest Schubertians and an inspiration to generations of singers and accompanists alike, and Thomas Quasthoff discusses Schubert’s Lieder, cornerstones of the Leading artists Angelika Kirchschlager and recital repertoire and a major feature of Wigmore Thomas Quasthoff pass on some of the wisdom Hall’s seasons from 2015 – 2017. they have acquired throughout their careers and £4 use their vast experience as internationally acclaimed singers to provide encouragement Wigmore Hall Learning Event and inspiration to eight semi-finalists. £8 concs £6 Monday 7 September 6.30 pm – 8.00 pm Wigmore Hall Learning Event Introduction to Song Wednesday 9 September 5.30 pm – 9.00 pm For those who ‘don’t like song’ but might be persuaded to find out more ... Come and Sing in German Charismatic presenter and pianist Dominic Harlan shares insights and enthusiasm for this rich Isabelle Adams leads a workshop for adults musical world, complete with live examples from exploring a range of German music and song, the Wigmore Hall stage. Delve into the words including some of Schubert’s choral music. and stories which lie at the heart of French, Spend the evening getting to know the music English and German Song, learn how musical from the inside, develop your singing skills and notes can paint vivid pictures, and discover why finish with a performance on the Wigmore so many people are passionate about this Hall stage. multi-faceted art form. £18 concs £13 £12 concs £10 Wigmore Hall Learning Event Wigmore Hall Learning Event Thursday 10 September 3.00 pm – 5.00 pm Tuesday 8 September 1.00 pm – 2.00 pm Song Study Events Graham Johnson OBE and WHO CALLS THE TUNE? Sir Ralph Kohn FRS Iain Burnside, member of the Competition Jury, Interview pianist, accompanist and composer, talks to fellow Jury member Ailish Tynan, one of the most Sir Ralph Kohn FRS has sponsored the Wigmore colourful and entertaining sopranos singing Hall International Song Competition through today. They will discuss the very special his Foundation since 1997. He recently wrote relationship between singer and pianist with his autobiography, aided and abetted by particular reference to the classic song recital, Graham Johnson OBE, and this interview offers a and with illustrations from their vast repertoire. fascinating insight into Sir Ralph’s extraordinary career in music, science and philanthropy. IS SINGING AN OLYMPIC SPORT? £4 Iain Burnside chairs a panel including baritone Marcus Farnsworth to discuss the highs and Wigmore Hall Learning Event lows of song competitions, and how they can shape a young artist’s career. £12 concs £10 (one ticket covers both sessions) Wigmore Hall Learning Event 4 Saturday 12 September 7.30 pm 12 Opening Concert of the 2015/16 Season The English Concert Marco Borggreve Iestyn Davies countertenor Richard Haughton Harry Bicket director, harpsichord Handel From Partenope: Overture; Sento amor; Ch’io parta; Furibondo spira il vento Veracini Overture No. 6 in Bb Handel From Rinaldo: Cara sposa; Venti turbini Handel Pompe vane ... Dove sei from Rodelinda Porpora Sinfonia di camera in G Op. 2 No. 1 Iestyn Davies Harry Bicket Handel From Orlando: Ah Stigie larve; Già latra Cerbero; Ma la furia; Vaghe pupille Handel Passacaglia from Radamisto Handel From Orlando: Fammi combattere; Richard Haughton Già per la man d’Orlando ... Già l’ebro mio ciglio Iestyn Davies invariably sets creative sparks flying. His second recital album for Wigmore Hall Live won Gramophone’s coveted Recital Award in 2014, recognising the British countertenor’s captivating artistry and star status. He opens Wigmore Hall’s season in company with The English Concert. The English Concert Their close partnership stands for the highest values in performance, free-flowing and generous in spirit, daring, and always ready to touch the sharp edges of emotional expression. This programme invites listeners on a journey into a world of rare and fleeting beauty, fortified with the dramatic energy of arias written by Handel. Returns only Early Music and Baroque Series Sunday 13 September 11.30 am 13 Kelemen Quartet Vilde Frang violin Nicolas Altstaedt cello Schubert String Quartet in D minor D810 ‘Death and the Maiden’ Brahms String Sextet in G Op. 36 The Kelemen Quartet, founded in Budapest in 2010, made its mark as winner of the prestigious Premio Borciani International String Quartet Competition. The ensemble returns to Wigmore Hall with ‘Death and the Maiden’ and is joined by two outstanding colleagues for Brahms’s G major String Sextet, a rich, complex work highly influenced by Schubert’s chamber music. This concert will be approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes in duration, without an interval £13 concs £11 incl. programme and coffee/sherry/juice Sunday Morning Coffee Concert Zsolt Lafferton Marco Borggreve Marco Borggreve Kelemen Quartet Vilde Frang Nicolas Altstaedt 5 Sunday 13 September 7.30 pm Alice Coote mezzo-soprano Julius Drake piano Strauss Songs from Vier Lieder Op. 27 Benjamin Ealovega Sim Canetty-Clarke Strauss Songs from Acht Gedichte aus ‘Letzte Blätter’ Wagner Wesendonck Lieder For over a decade Alice Coote and Julius Drake have directed their mutual empathy and understanding to the interpretation of everything from Schubert and Brahms Lieder to English and American song.