ST JOHN’S SMITH SQUARE 2015/16 SEASON Discover a musical landmark Patron HRH The Duchess of Cornwall 2015/16 SEASON CONTENTS WELCOME TO ST JOHN’S SMITH SQUARE —— —— 01 Welcome 102 School concerts Whether you’re already a friend, or As renovation begins at Southbank 02 Season Overview 105 Discover more discovering us for the first time, I trust Centre, we welcome residencies from the 02 Orchestral Performance 106 St John’s history you’ll enjoy a rewarding and stimulating Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment 03 Choral & Vocal Music 108 Join us experience combining inspirational and London Sinfonietta, world-class 03 Opera 109 Subscription packages music, delicious food and good company performers from their International Piano 04 Period Instruments 110 Booking information in the fabulous grandeur of this historic Series and International Chamber Music 05 Regular Series 111 How to find us building – the UK’s only baroque Series, and a mid-summer performance 06 New Music 112 Footstool Restaurant concert venue. from the Philharmonia Orchestra. 07 Young Artists’ Scheme This is our first annual season brochure We’re proud of our reputation for quality 08 Festivals – a season that features more than 250 and friendly service, and welcome the 09 Southbank Centre concerts, numerous world premieres and thoughts of our visitors. So, if you have 10 Listings countless talented musicians. We’re also any comments, please let me know and discussing further exciting projects, so I’ll gladly discuss them with you. please keep an eye on our What’s On I look forward to welcoming you to guides or sign up to our e-newsletter. our unique musical landmark – In this brochure you’ll discover some of St John’s Smith Square. the wonderful music on offer this season, as we welcome renowned musicians to Richard Heason perform in our superb acoustic setting. Director Book online sjss.org.uk 1 2015/16 SEASON DISCOVER A MUSICAL LANDMARK WELCOME TO ST JOHN’S SMITH SQUARE —— —— In the exceptional setting of St John’s, Whether you’re already a friend, or As renovation begins at Southbank discovering us for the first time, I trust Centre, we welcome residencies from the acoustics, atmosphere, fine dining and you’ll enjoy a rewarding and stimulating Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment architecture come together to create a rich experience combining inspirational and London Sinfonietta, world-class music, delicious food and good company performers from their International Piano and welcoming experience. in the fabulous grandeur of this historic Series and International Chamber Music building – the UK’s only baroque Series, and a mid-summer performance St John’s Smith Square is a significant concert venue. from the Philharmonia Orchestra. This is our first annual season brochure We’re proud of our reputation for quality musical landmark, playing host to today’s – a season that features more than 250 and friendly service, and welcome the leading international artists, who perform concerts, numerous world premieres and thoughts of our visitors. So, if you have countless talented musicians. We’re also any comments, please let me know and inspiring and exciting programmes. discussing further exciting projects, so I’ll gladly discuss them with you. please keep an eye on our What’s On I look forward to welcoming you to guides or sign up to our e-newsletter. So, too, is it an architectural landmark, our unique musical landmark – and part of a baroque landscape In this brochure you’ll discover some of St John’s Smith Square. the wonderful music on offer this season, that’s quintessentially London. as we welcome renowned musicians to Richard Heason Every visit is a discovery, where perform in our superb acoustic setting. Director the senses truly come alive. Inside cover & page 1 images © Matthew Andrews cover Inside Explore 300 years of history Designed by Thomas Archer in the early eighteenth century, St John’s was completed in 1728 at a cost of £40,875. Extensive damage from the Blitz was fully restored by Marshall Sissons, with the church re-opening as a concert hall in 1969. With its superb acoustic restored, St John’s quickly became a favourite of luminaries Pierre Boulez and Daniel Barenboim. Discover more on Page 106. Book online sjss.org.uk 1 SEASON OVERVIEW SEASON OVERVIEW ORCHESTRAL PERFORMANCE —— © Clive Barda © Clive © avfotos.com Orchestral performance is a cornerstone of the programme at St John’s Smith Square. Over the coming season we are delighted to be welcoming the London Mozart Ahlburg © Sussie Players, Orchestra of St John’s, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, London Sinfonietta and Philharmonia amongst others. The LMP will be giving three distinct series: Mozart Explored, continuing their Esa-Pekka Salonen & Philharmonia Orchestra Peter Phillips & The Tallis Scholars th exploration of Mozart Piano Concertos Stravinsky Series: Myths and Rituals. Page 92 Performing in their 2000 concert. Page 17 © Keith Saunders © Keith with Howard Shelley; Beethoven Explored, © Matthew Andrews sharing the complete Beethoven Piano Concertos, again with Howard Shelley; and Mozart Explored: 1783, an exploration of the year 1783 in Mozart’s life. The OSJ bring a range of programmes including opera and oratorio, a traditional New Year Strauss celebration, a collaboration with Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead and a series of celebrity appearances titled Howard Shelley & London Mozart Players Stephen Layton & Polyphony Sophie Bevan & Early Opera Company Public Passions. Mozart Explored starts on 7 October. Page 22 Good Friday’s annual St John Passion. Page 75 Hear Handel’s ravishing motet in March. Page 73 The Philharmonia bring Stravinsky under Esa-Pekka Salonen, the London Sinfonietta a programme of premieres including a new work by Harrison Birtwistle, and the OAE have a regular season in addition to their traditional Christmas and Easter CHORAL AND VOCAL MUSIC OPERA St John’s outings. —— —— Alongside the orchestral programme As well as sacred choral music, Opera is is a vibrant season of choral and vocal a significant aspect of the programme. music. The Tallis Scholars appear twice, Seldom heard Salieri and Linley from including their 2000th concert that Bampton Classical Opera, Purcell’s Dido launches the London International and Aeneas with the OSJ, Zelenka with A Cappella Choir Competition. Bury Court Opera, Handel’s Acis and © Eric Richmond and Harrison Agency and Harrison Richmond © Eric Amongst the highlights of the St John’s Galatea with La Nuova Musica, Early programme are the annual visits of Opera Company with Rameau’s Castor Polyphony under Stephen Layton and we et Pollux and operetta high drama with are delighted to welcome them back again Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld at both Christmas and Easter. Stephen and Opera Danube are all featured along also continues his Handel oratorio cycle with Stephen Oliver’s realisation of with The Holst Singers, this time featuring Mozart’s ‘Goose of Cairo’ as part of the Handel’s Solomon and we have much more LMP’s Mozart Explored: 1783 series. Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment Handel including his rarely heard Athalia Their 30th season opens on 14 October. Page 25 with the Whitehall Choir. 2 Box office020 7222 1061 Book online sjss.org.uk 3 SEASON OVERVIEW SEASON OVERVIEW REGULAR SERIES —— © SB imagery St John’s hosts regular Thursday Lunchtime Concerts, this season featuring Yeomen from The Musician’s Company, artists from © Kate Mount the Dartington International Summer School and other established professionals. There is a monthly Organ Series – including performances by Thomas Trotter, Jane Watts and Roger Sayer amongst others – programmed by our organ curator David David Bates & La Nuova Musica Titterington, the Artistic Director of the Françoise-Green Piano Duo Bring Handel’s Acis and Galetea to life. Page 31 St Alban’s International Organ Festival. Play piano four-hands from 21 January. Page 54 Our other regular series is the Sunday Ealovega © Ben at St John’s chamber music programme, which includes mini-series such as the London Piano Trio’s Beethoven Cycle or the Fidelio Trio’s focus on French repertoire and new works. There is further great chamber music from the Françoise-Green Piano Duo, who have devised a fabulous series of The Brook Street Band Paul McCreesh & Gabrieli first meets second Viennese School in Explore French Connections this autumn. Page 11 With Haydn’s great oratorio The Seasons. Page 96 The Viennese Salon series. The Henschel Quartet return in October, following their magnificent debut last year, and Martino Tirimo plays his way through The Great Piano Quintets with friends, including Paul Silverthorne and Philippe Graffin. The eleven-concert Complete Chopin Cycle provides a tour de force performance of PERIOD INSTRUMENTS Chopin’s complete piano repertoire by —— Warren Mailley-Smith. Historically informed performance with The Brook Street Band, The Revolutionary St John’s plays host to many orchestras period instruments is one of the key Drawing Room, Solomon’s Knot, Arcangelo, and choirs who make us their regular features of the programme of St John’s. the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, home. We are delighted to work with La Nuova Musica, the Steinitz Bach them all throughout the year and for As the UK’s only baroque concert hall it Festival, the Academy of Ancient Music, the rich, musical diversity they bring to is natural that we should choose to reflect Bampton Classical Players, Early Opera our programme. Amongst the ensembles this side of music making. The visceral Company, the International Baroque continuing their regular appearances experience of hearing music performed in Players, the Amadé Players, Gabrieli and this season are the Young Musicians a stylistically informed way, on instruments the European Union Baroque Orchestra Symphony Orchestra, Kensington representative of the time it was written, all contribute to this rich vein running Symphony Orchestra, Salomon Orchestra in a building from the same period, is through the programme.