Welcome to tonight’s performance, during which we’ll take you on a journey through a time of intense musical exploration in early seventeenth-century Italy. In the context of mellifluous renaissance polyphony, the declamatory style you’ll hear tonight was revolutionary. Indeed the new-found directness with which powerful texts were communicated is closely linked to the birth of opera itself. The music Jonathan Cohen has chosen draws particular inspiration from the title of Monteverdi’s eighth book of madrigals, ‘love and war’, from which the work that stands at the climax of tonight’s concert — Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda — is taken. Read more about the music and the innovations of Monteverdi and his contemporaries on page 3. We’re honoured to be joined by a host of wonderful musicians. Star soprano Anna Prohaska and polymathic musician Jonathan Cohen make their AAM debuts; Benjamin Hulett joins us again, following a performance of Haydn’s Nelson Mass in Macau in 2009; and James Gilchrist makes a swift and welcome return after a deeply moving appearance as Evangelist in JS Bach’s St Matthew Passion at King’s College, Cambridge last month. The Wigmore Hall performance is being recorded by BBC Radio 3 for live broadcast. You can listen again until 3 May at bbc.co.uk/radio3. In other news, we’re delighted to announce both the launch of our forthcoming season and an appearance as part of the 2012 BBC Proms; turn to page 18 to find out more. Michael Garvey Chief Executive ACADEMY OF ANCIENT MUSIC, 2011-2012 SEASON 1 Anna Prohaska soprano James Gilchrist tenor Benjamin Hulett tenor Jonathan Cohen director & keyboards 26 April Wigmore Hall, London, UK 28 April West Road Concert Hall, Cambridge, UK Musical Revolutions: Dawn of the cantata
Transcript
Welcome to tonight’s performance, during which we’ll take you on a journey through a time of intense musical exploration in early seventeenth-century Italy. In the context of mellifluous renaissance polyphony, the declamatory style you’ll hear tonight was revolutionary. Indeed the new-found directness with which powerful texts were communicated is closely linked to the birth of opera itself.
The music Jonathan Cohen has chosen draws particular inspiration from the title of Monteverdi’s eighth book of madrigals, ‘love and war’, from which the work that stands at the climax of tonight’s concert — Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda — is taken. Read more about the music and the innovations of Monteverdi and his contemporaries on page 3.
We’re honoured to be joined by a host of wonderful musicians. Star soprano Anna Prohaska and polymathic musician Jonathan Cohen make their AAM debuts; Benjamin
Hulett joins us again, following a performance of Haydn’s Nelson Mass in Macau in 2009; and James Gilchrist makes a swift and welcome return after a deeply moving appearance as Evangelist in JS Bach’s St Matthew Passion at King’s College, Cambridge last month.
The Wigmore Hall performance is being recorded by BBC Radio 3 for live broadcast. You can listen again until 3 May at bbc.co.uk/radio3.
In other news, we’re delighted to announce both the launch of our forthcoming season and an appearance as part of the 2012 BBC Proms; turn to page 18 to find out more.
Michael Garvey Chief Executive
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Anna Prohaska sopranoJames Gilchrist tenorBenjamin Hulett tenorJonathan Cohen director & keyboards
26 April Wigmore Hall, London, uK 28 April West Road Concert Hall, Cambridge, uK
Musical Revolutions:dawn of the cantata
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ProgrammeANdREA fALCoNIERI (1585/6–1656)Ciaccona in G major (c.1616)
CLAudIo GIoVANNI ANToNIo MoNTEVERdI (1567–1643)‘Zefiro torna’ from Madrigali e canzonette a due e tre voci (1614) CLAudIo GIoVANNI ANToNIo MoNTEVERdI (1567–1643)’Se vittorie sí belle’ from Madrigali guerrieri et amorosi (1638)
dARIo CASTELLo (c.1590– c.1658)Sontata No.15 à 4 from Sonate Concertate in Stil Moderno Libro Secondo (1629)
fRANCESCo CAVALLI (1602–76)‘Restino imbalsamate’ from Act 3 Scene 1 from La Calisto (1651)
CLAudIo GIoVANNI ANToNIo MoNTEVERdI (1567–1643)’Ardo e scoprir’ from Madrigali guerrieri et amorosi (1638)
CLAudIo GIoVANNI ANToNIo MoNTEVERdI (1567–1643)Act 1 Scene 2 from Il ritorno di Ulisse in patria (1639–40)
BIAGIo MARINI (1594–1663)Passacalio in G minor from Sonata da Chiesa e da Camera (c.1655)
CLAudIo GIoVANNI ANToNIo MoNTEVERdI (1567–1643)‘ohimé ch’io cado’ from Quarto scherzo delle ariose vaghezze (1624)
GASPARo ZANETTI (fl.1626–45)Saltarello della Battaglia from Il Scorlaro (1645)
CLAudIo GIoVANNI ANToNIo MoNTEVERdI (1567–1643)Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda from Madrigali guerrieri et amorosi (1624)
Interval of 20 minutesPlease check that your phone is switched off, especially if you used it during the interval
Would patrons please ensure that mobile phones are switched off. Please stifle coughing as much as possible and ensure that watch alarms and any other devices that may become audible are switched off.
Tonight’s performance will end at approximately 9.45pm
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Around 1600 a set of musical revolutions occurred in Italy. Inspired by accounts of the music of ancient Greek civilisation, philosophers and composers sought new ways to convey emotion in music. Their innovations emphasised the solo voice, creating such genres as the aria and the recitative — genres that would form the building-blocks of opera and the solo cantata. Instrumental music was also transformed, gaining a new emphasis on soloistic and virtuosic writing.
The initial impetus for change came from the so-called florentine Camerata, a group of intellectuals and dilettantes who during the 1570s and 1580s gathered in the salon of Count Giovanni de’ Bardi in florence. Members of the Camerata believed that singers and composers should seek to recapture the emotional power that the ancient Greeks had described in their music. for the Camerata, all music should represent emotions: as Girolamo de Mei said, “nature gave a voice to animals and to man for the expression of inner states.” furthermore, they believed that music should imitate speech: thus in 1581 Vincenzo Galilei advised that musicians should “observe in what manner the actors speak, in what range, high or low, how loudly or softly, how rapidly or slowly they enunciate their words... from these diverse observations, one can deduce the way that best suits the expression of whatever meanings or emotion may come to hand.” Such a desire to mimic speech led the Camerata to favour vocal monody — a solo speech-like melody declaimed above a simple accompaniment for lute or keyboard. This texture is found in the song collection Le nuove musiche (1602) by Giulio Caccini.
Monody had only a limited appeal for the leading composer of the era, Claudio Monteverdi (1567–1643), who preferred the expressive effects achievable with groups of voices and instruments. Yet even in his
polyphonic works, Monteverdi took a radical approach to musical expression. In the 1600s one of his five-voice madrigals, ‘Cruda Amarilli’, was criticised by the Bolognese monk Artusi for breaking the rules of counterpoint. describing the madrigal as “a tumult of sounds, a confusion of absurdities, an assemblage of imperfections”, Artusi fumed that “compositions of this sort are born of ignorance”.
Monteverdi retaliated by asserting that the contrapuntal liberties were a new way of composing — a seconda pratica (second practice). As his brother Giulio Cesare Monteverdi went on to explain, the prima pratica (first practice) comprised the traditional style of polyphonic counterpoint, in which “the harmony is not the servant but the mistress of the words”. By contrast, the seconda pratica is “one that turns on the perfection of the melody, that is, the one that considers harmony not commanding, but commanded, and makes the words the mistress of the harmony”. (With the term ‘mistress’, Giulio Cesare referred to the authority that a wife had over her household and servants.)
despite devising this powerful manifesto for a new type of musical expression, Monteverdi rarely composed in a style that truly belonged to the seconda pratica. from the 1610s Monteverdi’s music is characterised by his mingling of voices with instruments, and by his love of contrasting styles and textures. He seldom wrote for a solo voice, preferring the texture of a vocal duet above the continuo.
His works increasingly have a strong tonal urge, using harmonic patterns from popular music of the time to drive inexorably towards cadences. In his later compositions, the words are rarely ‘the mistress of the harmony’; rather, Monteverdi delights in the huge range of musical effects possible from his eclectic compositional vocabulary.
Stephen Rose introduces the dawn of the cantata
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Monteverdi’s madrigalsfrom the 1610s Monteverdi redefined the madrigal. What was formerly a polyphonic genre for four to six unaccompanied voices became in his later compositions a genre incorporating solo singers and instrumentalists. His favoured scoring was for a duo of tenors or sopranos over the continuo. frequently he built his songs upon the bass-lines used by street entertainers, thereby gaining an infectious momentum and a popular tone that continues to appeal even to today’s audiences. Little could be further from the Camerata’s ideal of music as heightened speech.
‘Zefiro torna’ (1614, published in Madrigali e cannzonette a due e tre voci) is built upon the bass pattern known as the ciaccona, a set of chords driving to a cadence. This chord progression is repeated 60 times in the piece, while the two tenors sing exuberant melismas and syncopations about the Zephyr’s return to a pastoral paradise. only towards the end does the ciaccona disappear briefly, when the tenors momentarily sing of the narrator’s lovesickness.
A repeating bass-line also forms the foundation of ‘Ohimé ch’io cado’, published in a 1624 anthology of Scherzo delle ariose vaghezze. Here, however, the bass consists of a smooth walking line. The vocal line is just for a solo soprano, and ritornellos for string ensemble are added. The text speaks of distress and lovesickness, but the brisk music shows no sign of languishing. only the opening fall of a fifth in the vocal line is a symbolic reference to the ‘ohimé’ (‘Alas!’).
Yet more revolutionary in terms of its aesthetic agenda was Monteverdi’s Eighth Book of Madrigals, Madrigali guerrieri et amorosi (Madrigals of love and war, 1638). The pieces in this book are exercises in musical contrast, in particular between lyrical triple-time arias and a new war-like style that Monteverdi claimed to have invented. As he explained in the preface to his Eighth Book:
“I have reflected that the principal passions or affections of our mind are three, namely, anger, moderation, and humility or supplication; so the best philosophers declare, and the very nature of our voice indicates this in having high, low and middle registers. The art of music also points clearly to these three in its terms agitated, soft and moderate. In the works of earlier composers I have found examples of the soft and the moderate, but never of the agitated, a genus described by Plato as “the harmony that would fittingly imitate the utterances and the accents of a brave man who is engaged in warfare.””
Monteverdi achieved this agitated style (stile concitato) via rapid repeated notes in strings or voices. despite his reference to Plato, Monteverdi’s inspiration for this warlike style was more likely to have been the drum-rolls and trumpet fanfares heard on European battlefields in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.
The tenor duets ‘Se vittorie sí belle’ and ‘Ardo e scoprir’ exemplify the war-like and amorous styles respectively. ‘Se vittorie si belle’ praises the victories that can be won in ‘le guerre d’amore’ (‘the wars of love’), and exhorts the listener to be a warrior and even a martyr in these battles. It opens with repeated notes and simple harmonies for voice and continuo — the sound of trumpets and drums have here been transferred to voices — before a sudden stillness descends on the words “e non temer” (“and do not fear”). In ‘Ardo e scoprir’ the poetic theme is the burning pain of hidden or unrequited love. After the initial exclamations of “Ardo”, both voices descend via a slow chain of anguished dissonance that represents this constant suffering. The end of the madrigal portrays the tongue-tied lover’s attempt to speak to his beloved: the voices rise in anticipation, but as the words die away on his lips, they droop in a throwaway triple-time ending.
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Concluding this concert is the piece in which Monteverdi pioneered his stile concitato: Il combattimento di Tancredi et Clorinda, premiered in Venice in 1624. It is a setting of part of Torquato Tasso’s Gerusalemme liberata, an epic poem about the crusades. Aspects of the combattimento anticipate opera: there are two characters, Tancredi and Clorinda; and the first performance (in the palazzo of Girolamo Mocenigo) was semi-staged, with the singers performing “steps and gestures in the way expressed by the oration”. Yet unlike opera, most of the singing is done by the narrator (Testo). The vocal lines are primarily set to recitative, punctuated by the string ensemble providing battle-like noises. Particularly remarkable is the section starting with the words “Non schivar, non parar” (“Not to dodge, nor to parry blows”), where the narrator’s evocation of battle is accompanied by string writing of increasing intensity, culminating in four bars of non-stop repeated semiquavers then sudden pizzicato.
So revolutionary was Monteverdi’s string writing that the musicians at the premiere refused to play it. As Monteverdi recounted in the published version (1638) of the combattimento:
“It seemed at first to the musicians, especially to those who were called on to play the basso continuo, more ridiculous than praiseworthy to strum on a single string sixteen times in one bar, and for that reason they reduced this multiplicity to one stroke in a bar... destroying the resemblance to agitated speech.”
Operas by Cavalli and Monteverdi one of the most significant consequences of the musical revolutions in early seventeenth-century Italy was the rise of opera. As a way of representing dialogue and characters in music, opera arguably contained the culmination of the florentine Camerata’s ideals. Indeed, the first operas — written in florence in the 1600s —consisted mainly of monodic recitation that can sometimes sound dreary to modern listeners.
By the 1640s, however, a style of opera had emerged in Venice that combined melodious triple-time arias with short recitatives and instrumental interludes.
The opera La Calisto by francesco Cavalli (1602–76) was premiered in 1651 in Venice. ‘Restino imbalsamente’ is sung by the nymph Calisto as she awaits her lover diana (who is actually Jove in disguise). In the opening recitative, she remembers the kisses and caresses she received from her lover; and then she breaks into a triple-time aria, where her patience turns to mock anguish on the words “Moro nella tardanza” (“the wait is killing me”).
Lyrical arias are also prominent in Monteverdi’s Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria, premiered in Venice in 1640. In Act 1 Scene 2, the court servants Melantho and Eurymachus sing of their love for each other. Initially they sing separately, with triple-time outpourings as they compliment each others’ looks and attributes. Then on the words “de’ nostri amor concordi” (“the flame of our mutual love”) the lovers come together in a duet, united by the lilting refrain “dolco mio vita sei” (“you are my sweet life”), which is built on a repeating bass-line.
Instrumental music: Falconieri, Castello, Marini, ZanettiParallel with the rise of the cantata was the development of virtuosic genres for stringed instruments. These instrumental pieces used many of the same techniques as vocal music of early seventeenth-century Italy, such as the texture of two upper parts over the continuo, repeated patterns in the bass (often taken from popular music of the time), and passionate and virtuosic solo writing. Indeed the Ciaccona in G major by Andrea falconieri (1585/6–1656) is an instrumental equivalent to Monteverdi’s ‘Zefiro torna’: it is built upon the same bass-line, over which the violinists spin elaborate roulades (like the singers in Monteverdi’s version).
A more learned style of instrumental music is heard in the Sonata No.15 à 4 from Sonate Concertate in Stil Moderno Libro Secondo by dario Castello (1621). Castello was one of the wind players at the basilica of St Mark’s in Venice, and extremely little is known about his biography. His sonata for four bowed instruments avoids dance rhythms, starting instead with slow and solemn chords. There then are four fugal sections, in which Castello shares the melodic interest among the players. The first fugue is begun by the first violin, the second fugue by the viola, the third fugue by the second violin, and the last fugue by the continuo. The themes of the third and fourth fugues contain tattoos of repeated notes reminiscent of Monteverdi’s stile concitato, and near the end all instruments break into streams of semiquavers. Castello was renowned for the virtuosity of his music: in 1629 he issued instructions that his sonatas needed to be rehearsed before performance, explaining that such rehearsals would not deprive the works of their soul.
The Passacalio in G minor by Biagio Marini (1594–1663) is another piece based on a repeated bass pattern. The genre of the passacaglia arose as guitar improvisations over a descending bass-line, often with idiomatic strumming rhythms. Marini’s Passacalio contains a more complicated version in which the bass theme itself is subject to variation. His Passacaglia is in three sections, framed by a short ‘Introdutione’ and ‘finale’. Each of the three sections starts with the descending theme in the bass, before the bass line is varied with melodic ascents or unexpected digressions to flattened chords. The upper parts contain a constant stream of melody, sometimes in parallel and sometimes in contrary motion with the bass.
finally, the Saltarello della Battaglia by Gasparo Zanetti (fl.1626–45) is from his guide to violin-playing, Il scolaro … per imparar a suonare di violino. As its name implies, this Battaglia features the same repeated notes that Monteverdi used in the stile concitato. Perhaps it was a homage to Monteverdi’s combattimento, or simply a recognition that these war-like sounds were the stock-in-trade of army trumpeters and drummers throughout Western Europe.
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Wigmore Hall 36 Wigmore Street, London W1u 2BPdirector: John Gilhooly, The Wigmore Hall Trust, Registered Charity No.1024838Wigmore Hall is a no-smoking venue.
No recording or photographic equipment may be taken into the auditorium, nor used in any other part of the Hall without the prior written permission of the Hall Management.
Wigmore Hall is equipped with a ’Loop’ to help hearing aid users receive clear sound without background noise. Patrons can use the facility by switching their hearing aids over to ’T’.
In accordance with the requirements of City of Westminster, persons shall not be permitted to stand or sit in any of the gangways intersecting the seating, or to sit in any of the other gangways. If standing is permitted in the gangways at the sides and rear of the seating, it shall be limited to the numbers indicated in the notices exhibited in those positions.
facilities for disabled People:
Please contact House Management for full details.
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Texts and translations‘Zefiro torna’Zefiro torna e di soavi accentil’aer fa grato e’il pié discioglie a l’ondee, mormoranda tra le verdi fronde,fa danzar al bel suon su’l prato i fiori.
Inghirlandato il crin fillide e Clorinote temprando lor care e gioconde;e da monti e da valli ime e profondraddoppian l’armonia gli antri canori.Sorge più vaga in ciel l’aurora, e’l sole,sparge più luci d’or; più puro argentofregia di Teti il bel ceruleo manto.
Sol io, per selve abbandonate e sole,l’ardor di due begli occhi e’l mio tormento,come vuol mia ventura, hor piango hor canto.
‘Se vittore si belle’Se vittorie sì bellehan le guerre d’amore,fatti guerrier mio core.E non temer degl’amorosi stralile ferite mortali.Pugna, sappi ch’è gloriail morir per desio de la vittoria.
‘Restino imbalsamate’Restino imbalsamate nelle memorie mie le delizie provate.fonti limpide, e pure al vostro gorgoglio la mia divina ed io, coppia diletta e cara, ci baceremo a gara, e formeremo melodie soave, qui dove con più voci Eco rispondeunito il suon de’ baci, al suon dell’onde.
T’aspetto, e tu non vieni, Pingro, e lento, mio contento; m’intorbidi I sereni;Anima, ben, speranza, moro nella tardanza.T’attendo e tu non giungi.Luminosa, neghittosa, con spine il cor mi pungi.deh, vieni e mi ristora; moro nella dimora.
‘Ardo e scoprir’Ardo e scoprir, ahi lasso, io non ardiscoe quel che porto nel sen, rinchiuso ardore,e tanto più dolente ogni hor languiscoquanto più sia celato il mio dolore.fra me tal’hor mille disegni ordiscocon la lingua discior anco il timore.E all’hor fatto ardito io non paventogridar soccorso al micidial tormento.
Ma s’avvien ch’io m’appresso a lei davanteper trovar al mio mal pace e diletto,divengo tosto pallido in sembiante,e chinar gl’occhi a terra costretto.dir vorrei, ma non oso; indi tremantecomincio, e mi ritengo alfin l’affetto.
‘Return O Zephyr’Return o Zephyr, and with gentle motionmake pleasant the air and scatter the grasses in wavesand murmuring among the green branchesmake the flowers in the field dance to your sweet sound;
Crown with a garland the heads of Phylla and Chloriswith notes tempered by love and joy,from mountains and valleys high and deepand sonorous caves that echo in harmony.The dawn rises eagerly into the heavens and the sunscatters rays of gold and of the purest silver,like embroidery on the azure mantle of Thetis.
But I, in abandoned forests, am alone.The ardour of two beautiful eyes is my torment;as my fate wills it, now I weep, now I sing.
‘Since such fine victories’Since such fine victoriesare to be won in the wars of love,make yourself a warrior, my heart,and do not fear the mortal woundsof love’s arrows.fight on, and know how glorious it isto die desiring victory.
‘Let pleasures remain embalmed’Let the pleasures we have experienced remain embalmed in my memory.At your bubbling, clear and pure springs, my goddess and I, the beloved and dear couple,will compete in kissing, and compose gentle melodies, here where with many voices Echoes reply,comparing the sound of the kisses to that of the waves.
I wait for you but you do not come, idle and slow, my delight; you’re clouding my clear skiesmy soul, my beloved, my hope, I’m dying because of your delayI wait for you but you do not come.Luminous, idle, with thorns you pierce my heart.Hurry, come and revive me; the delay kills me.
‘I burn, and, alas, I dare not reveal’I burn, and, alas, I dare not revealthe ardour that I bear concealed in my breast,and the more I languish in constant suffering,the more my pain remains hidden.Then I devise for myself a thousand schemesso that my tongue may overcome its fear,and thus emboldened, I am no longer afraidto cry for help against this deadly torment.
Yet when I come before herseeking peace and balm for my illness,at once my face grows paleand I must lower my eyes.I would speak, but cannot; then, trembling,I begin. finally my feelings find expression.
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S’aprir, nuntia del cor la lingua vole,si troncan su le labbra le parole.
Il ritorno di Ulisse in patriaMELANToduri e penosison gli amorosifieri désir;me alpin son cari,se prima amari,gli aspri martir;chè s’arde un corè d’allegrezza un foco,nè mai perde in amorchi compie il gioco.Chi pria s’accendeprocelle attendeda un bianco sen,ma corseggiandotrova in amandoporto seren.Si piange pria,ma alfin la gioia ha loco,nè mai perde in amorchi compie il gioco.
EuRIMACoBella Melanto mia, graziosa Melanto,il tuo canto è in incanto,il tuo volto è magia.Bella Melanto mia!È tutto laccio in te ciò ch’alteri ammaga,ciò che laccio non è fa tutto piaga.
MELANToVezzoso garruletto,o come ben tu saiingemmar le bellezze,illustrar a tuo prod’un volto i rai.Lieto vezzeggia purle glorie miecon tue dolci bugie.
EuRIMACoBugia sarebbes’io lodando non t’amassi,chè il negar d’adorarconfessata deitàè bugia d’empietà.
MELANTo, EuRIMACode’ nostri amor concordisia pur la fiamma accesa,ch’amato il non amar arreca offesa,nè con ragion s’offendecolui che per offese amor ti rende.S’io non t’amo, cor mio, che sia di gal o l’almach ho in sen a’tuoi begli occhi avante.
Messenger of the heart, my tongue flies off,and the words die away on my lips.
The return of Ulysses to his homelandMELANTHoBitter are the tormentsthat the lover suffersin his desire;but at last the harsh sufferings,though bitter at first,are cherished;if a heart is burningit is a fire of joy,and he never loseswho plays the game of love. Whoever is first inflamedby a white bosomcan expect storms,but riding them out he finds in lovinga serene harbour.first there is weeping,but at last joy takes its place,he never loseswho plays the game of love.
EuRYMACHuSMy beautiful Melantho, delightful Melantho,your song is enchantment,your face is magic.My beautiful Melantho!Everything in you is captivating,and those who you inflame are held enslaved.
MELANTHoLoquacious flatterer,o how well you knowhow to sing beauty,to describe to your own advantagethe radiance of a face.Yet sweetly flattermy glorieswith your gentle lies.
EuRYMACHuSIt would be liesif I, praising, did not love you, for refusing to adorean acknowledged deityis an impious lie.
MELANTHo, EuRYMACHuSMay the flame of our mutual love rise upward,love not returned is an offence,but it is not fittingto reward love with offences.If I do not love you, my heart, my soul,shall turn to ice before your eyes.
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Se in adorarti cor non ho costante,non mi sia stanza il mondo o tetto il cielo.dolce mia vita sei,lieto mio ben sarai,nodo sí bel non si disciolga mai.Come, oh, come il desio m’invoglia,Eurimaco, mia vita,senza fren, senza morsodar nel tuo sen alle mie gioie il corso!Come, oh, come volentiericangerei questa reggia in un desertoove occhio curiosonon giungesse a veder i nostri errori;chè ad un focoso pettoil rispetto è dispetto.
EuRIMACoTu dunque t’affatica,suscita in lei la fiamma!
MELANToRitenterò quell’alma pertinace ostinata,ritoccherò quel corech’indiamanta l’honore.
MELANTo, EuRIMACodolce mia vita sei,lieto mio ben sarai,nodo sí bel non si disciolga mai.
‘Ohime ch’io cado’ohimè ch’io cado, ohimèch’inciampo ancor il pièpur come pria,e la sfiorita miacaduta spemepur di novo rigarcon fresco lagrimarhor mi conviene.
Lasso, del vecchio ardorconosco l’orme ancordentro nel petto;ch’ha rotto il vago aspettoe i guardi amatilo smalto adamantinond’armaro il meschinpensier gelati.
folle, credev’io purd’aver schermo sicurda un nudo arciero;e pur io sí guerrierohor son codardone vaglio sosteneril colpo lusinghierd’un solo sguardo.
If my heart does not desire you continually,the world shall no longer be a room, the skyno more a roof for me.You are my sweet life,you will be my greatest happiness,may such a beautiful knot never be loosened.oh, how the wish inspires me,Eurymachos, my life,to fulfil without any regret or restraintmy dream of love with you!o how gladly I would exchangethis royal palace for a desert,where curious eyes could not pursue us,for a fiery bosomdespises every obstacle.
EuYMACHuSSo try again nowto kindle her fire of love!
MELANTHoI will attempt again that obstinate soul,touch again that heartwhich is a temple of chastity.
MELANTHo, EuRYMACHuSYou are my sweet life,you will be my greatest happiness,may such a beautiful knot never be loosened.
‘Alas for me, I tumble down’Alas for me, I tumble down, alas for me,my foot slips againjust as it did before,and my lostand withering hopeI must water with fresh tearsonce again.
I again feel this old passionin my heart,now that a beautiful face has broken,as well as the loved glances,the hard enamel of these icy thoughtswith which I, the unfortunate,have armed myself.
I was fool enough to thinkI should have a sure shieldagainst the naked archer;and yet I who am so warrior-like,what a coward I am,I who will not endurethe enticing blowof a single glance.
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o Campion immortalsdegno; come sí fralhor fuggi indietro;a sott’armi di vetroincanto errantem’hai condotto infedelcontro spada crudeld’aspro diamante.
o come sa punirtirann’amor l’ardird’alma rubella!una dolce favella,un seren voltoun vezzoso mirar,sogliono rilegarun cor disciolto.
occhi belli, ah se fusempre bella virtùgiusta pietate!deh voi non mi negateil guardo e’l visoche mi sa la prigionper sí bella cagionil Paradiso.
Il combattimento di Tancredi e ClorindaTancredi che Clorinda un uomo stimavuol ne l’armi provarla al paragone.Va girando colei l’alpestre cimaver altra porta, ove d’entrar dispone.Segue egli impetuoso, onde assai primache giunga, in guisa avvien che d’armi suonech’ella si volge e grida: - o tu, che porte,correndo sì? - Rispose: - E guerra e morte.
- Guerra e morte avrai: - disse - io non rifiutodarlati, se la cerchi e fermo attende. -Ne vuol Tancredi, ch’ebbe a piè vedutoil suo nemico, usar cavallo, e scende.E impugna l’un e l’altro il ferro acuto,ed aguzza l’orgoglio e l’ira accende;e vansi incontro a passi tardi e lentiquai due tori gelosi e d’ira ardenti.
Notte, che nel profondo oscuro senochiudesti e nell’oblio fatto sì grande,degne d’un chiaro sol, degne d’un pienoteatro, opre sarian sì memorande.Piacciati ch’indi il tragga e’n bel serenoa le future età lo spieghi e mande.Viva la fama lor, e tra lor gloriasplenda dal fosco tuo l’alta memoria.
Non schivar, non parar, non pur ritrarsivoglion costor, ne qui destrezza ha parte.Non danno i colpi or finti, or pieni, or scarsi:toglie l’ombra e’l furor l’uso de l’arte.
o immortal championI am angry that you are fleeing so weakly;like an enchanted man who has lost his wayin glass armour, you have led me.disloyal one. against a swordmade of hard diamond.
How powerfully tyrannous lovepunishes the daringof a rebellious soul;a kind word, a serene face, a charming wondermentcan tie againa liberated heart.
Eyes, beauteous eyes if for youvirtue has always been fairand mercy true,o, do not deny methe glance and the laughter;so that my prisonon such a beautiful groundshould become a paradise.
The battle of Tancredi and ClorindaTancredi, believing Clorinda is a man,desires to challenge her in single combat.She, skirting round the mountain peak, is headingfor a city she intends to enter.So impetuous is his chase that well beforehe reaches her she hears the noise of armourand, turning, cries, “You there, what is the causeof such great haste?” He answers, “War and death.”
“War and death you’ll have,” she said. “I’ll notdeny your object if you’ll stand and face me.”Tancredi, who saw his enemy on foot,declines to stay on horseback, and dismounts. Both grasp their sharp-edged swords,prick on their pride, whip up their fury. and advance upon each other with slow stepslike two rival bulls inflamed with fury.
Night, who hath enclosed in thy dark breastand in obscurity a deed so great,since the light of day and of a crowdedtheatre feats so memorable are worthy,grant that I may illuminate them thus,transmitting them to future generations.May their fame live on, and may their gloryshine out, a noble memory, from your darkness.
To dodge, to parry blows or to retreatthey do not strive, for skill has here no part.They do not feint, nor strike now hard, now soft;darkness and rage preclude all subtlety.
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odi le spade orribilmente urtarsia mezzo il ferro; e’l piè d’orma non parte:sempre il piè fermo e la man sempre in moto,né scende taglio in van, ne punta a voto.
L’onta irrita lo sdegno a la vendetta,e la vendetta poi l’onta rinova:onde sempre al ferir, sempre a la frettastimol novo s’aggiunge e piaga nova.d’or in or più si mesce e più ristrettasi fa la pugna, e spada oprar non giova:dansi con pomi, e infelloniti e crudicozzan con gli elmi insieme e con gli scudi.
Tre volte il cavalier la donna stringecon le robuste braccia, e altrettantepoi da quei nodi tenaci ella si scinge,nodi di fier nemico e non d’amante.Tornano al ferro, e l’un e l’altro il tingedi molto sangue: e stanco e anelantee questi e quegli al fin pur si ritira,e dopo lungo faticar respira.
L’un l’altro guarda, e del suo corpo essanguesu’l pomo de la spada appoggia il peso.Già de l’ultima stella il raggio languesul primo albor ch’è in oriente acceso.Vede Tancredi in maggior copia il sanguedel suo nemico e se non tanto offeso,ne gode e in superbisce. oh nostra follemente ch’ogn’aura di fortuna estolle!
Misero, di che godi? oh quanto mestisiano i trionfi e infelice il vanto!Gli occhi tuoi pagheran (s’in vita resti)di quel sangue ogni stilla un mar di pianto.Così tacendo e rimirando, questisanguinosi guerrier cessaro alquanto.Ruppe il silenzio al fin Tancredi e disse,perchè il suo nome l’un l’altro scoprisse:
“Nostra sventura è ben che qui s’impieghitanto valor, dove silenzio il copra.Ma poi che sorte rea vien che ci nieghie lode e testimon degni de l’opra,pregoti (se fra l’armi han loco i preghi)che’l tuo nome e’l tuo stato a me tu scopra,acciò ch’io sappia, o vinto o vincitore,chi la mia morte o vittoria onore.”
Rispose la feroce: - Indarno chiediquel c’ho per uso di non far palese.Ma chiunque io mi sia, tu innanzi vediun di quei due che la gran torre accese. -Arse di sdegno a quel parlar Tancredie: - In mal punto il dicesti; (indi riprese)e’l tuo dir e’l tacer di par m’alletta,barbaro discortese, a la vendetta.
Hark to the horrifying clash of swordon steel; their feet cleave the ground;their feet are still, their hands move constantly,no cut but finds its mark, no thrust goes wide.
Indignation fuels their vengeful fury,vengeful fury fuels more indignation,whence to their fierce exchange, their frenzy,comes a new stimulus to inflict more wounds.from time to time they close, and then the fightis more restricted, sword blades are no use;they strike with pommels and, more savage now,clash their casques and their shields together.
Thrice does the knight the woman grip in his strong arms, and as oft does shebreak free from those tenacious bonds,the bonds of bitter enmity, not love.Now they resume their swords, and each the otherbathes in streams of blood;weary and panting,both he and she must draw apart at last,and after labouring long, regain their breath.
They eye each other, and lean exhausted bodiesupon the pommels of their swords.The last remaining star is fading nowas dawn’s first rays illuminate the east.Tancredi sees his enemy’s copious lossof blood, and his own injuries less grave.Well pleased, he preens himself. oh human folly,that fortune’s every offering refuses!
Poor man, what joy is this! How tragic isyour victory, how ill-conceived your pride!These eyes of yours will pay — if you survive —a sea of tears for each drop of that blood.So silently and thoughtfully they stood,these bloody warriors, and paused awhile.At last Tancredi broke the silence, saying, because he wished them to disclose their names:
“our true misfortune is that we employsuch valour here, where it must go unsung.But, since our cruel destiny denies usthe admiration worthy of such feats,I pray you — if in combat prayers have place —to reveal your name and status to meso that, as victor or as vanquished, I knowwho has honoured me with life or death.”
The warrior maid replies: “You ask in vainthat which it is my custom to conceal.But whoever I may be, you see before youone of the two who set the great tower ablaze.”Hearing these words Tancredi is insensed:“Inopportune were those words!” “Your speech and silence spur me on alike, uncouth barbarian, to retribution.”
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Torna l’ira ne’ cori e li trasporta,benchè deboli, in guerra a fiera pugna!Ù’l’arte in bando, ù’già la forza è morta,ove, in vece, d’entrambi il furor pugna!o che sanguigna e spaziosa portafa l’una e l’altra spada, ovunque giugnane l’armi e ne le carni! e se la vitanon esce, sdegno tienla al petto unita.
Ma ecco omai l’ora fatal è giuntache’l viver di Clorinda al suo fin deve.Spinge egli il ferro nel bel sen di puntache vi s’immerge e’l sangue avido beve;e la veste che d’or vago trapuntale mammelle stringea tenere e lieve,l’empiè d’un caldo fiume. Ella già sentemorirsi, e’l piè le manca egro e languente.
Segue egli la vittoria, e la trafittavergine minacciando incalza e preme.Ella, mentre cadea, la voce afflittamovendo, disse le parole estreme:parole ch’a lei novo spirto addita,spirto di fè, di carità, di speme,virtù che dio le infonde, e se rubellain vita fu, la vuole in morte ancella.
- Amico, hai vinto: io ti perdon... perdonatu ancora, al corpo no, che nulla pave,a l’alma sì: deh! per lei prega, e donabattesmo a me ch’ogni mia colpa lave. -In queste voci languide risuonaun non so che di flebile e soavech’al cor gli scende ed ogni sdegno ammorza,e gli occhi a lagrimar invoglia e sforza.
Poco quindi lontan nel sen d’un montescaturia mormorando un picciol rio.Egli v’accorse e l’elmo empiè nel fonte,e tornò mesto al grande ufficio e pio.Tremar sentì la man, mentre la frontenon conosciuta ancor sciolse e scoprio.La vide e la conobbe: e restò senzae voce e moto. Ahi vista! ahi conoscenza!
Non morì già, ché sue virtuti accolsetutte in quel punto e in guardia al cor le mise,e premendo il suo affanno a dar si volsevita con l’acqua a chi col ferro uccise.Mentre egli il suon de’ sacri detti sciolse,colei di gioia trasmutossi, e rise:e in atto di morir lieta e vivacedir parea: “S’apre il ciel: io vado in pace”.
Their anger now rekindles, and propels themback, though weak, to war, to that fierce fightwhere skill is outlawed, strength is dead,and naked fury takes the place of both.o what bloody gaping openingsthe sword of each inflicts where’er it strikeson armour and on flesh, and life would issueforth did fury not retain it in the breast.
But lo, the fatal hour has now arrivedthat to Clorinda’s life must put an end.He thrusts the blade straight into her fair breastwhere, immersed, it avidly drinks her blood.And her tunic, exquisitely gold-embroidered,that clings around her dainty, tender breasts, fills with a tepid stream. She knows at oncethat she must die, and staggers, weak and faint.
Victory in his grasp, he throws himself menacingly upon the wounded maiden. She, while falling, with her failing voicespeaks her dying words which indicatea change of heart, a spirit new to her,one of faith, of charity, of hope;virtues inspired by God, intent that she, rebellious in life, in death will be his handmaid.
“friend, you have won. I pardon you. Your pardon grant me too, not for my fearless body,but for my soul; o pray for that, and give mebaptism to cleanse me of all sin.”In this languid utterance he hearsa strange appeal, a plaintive gentlenessthat to his heart descends and melts all anger, making tears sting, then gush forth from his eyes.
Not far off, from the bowels of a mountainwelled a little murmuring stream.Thither he ran, his casque filled at the spring,and, grieving, began the great and sacred rite. His hand was trembling as he loosened the vizorand raised it from the face as yet unknown.He saw and recognised her; then was he bereftof speech and movement. Ah tragic revelation!
He did not die; but marshalled his forcesand posted them around his heart to guard it,and stifling his grief, he sought to restore, with water,life to the one his sword had slain.While listening to the holy words he uttered,she was transformed by happiness, and smiled;as she died, her spirit filled with joy,she seemed to say: “Heaven opens; I go in peace.”
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Jonathan Cohen is rapidly developing a reputation as one of Britain’s finest and most versatile musicians. A conductor, cellist and keyboardist, he has wide-ranging interest and experience in music from the early baroque to the contemporary.
After completing his undergraduate degree at Clare College, Cambridge, Jonathan began his career as a cellist. He performed as guest principal with many of the uK’s foremost orchestras and ensembles, including the Philharmonia orchestra, the orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, the Scottish Chamber orchestra and The King’s Consort.
With this experience Jonathan developed a broad specialism in the field of early music and an interest in period instruments. He was a founder-member of the London Haydn Quartet and with them recorded two discs of Haydn Quartets on Hyperion. He continues to enjoy chamber music projects, collaborating regularly with violinists daniel Hope and Barnabas Kelemen. With countertenor Iestyn davies, Jonathan has launched his orchestra Arcangelo with a disc for Hyperion of cantatas by Porpora.
Jonathan enjoys a close relationship with Les Arts florissants and has recently been appointed Associate Conductor. for the 30th anniversary season of the orchestra, Jonathan collaborated with William Christie in performances of Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas and The Fairy Queen, as well as a programme of Gluck, Haydn and Mozart.
Jonathan has recently conducted Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea with Glyndebourne Touring opera and Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria with English National opera, the latter of which was met with widespread critical acclaim. Musical Criticism wrote of the performance: “Three components have made this joint production by ENo and the Young Vic remarkable: Monteverdi’s music, Jonathan Cohen’s musical direction and the ensemble work on stage. Cohen clearly knows every ounce of the score in depth and he lives the music while he superbly directs his forces. There are no histrionic devices; communication with singers and orchestra is governed by knowledge and respect for text and music. Notwithstanding the contradiction in terms, I would describe Jonathan Cohen as a humble star...”
These performances mark Jonathan’s AAM debut.
Jonathan Cohen director & keyboards
“under the direction of Jonathan Cohen, the fluid arioso of Monteverdi’s music is admirably vitalised — coloured, but never distorted, and paced like a thriller.”T h e T i m e s , 2011
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Anna Prohaska is acclaimed as one of the most exciting singers of her generation. In concert she has appeared with the Berliner Philharmoniker with Sir Simon Rattle and Claudio Abbado; the Bayerische Rundfunk Sinfonie orchester with daniel Harding, Mariss Jansons and Pierre Boulez; and the Wiener Philharmoniker with Pierre Boulez and Sir Simon Rattle. She has given recitals with Eric Schneider in Schwarzenberg, Vienna, Berlin, frankfurt and London.
Anna is a member of the deutsche Staatsoper Berlin, where she has sung works from Handel to Stravinsky with conductors such as daniel Barenboim, Philippe Jordan, Ingo Metzmacher and Rene Jacobs. Her engagements at the Salzburg festivals include Zerlina in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, as well as concerts with the Berliner Philharmoniker, Wiener Philharmoniker and the Cleveland orchestra.
Anna’s recordings include Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater with Bernarda fink and a dVd release of Berg’s Lulu Suite with the Simon Bolivar Youth orchestra of Venezuela and Claudio Abbado. Her first solo album “Sirene” has just been released.
This season she appears in concert with Gustavo dudamel in Los Angeles, Nikolaus Harnoncourt in Vienna and Lucerne and in recital with Maurizio Pollini in Berlin and New York.
Anna Prohaska soprano James Gilchrist tenor
James Gilchrist began his working life as a doctor, turning to a full-time career in music in 1996. His musical education began in church choirs and as a cellist, before becoming a treble in the Choir of New College, oxford and a tenor in the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge.
James has had a vibrant and frequent association with the AAM, including performances of Handel at the BBC Proms, Mozart’s Requiem at Symphony Hall, Birmingham, and the world-premiere performance and recording of John Taverner’s Total Eclipse. In March 2013 he will perform the role of Evangelist in a Good friday performance of JS Bach’s St John Passion at the Barbican.
James is a prolific recitalist, enjoying successful relationships with accompanists Anna Tilbrook and Julius drake and harpist Alison Nicholls. Recent acclaimed recordings include Schubert’s Die Schöne Mullerin, Schwanengesang and Winterreise, the latter winning BBC Music Magazine’s Recording of the Month award.
Recent performances include Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings with Amsterdam Sinfonietta, Handel’s Messiah with National Symphony orchestra in Washington dC, and Septimius in Handel’s Theodora with Concert Spirituel.
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Benjamin Hulett was a choral scholar at New College, oxford and trained on the opera course at the Guildhall School of Music & drama.
As a principal with Hamburg State opera, he appeared in works by Handel, Mozart and Britten. Since then he has appeared at opera houses around Europe, including as oronte in
Handel’s Alcina at the Bavarian State opera and in a new commission by Johannes Kalitzke for Theater an der Wien.
His concert appearances include performances at the BBC Proms with Sir Andrew davis and the BBC Symphony orchestra and with Sir Roger Norrington and the Scottish Chamber orchestra, and concerts this season include Britten’s Serenade for tenor, horn and strings with Beethoven orchester Bonn under AAM founder Christopher Hogwood, Schumann’s Das Paradies und die Peri under Norrington at the Edinburgh festival, and Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis under Philippe Herreweghe.
In 2011 Benjamin appeared as a soloist in Jonathan Miller’s acclaimed production of JS Bach’s St Matthew Passion at the National Theatre.
Benjamin Hulett tenor
detail from engraving entitled “Entertainment which Ciarlatin (street performers) give every day on the Piazza San Marco (Venice)”, from Habiti d’huomini e donne (1609) by Giacomo franco (1550–1620)
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There’s also a difference in the way we approach our music making. Composers prized the creativity of musicians, expecting them to make the music come alive and to communicate its thrill to the audience — an ethos we place at the heart of all that we do. Very often we don’t have a conductor, but are directed by one of the musicians, making for spontaneous, sparky and engaged performances. It’s not just about researching the past; it’s about being creative in the present.
In everything we do, we aim to recapture the intimacy, passion and vitality of music when it was first composed. The result? Performances which are full of energy and vibrancy, the superb artistry and musical imagination of our players combined with a deep understanding of the music’s original context.
Academy of Ancient Music: our ethos
The history of the AAM is the history of a revolution. When Christopher Hogwood founded the orchestra almost forty years ago, he rejected the decades-old convention of playing old music in a modern style. Hogwood and the AAM were inspired by original performances and, along with musicians across Europe, were beginning to discover the sound worlds which Bach, Handel and Haydn would have known. These bold initial steps would lead to a radical transformation in musical performance, allowing baroque and classical masterworks to be heard anew from that day to this.
So what’s different about the AAM? Partly it’s the instruments, which are originals (or faithful copies of them). The stringed instruments have strings made of animal gut, not steel; the trumpets have no valves; the violins and violas don’t have chin-rests, and the cellists grip their instruments between their legs rather than resting them on the floor. The result is a sound which is bright, immediate and striking. Additionally, the size of the orchestra is often smaller, meaning that every instrument shines through and the original balance of sound is restored; and where possible we play from first edition scores, stripping away the later additions and annotations of editors and getting back to composers’ initial notes, markings and ideas.
NEW IMAGE HERE
“a band that, for nearly 40 years, has consistently established a benchmark of veracity and authority in getting composers’ music played as it was intended to be played: free of accretions, stripped of varnish, and as straight and true as an arrow”G L A s G O W h e R A L D, 2010
o N 19 J A N u A R Y W E R E T u R N E d f o R A N A A M P L I F y S I d E - B Y - S I d E W o R K S H o P A T T H E u N I V E R S I T Y o f C A M B R I d G E , E x P L o R I N G C o R E L L I ’ S C o N C E R T I G R o S S I o P .6 T o G E T H E R W I T H S T u d E N T S . V I S I T W W W . A A M . C o . u K / A A M P L I f Y T o f I N d o u T M o R E .
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Academy of Ancient Music: our past, present and future
The AAM was founded in 1973 by Christopher Hogwood, under whose leadership the orchestra developed the global reputation for inspirational music making which continues today. In its first three decades the AAM performed live to music lovers on every continent except Antarctica, and millions more heard the orchestra through its astonishing catalogue of over 300 Cds: Brit- and Grammy-Award-winning recordings of Handel operas, pioneering accounts of the Beethoven, Mozart and Haydn symphonies, and revelatory discs which championed neglected composers.
This artistic excellence was fostered by a stunning roster of guest artists: singers dame Emma Kirkby, dame Joan Sutherland and Cecilia Bartoli and pianist Robert Levin were among those performing regularly with the AAM. A range of collaborations continue to inspire the group with new ideas and fresh approaches. The current relationship with the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge recently produced the world’s first live classical cinecast, with Handel’s Messiah streamed live into hundreds of cinemas across the globe; and ongoing work with the likes of soprano Elizabeth Watts, tenor Andrew Kennedy and cellist Steven Isserlis lies at the heart of the AAM’s present-day artistic success.
In 2006 Richard Egarr succeeded Hogwood as Music director, and the orchestra continues
its tradition of enthralling audiences old and new. Already Egarr has directed the first-ever performances in China of Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas and JS Bach’s complete Brandenburg Concertos, and has led tours throughout Europe and to Australia, America and the far East. Recent recordings, including a complete cycle of Handel’s instrumental music opp.1-7, have won MIdEM, Edison and Gramophone Awards. In 2007 Egarr founded the Choir of the AAM, which a year later was awarded the title of ‘Choir of the Year’ at the Beijing Classical Elites.
The future is just as bright. Performances in 2011–12 feature music from Monteverdi to Beethoven, with outstanding artists including Alina Ibragimova and Shunské Sato making their AAM debuts. from September 2012, the AAM will become Associate Ensemble at the Barbican Centre in London.
Meanwhile the AAMplify new generation scheme continues to flourish: hundreds of young music lovers will be welcomed to AAM concerts this season, and the musicians of the future will rehearse and perform side by side with the orchestra in Cambridge and, for the first time, in London.
Visit www.aam.co.uk to find out more, or pick up a season brochure tonight.
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AAM to perform at 2012 BBC Proms
on Saturday 21 July, we will perform JS Bach’s The Art of fugue as part of the BBC Proms at Cadogan Hall, London. The performance will be directed by brilliant young harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani, who makes his AAM debut. In 2011 Mahan gave the first-ever solo harpsichord recital at the BBC Proms, performing JS Bach’s Goldberg Variations.
The Art of fugue is an incomplete series of variations, and uncertainty surrounds the original instrumentation. for this performance, Mahan has worked with AAM musicians to arrange the original ‘open scoring’ of the variations (whereby no instrument is specified) for different combinations of stringed, wind and keyboard instruments.
The performance will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 3, and tickets will be on sale from 12 May on bbc.co.uk/proms or 0845 401 5040.
AAM announces future collaborations with Andreas Scholl and the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge
We are delighted to announce a series of future collaborations with the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge, following a sold-out performance of JS Bach’s St Matthew Passion at King’s earlier this month. In November 2012 counter-tenor Andreas Scholl makes his AAM debut in an all-Bach programme including the solo cantata ‘Ich habe genug’ and motet ‘Lobet den Herrn’; and in March 2013 Scholl returns to sing in two performances of the St Matthew Passion which also feature Christoph Genz as Evangelist.
Booking for the November performance opens on 1 July 2012 via The Shop at King’s (01223 769340).
AAM 2012-13 Cambridge season:subscription booking
Subscription booking for our Cambridge season opens on 15 May. Subscribers receive a 15% discount and guarantee their seats throughout the year.
If you’d like to become a subscriber, call 01223 341092, email [email protected], or leave your details at the Cd sales desk tonight. We will write to current subscribers soon with the chance to renew their seats.
Cambridge Festival of Ideas: sponsor a street piano
In october 2012, the university’s faculty of Music will be installing 31 pianos throughout Cambridge. As well as being available for anyone to use, there will be free music lessons and performances by professional musicians. The project is being run as part of the 2012 Cambridge festival of Ideas, and represents an innovative way to spread music throughout the community.
We are inviting our Cambridge audience to sponsor one piano, and hope to raise £450 through a collection after tonight’s concert. Any donation will be gratefully received; you can also enclose a cheque in the envelope on your seat tonight, payable to CAMEo. for more information, contact Ruth Hardie, Music outreach officer at the faculty of Music, 11 West Road, Cambridge CB3 9dP.
AAM in the press
Visit aam.co.uk to read all the latest press reviews and features. The archive includes reviews from our uK-wide tour with Alina Ibragimova earlier this year; and a piece by conductor and composer James Macmillan reflecting on “why Bach Passions still speak to modern man”, following our recent performance of the St Matthew Passion.
Latest news at the AAM
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Board of DirectorsAdam BroadbentKay Brock LVo dLJohn EverettMatthew ferreyJames GolobJohn GrievesHeather JarmanChristopher Purvis CBE (Chairman)John ReeveTerence Sinclairdr Christopher TadgellJanet unwin
Development BoardAdam BroadbentKay Brock LVo dLdelia BrokeElizabeth de friendKate donaghyJohn EverettMatthew ferreyJames GolobJohn GrievesMadelaine GundersAnnie NortonChristopher Purvis CBEJohn ReeveChris Rocker Terence Sinclair (Chairman)dr Christopher TadgellMadeleine TattersallSarah Miles WilliamsAlison Wisbeach
External Relations Manager: Developmentoriel Williams
Concerts & Administration ManagerSamantha fryer
Communications OfficerAnna Goldbeck-Wood
Concerts & Administration TraineeGraham Sale
PR ManagementRebecca driver Media Relations
Violin IPavlo Beznosiuk*
Violin IIBojan Čičić
Viola Rachel Byrt
Cello Joseph Crouch*
Double bass Judith Evans
Viola da gambaReiko Ichise
LironeErin Headley
Theorbo William Carter
Baroque harpfrances Kelly
Keyboards Jonathan Cohen
Reiko Ichise viola da gambaThis may sound a bit odd, but it’s thanks to Martha Agerich that I started playing the viol. I went to hear her recital in Tokyo as a piano student and was totally stunned by her power and beauty. I was speechless... On the way back hope that night, I saw a flyer with a photo of a lady playing a strange-looking instrument. I learned that there was a ‘musicology’ course at my music college and that the strange instrument was a bass viol. Sated in the most wonderful way by Agerich’s playing, I decided to change my course to musicology, where I picked up the viol for fun; fun quickly became love. I am still in love and so grateful to be here playing with the wonderful musicians of the AAM.
*Sponsored chairs
Leader Lord and Lady Magan
Principal cello dr Christopher and Lady Juliet Tadgell
Principal fluteChristopher and Phillida Purvis
Sub- principal violaSir Nicholas and Lady Goodison
Sub- principal celloNewby Trust Ltd
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Academy of Ancient Music
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Supporting the Academy of Ancient Music
Having fun, getting closer to the music and securing the future of a great tradition. That’s what supporting the Academy of Ancient Music is all about.
The music we are enjoying tonight came into being only through a tradition of patronage. JS Bach composed his instrumental masterpieces at the courts of Weimar and Köthen; Haydn enjoyed the backing of the Esterházy family; Mozart’s patrons included the Archbishop of Salzburg and Emperor Joseph II.
The AAM exists to keep this music alive — but income from ticket sales covers only a third of the cost of staging concerts like tonight’s. Just like the composers of old, the orchestra relies on generous support from those who value its work and care about its future.
over the next few years the AAM will be doing more than ever to develop the audiences, musicians and arts managers of the future through its AAMplify new generation programme, to bring baroque and classical music to a global audience through recordings and online work, and to enrich people’s lives through its concerts. In order to do so it must raise a total of £2.8 million by 2015. Through the generosity of individual philanthropists, Arts Council England and other funders and supporters £1.3 million has already been secured. £1.5 million remains to be raised.
The future of ancient music is in our hands. Read on to find out how you can help.
Join the AAM Society
The AAM Society is the AAM’s core group of regular supporters. Members’ annual gifts provide the vital ongoing support without which the orchestra would be unable to continue to perform.
Members enjoy a close and ongoing involvement with the life of the orchestra: they dine with the musicians after performances in London; they receive regular invitations to open rehearsals, private recitals and other special events; and at least once each year they are invited to travel with the orchestra on tour internationally.
Membership starts from £250 per annum (£100 for young supporters aged up to 40) and goes up to £20,000+. Gifts can be made annually or by regular standing order. Those giving over £1,000 receive invitations to regular recitals and other special events held in the homes of fellow members. Those giving over £5,000 have
the opportunity to sponsor a specific position in the orchestra, and are invited to join the Council of Benefactors which meets annually to receive an update on the orchestra’s performance from the Chief Executive and Chairman.
To join the AAM Society, please either contact the AAM or complete and return the membership form on page 23.
“The AAM’s Porto-Lisbon trip was memorable. We socialised with the players, heard wonderful music twice over with soprano Carolyn Sampson, had an exclusive tour and tasting of Graham’s Port, and were introduced to Porto’s extraordinary churches by an expert — with an optional trip to the Gulbenkian thrown in. All smoothly organised, relaxed and with the bonus of excellent company, meals and wine”. E L I Z A B E T H d E f R I E N d A A M S O C I E T y M E M B E R
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“We love the AAM’s excellent performances, academic depth and innovative programming, and as AAM Society members we share the musical life of this superb ensemble project by project. The AAM is as welcoming and friendly as it is enlightening, and as professional behind the scenes as it is on stage!” R I C H A R d A N d E L E N A B R I d G E S A A M S O C I E T y M E M B E R S
from time to time, syndicates are formed to support special artistic projects. Members enjoy a particularly close involvement with the work they are supporting. It’s not too late to get involved with Musical Revolutions, the concert
series at the heart of the AAM’s 2011–12 London and Cambridge season. Please contact the AAM to find out more.
Support a special project
The AAM Tomorrow fund has been established for those who want to invest at a substantial level in the long-term future of the orchestra. Support from the fund is making major strategic initiatives possible, including the development of the AAMplify new generation
programme and the revitalisation of the AAM’s recording programme. The fund was established by a generous leading gift from Lady Sainsbury of Turville, and major gifts have subsequently been received from other individual and institutional supporters.
Invest in the AAM Tomorrow fund
over the last four decades the AAM has brought joy and inspiration to millions of people. our aim over the next is to begin to build an endowment which will ultimately enable it to do so in perpetuity.
Leaving a legacy is one of the most enduring ways in which you can support our work: gifts of any size have a real impact in enabling the AAM to keep baroque and classical music alive for generations to come. By supporting our work in this way you may also be able to reduce the overall tax liability due on your estate.
Leave a legacy
Generous tax incentives exist for uK taxpayers supporting charities like the AAM. under the Gift Aid scheme the eventual cost of making a gift could be as little as half of its value to
the AAM — and for donors who make gifts of shares the cost could be lower still. further information is available from the AAM.
Tax-efficient giving
• Contact Simon Fairclough, Head of External Relations, on 01223 341096 or [email protected]
• Visit www.aam.co.uk and click “Support the AAM”
To find out more
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The AAM is indebted to the following trusts, companies, public bodies and individuals for their support of the orchestra’s work:
AAM funders & Supporters
Special giftsThe Academy of Ancient Music extends its grateful thanks to Lady Sainsbury of Turville, who has supported the orchestra’s work at a particularly significant level this year.
The Chairman’s Circle(Donations £20,000–£49,999 per annum)Matthew ferreyCHK Charities Ltddunard fund
The Hogwood Circle(Donations £10,000 - £19,999 per annum)Lord and Lady MaganChristopher and Phillida Purvis *Mrs Julia Rosierdr Christopher and Lady Juliet TadgellLady Linda Wong davies (KT Wong foundation)
Principal Patrons (Donations £5,000 – £9,999 per annum)Richard and Elena BridgesChristopher Hogwood CBE *Mrs Sheila MitchellNewby Trust Ltd *Chris Rocker and Alison WisbeachTerence and Sian Sinclairand other anonymous Principal Patrons
Patrons (Donations £2,500 – £4,999 per annum)Lady Alexander of WeedonAdam and Sara BroadbentRichard and Elizabeth de friendMr and Mrs JE EverettMr and Mrs James GolobSir Nicholas and Lady Goodison *John and Ann GrievesGraham and Amanda HuttonMark and Liza LovedayJohn and Joyce ReeveMark Westand other anonymous Patrons
Principal Benefactors (Donations £1,000 – £2,499 per annum)George and Kay BrockMrs d BrokeMr and Mrs Graham BrownClive and Helena ButlerJo and Keren Butler
Sir Charles Chadwyck- Healey BtPeter Stormonth darlingKate donaghyThe Hon Simon EcclesElma Hawkins and Charles RichterLord HindlipJohn Mcfadden and Lisa Kabnick *david and Linda Lakhdhir Steven Larcombe and Sonya LeydeckerMr and Mrs C NortonLionel and Lynn PerseyNigel and Hilary Pye *Mr and Mrs Charles Rawlinson Mark and Elizabeth RidleySir Konrad and Lady Schiemann *JG StanfordMr Michael StumpJohn and Madeleine TattersallMarcellus and Katharine Taylor- JonesStephen ThomasSarah and Andrew WilliamsMrs R Wilson StephensCharles Woodwardand other anonymous Principal Benefactors
Benefactors (Donations £500 – £999)dr Aileen Adams CBEBill and Sue BlythClaire Brisby and John Brisby QC *Mr and Mrs Edward davies- GilbertCharles dumasMr and Mrs Jean- Marie EveillardSimon faircloughMarshall fieldMichael and Michele foot CBEAndrew and Wendy GairdnerHon William GibsonThe Hon Mr and Mrs Philip HaversProfessor Sean Hiltondr and Mrs G and W HoffmanHeather Jarman *Susan LathamTessa MayhewMr and Mrs Hideto NakaharaRodney and Kusum Nelson- JonesNick and Margaret ParkerBruno Schroder and familyPeter ThomsonJanet unwinPippa Wicksoriel Williams
Peter and Margaret WynnJulia Yorkeand other anonymous Benefactors
Donors (Donations £250 – £499)Angela and Roderick Ashby- JohnsonElisabeth and Bob Boas *Mrs Nicky BrownJeremy J BuntingMr Alexander Chadddr and Mrs S Challahdavid and Elizabeth ChallenCottisford TrustStephen and debbie dance derek and Mary draperBeatrice and Charles GoldieSteven and Madelaine GundersGemma and Lewis Morris HallMrs Helen HiggsLord and Lady Jenkin of RodingAlison KnockerRichard LockwoodYvonne de la PraudièreJane Rabagliati and Raymond CrossRobin and Jane RawAnnabel and Martin RandallArthur L Rebell and Susan B Cohendenys RobinsonMr and Mrs Timothy RobinsonMichael and Giustina RyanMiss E M SchlossmannMichael SmithRt Hon Sir Murray Stuart- Smith *Janet unwinRobin VousdenPaul f. Wilkinson and Associates Inc.and other anonymous donors* denotes founder member
Musical RevolutionariesHilary BartonCottisford TrustHon William GibsonHeather JarmanMark and Lisa LovedayMrs Sheila MitchellMr and Mrs Charles RawlinsonMichael and Giustina RyanRobin VousdenMr Charles Woodwardand other anonymous Musical Revolutionaries
The AAM Society
AAM Business ClubCambridge university PressKleinwort BensonRoyal Bank of Canada
Public fundersArts Council Englandorchestras LiveCambridge City Council
Trusts and foundationsThe Backstage TrustCHK Charities Ltddunard fundJohn Ellerman foundationEsmée fairbairn foundationfidelity uK foundationGatsby Charitable foundationJ Paul Getty Jnr Charitable TrustNewby Trust LtdSir Siegmund Warburg’s Voluntary SettlementConstance Travis Charitable TrustGarfield Weston foundation
and other anonymous trusts and foundations
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Join the AAM Society
I would like to join the AAM Society
I would like to give membership of the AAM Society to someone else as a gift
Payment detailsI would like to make my donation by
I enclose a cheque for £................................ (please make payable to ‘AAM’)
I enclose a CAf cheque for £................................ (please make payable to ‘AAM’)
I would like to pay by standing order (please complete the standing order section below)
I would like to make a gift of shares (please contact the AAM)
Three-year pledgeBy pledging to support the AAM over a three-year period, you can help the orchestra to plan for the future with confidence.
Please tick here if you are able to pledge to support the orchestra at this level for three years.
Leaving a legacy Please tick here if you would be willing to receive information about remembering the AAM in your will.
Matched giving My firm operates a matched giving policy. Please contact me to discuss this further.
Gift Aid declarationPlease complete this section if you pay uK income tax and/or capital gains tax at least equal to the tax which the AAM will reclaim on your donations in the appropriate tax year.
Please treat this donation and all donations that I make from the date of this declaration until I notify you otherwise as Gift Aid donations.
