BBC National Orchestra of Wales Season Brochure

2012-13

Cardiff Concert Season

NOW 2013 season CF 210x260mm E.indd 1 20/4/12 10:02:03

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bbc national orchestra of WalesPatron HrH The Prince of Wales kG kT Pc GcbPrincipal Conductor Thomas SøndergårdPrincipal Guest Conductor Jac van SteenConductor Laureate Tadaaki otaka cbeAssociate Guest Conductor François-Xavier rothResident Composer Mark bowden

bbc national chorus of WalesArtistic Director adrian Partington

All information in this brochure is correct at the time of going to press. However, as a consequence of the exigencies of broadcasting, or for other good cause, BBC National Orchestra of Wales reserves the right to make changes where necessary and without prior notice. In the event of such an occurrence we would apologise for any inconvenience caused and would advise you that your statutory rights as a consumer remain unaffected.

Design by BBC Cymru Wales GraphicsPhotography © Shutterstock, Bjarke Johansen, Geraint Tellem and Betina SkovbroConcert descriptions by Peter ReynoldsWelsh translation by Cymen

BBC National Orchestra & Chorus of WalesBBC Hoddinott Hall, Cardiff Bay, Cardiff CF10 5AL

Contents

Introducing Thomas Søndergård page 3

St David’s Hall Listings pages 5-22

BBC Hoddinott Hall Listings pages 23-24

Packages and Booking Information page 25-26

2012-13 at a glance page 27

François-Xavier rothThomas Søndergård Jac van Steen Tadaaki otaka


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Welcome to St David’s Hall! I feel so honoured to be welcoming you to my fi rst season with BBC National Orchestra of Wales.

When I conducted the orchestra for the fi rst time in 2009, I felt truly supported in my artistic endeavours by each and every individual player and this has been key to our deepening relationship, one that has developed in the programmes on which we have collaborated to date. The wonderful reception from both players and the Cardiff audience gives us the perfect foundations for what I hope will be a long, happy and fruitful relationship. Together, I hope we can prepare the music with the care and respect it demands, in order to create memorable performances that will enable us to celebrate and share our love for the music with our audiences.

In my opening week in Cardiff this season, it is thrilling for me to collaborate with internationally acclaimed soprano Inger Dam-Jensen, who was, of course, crowned Cardiff Singer of the World in 1993. Indeed the theme of ‘song’ is a strong one running through many of our programmes this season - and what could be more appropriate to Wales, the “Land of Song”?! As part of this theme, we offer Verdi’s Requiem and Te Deum

(in the 200th anniversary of his birth) and Handel’s Messiah, under the baton of Associate Guest Conductor François-Xavier Roth. We will also be joined by some very fi ne soloists, among them Rosemary Joshua, Susan Gritton and Ailish Tynan. We also have a theme of ‘Fifths’ with performances of Sibelius, Shostakovich, Nielsen and Mahler’s fi fth symphonies this season. I will conduct each of these except for Shostakovich’s mighty Fifth, for which we welcome back our esteemed Conductor Laureate, Tadaaki Otaka. In fact, I am greatly looking forward to welcoming all of our guest soloists and conductors in the coming year.

As we begin our journey together, I very much hope that you will join us and look forward to getting to know you, through making music with this fabulous orchestra.

Pob dymuniad da!

Thomas Søndergård,Principal conductor

Look out for concerts featuring fi fth symphonies, marked with this icon.

0800 052 1812 bbc.co.uk/now


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Introducing Thomas Søndergård

Back in December 2009, a Danish conductor stepped in at very short notice to replace an indisposed conductor for a BBC National Orchestra of Wales concert at St David’s Hall. His name was Thomas Søndergård, a name that David Murray, Director of the orchestra, had been alerted to from reports arriving from colleagues in Scandinavia, Germany and Scotland, where he had recently conducted the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.

An important new relationship was born that night. “You could immediately hear from the way the orchestra were playing that there was something special there”, recalled Tim Thorne, Senior Producer for the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. Thomas Søndergård felt the same way. On the day that his appointment as Principal Conductor was announced last July, he told the Orchestra: “I will never forget the first time that I came into the hall and rehearsed that performance of Brahms’s Fourth Symphony”.

Born in Holstebro, Denmark, Thomas Søndergård’s passion for music was born when he was seven: “I saw a marching

band going through the town and knew that I had to be part of that”. And it was as a percussionist that he initially entered the music profession, getting to know the orchestra from the inside. Since then he has conducted throughout Europe, becoming Principal Conductor and Musical Advisor to the Norwegian Radio Orchestra as well as conducting opera at the Danish State Opera and Royal Swedish Opera.

During next autumn he also will become Principal Guest Conductor to the Royal National Scottish Orchestra whilst in the same season, our outgoing Principal Conductor, Thierry Fischer will pass on the baton of Principal Conductor to Thomas Søndergård. It will be an exciting new period of music-making and development for the BBC National Orchestra of Wales but, despite all the hard work and planning required, Thomas Søndergård is absolutely clear about what lies at the centre of his work as a musician: “We must never lose our passion and love for music”.


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“You could immediately hear from the way the orchestra were playing that there was something special there”


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Tickets £10-27.50

Ailish Tynan sings Brahms and Mahler Ailish Tynan’s blend of Irish wit and vivacious charm, allied to her fresh light but powerful soprano voice, has had critics reaching for superlatives during the last decade.

What the Critics Say“ ...Ravishing? I thought I had gone to heaven. What a voice. What an artist. What a natural entertainer.”

The Herald, Scotland

FrIdAy 21.09.2012, 7.30pm

SibeliuS Finlandia

MaHler Ich Ging mit Lust durch einen grünen Wald

Ging heut Morgen über’s Feld

Ablösung im Sommer

Scheiden und Meiden

briTTen Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes

braHMS Song of Destiny

racHManinov Vocalise

verdi Te Deum

Conductor Grant llewellynSoprano ailish Tynan

bbc national chorus of Wales

Season Taster Concert


Sibelius’s Finlandia: A great celebration

of the Finnish nation

Come back on 12 October and

experience the Nordic grandeur of Sibelius’s

Fifth Symphony.

Mahler’s Songs: Evocations of gentle

folk nature folk poetry

Come back on 28 June for Mahler’s Symphony No 5: a great emotional roller coaster from darkness

to light.

Britten’s Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes: Sketches

of the Suffolk coast in all its craggy grandeur

Come back on 25 January for Britten’s Spring Symphony –

a celebration of springtide.

Brahms’s Song of Destiny: A great choral hymn to the

pain and beauty of fate

Come back on 2 November for the Olympian majesty of

Brahms’s Violin Concerto with Viviane Hagner.

Rachmaninov’s Vocalise: A simple yet meltingly beautiful invocation

to melody

Come back on 12 April to hear Llyr Williams plays

Rachmaninov’s Third Piano Concerto.

page 8 page 21

page 12

page 9

page 18page 17

Verdi’s Te Deum: Experience the

grandeur of Verdi’s last completed work

Come back on 1 March to hear Verdi’s Requiem.


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Tickets £10-27.50

Inger Dam-Jensen sings Grieg and StraussWinner of Cardiff Singer of the World in 1993, Inger dam-Jensen is a soprano now in her prime, with a particular affinity with the music of Grieg and Strauss.

What the Critics Say“Here is a soprano who has everything – great looks, a sparkling voice that never loses its quality, glittering allure and intensity.”

The Financial Times

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FrIdAy 12.10.2012, 7.30pm

MaGnuS lindberG Expo

r. STrauSS Muttertandelei

Meindem Kinde

Cäcilie

GrieG To brune øjne

Jeg elsker dig

En Svane

Våren

r. STrauSS Till Eulenspiegel

SibeliuS Symphony No 5

Conductor Thomas SøndergårdSoprano inger dam-Jensen

When Thomas Søndergård was appointed last year, he told reporters, “I can’t wait to discover the Sibelius all over again with my new orchestra”. Now, in his first concert, he tackles the brooding grandeur of Sibelius’s Fifth Symphony and R. Strauss’s dazzling orchestral showpiece Till Eulenspiegel.

And experience the dynamic colour of Finland’s Magnus Lindberg: “a composer I know that I’ll be doing a lot of in the future”.

Northern Moods


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Tickets £10-27.50

Viviane Hagner plays Brahms’s Violin ConcertoMunich-born Viviane Hagner has played with the world’s greatest orchestras and is particularly noted for her authoritative performances of contemporary works.

What the Critics Say“Listening to Viviane Hagner play the violin is an enchanting experience... she is both a thoughtful and brilliant violinist. In her playing, she knows how to combine reflection and luminosity in the most striking way.”

berliner Morgenpost

FrIdAy 02.11.2012, 7.30pm

WaGner Lohengrin, Prelude to Act 1

braHMS Violin Concerto

ZeMlinSky Lyric Symphony

Conductor Jac van SteenSoprano elizabeth atherton

Baritone roman TrekelViolin viviane Hagner

The music of Wagner and works like Brahms’s majestic and lyrical Violin Concerto influenced the rich late romantic splendour of Zemlinsky’s music.

His masterpiece is the Lyric Symphony, which explores the yearning and fulfilment of love. Now Jac van Steen conducts it for the first time in Cardiff.

If you already love the music of Mahler and Strauss, the Lyric Symphony will be a revelation to you.

Zemlinsky’s Lyric Symphony


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ZemlinskyIn the years leading up to the First World War, Vienna was a boiling cauldron of radical developments in painting, architecture, literature and, of course, music. Brahms was only recently dead, Mahler was director of the Vienna State Opera, Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele were pushing back the boundaries of painting, and Arnold Schoenberg and his followers were doing the same in music. At the centre of all this was the promising young composer Alexander Zemlinsky. As a student he attracted the attention of Brahms, and his pupils included both Schoenberg (who later became his brother in law) and Alma Schindler, with whom he fell in love, before she married Mahler. Yet Zemlinsky was largely eclipsed by his more glamorous contemporaries: his compositions were much admired during his lifetime, but fell into neglect after his death, until their gradual revival on CD over the last thirty years.

Recent generations have discovered in Zemlinsky a sumptuous late-romantic voice that is neither Mahler nor Richard Strauss, but which inhabits an equally rich parallel world. Zemlinsky completed many operas and was acclaimed as one of the leading conductors of his age. But his best-known work is the Lyric

Symphony, fi rst performed in 1924: a setting for soprano and baritone of the mystical poems of the Bengali poet Tagore, exploring love, through yearning, fulfi lment and its disintegration – something that its composer had known only too well. The result runs the whole gamut of emotion, from the fi rst stirrings of passion to the agony of farewell.

Zemlinsky’s story is a sad one in many ways. Cruelly described by a contemporary as “the ugliest man I have ever seen”, he drew on autobiographical elements in composing his opera, Der Zwerg (The Dwarf) based on Oscar Wilde’s story. In 1938 he was forced to fl ee Vienna and start a new career in the United States at the age of almost seventy. But he was an unknown fi gure, suffered a series of strokes and stopped composing. When he died, in 1942 in New York, his name meant little to the American public; and in Europe, younger musicians found his music old-fashioned and infl ated. But, seventy years after his death, a new generation has taken his music to their hearts with more and more performances and recordings with each successive year.

Peter reynolds


FrIdAy 14.12.2012, 7.30pm

Handel Messiah

Conductor François-Xavier rothSoprano Susan GrittonMezzo delphine Galou

Tenor Topi lehtipuuBass neal davies

bbc national chorus of Wales

A Christmas performance of Handel’s setting of the most special of all stories. Messiah is the most popular oratorio ever written, packed with well-known music and, like a huge baroque fresco, is crowded with characters, events,

heavenly angels and ceremonial trumpets. François-Xavier Roth conducts the most warmly atmospheric of Christmas works

with a line-up of distinguished soloists.

Messiah

What the Critics Say“The BBC National Chorus of Wales trod fearlessly up in the celestial heights.”

The Guardian

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Tickets £10-27.50


Paul Lewis plays Beethoven’s Emperor ConcertoPaul Lewis has identified himself closely with the great Viennese classics and, in particular Beethoven, giving performances that have been noted for their revelatory insights and profound depth.

What the Critics Say“Lewis seems incapable of playing anything in a bland or nerveless fashion ...he is the musician as master storyteller, and he keeps our eager attention.”

Washington Post

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FrIdAy 25.01.2013, 7.30pm

beeTHoven Piano Concerto No 5 (Emperor)

briTTen Spring Symphony

Conductor david athertonPiano Paul lewis

Soprano elizabeth athertonAlto Jennifer Johnston

Tenor andrew kennedybbc national chorus of Wales

cardiff Polyphonic choir

Benjamin Britten, whose centenary falls in 2013, had a deep love of his native Suffolk. Inspired by a glorious spring day in the 1940s, Britten’s Spring Symphony, for chorus, soloists and orchestra, celebrates the arrival of spring culminating in a joyous evocation of May. Hear it alongside the nobility and

grandeur of Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto, played by Paul Lewis, composed as Napoleon’s guns thundered across Vienna.

Britten’s Spring Symphony

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Tickets £10-27.50


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Benjamin Britten: Orchestral Concert Works

Success usually comes with a cost. The outstanding success of Benjamin Britten’s operatic, choral and solo vocal works has built up a compensating prejudice: that the works Britten wrote without voices are less effective – perhaps even less authentic. The truth, says this point of view, is that Britten really needed a text, and the sound of voices – particularly voices he knew – to get his imagination working at full stretch.

Granted, the magnifi cent choral-orchestral Spring Symphony (1948-9) does show, in its sequence of twelve richly varied movements, just how vital and creative Britten’s approach to word setting could be, responding to the sounds of the words as much as their meanings. (Who else could set the line ‘The grey wolf howls’ both so pictorially

and so musically?) Yet the unity Britten brings to these assorted verses, the sense of a symphonic current like the gradually accelerating burgeoning of Spring itself, is entirely his own.

Impressive as the Spring Symphony is, put it beside the Violin Concerto (1939) and one is forced to ask: in what way is the latter less effective or authentically Britten? This too tells a larger ‘story’, a

more purely musical one this time, but no less gripping or moving for that. Broadly speaking, the Violin Concerto follows a favourite Britten emotional scheme: innocence to experience. The opening seems carefree, but it’s soon threatened by darker elements – spectacularly in the demonic central scherzo – leading (by an eerily effective stroke) straight into a variation-fi nale which seems to confront us with the stark reality of loss. The solo violin may be said to ‘stand in’ for the human voice here, but if it is song, it is instrumental song, triumphantly conceived for the violin.

Two unfi nished concertos, both lovingly restored by the composer Colin Matthews, show how deep Britten’s aptitude for this kind of instrumental drama was. That he never completed the

As we prepare to celebrate Britten’s centenary in 2013, Stephen Johnson explores some of the works that make Benjamin Britten such a cornerstone of Britain’s classical music landscape. The Orchestra will be performing these works during the 2012-13 season.

‘...sense of a symphonic current like the gradually accelerating burgeoning of Spring itself...’

‘...it is instrumental song, triumphantly conceived

for the violin.’


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Clarinet Concerto (1942-3) is a real loss, not just for clarinettists, but Matthews’s reconstruction gives more than a taste of the delightful work it might have been. The Double Concerto (1932), completed in sketch score when Britten was nineteen, shows him reaching out towards this form before opera was more than a vague possibility, with

fascinating results – especially in the magically ambiguous ending. We can hardly complain that the mature Britten devoted more of his energies to opera than to orchestral music when what he created in that form is of such towering importance. Still, works like these early concertos – and the surprisingly fresh and breezy late Overture The Building of the House (1967) - offer tantalising prospects of what might have been – and in the case of the Violin Concerto, true greatness.

Stephen Johnson

Britten Performances 2012-13

St David’s Hall

FrIdAy 25.01.2013, 7.30pmSpring Symphony

BBC Hoddinott Hall

TueSdAy 08.01.2013, 7pmViolin Concerto

performed by vilde Frang

TueSdAy 19.02.2013, 7pmMovements for a Clarinet Concerto

performed by robert Plane

THurSdAy 28.03.2013, 7pmDouble Concerto

performed by lawrence Power (viola) and anthony Marwood (violin)

WedneSdAy 08.05.2013, 7pmThe building of the house

AMDGBallad of Heroes

‘...off er tantalising prospects of what might have been – and in the case of the Violin Concerto,

true greatness.’

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Sayaka Shoji plays Prokofiev’s Second Violin ConcertoThe first Japanese violinist ever to win the much-coveted Paganini Competition, Sayaka Shoji is now firmly established as one of today’s rising stars.

What the Critics Say“Sayaka Shoji played with such intensity that the audience were on the edge of loosing their breath. The grandest moments took place in the softest passages. How full of energy the quietest moments can be!”

die Tageszeitung

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Tickets £10-27.50

FrIdAy 08.02.2013, 7.30pm

beeTHoven Coriolan Overture

ProkoFiev Violin Concerto No 2

SHoSTakovicH Symphony No 5

Conductor Tadaaki otakaViolin Sayaka Shoji

Tadaaki Otaka returns in music by Beethoven and Shostakovich, embodying a heroic sense of human struggle in the face of overwhelming adversity.

Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony is a social outcast’s defiant reply to the state and its 1937 premiere restored his reputation. Experience it alongside the

lyrical bitter-sweet nostalgia of Prokofiev’s Second Violin Concerto, played here by rising star Sayaka Shoji.

Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony


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Tickets£10-27.50

FrIdAy 01.03.2013, 7.30pm

verdi Requiem

Conductor owain arwel HughesSoprano rebecca evans

Mezzo ceri WilliamsTenor John Pierce

Bass alastair Milesbbc national chorus of Walesnational youth choir of Wales

Verdi’s Requiem is one of the greatest choral masterpieces of all time. Charged with electric passion, terrifying force, tenderness and tranquillity, it

comes straight from Verdi’s soul. BBC National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales celebrate St David’s Day with a performance given by a star-studded

cast of soloists under the direction of Owain Arwel Hughes.

St David’s Day Gala Concert


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Tickets £10-27.50

Llyr Williams plays Rachmaninov’s Third Piano ConcertoWith the critical acclaim of last year’s cycle of Beethoven’s Sonatas behind him, Welsh-born Llyr Williams has emerged as one of the leading pianists of his generation.

What the Critics Say“...one of the truly great musicians of our time. ...Those with ears to hear will have followed Williams’s playing as it has grown ever more secure and expansive”.

The Times

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FrIdAy 12.04.2013, 7.30pm

racHManinov Piano Concerto No 3

nielSen Symphony No 5

Conductor Thomas SøndergårdPiano llyr Williams

The heart-felt lyricism of Rachmaninov’s Third Piano Concerto contains some of his most personal feelings into which he poured an inexhaustible stream of melody. Collaborating for the first time with Welsh pianist Llyr Williams, Thomas Søndergård conducts it alongside the powerful drama of Nielsen’s

Fifth Symphony: a cosmic struggle from which arises music of superhuman regenerative energy and power.

Llyr Williams plays Rachmaninov


What the Critics Say“Judging by the capacity audience the BBC had hit the right note with this musical celebration ... Conductor Grant Llewellyn added to the joy of the evening through his rapport with the audience”

South Wales evening Post

Tickets £15

FrIdAy 10.05.2013, 7pm

Join Grant Llewellyn and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales

for a fun night for people of all ages

Conductor Grant llewellyn

Music featured will include a selection of the Orchestra’s favourite popular classics as well as a few surprises along the way!

There will also be opportunities to try out musical instruments and meet musicians from the Orchestra.

Family Tickets available:£12.50 for 1 adult and up to 2 children

£18 for 2 adults and up to 4 children

This concert is not available as part of a concert package.

Family Night

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Tickets £10-27.50


Rosemary Joshua sings MozartCardiff-born rosemary Joshua has emerged as a soprano with a particularly affinity with the baroque and classical music. Her recent performances as despina in Così fan tutte at Covent Garden were amongst the critical toasts of the season.

What the Critics Say“Joshua’s fleet, flexible and silvery soprano matched her stunning looks...”

opera Magazine

FrIdAy 24.05.2013, 7.30pm

Webern Im Sommerwind

MoZarT Concert Arias tbc

MoZarT Exsultate, Jubilate

r. STrauSS Also sprach Zarathustra

Conductor François-Xavier rothSoprano rosemary Joshua

Also sprach Zarathustra (Thus Spake Zarathustra) is one of Strauss’s most audacious masterpieces, opening with its iconic sunrise over a black world, moving through the tempestuous joys and passions of life and culminating in the serene fulfilment of its closing pages. François-Xavier Roth conducts

this spectacular orchestral showpiece alongside Webern’s youthful traditional romantic tone poem and music by Mozart.

Strauss’s Also SprachZarathustra

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Tickets £10-27.50


Alina Ibragimova plays Huw Watkins’s Violin ConcertoWithin less than a decade Alina Ibragimova has gone from wunderkind to rising international superstar.

What the Critics Say“A poised, aristocratic performer, she has a breathtaking ability to think in terms of span as well as detail, so that every movement seemed at once immaculately controlled yet perfectly natural.”

The Guardian

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FrIdAy 28.06.2013, 7.30pm

HuW WaTkinS Violin Concerto

MaHler Symphony No 5

Conductor Thomas SøndergårdViolin alina ibragimova

Mahler’s Fifth Symphony is an all-embracing darkness to light experience, from its sombre opening though struggle, strife, stillness and hectic exhilaration to its tremendous apotheosis. At its still centre is the Adagietto featured in the

film Death in Venice. In Huw Watkins’s dramatic Violin Concerto, premiered at the 2010 BBC Proms, Alina Ibragimova who gave the premiere

joins forces once again with Thomas Søndergård.

Mahler’s Fifth Symphony

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Tickets £10-27.50


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What the Critics Say“It is the second work he has written for this exceptional young violinist, and it is easy to understand why – few players give more of themselves to everything they perform, or colour every phrase more individually... The ravishingly coloured slow movement is fl anked by an opening that alternates between hyperactivity and introspection, and a fi nale that winds up to a huge climax and discharges its energy in a lingering coda.”

The Guardian

“Watkins’s new Violin Concerto proves a very likeable addition to the repertoire... Watkins has created a diverting and likeable piece that engages rhythmically and touches the heart in the lyrical passages. Written for Alina Ibragimova, who played superbly, this work’s restful conclusion seemed inevitable.”

classical Source

Huw Watkins’s Violin Concerto

Described as “the natural heir to the English traditions of Howells, Rubbra, Bax and even Britten” (The Arts Desk), Huw Watkins’s Violin Concerto was fi rst performed at the BBC Proms in 2010. The work was composed for soloist Alina Ibragimova, who will perform the concerto with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales in June 2013 – the fi rst performance of the work since its premiere.

‘I’m playing with expectations’, says Huw Watkins. ‘This is a concerto in three movements but it isn’t necessarily fast-slow-fast or solo with accompaniment. Although the violin is leading the orchestra and carries the musical

argument, the orchestra amplifi es the musical ideas but also interrupts them.’ Watkins has previously written Partita for violinist Alina Ibragimova in 2006, and he’s greatly impressed by her technical skill. His Violin Concerto presents her with some serious technical challenges and he describes her fi rst movement particularly as ‘obsessive and fi endish’. The work is built on musical cells which are linked, extended and developed and, although the orchestra is not large, Watkins teases out some rich, dark textures through astute use of register and dynamics.

robert Worby


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Mark Bowden - Resident ComposerWhat was it like to have your cello concerto lyra performed by the orchestra? It was wonderful to work with the orchestra on lyra. The players were really responsive and enthusiastic, and helped me to make a few small but necessary changes to the score during the rehearsal period. They gave a really fantastic and passionate premiere performance; it was a really thrilling experience.

What it is like to have a symphony orchestra at your disposal? Well it’s such a rare thing to have that I have to keep pinching myself and reminding myself that I’m incredibly lucky to have this opportunity. No matter how much you study orchestration, or study scores, or listen to recordings, you can’t ever really know how things are going to sound in real life, until you’re there working with the orchestra.

What is the next piece that you’re going to be writing for the orchestra? It’s a percussion concerto for Evelyn Glennie that will also be the score for a new choreographic work. Evelyn got in touch to say she was interested in working with the Orchestra and I also really wanted to collaborate with National Dance Company Wales on a new piece. The result is that now we are working with Eleesha Drennan, a dancer and choreographer, to create a new work. Evelyn will be integrated into the staging; it’s going to be a really exciting collaboration!

There’s also a performance of Sudden Light this season, which you composed in 2004? I was still a student when BBC Symphony Orchestra gave the first performance, with Jac van Steen conducting. The piece takes as its starting points a poem by Dante Gabriel Rosetti of the same title, and a book by the mathematician Marcus du Sautoy exploring prime numbers and how they affect many aspects of life.

Looking back, can you see how you’ve developed over the years as a composer? As I’ve written more orchestral works, I think I’ve become more focused with my musical ideas, and developed my skills in orchestration. When I listen back to the first performance of Sudden Light, there are things I wish I had done differently. As a rule I try not to revisit works and make alterations but I probably will make some small changes before the next performance!

What made you start as a composer? I first discovered contemporary music through my experience as a young dancer, performing to works by composers such as Peter Maxwell Davies and Simon Holt. I loved performing music by living composers but gradually became more interested in writing music myself, although I still really enjoy playing when I get the chance!

Who are your influences? Bach, Sibelius, Stravinsky and Nørgård are composers whose scores are never far away from my desk. I love Kaija Saariaho’s music and Björk is one of my favourite artists. The members of the Camberwell Composers’ Collective have been a big musical influence in my life as have been my teachers – Julian Anderson in particular. Outside music I’m also influenced by poetry, visual art and the latest developments in physics and space exploration.

ConTeMPorAry eVenInGS Tickets £7.50-9.50

FrIdAy 26.10.2012, 7pm

caMberWell coMPoSerS collecTive

Mark boWden Sudden Light

anna MerediTH Barchan

cHriS Mayo The Llano Curve

cHarlie PiPer Kick up the fire

Conductor andrew GourlaySinger iarla Ó lionáird

Trombone donal bannister

FrIdAy 23.11.2012, 7pm

Mark david boden Fuochi Distanti

Mark boWden New Ballet Score (BBC Radio 3 commission, world premiere)

andreW leWiS Eclipse

JoSePH davieS Night Resonance Recedes

and works by GuTo PuW and arlene Sierra

Conductor Grant llewellynPercussion evelyn Glennie


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Tickets £8.50-11.50

Concerts at BBC Hoddinott Hall

TueSdAy 11.09.2012, 2pm

cHabrier España

de Falla Nights in the gardens of Spain

Conductor Michael FrancisPiano Javier Perianes

TueSdAy 16.10.2012, 2pm

ProkoFiev Symphony – concerto

kalinnikov Symphony No 1 in G minor

Conductor Thomas Søndergård

FrIdAy 07.12.2012, 2pm

barber Die Natali

FinZi Dies Natalis

leroy anderSon Christmas Festival

Conductor Garry Walker

TueSdAy 08.01.2013, 7pm

JoHn Pickard Tenebrae

briTTen Violin Concerto

bridGe The Sea

Conductor Martyn brabbinsViolin vilde Frang

TueSdAy 19.02.2013, 7pm

briTTen / MaTTHeWS Movements

for a clarinet concerto

elGar Variations on an original theme “Enigma”

Conductor François-Xavier rothClarinet robert Plane

THurSdAy 28.03.2013, 7pmPanuFnik Katyn Epitaph

briTTen Double Concerto

HiSaTada oTaka Flute Concerto

luToSŁaWSki Concerto for Orchestra

Conductor Tadaaki otakaFlute adam Walker

Viola lawrence PowerViolin anthony Marwood

WedneSdAy 08.05.2013, 7pm

briTTen The building of the house

Poulenc Litanies la Vierge Noire

SaTie (orcH. Poulenc)

Deux Préludes posthumes et une gnossienne

Poulenc Sécheresses

Poulenc (orcH. FrançaiX) Overture

briTTen AMDG

briTTen Ballad of Heroes

Conductor adrian PartingtonTenor ben Johnson

(bbc radio 3 new Generation artist)bbc national chorus of Wales

THurSdAy 11.06.2013, 2pm

oTTo keTTinG Symphony No 1

ProkoFiev Symphony No 7

Conductor Jac van Steen

Full programme details to be confirmed.

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booking information Tickets for BBC Hoddinott Hall events are also available via the Wales Millennium Centre ticket office. To book or for further information and to plan your visit please visit wmc.org.uk or call 029 2063 6464

0800 052 1812 bbc.co.uk/nowwmc.org.uk 029 2063 6464


• Wednesday 3 October 2012/Mercher 3 Hydref 2012 | 7:30ST PETERSBURG SYMPHONY ORCHESTRADmitriev/Sitkovetsky

• Wednesday 17 October 2012/Mercher 17 Hydref 2012 | 7:30pmACADEMY OF ST MARTIN IN THE FIELDSBell

• Wednesday 24 October 2012/Mercher 24 Hydref 2012 | 7:30pmSTEVE REICH’S DRUMMINGThe Colin Currie Group with Synergy Vocals

• Thursday 8 November 2012/Iau 8 Tachwedd 2012 | 7:30pmPRAGUE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRAForster/Tchetuev

• Friday 16 November 2012/Gwener 16 Tachwedd 2012 | 7:30pmORCHESTRA AND CHORUS OF WELSH NATIONAL OPERA/CERDDORFA A CHORWS OPERA CENEDLAETHOL CYMRUPoppen/Watts/Flavin/Tortise/Davies/Phillippo/Wright

• Wednesday 5 December 2012/Mercher 5 Rhagfyr 2012 | 7:30pmTHE SIXTEENChristophers

• Friday 18 January 2013/Gwener 18 Ionawr 2013 | 7:30pmORCHESTRA OF WELSH NATIONAL OPERA/ CERDDORFAOPERA CENEDLAETHOL CYMRUKoenigs/Adams/Breedt

• Wednesday 13 February 2013/Mercher 13 Chwefror 2013 | 7:30pmPHILHARMONIA ORCHESTRAGardner/Fray

• Friday 22 March 2013/Gwener 22 Mawrth 2013 | 7:30pmCITY OF BIRMINGHAM SYMPHONY ORCHESTRANelsons/Lewis

• Wednesday 17 April 2013/Mercher 17 Ebril 2013 | 7:30pmCZECH PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRABelohlávek/Špacek

• Friday 26 April 2013/Gwener 26 Ebril 2013 | 7:30pmORCHESTRA OF WELSH NATIONAL OPERA/ CERDDORFAOPERA CENEDLAETHOL CYMRUKoenigs

• Wednesday 8 May 2013/Mercher 8 Mai 2013 | 7:30pmPHILHARMONIA ORCHESTRADavis/de la Salle

Box Office / Swyddfa Docynnau029 2087 8444www.stdavidshallcardiff.co.uk

2012/2013www.stdavidshallcardiff.co.uk/ics

e3263 SDH ICS BBC Ad 04/04/2012 17:01 Page 1

25

Concert PackagesOur concert packages are a great way to plan your season out in advance whilst saving money and gaining great extra benefits!

All 10 Concerts • 20% off full price tickets • FREE concert programme at each event • A BBC National Orchestra of Wales Merchandise Voucher worth £12 • FREE tickets to both contemporary music concerts at BBC Hoddinott Hall

(26.10.2012 & 23.11.2012) • 50% off a further two BBC Hoddinott Hall concerts of your choice

(see pages 23-24 for details)

Plus - your seats will be reserved for you for next season, so you can keep your favourite seats year on year.

5-9 concerts • 15% off full price tickets • FREE concert programme at each event • FREE ticket to one of the contemporary concerts at BBC Hoddinott Hall

(26.10.2012 or 23.11.2012) • 50% off ticket prices for an additional BBC Hoddinott Hall concert of

your choice (see pages 23-24 for details)

Flexi-4 • 10% off full price tickets • FREE concert programme at each event • The flexibility to choose your concerts in advance or right up to 10am on

the day of the concert

All price zones are available for each concert, but seating areas may vary.

Full Price Flexi-4 (10%) 5-9 (15%) All 10 (20%)

A: £27.50 £24.75 £23.40 £22.00

B: £21.50 £19.35 £18.30 £17.20

C: £16.60 £14.94 £14.11 £13.28

D: £13.00 £11.70 £11.05 £10.40

E: £10.00 £9.00 £8.50 £8.00

Booking dates Phone booking for concert packages is open now direct with the Orchestra only. Booking for groups of 10 or more people opens on 22.05.2012. General booking for individual concerts opens on Tuesday 29.05.2012.

Buy now, pay later – spread the cost of our

concert package over four moths with our interest

free payment scheme

0800 052 1812 bbc.co.uk/now

Credit Vouchers – if you book and find you can’t attend, just call the Audience Line and we

can credit your ticket’s value for use another time. For full details

on discounts and credit see Booking Information.


• Wednesday 3 October 2012/Mercher 3 Hydref 2012 | 7:30ST PETERSBURG SYMPHONY ORCHESTRADmitriev/Sitkovetsky

• Wednesday 17 October 2012/Mercher 17 Hydref 2012 | 7:30pmACADEMY OF ST MARTIN IN THE FIELDSBell

• Wednesday 24 October 2012/Mercher 24 Hydref 2012 | 7:30pmSTEVE REICH’S DRUMMINGThe Colin Currie Group with Synergy Vocals

• Thursday 8 November 2012/Iau 8 Tachwedd 2012 | 7:30pmPRAGUE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRAForster/Tchetuev

• Friday 16 November 2012/Gwener 16 Tachwedd 2012 | 7:30pmORCHESTRA AND CHORUS OF WELSH NATIONAL OPERA/CERDDORFA A CHORWS OPERA CENEDLAETHOL CYMRUPoppen/Watts/Flavin/Tortise/Davies/Phillippo/Wright

• Wednesday 5 December 2012/Mercher 5 Rhagfyr 2012 | 7:30pmTHE SIXTEENChristophers

• Friday 18 January 2013/Gwener 18 Ionawr 2013 | 7:30pmORCHESTRA OF WELSH NATIONAL OPERA/ CERDDORFAOPERA CENEDLAETHOL CYMRUKoenigs/Adams/Breedt

• Wednesday 13 February 2013/Mercher 13 Chwefror 2013 | 7:30pmPHILHARMONIA ORCHESTRAGardner/Fray

• Friday 22 March 2013/Gwener 22 Mawrth 2013 | 7:30pmCITY OF BIRMINGHAM SYMPHONY ORCHESTRANelsons/Lewis

• Wednesday 17 April 2013/Mercher 17 Ebril 2013 | 7:30pmCZECH PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRABelohlávek/Špacek

• Friday 26 April 2013/Gwener 26 Ebril 2013 | 7:30pmORCHESTRA OF WELSH NATIONAL OPERA/ CERDDORFAOPERA CENEDLAETHOL CYMRUKoenigs

• Wednesday 8 May 2013/Mercher 8 Mai 2013 | 7:30pmPHILHARMONIA ORCHESTRADavis/de la Salle

Box Office / Swyddfa Docynnau029 2087 8444www.stdavidshallcardiff.co.uk

2012/2013www.stdavidshallcardiff.co.uk/ics

e3263 SDH ICS BBC Ad 04/04/2012 17:01 Page 1

Booking Informationdiscounts Discounts are available for disabled patrons, claimants, MAX card holders and over 65s. Patrons can only apply one discount per ticket. Please ask for details when booking.

Group Bookings Groups of 10 or more people receive 15% off full price tickets for concerts at St David’s Hall and BBC Hoddinott Hall.

Family Tickets Family tickets are available for £18 for two adults and up to four children and £12.50 for one adult and up to two children. The ticket price includes specially written programme notes. Children must be 16 years and under.

Students Tickets for students and those in full-time education cost £6 on presentation of a current membership card.

Wheelchair users At St David’s Hall, wheelchair users plus one companion can book reserved spaces at the rear of the stalls for £10 per seat. Patrons with walking difficulties may find that seats in the stalls are most suitable for access, Please ask when booking about the facilities at other venues.

Ticket exchanges and Credit Scheme If you find you are unable to attend one of the concerts you have booked, you may exchange your tickets for tickets of the same value to another BBC National Orchestra of Wales concert, or alternatively, we can issue you with credit to use at a later date for concerts or merchandise. If you wish to exchange your tickets you should contact the BBC National Orchestra of Wales at least three days before the concert date. All exchanges are made at the discretion of the box office manager and are subject to availability. Please return the relevant programme voucher along with concert tickets you are exchanging.

Flexi-Four Packages These packages are designed for people who wish to be a subscriber, but who cannot commit to concert dates immediately. There is no guarantee of seat availability and for popular concerts patrons are advised to redeem their vouchers further in advance. Vouchers are only valid for the current concert season and only redeemable via the BBC National Orchestra of Wales Audience Line.

This brochure is also available in large print and on tape for people with impaired vision. For copies, please contact us on 0800 052 1812, or write to us at: BBC National Orchestra of Wales, FREEPOST SWC2803, CARDIFF CF5 2GZ, or email: [email protected]


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BBC National Orchestra of Wales Season Brochure

Documents

Transcript of BBC National Orchestra of Wales Season Brochure