NOËL! NOËL! 2005
Featuring the Brandenburg Choir and Orchestra
Celebrate the true spirit of Christmas with this unique and joyful concert experience.
In what has become a cherished Sydney tradition, Paul Dyer has created a heart-warming program of Christmas-inspired music from across seven centuries which includes both familiar favourites and rarely performed delights.
Bringing it all to life is the Orchestra, the hand-picked Brandenburg Choir and of course, our much loved Brandenburg Bell Ringers. An very special time to share with the ones you love.
Although the Noël! Noël! concerts are not available as part of Brandenburg Season 2005, as a subscriber you may pre-purchase as many tickets as you wish for the two City Recital Hall Angel Place concerts at the special price of $57.00 (that’s a generous saving on the A Reserve single ticket price). See booking form for details.
BRANDENBURG SERIES 2005, Concert 5
Virtuoso Violin
Guest director and soloist, baroque violin Gunar Letzbor (Austria)
"blessed with vivacity, virtuosity and fiery expressiveness" Amadeus
"dazzling violin playing" The Guardian
| Vivaldi | Concerto for two violins in B flat, Op 9 No 9 | |
| Handel | Concerto grosso in A minor, Op 6 No 4 | |
| JS Bach | Violin concerto in E, BWV 1042 | |
| Vivaldi | Concerto for violin & echo violin in A, RV 552 | |
| Handel | Overture to the opera Rodelinda, HWV 19 Aria Ritorna, o cara from Rodelinda transcribed for oboe |
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| Pergolesi | Concerto for violin in B flat |
The great violin concertos of three baroque masters.
Gunar Letzbor’s virtuosity and talent for fusing style and drama have made him an international star. As soloist and guest-director of the Orchestra, he takes on four of the most demanding and ground-breaking violin concertos of the baroque period.
After the enormous success of The Four Seasons, Vivaldi composed the Opus 9 concertos La Cetra (The Lyre) – but this time with the added fire of two violin soloists.
Bach analysed Vivaldi’s concertos in great depth before composing his sensational Violin Concerto in E major, a great classic of the violin repertoire. Fiendishly difficult, mercurial and thrilling to listen to, this concerto calls for virtuoso playing of the highest level.
Pergolesi’s gift for vocal writing shines though in his forceful, yet elegant violin concerto – one of only a handful of his instrumental works to survive.
From Handel’s glorious Rodelinda come two highlights – the spirited overture and the beautiful aria Ritorna, o caro (Return, beloved) which translates perfectly to the warm, expressive sound of the baroque oboe.
BRANDENBURG SERIES 2005, Concert 4
Mozart's Forte
Guest soloist, fortepiano Kristian Bezuidenhout (USA)
Guest soloist, classical bassoon Jane Gower (Netherlands/Australia)
"Bezuidenhout’s discipline and musical gift united to make Mozart new all over again... a musician of lavish gifts" New York Concert Review
"Jane Gower is a star in her own right" BBC Music Magazine
| Haydn | Overture to the opera L'isola disabitata | |
| Mozart | Piano Concerto No 23 in A, K488 | |
| Mozart | Bassoon Concerto in B flat, K191 | |
| Mozart | Symphony No 39 in E flat, K543 |
Mozart’s genius for lyricism in two brillant concertos.
Mozart’s delicate and lyrical piano concertos brilliantly combine symphonic, operatic and chamber music styles.
Heard on fortepiano, the instrument for which it was composed, Piano Concerto No 23 is at once immediately accessible and a work of great depth and maturity. Soloist Kris Bezuidenhout’s ability to make his instrument ‘sing and speak at the same time’, coupled with his infectious delight in playing music will make his a debut to remember.
By applying his affinity for the human voice to his writing for bassoon, Mozart transformed it from an anonymous bass-line instrument to one of great, mellow expressiveness. Jane Gower’s much-praised interpretation of his great bassoon concerto draws out every ounce of the innate lyricism and beauty contained within it.
Mozart’s last three symphonies, which include his 39th, represent not only the pinnacle of his own output, but of all western symphonic achievement.
BRANDENBURG SERIES 2005, Concert 3
Mozart's Queen
Guest soloist, soprano Cyndia Sieden (USA)
"Stratospheric… dazzling… out of this world" The Guardian
All works by Mozart Symphony No 22 in C, K162
Concert aria Ah, lo previdi!, K272
Rondo for violin and orchestra in B flat, K269
Concert aria Vorrei spiegarvi, o Dio!, K418
Lieve son al par del vento from the opera Il sogno di Scipione, K126
S’altro che lagrime from the opera La Clemenza di Tito, K621
Serenade in D major Serenata notturna, K239
Aria L’amero, saro costante from the opera Il rè pastore, K208
Aria O zittre nicht, mein lieber Sohn from the opera The Magic Flute, K620
An evening of show-stopping arias from the Queen of Mozart.
Mozart loved the high female voice and audiences love Cyndia Seiden, whose exceptional skill and versatility have created a sensation here twice before. In 2005 she returns with an all-Mozart program which charts his development as a composer though six of his most brilliant, glittering arias for soprano.
The bravura aria Lieve son al par del vento already shows Mozart’s developing penchant for extravagant leaps and a high range, which he was later to exploit to the full in Vorrei spiegarvi.
In contrast, the scena Ah, lo previdi! evokes the undecorated vocal lines of Gluck in its noble expressiveness.
Two items from the last year of Mozart’s life further demonstrate his enormous versatility. Servilia’s gentle aria from La Clemenza di Tito contrasts with the formidable O zittre nicht (O do not tremble) sung by the Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute. This famously difficult coloratura showstopper requires the soprano to sing a high F, the highest note written for the female voice.
BRANDENBURG SERIES 2005, Concert 2
Ode for St Cecilia
Guest soloist, soprano Sara Macliver
Guest soloist, tenor Angus Wood
Featuring the Brandenburg Choir and Orchestra
"The chorus and orchestra were deserving of every bit of the foot-stamping, cheering ovation" The Sydney Morning Herald
| Handel | Concerto grosso in G, Op 6 No 1, HWV 319 | |
| Handel | Cantata for tenor and strings, Look down harmonious saint, HWV 124 | |
| Handel | Ode for St Cecilia's Day for tenor, soprano, choir and orchestra, HWV 76 | |
| Handel | Concerto grosso in E minor, Op 6 No 3, HWV 321 |
A Handel spectacular in praise of music.
Radiant soprano Sara Macliver and rising international star Angus Wood join the Orchestra and the Brandenburg Choir to re-create Handel’s 1739 St Cecilia’s day concert. Handel chose to honour St Cecilia, the patron saint of music, by paying tribute to the emotional power of instruments – including the human voice – and it was a program filled with some of his most vivid and expressive vocal music.
From the beautiful, languid soprano solo The soft complaining flute to the warlike The trumpet’s loud clangour for tenor and his typically vivid choruses, this is Handel at his very best.
Our celebration also features the cantata Look down harmonious saint, a virtuosic show piece for tenor, plus two brilliant concerti grossi, both full of ravishing harmonies and now recognised as marvels of eighteenth century music.
BRANDENBURG SERIES 2005, Concert 1
The Four Seasons
Paul Dyer, Artistic Director
Soloist, baroque violin Lucinda Moon
Soloist, baroque cello Jamie Hey
Soloist, baroque oboe Kirsten Barry
| Vivaldi | Concerto for two horns in F, RV 538 | |
| Vivaldi | Concerto for cello in G, RV 413 | |
| Dall’Abaco | Concerto for oboe in F, Op 5 No 5 | |
| Vivaldi | The Four Seasons, Op 8 Nos 1– 4 |
Lucinda Moon unleashes the natural beauty of the elements.
Vivaldi’s set of violin concertos The Four Seasons has been recorded more often than any other work, but to hear them played on period instruments is to fully experience their extraordinarily rich descriptive and emotional power – the barking of a dog; the scorching summer sun; slipping and sliding on the winter ice.
Lucinda Moon’s unquestioned virtuosity and great depth of feeling makes her interpretation of this dazzling and poignant work a much-anticipated event.
Vivaldi’s Concerto for cello in G major was written for the outstanding all-female orchestra of the Ospedale della Pieta in Venice – a must-see tourist attraction of the day.
Although a leading composer of his time, Dall’Abaco is only now returning to the modern concert stage. His divine Concerto No 5 for oboe combines the brilliance of the Italian Vivaldi style with the grandeur and elegance of French court music.
BRANDENBURG ENSEMBLE 2005, Program 2
CLEOPATRA'S BANQUET
A feast of baroque extravagance inspired by the magnificent 17th and 18th century permanent collection at the NGV International.
The collection’s centrepiece is the magnificent The Banquet of Cleopatra painted between 1743-44 by the artist Giambattista Tiepolo. The painting depicts the famed meeting between Cleopatra and Mark Antony, where Cleopatra dissolves her priceless pearl earring in a glass of vinegar and drinks it to demonstrates her extravagance. Aptly, the word baroque itself derives from the Portuguese for an unusually shaped pearl. The chamber works in this program reflect this opulence and extravagance. They were played in the private chambers of the aristocracy, or at musical gatherings where the select, knowledgeable audience often played the music themselves.
The exuberant ethos of the baroque was epitomised by the Italian style, at once impassioned and lyrical, and its violin-driven sound crystallised in the music of Archangelo Corelli and Antonio Vivaldi. The Italian influence spread throughout Europe: to Germany, where Telemann’s double concerto for flute and violin in the stile bizzaro (bizarre style) was original and intense; to Spain, where Boccherini’s classical Guitar Quintet features a gentle lyricism; and to London where JC Bach created innovative music full of contrasts.
DATES & VENUES
Sydney 7 & 8 October at 7pm
Verbrugghen Hall, Conservatorium of Music
Melbourne 12 & 13 October at 6pm
Great Hall, NGV International
Repertoire
| CORELLI | Sonate da Camera, Op 2, Ciacona |
| GRANATA | Sonata di Chitarra e Violino (1659) |
| TELEMANN | Concerto for flute in E minor |
| LAURENTI | Introduzione Dodicesima from Suonate per camera, Op 1 |
| VIVALDI | Concerto for flute in G minor, RV107 |
| LEO | Concerto for cello No 4 in A major |
| BOCCHERINI | Quintet in E minor, G 451 |
| JC BACH | Quintet in D Major, Op 22 No 1 |
BRANDENBURG ENSEMBLE 2005, Program 2
REMBRANDT'S WORLD
A glorious baroque program inspired by the National Gallery of Victoria’s exhibition The Age of Rembrandt & Vermeer: Dutch Masters from the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.
In the 'Golden Age' of cosmopolitan 17th century Amsterdam, the Netherlands had exploded into a major world power through travel, exploration and trade. With no royal court to employ artists or musicians and a strict Calvinist church which frowned on elaborate church music, cultural life was supported by a newly wealthy middle class – like Rembrandt himself and the people he painted.
Able to comission art and music, this middle class had a penchant for anything that came from abroad. This program’s musical journey reflects the unique cosmopolitan flair, featuring key Dutch composers as well as masters from London, Venice, Paris and many parts of Germany. It sets the scene for the Chamber music played in private houses, by small musical societies, and in the first public concerts in Europe. Soft voiced instruments for intimate spaces were favoured and well known dance forms were prevalent, such as the pavan or traditional folksongs. The art of variation and improvisation was especially prized resulting in works such as Pachelbel’s Canon, astonishing in its intricacy and variety, and played here in its original form with the delightful and seldom heard gigue.
Repertoire
| SWEELINCK | Onder een Linde groen |
| DOWLAND | Lachrimae Pavan |
| VAN EYCK | The Nightingale from der Fluyten Lust-hof; Amarilli mia bella |
| SCHEIDT | Pavane à 4 in A minor |
| PEZ | Passacaglia |
| BIBER | Partita III from Harmonia Artificioso – Ariosa |
| VALLET | Prelude |
| IMPROVISATION | Est-ce Mars (Netherlands Folksong) |
| CONSTANTIN | Pavan from ‘t Uitnemend Kabinet |
| SCHOP | Lachrimae Pavan |
| PACHELBEL | Canon and Gigue in D major |
| MARAIS | Autre (sarabande) and Plainte from Pieces en Trio, suite IV |
| ALBINONI | Concerto à cinque in G Major (1728) |