http://www.rayfieldallied.com/news Latest news from Rayfield Artists en ben@rayfieldartists.com Copyright 2012 2012-05-18 http://www.rayfieldallied.com/news/2012/la-serenissima-lufthansa-bath-buxton-festivals/ http://www.rayfieldallied.com/news/2012/la-serenissima-lufthansa-bath-buxton-festivals/#When:00:00:00Z As Britain celebrates the arrival of the Olympic Games, La Serenissima will be giving performances of L’Olimpiade at some of the UK’s major festivals. Set to a text by the great Metastasio and to some of Vivaldi’s most dramatic music, this is a story of thwarted love, amorous rivalry and mistaken identities. Vivaldi’s fame as an instrumental composer of music has hampered his operatic works, but he composed around fifty operas and frequently acted as impresario.  Around twenty scores survive, of which L’Olimpiade is one of his finest. La Serenissima are the great British champions of Vivaldi opera with performances of five different works to their name.  The edition for this production has been prepared by the ensemble’s Director Adrian Chandler from Vivaldi’s autograph manuscript. On Saturday 19 May, La Serenissima are entrusted with the UK premiere of L’Olimpiade at the Lufthansa Festival of Baroque Music, which will be followed by an opening night performance at the Bath International Music Festival on 30 May and two subsequent performances at Buxton Festival on 11 and 21 July. 2012-05-17 http://www.rayfieldallied.com/news/2012/harrison-birtwistle-his-music-is-a-vital-essential-life-force-which-you-nee/ http://www.rayfieldallied.com/news/2012/harrison-birtwistle-his-music-is-a-vital-essential-life-force-which-you-nee/#When:00:00:00Z With descriptions of “unstoppable energy”, “elemental dynamism” and “continual, exciting drama”, Tom Service has devoted his blog on The Guardian this week to examining the music of Harrison Birtwistle. Commenting on the potent visceral drive in Birtwistle’s work, he is particularly struck by the music’s suggestion of the “animating vital spark that’s going on behind the surface of our lives, which is teeming under the skin of the natural world.” For Service, this primordial impulse is “always striving, always searching, always moving”, infusing Birtwistle’s music with a “fundamentally dramatic impetus”. This theatrical element in Birtwistle’s music is to be explored by The Opera Group and London Sinfonietta in their production of Bow Down which commences this week in Brighton, and will subsequently be performed throughout the summer as part of the Norfolk and Norwich Festival, Spitalfields Music Summer Festival, and the Latitude Festival. Also this month, the London Sinfonietta will give the UK premiere of In Broken Images in a concert devoted to Harrison Birtwistle’s music at the Queen Elizabeth Hall on 24 May, featuring an on-stage discussion between Tom Service and the composer. Read Tom Service’s article in the Guardian here. Listen to Tom Service interview Harrison Birtwistle on BBC Radio 3’s “Music Matters” programme here. Watch Harrison Birtwistle in rehearsal with the Opera Group here. 2012-05-16 http://www.rayfieldallied.com/news/2012/outstanding-reviews-for-the-mercurial-fingers-of-robert-levin-at-the-fortep/ http://www.rayfieldallied.com/news/2012/outstanding-reviews-for-the-mercurial-fingers-of-robert-levin-at-the-fortep/#When:00:00:00Z Receiving 4 stars in The Guardian, Robert Levin’s performance of Beethoven’s Triple Concerto with Isabelle Faust, Steven Isserlis and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment at the Queen Elizabeth Hall has been receiving much critical acclaim. In The Times, Hilary Finch delighted in the “mercurial fingers of Robert Levin at the fortepiano”, and elsewhere, Graham Rogers found that “Nominally directed by Robert Levin, the performance bristled with stirring passion…it was a terrific performance, both beautiful and thrilling” (Classical Source). This performance was preceded by another collaboration with Steven Isserlis at London’s Southbank Centre in two concerts dedicated to the complete Sonatas for Piano and Cello by Beethoven. In a 4-star review, The Guardian describes the playing as simultaneously “intimate” and “hair-raising”. A programme subsequently repeated in New York, The New York Times has determined the musicians to be “kindred spirits”, commenting that “what was most impressive — and Beethovenian — was the power of their climaxes…These players, pushing each other to the limit, achieved a gripping excitement seldom heard in these works”. Robert Levin’s and Steven Isserlis’ complete cycle of Beethoven Cello Sonatas is to be repeated in San Francisco, Aldeburgh and Japan, culminating in a recording project for Hyperion. Read all the reviews of Robert Levin’s performances here. 2012-05-11 http://www.rayfieldallied.com/news/2012/exciting-new-era-at-goettingen-handel-festival/ http://www.rayfieldallied.com/news/2012/exciting-new-era-at-goettingen-handel-festival/#When:00:00:00Z Fresh from the success of this year’s London Handel Festival, this summer sees Laurence Cummings make his first appearance in his capacity as Artistic Director of the International Handel Festival at Göttingen. Described by David Vickers in Gramophone Magazine as “one of our finest and most natural Handelian conductors”, Laurence Cummings will initially hold the post for five years. This year, he conducts the 1732 version of Handel’s oratorio, Esther, as well as a semi-staged performance of the dramatic cantata Aci, Galatea e Polifemo with Gillian Ramm as Aci. As part of the festival he will also give a harpsichord recital exploring the influences of Girolamo Frescobaldi, François Couperin and Louis Couperin on Handel’s keyboard writing, and has invited Andrew Parrott to conduct the festival’s staged operatic production: Amadigi di Gaula. The appointment at Göttingen follows 13 years as Artistic Director of the London Handel Festival, conducting “scintillating” (The Independent on Sunday) performances of Handel’s operas and oratorios. Reviewing this year’s festival and his performance of Handel’s opera Riccardo Primo, The Guardian describes Laurence Cummings as “Now one of the composer’s most sought-after champions”, and his appointment to the directorial role at Göttingen has been keenly anticipated. Further upcoming highlights for Laurence Cummings include performances with Glyndebourne Festival Opera, Opéra National de Lyon, English National Opera and The Metropolitan Opera New York. Listen to two extracts of Laurence Cummings directing Handel from the keyboard: “Scherza infida” and “T’amerò dunque sempre” from Ariodante. Find out more about the Göttingen International Handel Festival here. 2012-05-14 http://www.rayfieldallied.com/news/2012/360-live-from-the-national-portrait-gallery/ http://www.rayfieldallied.com/news/2012/360-live-from-the-national-portrait-gallery/#When:00:00:00Z Ensemble 360 will feature in “Portraits Day”, a special edition of BBC Radio 3’s In Tune with audience, presented by Sean Rafferty on 7 May at 4:30pm. Live from the National Portrait Gallery, the group will perform Janáček ‘s stunning second quartet in a compelling new semi-staged version devised in collaboration with Daniel Evans, Artistic Director of Sheffield Theatres. Janàček’s letters to his young lover – here adapted by writer Paul Allen – form a remarkable commentary on the translation of a composer’s inspiration into music. For further details, please click here. 2012-05-04 http://www.rayfieldallied.com/news/2012/new-cd-release-david-parry-conducts-il-pirata/ http://www.rayfieldallied.com/news/2012/new-cd-release-david-parry-conducts-il-pirata/#When:00:00:00Z A new release by Opera Rara, David Parry conducts the London Philharmonic Orchestra in this three-CD recording of Vincenzo Bellini’s third opera, Il Pirata. First premiered at La Scala in 1827, Il Pirata tells a story of shipwreck, duels and ill-fated romance: “an exceptional example of early romantic opera at its most dramatically potent.” (Opera Rara) Listen to an excerpt of the overture, performed by David Parry and the London Philharmonic Orchestra here. More details can be found on the Opera Rara website. 2012-05-01 http://www.rayfieldallied.com/news/2012/gennady-rozhdestvenskys-festival-of-british-music-in-moscow/ http://www.rayfieldallied.com/news/2012/gennady-rozhdestvenskys-festival-of-british-music-in-moscow/#When:00:00:00Z From May 16 to 31, Maestro Rozhdestvensky will conduct the State Academic Symphonic Chapel of Russia in a series of four concerts in the Moscow Conservatoire’s Great Hall. Celebrating British music, each concert centres on a distinguished composer - Elgar, Vaughan Williams, Britten and Walton. Details are as follows: Wednesday 16 May 2012, 19.00 – ELGAR ‘Froissart’, concert overture Introduction and Allegro for String Quartet and Orchestra 14 Variations on the Enigma Original Theme Monday 15 May 2012, 19.00 – VAUGHAN WILLIAMS Five Tudor Portraits for Mezzo-Soprano, Baritone, Choir and Orchestra Symphony No. 4 Friday 25 May 2012, 19.00 – BRITTEN ‘The company of heaven’ ‘Diversions’ for Piano and Orchestra Suites on Rossini’s Music: ‘Soirées musicales’ ‘Matinées musicales’ Soloist – Viktoria Postnikova (Piano) Thursday 31 May 2012, 19.00 – WALTON Capriccio burlesco, suite in five movements for orchestra Concerto for Violin and Orchestra ‘Belshazzar′s Feast’, oratorio for baritone, choir and orchestra Soloist - Alexander Rozhdestvensky (violin) 2012-04-30 http://www.rayfieldallied.com/news/2012/english-national-opera-announce-2012-2013-season/ http://www.rayfieldallied.com/news/2012/english-national-opera-announce-2012-2013-season/#When:00:00:00Z Aiming to extend “the boundaries of opera” by “presenting award winning work that is new, exciting and surprising”, English National Opera has announced a vibrant 2012/2013 season, to include performances by several Rayfield Allied artists. As part of ENO’s “absorbing and thought provoking year”, Julia Sporsén will sing the title role in Martinů’s Julietta: a new production by Richard Jones conducted by Edward Gardner that opens on September 13 2012. In April 2013 Kate Valentine will make her first appearance as Mimi in a revival production of Puccini’s La Boheme by the original director, Jonathan Miller. Elsewhere David Parry will also conduct a revival of Jonathan Miller’s much-loved version of Mikado, first heard at the Coliseum in 1986. Watch a video introducing ENO’s latest season here. 2012-04-25 http://www.rayfieldallied.com/news/2012/2012-bbc-proms-season-announced/ http://www.rayfieldallied.com/news/2012/2012-bbc-proms-season-announced/#When:00:00:00Z The BBC has announced an exciting and varied programme for this year’s Proms, including several performances by Rayfield Allied artists, both in the concert hall and outdoors, with repertoire ranging from the early eighteenth-century to new commissions. One of the much-talked-of highlights of the summer will see the climax of Daniel Barenboim’s Beethoven Cycle coincide with the opening night of the 2012 London Olympics: on July 27 the West–Eastern Divan Orchestra performs Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with René Pape as bass soloist. Champions of the Baroque repertoire this season include Laurence Cummings with his performance of Handel’s oratorio Judas Maccabaeus with the Choir and Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment on July 19; and on July 22, Mahan Esfahani directs the Academy of Ancient Music in his own instrumental arrangement of Bach’s The Art of Fugue as part of the Prom’s Chamber music Series at Cadogan Hall. Elsewhere, as part of the festival’s growing operatic element, Pamela Helen Stephen will play the role of Hecuba under the baton of Antonio Pappano in the Royal Opera House’s production of Berlioz’s The Trojans, and Gillian Ramm sings First Niece in English National Opera’s concert performance of Peter Grimes. Katie Bray will also make her Proms debut in Glyndebourne Festival Opera‘s new production of The Marriage of Figaro at the Royal Albert Hall on August 28. Also at Cadogan Hall, Nicolas Hodges will give the UK premiere of Harrison Birtwistle’s latest work for solo piano, Gigue Machine. This follows a highly successful world premiere at the Stuttgart Festival in February, this year. Meanwhile, in the “Proms Plus” series, an electro-acoustic commission by David Sawer will form part of a site-specific walk through South Kensington, in which participants download music directly to their MP3 players as they go. See the full programme at this year’s BBC Proms here. 2012-04-19 http://www.rayfieldallied.com/news/2012/new-artist-soprano-hila-plitmann/ http://www.rayfieldallied.com/news/2012/new-artist-soprano-hila-plitmann/#When:00:00:00Z We’re delighted to announce the signing of Grammy Award-winning soprano Hila Plitmann for worldwide general management. A glittering jewel on the international music scene, known worldwide for her astonishing musicianship and gossamer voice, she regularly premieres works by today’s leading composers while maintaining a vibrant and extraordinarily diverse professional life in film music, musical theatre, and song writing. In recent years she has worked with many of today’s leading conductors, including Leonard Slatkin, Kurt Masur, Robert Spano, Marin Alsop, Esa Pekka Salonen and Andrew Litton, with orchestras including the New York Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. The Los Angeles Times calls her a performer with “tremendous vocal and physical grace,” while Entertainment Today raves, “Plitmann has a vocal instrument that is simply unreal in its beauty.” USA Today quotes “Her emotional interpretation of ‘Blowin’ in the Wind’ unleashes startling fury and despair.” Of her extensive soundtrack work as a soloist for the Hollywood blockbuster The DaVinci Code, CNN says: “Plitmann’s glissandi sail above the petty pulpits of earthly doctrine with an ethereal ease that argues for Plitmann’s pairing with [Kathleen] Battle or Dawn Upshaw.” 2012-04-16