Sir Neville Marriner CH, CBE 15 April 1924 – 2 October 2016

The Academy of St Martin in the Fields is deeply saddened to announce the death of Sir Neville Marriner, Founder and Life President of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields.

Sir Neville Marriner passed away peacefully in the night on 2 October.

Born on 15 April 1924 in Lincoln, Sir Neville Marriner studied at the Royal College of Music and the Paris Conservatoire. He began his career as a violinist, playing first in a string quartet and trio, then in the London Symphony Orchestra. It was during this period that he founded the Academy, with the aim of forming a top-class chamber ensemble from London’s finest players. Beginning as a group of friends who gathered to rehearse in Sir Neville’s front room, the Academy gave its first performance in its namesake church in 1959. The Academy now enjoys one of the largest discographies of any chamber orchestra worldwide, and its partnership with Sir Neville Marriner is the most recorded of any orchestra and conductor.

Honoured three times for his services to music in this country – most recently being made a Companion of Honour by Her Majesty The Queen in June 2015 – Sir Neville Marriner has also been awarded honours in France, Germany and Sweden.

As a player, Sir Neville Marriner had observed some of the greatest conductors at close quarters. He worked as an extra under Toscanini and Furtwängler, with Joseph Krips, George Szell, Stokowski and mentor Pierre Monteux. Sir Neville began his conducting career in 1969, after his studies in America with Maestro Monteux. There he founded the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, at the same time as developing and extending the size and repertoire of the Academy. In 1979 he became Music Director and Principal Conductor of both the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra and the Südwest Deutsche Radio Orchestra in Stuttgart, positions he held until the late 1980s. Subsequently he has continued to work with orchestras round the globe in Vienna, Berlin, Paris, Milan, Athens, New York, Boston, San Francisco and Tokyo. In 2011 Sir Neville was appointed Honorary Conductor of the newly formed I, Culture Orchestra which brings together the most talented young musicians from Eastern Europe. Sir Neville was Music Director of the Academy from its formation in1958 to 2011 when he became Life President and handed the baton of Music Director to violinist Joshua Bell.

John Beard Exhibition Wednesday 14th September 2016 – Sunday 19th February 2017

Tickets: included in General Admission price to Handel & Hendrix in London.

This exhibition explores the extraordinary life of the celebrated tenor, John Beard – Handel’s ‘tenor of choice’. This theatre star and 18th century celebrity premiered several roles for Handel in a variety of opera and oratorio, wowed the public at the pleasure gardens with patriotic ballads and nonsense songs, and expertly managed the Covent Garden Theatre until his retirement. This exhibition presents the curious circumstances of his first marriage, music scores with Beard’s own performance markings, evidence of his kind philanthropy and many other fascinating items from his life. Alongside this, a painting of John Rich, Theatre Manager and Beard’s father-in-law, attributed to William Hogarth will be displayed in Handel’s Music Room in its first public outing, alongside an iconic painting of John Beard by Thomas Hudson. Come and delve into the theatrical world of John Beard.

Tenor Neil Jenkins, who has curated the exhibition adds ‘I am very excited to tell you that the exhibition that I am curating at the Handel House Museum (Handel’s actual London home) in Brook Street, Mayfair is opening to the public on Wednesday 14th September – next week in fact!  It runs until February 19th next year, and has come about because of the biography I have written of this remarkable singer.

English National Opera are thrilled to announce Yamaha as the Official Piano Partner of ENO. Yamaha is now the exclusive supplier of pianos to ENO and will collaborate with the Company to support ENO’s continued commitment to musical excellence.

As part of this exciting partnership, English National Opera will be the first opera company to use the revolutionary TransAcoustic™ piano, which is now located in the orchestra pit in the auditorium.  A fleet of grand and upright pianos across the company’s rehearsal studios in West Hampstead and in the bar spaces at the London Coliseum have also been installed.

Martin Fitzpatrick, ENO’s Head of Music said “At ENO we give our pianos a thorough workout. Creating the orchestral colours on a piano requires an instrument of artistry and reliability, delicacy and toughness, depth and precision. I am delighted that, through this new partnership, Yamaha have provided ENO with pianos that fully meet the demands we place upon them”.

Each model of Yamaha piano installed at ENO was selected following rigorous testing and evaluation by professional staff alongside ENO répétiteurs and music staff to ensure they had the correct tonal flexibility and durability required for its specific use, be that in the pit, a rehearsal room or a bar in the London Coliseum.

Charles Bozon, Director of Classic Division, from Yamaha Music UK commented “Yamaha pianos are to be found in many of the world’s finest venues and studios; this is the first time we have had the opportunity to partner a major opera company and we look forward to combining in introducing and inspiring many more people to music making with ENO.”

For the first time ever, all of Schumann’s songs will be performed at the Oxford Lieder Festival (14- 29 October 2016) together with an array of his other works, the complete songs of his wife Clara Schumann, and songs by his friends, contemporaries and successors. Featuring nearly 100 events, The Schumann Project will include some 40 song recitals, as well as piano and chamber music recitals, choral works, study events, film, readings, masterclasses and more.

World class artists will come to Oxford including Christian Gerhaher and Gerold Huber who will give the opening recital (14 Oct), Anne Sofie von Otter (24 Oct), Bo Skovhus (23 Oct), Juliane Banse (21 Oct), Thomas Allen (20 Oct), Sarah Connolly (15 Oct), Sophie Daneman (27 Oct), Dietrich Henschel (17 Oct), Felicity Lott (26 Oct), James Gilchrist (27 Oct), Sophie Karthäuser (15 Oct ), Christopher Maltman (16 Oct), Joan Rodgers (17 Oct), Mark Padmore (25 Oct),Christoph Prégardien (22 Oct), Kate Royal (28 Oct), Birgid Steinberger (18 Oct) and Roderick Williams (24 Oct).Emerging stars performing include Lorena Paz Nieto, Katherine Watson, Raphaela Papadakis, Ben Johnson andJohannes Kammler. They will be joined by acclaimed pianists including Julius Drake, Eugene Asti, Bengt Forsberg, Matti Hirvonen, Graham Johnson, Malcolm Martineau, Anna Tilbrook, and Roger Vignoles. Chamber and piano music will be performed by Alasdair Beatson, the Doric Quartet, the award-winning Gildas Quartet, Tom Poster, Alexander Panfilov, the Phoenix Piano Trio and others.

Renowned pianist David Owen Norris (19 Oct) performs on one of Clara Schumann’s pianos exploring the sound world of the 1840s. Graham Johnson (15 & 22 Oct) gives two lecture-recitals; study days will look at Schumann’s fascination with Bach, and at the political upheaval and revolution of the 1840s; Wolfgang Holzmair will lead the residential mastercourse; and there will be film screenings, masterclasses and talks. 2016 is also the 120th anniversary of Clara Schumann’s death; her 29 songs will be included in the Festival.

Events take place in all corners of the city from college chapels, Christopher Wren’s Sheldonian Theatre and Europe’s oldest concert hall – the Holywell Music Room – to the recently restored Ashmolean Museum and the Bodleian Library.

Sholto Kynoch, Artistic Director, says: “I’m thrilled that such an amazing array of artists will be coming to Oxford for this unique celebration of Schumann. It’s a wonderful opportunity to hear his complete songs, but a survey like this must never become an exercise in simply ticking off songs so we also have a fantastically wide-ranging series of other events designed to give a genuine insight into the man, his music and the world he inhabited. People ask me what the highlights are: it’s impossible to pick a single event and the highlight for me is the whole Festival experience. Whether you just dip into one of our superb lunchtime recitals, or come to hear the world’s great singers, or want to spot the best new talent, you’ll find much to enjoy. I always encourage people to set aside some time and come to a selection of events. Enjoy being immersed in Schumann and hearing him in a new light!”

The annual Oxford Lieder Festival is now in its 15^th year and has established itself as one of the most prestigious celebrations of song in Europe. It presents a feast of song in Oxford each October with the world’s most sought-after artists as well as the new generation of younger talents. Its founder and artistic director is the pianist Sholto Kynoch. The 2014 Festival, The Schubert Project, won a prestigious Royal Philharmonic Society award, and was singled out for its ‘breath, depth and audacity of programming.’

General booking open www.oxfordlieder.co.uk / 01865 591276. www.oxfordlieder.co.uk

Don Giovanni

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

Director, Richard Jones

Conductor, Mark Wigglesworth

Opens Friday 30 September at 7.00pm at London Coliseum (10 performances)

Following his five star productions of The Girl of the Golden West and The Mastersingers of Nuremberg, award winning director Richard Jones returns to ENO with a new production of Don Giovanni. These productions alongside Rodelinda won him the 2015 Outstanding Achievement in Opera award while The Mastersingers of Nuremberg (which originated at Welsh National Opera) won Best New Opera Production at the Olivier Awards in 2015.

Don Giovanni is an exhilarating retelling of the legends of Don Juan. Combining comedy and tragedy, it follows Giovanni’s final hours as he lusts his way towards his dramatic demise. Filled with Mozart’s glorious music it includes the famous ‘Catalogue’ aria which details the long list of Giovanni’s lovers.

Director Richard Jones is joined by set designer Paul Steinberg (who created the set for The Mastersingers of Nuremberg), costume design by Nicky Gillibrand (who created the costumes for The Girl of the Golden West), lighting design by Mimi Jordan Sherin (The Girl of the Golden West and The Mastersingers of Nuremberg) and movement direction by Sarah Fahie. Former ENO Music Director Mark Wigglesworth returns to conduct.

A regular collaborator with Richard Jones, British bass-baritone Christopher Purves sings the title role. He last performed with ENO in the UK premiere of Philip Glass’s The Perfect American, where he gave an ‘inspired’ performance (The Guardian).  Other notable roles with the Company include Mephistopheles in Terry Gilliam’s five star production of The Damnation of Faust.

British Bass Clive Bayley is Leporello, Don Giovanni’s servant. He most recently performed with the Company in Akhnaten as Aye. Other roles for ENO include Daland in The Flying Dutchman and the Three Villains and Coppelius in The Tales of Hoffmann (both 2012).

American soprano Caitlin Lynch makes her UK debut with ENO as Donna Anna. She made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera, New York in 2013 as Biancofiore in Francesca da Rimini and performed the role of Cynthia in Nico Muhly’s Two Boys (also at the Metropolitan Opera) in a co-production with ENO.  She has sung Donna Anna with Pittsburgh and Michigan Opera.

Former ENO Harewood Artist and British tenor Allan Clayton returns to ENO to sing Don Ottavio. He last performed with the Company as Tamino in the revival of Simon McBurney’s production of The Magic Flute for ENO in February 2016. The Times commented that he ‘sings with guileless beauty and liquid top notes’.

British mezzo-soprano Christine Rice makes her role debut as Donna Elvira. She last performed with ENO as ‘a richly expressive Dorabella’ (Daily Telegraph) in Phelim McDermott’s production of Così fan tutti. Other notable roles for the Company include Marguerite in The Damnation of Faust and Arsace in Partenope.

Former ENO Harewood Artist Mary Bevan sings Zerlina, a role she has previously performed at Garsington Opera. She has performed numerous roles for ENO including Yum-Yum in The Mikado, Despina in Phelim McDermott’s production of Cosí fan tutte, the second niece in David Alden’s critically acclaimed revival of Peter Grimes in 2014 and Papagena in Simon McBurney’s new production of The Magic Flute in 2013.

Celebrated American bass James Creswell is the Commendatore. His previous roles for ENO include Oreveso in Norma, Padre Guardiano in The Force of Destiny, Pogner in Richard Jones’s Olivier Award-winning production of The Mastersingers of Nuremberg and Sarastro in Simon McBurney’s production of The Magic Flute.

The cast is completed by British bass Nicholas Crawley as Masetto. He made his ENO debut as Larkens in Richard Jones’s production ofThe Girl of the Golden West and also appeared as the Nightwatchman in Jones’s The Mastersingers of Nuremberg.

Don Giovanni opens on Friday 30 September 2016 at 7.00pm for 10 performances – 30 September, 4, 7, 13, 15, 18, 21, 24, 16 October at 7pm, 9 October at 3pm.

500 tickets for £20 or less are available for each performance. Tickets start from £12. www.eno.org

See www.eno.org/undressed for more information.

A co-production with Theater Basel. New production supported by a syndicate of donors.

Garsington Opera’s acclaimed production of Tchaikovsky’s best loved opera  Eugene Onegin, conductor Douglas Boyd, director Michael Boyd, designer Tom Piper, with Roderick Williams (Onegin) and Natalya Romaniw (Tatyana) making their role debuts, is now available to view on the BBC Arts website at  http://bbc.in/29mWMll

Douglas Boyd, Artistic Director Garsington Opera said: We are thrilled that through BBC Arts Online so many people both nationally and internationally, will have the opportunity to hear and see this wonderful work for free.  We are very proud of our production and are delighted that it now has a longer life.

As part of the Garsington Opera for All programme Eugene Onegin will be screened to Ramsgate (23 July), Bridgewater (20 August) and Grimsby (30 September). In each location a large-scale programme of education and outreach work is firmly integrated with the digital free public screenings and provides ground breaking opportunities for communities to be involved in creating, learning about, and performing opera.

BBC Arts Online is enabling Garsington Opera to reach a wider audience.  Short clips of their 2015 production of  Così fan tutte are now available to view at http://bbc.in/1VOILjc .   Later in the month their acclaimed production of  Eugene Onegin, currently in repertoire, will be available.

Eugene Onegin will be screened to Skegness (2 July), Ramsgate (23 July), Bridgewater (20 August) and Grimsby (30 September) as part of the Garsington Opera for All programme. In each location a large-scale programme of education and outreach work is firmly integrated with the digital free public screenings and provides ground breaking opportunities for communities to be involved in creating, learning about, and performing opera.

Opera for All is a three-year partnership project between Garsington Opera, the charitable trust Magna Vitae, and the Coastal Communities Alliance, and is supported by Arts Council England’s Strategic Touring Fund.

Nicola Creed, Executive Director of Garsington Opera said:  We are delighted to be making opera available free of charge potentially to thousands of people. This is an important addition to our outreach programme and we are thrilled to be launching opera from Wormsley on BBC Arts Online.

In 2017 Garsington Opera will extend to an eight week season from Thursday 1 June – Sunday 30 July. The main season will expand from three to four opera productions annually, and will see the start of a partnership with the Philharmonia Orchestra. In addition, next year  there will be a large scale, newly commissioned community opera.

The season will open with a new production of Handel’s Semele to be conducted by Jonathan Cohen with  Annilese Miskimmon directing.  The Philharmonia Orchestra will be joining for a new production of Pelléas et Mélisande with conductor Jac van Steen and director Michael Boyd.  John Cox’s celebrated production of Le nozze di Figaro will be recreated for the Wormsley stage, conducted by Douglas Boyd , and Martin Duncan’s acclaimed production of Rossini’s Il turco in Italia will be conducted by David Parry.

Silver Birch, a new commission by composer Roxanna Panufnik and librettist Jessica Duchen, uniting professional artists with 170 members of the local community, will be presented by Garsington Opera’s Learning and Participation programme.  It will be conducted by Douglas Boyd and directed by Karen Gillingham.