FRIDAY, 11 DECEMBER 2020

Beethoven and BrahmsA concert with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

Sometime after we had to cancel the 2020 Glyndebourne Festival, Robin Ticciati* and I were sitting (socially distanced) in a scrubby bit of Lewes golf course digesting what we couldn’t do, and trying to imagine what we could, or might be able to do, to mitigate the threat of the complete absence of live music ahead of us. Robin mentioned his autumn work with our friends, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (OAE), and the brilliant violinist, Alina Ibragimova: couldn’t we find a way to bring them to Glyndebourne?

Naturally I was enthusiastic. It had been a triple blow: to be denied hearing the OAE inside our theatre this year (although the summer garden concerts were beautiful, and the first sign that live music could find a way through); to have to postpone our new production of Beethoven’s Fidelio, in the 250th anniversary year; and to have to cancel our Tour. As we readjusted the Tour into a ‘staycation’, we found a way to include this important concert.

To us Fidelio seems even more relevant in this time of lockdowns and solitude, when people are separated from their loved ones; a time when we need to keep our hopes, optimism and love alive, qualities exemplified in the opera by Leonore and Florestan. We were lucky that both Emma Bell and David Butt Philip, who were to lead the summer production, were able to join us at short notice.

The programme explores the arc of the narrative introducing us first to Leonore, determined to rescue her husband from prison, in an aria which includes the line: ‘Komm’, Hoffnung, lass den letzten Stern der Müden nicht erbleichen’

(‘Come, Hope, don’t let the guiding star of the weary fade away’). Next, we hear Florestan, in solitary confinement, holding fast to his love of Leonore to keep him from despair. Finally, the duet as they are reunited and together struggle to express the intensity and joy of the moment – O namenlose Freude!

As we acknowledge Beethoven, it seems appropriate to conclude our concert with Brahms’ violin concerto. Brahms was, famously, in awe of Beethoven, and the concerto takes forward the operatic lyricism of Fidelio beyond words and firmly into the Romantic era.

When travel restrictions and quarantine were imposed for those travelling from Germany it became impossible for Robin to join us this evening. The strange complexity of these times, however, while closing down some avenues, also unexpectedly opens others, and so it is with great pleasure that I am able to welcome Sir Mark Elder back onto the podium at Glyndebourne to conduct this singular, and exquisite, concert.

At the time of writing, I am putting my trust in Die Hoffnung. If you are reading this sitting in Glyndebourne’s beautiful auditorium, having successfully emerged from lockdown 2, I hope the light at the end of the tunnel seems brighter through music, and that it will not be long before we can be together again to share the joy of opera in a packed theatre. I believe we will all value that precious experience even more after these difficult times.

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Beethoven and Brahms

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Stephen Langridge Artistic Director * The conductor Robin Ticciati is Glyndebourne’s

music director

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BEETHOVEN

Fidelio Op. 72

Overture Recitative and Aria Abscheulicher! Emma Bell soprano

Act II Introduction and Aria Gott! Welch’ Dunkel hier! David Butt Philip tenor

Duet O namenlose Freude! Emma Bell soprano David Butt Philip tenor

BRAHMS Violin Concerto in D Major Op. 77

Alina Ibragimova violin

ProgrammeConductor Sir Mark Elder

Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment Leader Kati Debretzeni

Soloists Emma Bell soprano David Butt Philip tenor Alina Ibragimova violin

VIOLINSKati Debretzeni Rodolfo RichterJennifer Godson Andrew RobertsAlice EvansHenry TongKinga UjszasziDominika FeherJudith TemplemanDebbie Diamond

Margaret Faultless Claire HoldenHuw DanielIona DaviesDaniel EdgarNia LewisStephen RouseRebecca Livermore

VIOLASMax MandelOliver WilsonMartin Kelly Annette IsserlisKate HellerIan Rathbone

CELLOSJonathan Manson Andrew SkidmoreCatherine RimerRuth AlfordRichard Tunnicliffe

BASSESCecelia BruggemeyerCarina CosgravePaul Sherman

FLUTESLisa BeznosiukNeil McLaren

OBOESDaniel BatesLeo Duarte

CLARINETSKatherine Spencer Sarah Thurlow

BASSOONSPhilip TurbettSally Jackson

HORNS Roger MontgomeryMartin LawrenceGavin EdwardsDavid Bentley

TRUMPETSDavid BlackadderPhillip Bainbridge

TROMBONESPhilip DaleEdward Hilton

TIMPANIAdrian Bending

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Biographies

Emma Bell Soprano

David Butt Philip Tenor

Previously for Glyndebourne Title role/Rodelinda (GF, GT); Title role/Vanessa, Miss Jessel/The Turn of the Screw, Fox/The Cunning Little Vixen (GF)

Recent engagements Venus, Elisabeth/Tannhäuser (DOB); Leonore/Fidelio, Freia/Das Rheingold (Bayerische); Madame Lidoine/Dialogues des Carmélites (Hamburg); Governess/The Turn of the Screw (Dallas); Elisabeth/Tannhäuser (ROH); Ellen Orford/Peter Grimes (Theater Basel)

Forthcoming engagements Sieglinde/Die Walküre (ENO)

The Stratford-upon-Avon born soprano is a former winner of the prestigious Kathleen Ferrier Award. She established her career with celebrated performances of the Mozart heroines, and in recent seasons has developed her repertoire, moving to the key jugendlich-dramatisch roles of Wagner and Beethoven. Alongside operatic performances across the globe, she is an engaging concert performer with a repertoire including Strauss’ Vier letzte Lieder and Mahler’s Symphony No 8.

Previously for Glyndebourne Madhouse Keeper/The Rake’s Progress, Laertes/Hamlet (GF); Title role/Hamlet (GT)

Recent engagements Florestan/Fidelio (ROH, New National Theatre, Prague); Rodolfo/La bohème (ENO Live and Drive); Grigory/Boris Godunov (ROH, BBC Proms); Don José/Carmen (ENO); Prince/Rusalka (Madrid); Title role/Hamlet (Oper Köln); Title role/Der Zwerg (Berlin); Essex/Gloriana (Madrid); War Requiem (ENO)

Forthcoming engagements Florestan/Fidelio (Staatsoper Berlin); Boris/Káťa Kabanová (GF); Grigory/Boris Godunov, Laertes/Hamlet (Met)

One of the most exciting tenors Britain has to offer today, he has attracted major acclaim with recent debuts including the title role in Der Zwerg at Deutsche Oper Berlin, Florestan in a new production of Fidelio at ROH, the title role in Brett Dean’s Hamlet at Glyndebourne, Essex/Gloriana at Teatro Real, Erik/Der fliegende Hollander at Opéra de Lille, Laca/Jenůfa at ON and Grigory/Boris Godunov at ROH and the BBC Proms. An alumnus of the Jette Parker Young Artists Programme at ROH, his current and future engagements include debuts with Wiener Staatsoper, Staatsoper Berlin and The Met, as well as returns to ROH, ENO, Teatro Real Madrid, Glyndebourne and Deutsche Oper Berlin.

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Sir Mark Elder Conductor

Alina Ibragimova Violin

Previously for Glyndebourne La clemenza di Tito, Simon Boccanegra, The Rake’s Progress, Euryanthe, Fidelio, Billy Budd, Falstaff, La traviata (GF)

Recent engagements Les contes d’Hoffman (Paris)

Forthcoming engagements Don Carlo (Zürich)

Currently a Principal Artist of the OAE and Music Director of the Hallé, he was previously Music Director of ENO, Principal Guest Conductor of CBSO, Music Director of Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, USA, Principal Guest Conductor of BBC SO and the London Mozart Players, and Artistic Director of Opera Rara. He has worked with many of the world’s leading symphony orchestras and has appeared annually at the Proms for many years. He works regularly in the most prominent international opera houses and his many recordings have met with critical acclaim. He was knighted in 2008, was awarded the CBE in 1989 and was created a Companion of Honour in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2017. He won an Olivier Award in 1991 for his outstanding work at ENO, and in 2006 he was named Conductor of the Year by the Royal Philharmonic Society. He was awarded Honorary Membership of the Royal Philharmonic Society in 2011.

Recent engagements include those with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (Gardiner), Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, Pittsburgh Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, Sinfonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin (Ticciati), Chamber Orchestra of Europe (Haitink), London Symphony (Stutzmann), Swedish Radio Symphony (Harding), Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Boston Symphony (Jurowski), Montreal Symphony, Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony. Her long-standing duo partnership with pianist Cédric Tiberghien has featured highly successful cycles of the Beethoven and Mozart violin sonatas at the Wigmore Hall. She is a founding member of the Chiaroscuro Quartet.

Concerto projects include those with the DSO-Berlin (Schnittke with Robin Ticciati), Netherlands Radio Philharmonic (Roslavets with Osmo Vanska), Boston Symphony (Brahms with Andrew Manze), Seattle Symphony (Bartok 2 with Karina Canellakis), Tokyo Symphony (Brahms with Lionel Bringuier), a tour performing the Brahms violin concerto with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and Robin Ticciati, and an extensive solo-Bach recital tour in Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Performing music from baroque to new commissions on both modern and period instruments, Alina has established a reputation as one of the most accomplished and intriguing violinists of her generation. This is illustrated by her prominent presence at the BBC Proms since 2015. In the 2018 Proms, she gave the World Premiere of the Rolf Wallin Violin Concerto with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Edward Gardner.

Born in Russia she studied at the Moscow Gnesin School before moving with her family to the UK in 1995 where she studied at the Yehudi Menuhin School and Royal College of Music. She was also a member of the Kronberg Academy Masters programme. Alina’s awards include the Royal Philharmonic Society Young Artist Award 2010, the Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award 2008, the Classical BRIT Young Performer of the Year Award 2009 and she was a member of the BBC New Generation Artists Scheme 2005-7. She was made an MBE in the 2016 New Year Honours List. She records for Hyperion Records and performs on a c.1775 Anselmo Bellosio violin kindly provided by Georg von Opel.

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Biographies

Thank you to all Glyndebourne staff. Without your dedication throughout this crisis, these live performances would not be possible.

Orchestra photographs: Belinda Lawley Design: Fenton+Partners | Artwork: Kate Benjamin

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