H A N D E L’ S Messiah 27 & 28 NOVEMBER • ADELAIDE TOWN HALL ACCESS ALL AREAS The Advertiser gets you closer to the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra than ever before. More features. More interviews. More exclusive experiences. The Advertiser. Proud sponsor of the arts in South Australia. ADELAIDE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA 2014 SE N MESSIAH Adelaide Town Hall 27 & 28 November 8pm Siobhan Stagg Soprano Christopher Field Countertenor Richard Butler Tenor Christopher Purves Bass Adelaide Chamber Singers Matthew Halls Conductor Handel Messiah (HWV 56) Part I Interval Part II Part III This concert runs for approximately 145 minutes including interval. ADELAIDE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA GALA SERIES 3 welcome from matthew halls Handel's Messiah is many things for many emerge from the fast and furious fanfares of the people, but first and foremost it is a work of iconic 'Hallelujah' chorus. Here is a work that, extraordinary musical architecture. Bursting like all great works of art, never grows old. It at the seams with infectious dance rhythms; was written during an extraordinarily condensed full of noble and monumental sentiment; and period of creative activity but its universal appeal displaying at all times a vivid and imaginative will only continue to grow as more and more approach to dramatic word-painting, Handel's people come to discover the magic of Handel's great oratorio has remained a watershed Messiah. It is a very great pleasure for me to work in the history of western music. It is a come to Adelaide and share my love of this piece that I first encountered as a young boy timeless masterpiece with you all. chorister and since then I've enjoyed numerous opportunities to explore the piece from many different perspectives - as a choral singer, – Matthew Halls, Conductor soloist, keyboard continuo player and then as a conductor. The score of Messiah is never very far from my suitcase, as this great work tends to crop up in my diary with considerable regularity - like a recurring leitmotif, and always evoking the memories of past performances in beautiful and inspiring cities and venues. It is a piece which, for me, never loses its magic. There is something so thrilling about the pacing and forward thrust of the work; an inexorable sense of tension slowly building and leading the listener towards those life-affirming final choruses. The almost unbearable spite and hatred portrayed by the chorus in 'He trusted in God'; the stillness and reassuring warmth of 'I know that my Redeemer liveth'; and of course the unforgettable soaring vocal arches of 'For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth' that eventually 4 ADELAIDE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA GALA SERIES matthew halls conductor Matthew Halls succeeded Helmuth Rilling as An established opera conductor, he has appeared Artistic Director of the Oregon Bach Festival at the Aalto-Musiktheater Essen, Händel- in 2013, and his inaugural festival included Festspiele Halle, Salzburg Landestheater and performances of Verdi's Requiem, the Central City Opera Colorado. His association with Monteverdi Vespers and his own reconstruction the Dutch National Opera and Bavarian State of Bach's St Mark Passion. Next year under his Opera have included productions of Verdi’s Luisa leadership the Oregon Bach Festival will launch Miller, Britten’s Peter Grimes and Bellini’s Norma. the Berwick Academy for Historically Informed Matthew Halls was educated at Oxford Performance, a new national training program for University, where he subsequently taught for advanced students. five years. Following his time in Oxford, he has Recent and upcoming North American held positions as Artistic Director of the King’s engagements include appearances with Consort and the Retrospect Ensemble. the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, The Cleveland Orchestra, Houston Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, National Arts Centre Orchestra, The Philadelphia Orchestra and the Seattle Symphony. He has appeared in Europe with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Bremen Philharmonic Orchestra, Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Musica Viva, Royal Northern Sinfonia, RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, Tonkünstler Orchestra, Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra and Concentus Musicus Wien at the Internationale Barocktage Stift Melk. This season’s Australian appearances include performances of Handel’s Messiah with the Melbourne, Adelaide and West Australian Symphony Orchestras. ADELAIDE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA GALA SERIES 5 Adelaide’s No.1 SAS10255wp! k siobhan stagg soprano christopher field countertenor Siobhan Stagg performed the roles of Pamina Christopher Field is a graduate from the University (Die Zauberflöte für Kinder) and Konstanze (Die of Melbourne and continued postgraduate studies Entführung aus dem Serail für Kinder) in the at The Royal Academy of Music, London, where 2013 Salzburg Festival’s Young Singers Project. he obtained the DipRAM in Opera. She then joined the Deutsche Oper Berlin where Roles with Opera Australia have included her roles have included Pamina and First Lady; Tolomeo in Handel’s Giulio Cesare and Armindo in Woglinde (Das Rheingold) and Waldvogel Partenope. He made his debut with the Komische (Siegfried) with Sir Simon Rattle; Heavenly Voice Oper Berlin as Arkane in Handel's Teseo and (Don Carlo); and Frasquita (Carmen). She also debuted also with the Dresden Semperoper as sang Sophie (Werther) at the Berlin Philharmonie Nireno in Handel's Giulio Cesare. In 2012, he with Donald Runnicles and Cordelia (Lear) at was engaged for the first complete performance the Hamburg State Opera with Simone Young. of Stockhausen’s Mittwoch aus Licht (at the Siobhan Stagg graduated from the Wales Birmingham Opera Company). International Academy of Voice in Cardiff, Christopher has worked as soloist in concerts having previously studied in Melbourne and in Europe and Australia including his debut with on scholarship in Italy, New York and Austria. the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra in She has won the Stuart Burrows International Stravinsky's Threni and A Sermon, A Narrative Voice Award, Australian International Opera and A Prayer, and with Musik Fabrik, Cologne on Award, Mietta Song Competition, Italian Opera Ferneyhough’s Finis Terrae. He was a member Foundation Award, and was a Dame Nellie Melba of the acclaimed contemporary music ensemble Opera Trust Scholar. Her debut album Hymne à EXAUDI and currently holds the position of Vicar l'amour has been released on Move records. Choral at St Paul’s Cathedral, London. ADELAIDE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA GALA SERIES 7 richard butler tenor christopher purves bass Richard Butler was principal soloist for the Christopher Purves has developed a highly 2013 Gramophone award-winning recording successful career on both the operatic and of A New Venetian Coronation, 1595 with concert stages, with highlights in 2014/15 the Gabrieli Consort. In Europe he has including the Australian premiere of The Perfect performed solo roles in a Purcell program American at the Brisbane Festival; Handel’s at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and in Messiah with the National Symphony Orchestra Monteverdi's Vespers at the Berlin Philharmonie. and the Melbourne, Adelaide and West Australian More recently, he toured Europe in Handel's Symphony Orchestras; the title role in Gianni Acis and Galatea, and performed in Blow's Schicchi at Opera North; St John Passion at the Venus and Adonis at Wigmore Hall and Britten's Concertgebouw, Amsterdam; St Matthew Passion Saint Nicolas in Cardiff. with the Academy of Ancient Music; and Pelléas Locally, he performed with the Australian and Mélisande at Welsh National Opera. He ends Brandenburg Orchestra in their production of the season with a return to Glyndebourne Festival Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo, as well as their ‘Mozart the Opera for the title role in Handel’s Saul. Great’ and 25th Anniversary concert series. Other Previous appearances include Beethoven’s Australian appearances include principal tenor Symphony No.9 with the Orchestra of the for Monteverdi’s Vespers at St Mary's Cathedral Age of Enlightenment; Handel’s Aci, Galatea e in Sydney and St George's Cathedral in Perth; the Polifemo and Acis and Galatea with the Gabrieli title role in the Australian premiere of Caccini’s Consort; and Handel’s Alexander’s Feast and La liberazione di Ruggiero in Sydney; and the Haydn’s Nelson Mass with the Scottish Chamber Evangelist in Bach's St John Passion for the Orchestra. He sang in the premiere of George Sydney University Graduate Choir, a role he will Benjamin’s Written on Skin at the Aix-en- reprise with Melbourne’s Trinity College in 2015. Provence Festival in 2012. Christopher Purves’ debut solo CD, Handel’s Finest Arias for Base Voice was released in 2012. 8 ADELAIDE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA GALA SERIES adelaide chamber singers Carl Crossin OAM Artistic Director & Conductor Adelaide Chamber Singers has been a passionate In 2013, ACS was awarded both the Gran Premio and innovative contributor to music making in (Grand Prize) from the Musica Sacra a Roma Adelaide for thirty years. Formed in 1985 by its in Rome and “Choir of the World at Llangollen Artistic Director and Conductor Carl Crossin, the 2013”. Other international tours and appearances ensemble comprises some of Adelaide’s best and include Britain, Canada, Norway, Japan, most experienced ensemble singers, some of Singapore, France and the United States. whom are also emerging artists or conductors in their own right. ACS is widely respected as one of Australia’s leading chamber choirs and was awarded one of SA’s premier Arts awards, the 2011 Ruby Award for “sustained contribution by an organisation”. ACS has performed at the Adelaide, Melbourne and Perth International Festivals as well as at WOMADelaide in collaboration with Kronos Quartet. ACS has taken part in a range of regional festivals around Australia including: the Bundaleer, Coonawarra, Barossa and Coriole Festivals, the Port Fairy Spring Music Festival, the Brisbane Festival of Contemporary Sacred Music and the Musica Viva Huntington Estate Festival in NSW. ACS has also recently performed with Josh Groban and The Rolling Stones. 10 ADELAIDE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA GALA SERIES