Season to include Bach’s Mass in B Minor, Handel’s Samson in celebration of upcoming 2015 Bicentennial, and 160th annual performance of Handel’s Messiah

H&H to partner with Celebrity Series of Boston for premiere of Acis & Galatea with Mark Morris Dance Group

H&H to release two new CDs on CORO label in fall of 2013

February 19, 2013 (Boston, MA) – The Handel and Haydn Society (H&H) and Artistic Director Harry Christophers announce the 2013–2014 Season, its 199th since the founding of the ensemble in 1815, featuring the Period Instrument Orchestra and Chorus performing works from the Baroque and Classical eras. The 2013–2014 Season continues H&H’s exploration of historically significant works introduced and premiered in the US by the Handel and Haydn Society as part of the preparations for the Bicentennial celebrations in 2015. The cornerstone of the upcoming season is Handel’s Samson, premiered in America by H&H in 1845.

“It gives me great pleasure that we have such a wealth of outstanding music to present next season. We will be stripping the cobwebs off some well-known masterpieces as well as introducing audiences to some works that deserve to be better known.” – Harry Christophers

The season will showcase a wealth of established artists such as former Music Director Grant Llewellyn; frequent H&H guest conductor Richard Egarr, Music Director of the London-based Academy of Ancient Music; as well as exceptionally talented emerging artists. Trumpet virtuoso Alison Balsom will make her H&H debut, and H&H’s fiery concertmaster Aisslinn Nosky will lead her fellow string players in a program inspired by Mendelssohn’s library.

In addition to the regular season concerts, H&H will be working with Mark Morris Dance Group for the first time since 1996 in the Celebrity Series of Boston presentation of the new, fully-staged production of Mozart’s arrangement of Handel’s opera, Acis & Galatea, by director and choreographer Mark Morris and the Mark Morris Dance Group. Also on the calendar is the return in December of the Handel and Haydn Society Holiday Sing, a family-friendly celebration of holiday choral music that will feature H&H’s professional chorus and its four children’s choirs.

The Handel and Haydn Society continues to flourish under the leadership of Harry Christophers; it is continuing the expansion of its artistic education efforts, growing its Boston community partnerships, and broadening its audience development and outreach. Programs include chamber performances at regional museums and in underserved communities in New England; lectures and performances at various accessible venues in the Greater Boston area; classroom demonstrations, student coaching, and performances at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and a conducting fellowship with the New England Conservatory’s Master’s program in Orchestral Conducting. The Karen S. and George D. Levy Educational Outreach Program brings a comprehensive music education program to students in grades 3 through 12 through four distinctive program components, including school visits, the Vocal Apprenticeship Program (encompassing the Singers, Youth Choir, Young Men’s and Young Women’s Choruses, and High School Soloists), Collaborative Youth Concerts, and masterclasses. The program brings Baroque and Classical music to well over 10,000 children each year in underserved communities in Greater Boston.

2013–2014 Season Highlights:
H&H opens the 2013–2014 Season with Bach’s glorious masterwork, the Mass in B Minor, which features a large period-instrument orchestra, chorus, vocal soloists from the H&H choir, and Harry Christophers at the helm. Composed over the span of almost 15 years and completed near the end of his life, the Mass represents the apotheosis of Bach’s composition of sacred music. H&H’s acclaimed chorus will shine in this work by one of the greatest composers of all time. “There is no doubt in my mind that Bach’s Mass in B minor is his most outstanding choral masterpiece, unrivalled worldwide; it is quite simply a choral extravaganza of extraordinary proportions, and will provide a wonderful start to the season,” said Christophers.

Former Music Director Grant Llewellyn returns to H&H for the first time since 2008 to lead the Period Instrument Orchestra in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2 and Mozart’s Haffner Symphony. The program also features H&H’s concertmaster Aisslinn Nosky and principal players Guy Fishman, cello; Stephen Hammer, oboe; and Andrew Schwartz, bassoon as soloists in Haydn’s virtuosic Sinfonia Concertante.

December brings two H&H traditions and the return of a holiday favorite. Harry Christophers conducts the Chorus, Period Instrument Orchestra, and internationally acclaimed soloists in the 160th annual performance of Handel’s Messiah. An entirely North American cast including soprano Gillian Keith, countertenor Daniel Taylor, tenor Tom Randle, and baritone Sumner Thompson will be featured in this season’s unique rendition of the Boston holiday tradition. Later in the month, Blue Heron Music Director Scott Metcalfe makes his H&H debut in a festive program featuring Bach’s Cantata 62, which was composed for the first Sunday of Advent, and music from the 17th century German tradition, one of Metcalfe’s specialties. Handel and Haydn welcomes families to celebrate the holidays with the returning Holiday Sing. Associate Conductor and chorusmaster John Finney and the H&H chorus and children’s choirs invite audiences to sing along with holiday favorites at Boston’s historic Great Hall in Faneuil Hall.

2014 opens with Richard Egarr, who continues his exploration of Beethoven symphonies. This time, he treats audiences with Haydn’s final symphony and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 4. Young trumpet superstar Alison Balsom makes her H&H debut in Haydn’s groundbreaking concerto, performing on the keyed trumpet, the instrument for which the concerto was composed.

In February, the full breadth of H&H’s talent is on display as Harry Christophers and the Period Instrument Orchestra and Chorus are joined by soprano Nathalie Paulin and members of H&H’s Vocal Apprenticeship Program Young Women’s and Young Men’s Chorus for Vivaldi’s Gloria. Arguably Vivaldi’s most popular and widely known sacred work, the Gloria was composed during his period of employment at Venice’s Pio Ospedale della Pietà, known for its advanced choral ensemble. The program closes with Handel’s inspiring Foundling Hospital Anthem, which ends with the “Hallelujah Chorus” from Messiah.

March’s concert is devoted to a special program of vocal works by Bach and William Byrd. Christophers and the “best chorus in New England” (Hub Review) celebrate the great vocal traditions of the 16th and 17th centuries. Both Bach and Byrd were devout men, but Byrd lived in constant fear of religious persecution. During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, the Anglican Church became all-powerful and Catholicism was not tolerated. Christophers comments “Byrd’s music responds to these trying times, and is at once reflective and explosive, sad and joyful.”

Mendelssohn’s extensive personal music library in Leipzig contained works by composers from Handel to Mozart, whose compositions greatly influenced the composer early in his life. Concertmaster Aisslinn Nosky leads her fellow string players for a chamber program of Baroque and Classical works by these composers in April.

The season culminates with Harry Christophers, considered one of the finest Handelians in the world, bringing Handel’s Samson to Symphony Hall audiences. Premiered in the US by H&H in 1845 and based on the well-known biblical story of the imprisoned title hero who falls powerless after his wife, Dalila, cuts off his hair, Samson features an epic score of plush, luxurious music. From its first performance in 1742, Samson was an immediate success; the ever-cynical Horace Walpole, fourth Earl of Orford, said, “Handel has set up an oratorio against the operas and succeeds.” “For me, it is simply one of the most complete works by this great man, for he responds to an exquisite libretto with a score full of elaborate instrumental colouring and sumptuous vocal writing. One of the most outstanding aspects of the work is that Handel composed it within a month of completing Messiah. Two masterpieces in quick succession is some feat, and I look forward to performing them both in one season,” said Christophers. A stellar cast of guest artists will join Christophers and the H&H Period Instrument Orchestra and Chorus. Joshua Ellicott, tenor (heard in H&H’s 2012 Saint Matthew Passion), will perform the title role. The cast also includes Joélle Harvey, soprano (Dalila); Catherine Wyn-Rogers, mezzo-soprano (Micah); Matthew Brook, bass-baritone (Manoah); and Dashon Burton, bass-baritone (Harapha).

Collaboration:
In May, H&H performs with Mark Morris Dance Group for the first time since 1996 in a Celebrity Series of Boston presentation of the new, fully staged production of Mozart’s arrangement of Handel’s opera, Acis & Galatea, by director and choreographer Mark Morris and the Mark Morris Dance Group. Celebrated visual artist and scenic designer Adrianne Lobel, fashion icon and costume designer Isaac Mizrahi, and acclaimed lighting designer Michael Chybowski will set the stage for this epic tale set along the banks of the Mediterranean Sea. Conducted by Nicholas McGegan, Music Director of Philharmonia Baroque, the Handel and Haydn Society Period Instrument Orchestra and Chorus will join the Mark Morris Dance Group at the Citi Performing Arts Center Shubert Theatre. Also featured are Thomas Cooley, tenor (Acis); Sherezade Panthaki, soprano (Galatea); Douglas Williams, bass-baritone (Polyphemus), and Zach Finkelstein, tenor (Damon).

Recordings:
The live recording of February 2013’s Haydn in Paris performance will be released on the CORO label in September 2013. Recorded live at Symphony Hall in February of 2013, the CD will feature concertmaster Aisslinn Nosky performing Haydn’s Violin Concerto in G Major paired with Haydn’s Symphony No. 6 and Symphony No. 82. In October 2013 H&H will release a collection of a cappella holiday favorites and traditional carols by H&H’s chorus under the direction of Harry Christophers. The CDs will expand H&H’s catalogue of works recorded under Christophers’ leadership, joining the recently completed Mozart trilogy of Mozart Mass in C Minor (September 2010), Mozart Requiem (September 2011), and Mozart Coronation Mass (September 2012).

2013–2014 Season Subscription Information:
Subscriptions to the 2013–2014 Season are now available. Options include nine- and six-concert series and an H2 Young Professionals package, as well as “Choose Your Own” packages. Packages range from three to nine concerts; package prices begin at only $60. Subscriptions may be purchased through the Handel and Haydn Box Office by phone at 617 266 3605, online at http://www.handelandhaydn.org or in person at Horticultural Hall, 300 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston (M–F 10am–6pm). Single tickets go on sale in August 2013.

2013–2014 Season Calendar:

Bach Mass in B Minor
September 27, 2013, 8:00pm at Symphony Hall
September 29, 2013, 3:00pm at Symphony Hall
Harry Christophers, conductor
Period Instrument Orchestra and Chorus
J.S. Bach: Mass in B Minor

Beethoven and Mozart
November 1, 2013, 8:00pm at Symphony Hall
November 3, 2013, 3:00pm at Symphony Hall
Grant Llewellyn, conductor
Aisslinn Nosky, violin
Guy Fishman, cello
Steven Hammer, oboe
Andrew Schwartz, bassoon
Haydn: Sinfonia Concertante for Violin, Cello, Oboe and Bassoon
Mozart: Symphony No. 35, Haffner
Beethoven: Symphony No. 2

Handel Messiah
November 29, 2013, 7:30pm at Symphony Hall
November 30, 2013, 3:00pm at Symphony Hall
December 1, 2013, 3:00pm at Symphony Hall
Harry Christophers, conductor
Period Instrument Orchestra and Chorus
Gillian Keith, soprano
Daniel Taylor, countertenor
Tom Randle, tenor
Sumner Thompson, baritone
Handel: Messiah

Holiday Sing*
December 14, 2013, 11:00am and 2:00pm at Great Hall, Faneuil Hall
John Finney, conductor

A Bach Christmas
December 19, 2013, 8pm at NEC’s Jordan Hall
December 22, 2013, 3pm at NEC’s Jordan Hall
Scott Metcalfe, conductor
Period Instrument Orchestra and Chorus
Martin Luther: Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland
Michael Praetorius: Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland(from Polyhymnia caduceatrix)
J.S. Bach: Cantata 62, Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland
J.C. Bach: Lieber Herr Gott, wecke uns auf
J.L. Bach: Overture from Suite in G Major
J.B. Bach: Suite No. 2 in G Major
Michael Praetorius: Vom Himmel hoch (from Polyhymnia caduceatrix)
Michael Praetorius: Puer natus in Bethlehem (from Polyhymnia caduceatrix)
Samuel Scheidt: Gelobet seystu Jesu Christ a8
Michael Praetorius: In dulci jubilo a8 (from Musae Sioniae)

Beethoven Symphony No. 4
January 24, 2014, 8:00pm at Symphony Hall
January 26, 2014, 3:00pm at Symphony Hall
Richard Egarr, conductor
Alison Balsom, trumpet
Period Instrument Orchestra
Haydn: Symphony No. 104, London
Haydn: Trumpet Concerto
W.F.E. Bach: Symphony in G Major
Beethoven: Symphony No. 4

Vivaldi Gloria
February 21, 2014, 8:00pm at Symphony Hall
February 23, 2014, 3:00pm at Symphony Hall
Harry Christophers, conductor
Period Instrument Orchestra and Chorus
Young Women’s Chorus and Young Men’s Chorus
Nathalie Paulin, soprano
Handel: Overture to Saul
Vivaldi: Ostro picta, armata spina RV642
Vivaldi: Gloria in D
Vivaldi: Sinfonia dalla Dorilla in tempe
Handel: Salve Regina
Handel: Foundling Hospital Anthem

Bach and Byrd
March 14, 2014, 8:00pm at NEC’s Jordan Hall
March 16, 2014, 3:00pm at NEC’s Jordan Hall
Harry Christophers, conductor
Handel and Haydn Society Chorus
plainsong: Veni creator spiritus
Byrd: Laudibus in sanctis
J.S. Bach: Bist du bei mir
J.S. Bach: Jesu meine Freude
J.S. Bach: Komm, Jesu Komm
Byrd: Ye gentle muses
Byrd: Agnus Dei
Byrd: Ave verum corpus
J.S. Bach: Singet dem Herrn

Mendelssohn’s Library
with Aisslinn Nosky
April 4, 2014, 8:00pm at NEC’s Jordan Hall
April 6, 2014, 3:00pm at Sanders Theatre
Aisslinn Nosky, violin soloist & leader
Period Instrument Orchestra
Handel: Concerto Grosso in B minor, Op.6, No. 12
J.S. Bach: Concerto for 2 Violins, Strings and Continuo in D Minor, BWV 1043
C.P.E. Bach: Sinfonia in B Flat Major, Wq. 182, No. 2
Mendelssohn: Concerto for Violin and String Orchestra in D Minor

Handel Samson
May 2, 2014, 7:30pm at Symphony Hall
May 4, 2014, 3:00pm at Symphony Hall
Harry Christophers, conductor
Period Instrument Orchestra and Chorus
Joshua Ellicott, tenor (Samson)
Joélle Harvey, soprano (Dalila)
Catherine Wyn-Rogers, mezzo-soprano (Micah)
Matthew Brook, bass-baritone (Manoah)
Dashon Burton, bass-baritone (Harapha)
Handel: Samson

Acis and Galatea*
May 15, 2014, 7:30pm at Citi Performing Arts Center Shubert Theatre
May 16, 2014, 8:00pm at Citi Performing Arts Center Shubert Theatre
May 17, 2014, 8:00pm at Citi Performing Arts Center Shubert Theatre
May 18, 2014, 3:00pm at Citi Performing Arts Center Shubert Theatre
Nicholas McGegan, conductor
Period Instrument Orchestra and Chorus
Mark Morris Dance Group
Thomas Cooley, tenor (Acis)
Sherezade Panthaki, soprano (Galatea)
Douglas Williams, bass-baritone (Polyphemus)
Zach Finkelstein, tenor (Damon)
Handel: Acis & Galatea (arr. Mozart)

*Performances are in addition to Handel and Haydn’s regular subscription season.

Works by Composer:

J.S. Bach
Mass in B Minor
Cantata 62, Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland
Bist du bei mir
Jesu meine Freude
Komm, Jesu Komm
Singet dem Herrn
Concerto for 2 Violins, Strings and Continuo in D Minor, BWV 1043

J.C. Bach
Lieber Herr Gott, wecke uns auf

J.L. Bach
Overture from Suite in G Major

J.B. Bach
Suite No. 2 in G Major

C.P.E. Bach
Sinfonia in B-Flat Major, Wq. 182, No. 2

W.F.E. Bach
Symphony in G Major

Beethoven
Symphony No. 2
Symphony No. 4

Byrd
Laudibus in sanctis
Ye gentle muses
Agnus Dei
Ave verum corpus

Handel
Messiah
Salve Regina
Foundling Hospital Anthem
Concerto Grosso in B Minor, Op. 6, No. 12
Overture to Saul
Samson

Haydn
Symphony No. 104, London
Trumpet Concerto
Sinfonia Concertante for Violin, Cello, Oboe and Bassoon

Martin Luther
Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland

Mendelssohn
Concerto for Violin and String Orchestra in D Minor

Mozart
Symphony No. 35, Haffner

Plainsong
Veni creator spiritus

Michael Praetorius
Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland (from Polyhymnia caduceatrix)
Vom Himmel hoch (from Polyhymnia caduceatrix)
Puer natus in Bethlehem (from Polyhymnia caduceatrix)
In dulci jubilo a8 (from Musae Sioniae)

Samuel Scheidt
Gelobet seystu Jesu Christ a8

Vivaldi
Ostro picta, armata spina, RV642
Gloria in D Major
Sinfonia dalla Dorilla in tempe

2013–2014 Guest Artists, Soloists, and Conductors:

Harry Christophers, conductor

Alison Balsom, trumpet
Matthew Brook, bass-baritone
Dashon Burton, bass-baritone
Richard Egarr, conductor
Joshua Ellicott, tenor
John Finney, conductor
Guy Fishman, cello
Stephen Hammer, oboe
Joélle Harvey, soprano
Gillian Keith, soprano
Grant Llewellyn, conductor
Scott Metcalfe, conductor
Aisslinn Nosky, violin & leader
Nathalie Paulin, soprano
Tom Randle, tenor
Andrew Schwartz, bassoon
Daniel Taylor, countertenor
Sumner Thompson, baritone
Catherine Wyn-Rogers, mezzo-soprano

HARRY CHRISTOPHERS
Harry Christophers, CBE, enters his fifth season as Artistic Director of the Handel and Haydn Society with the 2013–2014 Season. Appointed in 2008, he began his tenure with the 2009–2010 Season and has conducted Handel and Haydn each season since September 2006, when he led a sold-out performance in the Esterházy Palace at the Haydn Festival in Eisenstadt, Austria. Christophers and H&H have since embarked on an ambitious artistic journey towards H&H’s 2015 Bicentennial with a showcase of works premiered in the United States by the Handel and Haydn Society since 1815, education programming, community outreach activities and partnerships, and the release of the first of a series of recordings on the CORO label leading to the Bicentennial. Christophers is known internationally as founder and conductor of the UK-based choir and period instrument ensemble The Sixteen. He has directed The Sixteen throughout Europe, America, and the Far East, gaining a distinguished reputation for his work in Renaissance, Baroque, and 20th century music. In 2000, he instituted the “Choral Pilgrimage,” a tour of British cathedrals from York to Canterbury. He has recorded close to 100 titles for which he has won numerous awards, including a Grand Prix du Disque for Handel Messiah, numerous Preise der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik (German Record Critics Awards), the coveted Gramophone Award for Early Music, and the prestigious Classical Brit Award (2005) for his disc entitled Renaissance. In 2009 he received one of classical music’s highest accolades, the Classic FM Gramophone Awards Artist of the Year Award; The Sixteen also won the Baroque Vocal Award for Handel Coronation Anthems, a CD that also received a 2010 Grammy Award nomination. Harry Christophers is also Principal Guest Conductor of the Granada Symphony Orchestra and a regular guest conductor with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields. In October 2008, Christophers was awarded an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Music from the University of Leicester. He is an Honorary Fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford and also of the Royal Welsh Academy for Music and Drama and was awarded a CBE in the 2012 Queen’s Birthday Honours.

ABOUT HANDEL AND HAYDN SOCIETY
Handel and Haydn Society (H&H) is a professional Period Instrument Orchestra and Chorus and an internationally recognize­d leader in the field of Historically Informed Performance, a revelatory style that uses the instruments and techniques of the composer’s time. Founded in Boston in 1815, H&H is considered the oldest continuously performing arts organization in the United States and has a longstanding commitment to excellence and innovation: it gave the American premieres of Handel’s Messiah (1818), Haydn’s The Creation (1819), Verdi’s Requiem (1878), and Bach’s St. Matthew Passion (1879). Handel and Haydn today, under Artistic Director Harry Christophers’ leadership, is committed to its mission to enrich life and influence culture by performing Baroque and Classical music at the highest levels of artistic excellence, and by providing engaging, accessible, and broadly inclusive music education and training activities. H&H is widely known through its local subscription series, tours, concert broadcasts on WGBH/99.5 Classical New England and National Public Radio, and recordings. Its recording of Sir John Tavener’s Lamentations and Praises won a 2003 Grammy Award and two of its recordings, All is Bright and Peace, appeared simultaneously in the top ten on Billboard Magazine’s classical music chart. Since the release of its first collaboration with Harry Christophers on the CORO label in September 2010, it has made available three live commercial recordings of works by Mozart – Mass in C Minor (2010), Requiem (2011), and Coronation Mass (2012) as well as Haydn in Paris (to be released in September 2013) and of an a cappella holiday program with its professional choir (to be released in October 2013). The 2010–2011 Season marked the 25th anniversary of Handel and Haydn’s award-winning Karen S. and George D. Levy Educational Outreach Program, which brings music education, vocal training, and performance opportunities to 10,000 students annually throughout Greater Boston and beyond.

The Handel and Haydn Society is supported in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

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