Carnegie Hall to Present Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra in Zankel Hall, 5/6

By: Mar. 31, 2016
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Music Director Nicholas McGegan-who celebrates 30 years of leading the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra this season-returns to Carnegie Hall to conduct the ensemble in the New York premiere of Scarlatti's La Gloria di Primavera on Friday, May 6 at 7:30 p.m. in Zankel Hall. The performance of the newly re-discovered work-written 300 years ago to celebrate the birth of the heir to the Holy Roman Emperor-features soprano Suzana Ograjenšek, mezzo-soprano Diana Moore, countertenor Clint van der Linde, tenor Nicholas Phan, and bass-baritone Douglas Williams.

"Three hundred years ago, Italy's operatic master Alessandro Scarlatti composed a lavish work to celebrate the birth of a new Habsburg prince," explains McGegan. "It electrified audiences of the time and even enjoyed the rare privilege of repeat performances. But then it vanished from the scene, never to be heard again until now."

La Gloria di Primavera received its United States premiere at the First Congregational Church in Berkeley, California in October 2015 and the San Francisco Chronicle described their performance as a "feast of vocal invention, supplemented by wondrous instrumental writing for a strikingly large orchestra."

A pre-concert talk starts at 6:30 p.m. with Nicholas McGegan in conversation with Jeremy Geffen, Director of Artistic Planning at Carnegie Hall.

About the Artists
As he embarks on his fourth decade on the podium, Nicholas McGegan-hailed as "one of the finest baroque conductors of his generation" (The Independent) and "an expert in 18th-century style" (The New Yorker)-is recognized for his probing and revelatory explorations of music of all periods. In 2015, he celebrates his 30th year as music director of Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and continues as Principal Guest Conductor of the Pasadena Symphony.

Best known as a baroque and classical specialist, Mr. McGegan's approach-intelligent, infused with joy and never dogmatic-has led to appearances with many of the world's major orchestras. Also at home in opera houses, Mr. McGegan has shone new light on close to twenty Handel operas as the Artistic Director and conductor at the Göttingen Handel Festival for 20 years (1991-2001) and the Mozart canon as Principal Guest Conductor at Scottish Opera in the 1990s.

Mr. McGegan's 2015-2016 season features appearances with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at both Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Hollywood Bowl (where he has appeared annually for 20 years); the St. Louis, BBC Scottish, RTÉ National, and New Zealand Symphonies; The Cleveland Orchestra / Blossom Music Festival; and The Juilliard School. He conducts the Orchestra of St. Luke's at Caramoor and at Carnegie Hall, where he leads an April 7 program of Purcell, Haydn, and Britten with mezzo-soprano Susan Graham.

Born in England, Mr. McGegan was educated at Cambridge and Oxford. He was made an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) "for services to music overseas." Most recently, McGegan was invited to join the board of Early Music America. Other awards include the Halle Handel Prize; the Order of Merit of the State of Lower Saxony (Germany); the Medal of Honour of the City of Göttingen, and a declaration of Nicholas McGegan Day, by the Mayor of San Francisco in recognition of his work with Philharmonia Baroque. In 2013, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music awarded him an honorary degree of Doctor of Music.

Lauded by The New York Times as "America's leading period instrument ensemble" and currently celebrating its 35th season, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra has been dedicated to authentic performances of Baroque, Classical, and early Romantic-era music on original instruments since its inception in 1981. Under the leadership of Music Director Nicholas McGegan, the Philharmonia was named Ensemble of the Year by Musical America in 2004.

The orchestra performs an annual subscription season in the San Francisco Bay Area and is regularly heard on tour in the United States and around the world. The orchestra has its own professional chorus, the Philharmonia Chorale, under the leadership of Bruce Lamott. It welcomes eminent guest artists including mezzo-soprano Susan Graham, countertenor David Daniels, pianist Emanuel Ax, and violinist Rachel Podger, as well as guest conductors such as Jordi Savall, Masaaki Suzuki, and Trevor Pinnock.

Philharmonia's recent US tour appearances include Lincoln Center's Mostly Mozart Festival, the Tanglewood Festival, the Ravinia Festival, the Great Performers series at Lincoln Center, the International Chamber Orchestra Festival in Minnesota, Carnegie Hall, the Festival del Sole in California's Napa Valley, and Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. Internationally, the orchestra has performed at the BBC Proms in London, Snape Maltings, and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. Philharmonia appeared as the featured orchestra at the International Handel Festival in Gottingen, Germany, in 1999, 2001, 2002, and 2005.

In 2011, Philharmonia launched its own recording label, Philharmonia Baroque Productions. Its first release was an archival performance of mezzo-soprano Lorraine Hunt Lieberson singing Berlioz's Les Nuits d'ete and Handel arias. Subsequently, the ensemble's recording of Haydn's Symphonies No. 104 "London," No. 88, and No. 101 "The Clock" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Orchestral Performance. Recent releases include highlights from Handel's Teseo and three Haydn symphonies: Nos. 57, 67, and 68. Prior to the launch of Philharmonia Baroque Productions, the orchestra made 32 highly praised recordings for harmonia mundi, Reference Recordings, and BMG.

Program Information
Friday, May 6 at 7:30 p.m.
Zankel Hall
PHILHARMONIA BAROQUE ORCHESTRA
Nicholas McGegan, Music Director and Conductor
Suzana Ograjenšek, Soprano
Diana Moore, Mezzo-Soprano
Clint van der Linde, Countertenor
Nicholas Phan, Tenor
Douglas Williams, Bass-Baritone

ALESSANDRO SCARLATTI La Gloria di Primavera (NY Premiere)

Pre-concert talk starts at 6:30 p.m. in Zankel Hall with Nicholas McGegan in conversation with Jeremy Geffen, Director of Artistic Planning, Carnegie Hall.

Bank of America is the Proud Season Sponsor of Carnegie Hall.

Tickets, priced $69 and $80, are available at the Carnegie Hall Box Office, 154 West 57th Street, or can be charged to major credit cards by calling CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800 or by visiting the Carnegie Hall website, carnegiehall.org.

Photo by RJ Muna



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