Academy of St Martinin the Fields: Bach and Brahms

St Martin-in-the-FieldsTrafalgar Square

London WC2N 4JJ

020 7766 1100 www.smitf.org

Available to watch as many times as you like from 7.30pm, Thursday 11 March 2021, and available for 30 days.

PROGRAMME

Brandenburg Concerto No 6 in B flat — J.S Bach (1685-1750)i. Allegro

ii. Adagio ma non tantoiii. Allegro

Untold — James MacMillan (b. 1959)

Serenade No 2 in A — Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)i. Allegro moderatoii. Scherzo. Vivace

iii. Adagio non troppoiv: Quasi menuettov: Rondo. Allegro

Academy of St Martin in the Fields (c. Benjamin Ealovega)

PROGRAMME NOTESby Anthony Burton & Stephen Stirling (Principal Horn)

With 'no violins' as the starting point for this concert, J.S Bach's sixth Brandenburg Concerto is the perfect companion to the pieces by MacMillan and Brahms that follow. Like the third Brandenburg Concerto, the sixth and last is a piece of string chamber music which can be performed only with one player to each part; but unlike the third, it does preserve, at least in outline, the instrumental layout of a concerto. The principal solo instruments are two violas; a cello sometimes adds a third solo part, and sometimes joins forces with the continuo section of violone (or double bass) and harpsichord; and there is a kind of miniature ripieno - or accompaniament - section consisting of two viole da gamba. These two parts - performed on the cello in this concert - are, conspiculously, not very difficult, as one of the parts was originally written to be played by an amateur. In the first movement the gambas sometimes join the bass instruments in repeated quavers, supporting the intricate interweaving of the two violas, and sometimes play a modest part in more general contrapuntal exchanges. In the central slow movement, they are silent, leaving what is effectively the texture of a trio sonata, with the two violas above and the cello providing a decorated version of the bass line below. And, though the gambas return in the gigue-time finale, they once more play a background role while the two violas, and occasionally the cello, keep up the exhilarating momentum.

Untold by James MacMillan is written for a wind quintet which uses cor anglais rather than oboe, reflecting the mellow hues of the violin free Brahms Serenade. The composer writes: "Untold was commissioned by the Ayr Arts Guild for the Flaxton Ensemble who gave the premiere in 1987. It is a short, slow movement for wind quintet but using a cor anglais instead of an oboe. Its mood is lyrical and expressive, the material being loosely based on an Irish love-song: For Ireland I’ll not tell her Name."

Written, as it is, for an ensemble without violins, Johannes Brahms' Serenade No 2 is rarely performed but has long been on our programming wish-list. His two early orchestral serenades are often viewed as his essays in writing for symphony orchestra before launching himself into the symphonic world. The composer said that "After Haydn, writing a symphony was no longer a joke but a matter of life and death" however they are also a late flowering in the long tradition of Serenades and Divertimenti exemplified by Mozart and built on by Beethoven and Schubert. Personally I don’t think they are practice ‘symphonies’ at all!

PERFORMERS

Academy of St Martin in the Fields

Viola Robert Smissen Ian Rathbone Nicholas Barr

Alexandros Koustas

Cello Richard Lester Will Schofield

Juliet Welchman Reinoud Ford

Bass Lynda Houghton Christopher West

Harpsichord John Constable

Flute Harry Winstanley

Sarah Newbold

Piccolo Rebecca Larsen

Oboe Timothy Rundle

Oboe/Cor Anglais Rachel Ingleton

Bassoon Julie Price

Graham Hobbs

Clarinet James Burke

Thomas Lessels

Horn Stephen Stirling Joanna Hensel

Our thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund, for supporting the Fresh Horizons concert series at St Martin-in-the-Fields.

This concert was pre-recorded in the church and edited together before broadcast. The performers and technical crew carefully adhere to all current government regulations for COVID-19.

The Academy of St Martin in the Fields is one of the world’s finest chamber orchestras, renowned for fresh, brilliant interpretations of the greatest orchestral music. Formed by Sir Neville Marriner in 1958, the Academy gave its first performance in its namesake church in November 1959. Through unrivalled live performances and a vast recording output the Academy quickly gained an enviable international reputation for its distinctive, polished and refined sound. With over 500 releases in a much-vaunted discography and a comprehensive international touring programme, the name and sound of the Academy is known and loved by classical audiences throughout the world. Today the Academy is led by Music Director and virtuoso violinist Joshua Bell, retaining the collegiate spirit and flexibility of the original small, conductor-less ensemble which has become an Academy hallmark. Under Bell's direction, and with the support of Leader/Director Tomo Keller and Principal Guest Conductor Murray Perahia, the Academy continues to push the boundaries of play-directed performance to new heights, presenting symphonic repertoire and chamber music on a grand scale at prestigious venues around the world. When COVID-19 sparked lockdowns across the globe, the Academy established a digital campaign to fund the production of new performance videos. In addition, the orchestra launched a new concert series at its spiritual home of St Martin-in-the-Fields in London’s Trafalgar Square. The series – the first of its kind in the orchestra’s home city for many years – has seen the Academy collaborate with internationally artists on concert programmes devised by members of the orchestra.

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Other concerts in the Fresh Horizons series:

St Martin’s Players: The Golden Age of JazzThursday 11 February, 7.30pm

Stile Antico: A Garden of DelightsThursday 18 February, 7.30pm

London Mozart Players: Beethoven Violin ConcertoThursday 25 February, 7.30pm

Stile Antico: Toward the DawnThursday 4 March, 7.30pm

Academy of St Martin in the Fields: Bach and BrahmsThursday 11 March, 7.30pm

Peter DonohoeThursday 18 March, 7.30pm

Piatti QuartetThursday 25 March, 7.30pm

Stainer – The CrucifixionThursday 1 April, 7.30pm

Handel – MessiahThursday 8 April, 7.30pm

The Gesualdo SixThursday 15 April, 7.30pm

Academy of St Martin in the Fields with John ButtThursday 22 April, 7.30pm

Chineke! Chamber EnsembleThursday 29 April, 7.30pm

All concerts are available to watch from 30 days after their release date