19 February 2022
Bach Club Soloists
Directed from the fortepiano by Pawel Siwczak
Forgive me, if I lose my head
fortepiano concertos by two good friends, Haydn & Mozart
Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
Keyboard concerto in D major, Hob. XVIII/11
written between 1780 and 1783
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756– 1791)
Concerto No. 9 in E flat major, K. 271 “Jenamy”
written in Salzburg in 1777
Artists
Catherine Martin violin, leader
Anna Curzon, Ellen Bundy, Asuka Sumi violins
Leo Duarte, Andrés Villalobos Lépiz oboes
Ursula Paludan Monberg, Martin Lawrence horns
Stefanie Heichelheim viola
Jonny Byers cello
Carina Cosgrave violone
Pawel Siwczak fortepiano, director
find artists’ bios below
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Date & Time
Saturday
19 February 2022
at 7.30 PM
Venue
St Mary’s Putney
Putney High Street
London SW15 1SN
map
The two composers, Haydn and Mozart, enjoyed a friendship that crossed generations and was characterised by deep mutual respect and admiration. They probably first met in Vienna in 1783. Their’s was not a friendly mentor pupil relationship between a self assured and successful older composer and a somewhat erratic younger colleague. Mozart very much valued Haydn’s sincere friendship and advice and dedicated 6 of his string quartets to him. Haydn greatly admired Mozart’s genius and saw him as an equal if not more:
‘If I could only impress on the soul of every friend of music, and on high personages in particular, how inimitable are Mozart’s works, how profound, how musically intelligent, how extraordinarily sensitive! … It enrages me to think that this incomparable Mozart is not yet engaged in some imperial or royal court! Forgive me if I lose my head. But I love this man so dearly.’ (Haydn, 1787)
With these two piano concertos we dive into the sound world of the time, the Viennese classical period , supported by Pawel’s pianoforte, which is a copy of Walter & Sohn (ca. 1805), one of the most prolific piano makers in Vienna, and Mozart’s favourite. This performance is presented by the Bach Club Soloists, an ensemble made up of period instrument musicians that are well known for their knowledgeable and at the same time modern take on historically informed performances.
You have recently helped us produce this project. Thank you ❤️ Watch a video in which Pawel Siwczak shares some reflections on its successful realization.
1779 signifies a massive change in Haydn’s employment. When his contract expired, a new one omitted some confining paragraphs which finally allowed Haydn personal control of future compositions, much more time to travel and therefore able to grow his international reputation and look after his relationships as well as embark on – last but not least – a major love affair.
Haydn’s Keyboard Concerto No. 11 in D major was written at the beginning of this new period of his life, between 1780 and 1783
Mozart’s keyboard concerto No 9 in E Flat major was written in 1777, when he was 21. He composed the work for Victoire Jenamy, a proficient pianist and the daughter of a friend of the composer, Jean-Georges Noverre, a French dancer and balletmaster.
Friendship and a generosity and liberty of spirit runs through this programme, to be found not only between these two great composers but also reflected in their concertos. We hope their story and their music might make you loose your head a little too.
Project generously supported by Continuo Foundation
@Baroquestock 2019
Key Artists
Pawel Siwczak
harpsichord & fortepiano; director
Catherine Martin
violin, leader
Catherine Martin read music at St Anne’s College, Oxford, completing her postgraduate studies with David Takeno at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, on the Advanced Solo Studies course.
During this time, she became interested in historical performance, playing the baroque violin alongside her modern violin studies. Catherine spent 12 years as a member of The English Concert under the direction of Trevor Pinnock, before leaving in 2005 to take up the post of leader of the Gabrieli Consort and Players. In 2010 Catherine was also appointed concertmaster of Die Kölner Akademie in Germany. She has been the leader of the orchestra of the Early Opera Company since its inception in 1994.
Catherine was invited by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra in 2012 to coach the players on baroque and classical repertoire. She also runs weekend workshops and concert performances with many amateur baroque orchestras and modern chamber orchestras who wish to know more about the field of historical performance. Catherine has a particular interest in Norwegian folk music, playing the hardanger fiddle.
In 2003 Catherine joined the Salomon String Quartet as second violin to Simon Standage, with whom she also plays trio sonatas in Collegium Musicum 90. Catherine appears on many recordings; for Deutsche Grammophon and Winged Lion with The Gabrieli Consort and Players, EMI with Ensemble Galant, and Chandos with I Fagiolini. She teaches historical violin at the Royal College of Music in London.
Leo Duarte
oboe
Leo is Principal Oboe of the Academy of Ancient Music and appears regularly as guest-principal with, among others, the English Baroque Soloists, the Sixteen, the Dunedin Consort, Arcangelo, La Nuova Musica, the English Concert, and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. As a chamber musician and concerto soloist, he has performed at the Wigmore Hall, the Royal Festival Hall and live on BBC Radio 3.
He is Artistic Director of Opera Settecento, with whom he has conducted many critically acclaimed performances including the modern-day premières of Hasse’s Demetrio, and Handel’s pasticcio operas, Elpidia, Ormisda and Venceslao at the London and Halle Handel Festivals. In 2022 he will conduct the première of Bärenreiter’s new edition of Handel’s Fernando.
Always eager to challenge the status quo in search of overlooked aspects of performance practice, Leo is dedicated to research. He has made editions of numerous eighteenth century works and is currently preparing the AAM’s highly praised new performing edition of Handel’s Brockes Passion for publication.
Ursula Paludan Monberg
horn
Born in Aalborg, Denmark in 1982 Ursula Paludan Monberg was thrown into the world of classical music from the very beginning. Spending much of her childhood under pianos in her mother’s singing lessons or listening to choir rehearsals in the Parish church, the sound of the voice has always been the source of inspiration for her music making. After an unrequited love affair with the violin, Ursula found her right instrument with the horn.
Shortly after taking up this wonderful instrument, during a lesson with German horn professor Michael Höltzel, he suggested an even better fit for her – the natural horn! It quickly became obvious that this was the perfect way for Ursula to make her music going forward, using the colourful palette of the early horn, making her inner voice sing.
A few years later Ursula was the first student to take a Bachelor’s degree at Guildhall School of Music and Drama with natural horn as her first study. Andrew Clark wrote a completely new syllabus for the instrument and through his very high standards inspired a practice regime and desire for excellence that allows the control of instrument needed for this repertoire. Further studies at the Formation Superiéure in Saintes, France gave her the opportunity to discover a different style of playing under the guidance of French natural horn virtuoso Claude Maury.
From 2007-2013 Ursula held the position as principal horn for Concerto Copenhagen and during these years she had the added opportunity of completing the soloist class at the Royal Danish Academy of Music. Under the direction of Lars-Ulrik Mortensen she made her debut as a soloist with Concerto Copenhagen in 2010 with a tour of Denmark playing concerti by Quantz, Graun and Haydn.
During her studies in London Ursula got a place on the OAE Experience Scheme with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. Having a connection with an orchestra of this calibre from a very early stage in her career has opened lots of doors and the bond with the orchestra is still strong as Ursula is a regular guest principal with the ensemble, appearing with them several times a year. In 2018 the OAE invited her to play principal horn for Giulio Cesare at Glyndebourne Opera playing the horn obligato in Va Tacito alongside Dame Sarah Connolly and thereby fulfilling a career dream!
In 2012 Ursula was appointed principal horn for The English Concert following two high profile performances (at the Royal Albert Hall (BBC Proms) and St Thomas’, Leipzig) of Bach’s b minor mass, with its demanding solo obligato part for the instrument. This is a piece she has performed many times and indeed she has recorded it to critical acclaim for Arcangelo on Hyperion.
Jonny Byers
cello
Belfast-born Jonathan Byers began playing the cello aged seven, and went on to study at the Royal Academy of Music in London with Prof. David Strange and Jennifer Ward-Clarke. Aside from performing with the Badke Quartet, Jonathan has a busy and varied freelance career performing as guest principal with many orchestras and period instrument groups, including the Academy of Ancient Music, Gabrieli Consort, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Classical Opera Company, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, and the Early Opera Company. He is co-principal cello with the English Concert and the Irish Baroque Orchestra.
Jonathan also performs with Sir John Eliot Gardiner’s Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique and has worked as guest principal with the Symphony Orchestra of India, and with the Weinberger Kammerorchester in Zurich, directed by Gábor Takács-Nagy. He also enjoys performing in recording sessions for film and TV soundtracks.
Carina Cosgrave
violone, double bass
Carina grew up in Bromley, South East London and has the many mentors and musicians she met there for starting her on her musical journey.
The first instrument she remembers playing was a bright red recorder, but after dabbling with the guitar, piano and flute (yes, it might’ve been…) she finally landed at a school with a spare double bass and a music teacher who needed someone to sit behind it in orchestra. So, here we are.
Carina studied her Bachelors at the Royal College of Music London with double bassist Peter Buckoke, a teacher who inspires her still. Her postgraduate diploma also from the RCM, was made possible with the support of the Hilda and Douglas Simmons award.
Over her career Carina has worked across many different styles of music working with many artists including Lemar, and Massive Attack, performing in festivals, in theatres including a number of productions at the Shakespeare‘s Globe and she has performed with orchestras such as the BBC Symphony Orchestra, RTE Symphony Orchestra and the City of London Sinfonia.
It was her passion for historical performance and the sounds and colours of historical instruments which finally led her to finally leave London. She studied at the Koninklijk Conservatorium in The Hague with Maggie Urquhart specialising in historical bass instruments and Violone. Since receiving her Masters Carina has gone on to be a sought after player with groups all over Europe, and she has toured extensively with ensembles including Les Siécles, Vox Luminis, L’orchestre des Champs-Élysées, Dunedin Consort, The English Concert, The Gabrieli Consort and Players, The Orchestra of The Age of Enlightenment, Florilegium and the London Handel Orchestra.
Her playing can be heard on a number of recordings, most recently with the Channel Classics label with Florilegium, Chandos with Ensemble Odyssee, Avie Records with La Serenissima and Linn records playing with Dunedin Consort and Ensemble Marsyas.
Carina now lives in London. Again.
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