Classical Subscription Series2009/10

In December this year we celebrate the fifth birthday of The Sage Gateshead and this is the fifth Classical Subscription Series which makes it a particularly appropriate opportunity to say thank you to all those of you that have continually supported our Series and helped to shape it into the prestigious cycle of concerts that it has become.These are challenging times for all of us in a variety of ways but perhaps that also means that now, more than ever, we need the profound experiences that classical music offers us. I am confident that we have created another Series with twenty-nine concerts rich in all sorts of magical experiences. At the heart of the Series is Northern Sinfonia, orchestra of The Sage Gateshead, with its Music Director Thomas Zehetmair. Through the orchestra we continue our celebrations of Haydn’s work, in this the 200th anniversary of his death, with three of his last symphonies. Thomas Zehetmair, renowned for his Schubert performances, brings the monumental Symphony no.9 as well as the lesser known, but really worth knowing, Symphony no.6. He will be joined by his great friend and colleague, Heinz Holliger, the distinguished oboist, to perform Elliott Carter’s Oboe Concerto. Carter, a giant of classical music in the twentieth century is now a hundred years old and still composing. There is also glorious programming in the months running up to Christmas that includes Tchaikovsky’s Symphony no.1 ‘Winter Daydreams’ and Grieg’s Piano Concerto.Mario Venzago returns and opens the Series for us with Brahms’s Double Concerto. We welcome back Frans Brüggen too for a programme celebrating the moment in

history when Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven were all alive and composing at the same time. It is two hundred years since the birth of Schumann, so we celebrate his life with his three exquisite concertos for piano, cello and violin. Two of Handel’s operas, 250 years after his death, ‘Theodora’ and ‘Acis and Galatea’, bring colour to the programme and Bernard Labadie comes back to us with Handel’s ‘Music for the Royal Fireworks’, and ‘Zadok the priest’, as a part of a programme on the theme of royalty. There is a special moment for J.S. Bach, as we will perform all six Brandenburg concerti alongside all six solo Cello Suites over two concerts with cellist Adrian Brendel.Large scale symphonic works will be provided by a glittering array of visiting orchestras including the Bergen Philharmonic, of which The Guardian recently said “Andrew Litton’s Bergen Philharmonic is sounding like Karajan has been working on it”. The Hallé with Sir Mark Elder performs Strauss - ‘Also sprach Zarathustra’, the CBSO plays Rachmaninov – ‘Symphonic Dances’ with Andris Nelsons, the Philharmonia and Salonen bring Janác̆ek’s Sinfonietta, and Yannick Nézet–Séguin and the London Philharmonic, making their first visit to The Sage Gateshead, perform Debussy - ‘La mer’. Watch out for works by Ravel this season: Piano Concerto for the Left Hand, ‘Daphnis et Chloé’, ‘Schéhérazade’ and the most beautiful arrangement by Percy Grainger of ‘La vallée des cloches’.There are so many good things to choose from I am sure you will enjoy reading this brochure and finding concerts to come to that will uplift you. Looking forward to sharing this season with you.

Simon ClugstonPerformance Programme Director

Welcome

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When you subscribe to a series of classical concerts at The Sage Gateshead, you save money on ticket prices. In this booklet you will find details of the concerts that you can choose from to make up your own Hall One concert season. Choose from a total of 29 concerts to create a personal package of 12, 19, 24 or buy all 29 concerts. You will then benefit from between 20% and 35% discount off the full price of the tickets. Subscription discounts are also available in conjunction with discounts for seniors and for under 19s.

Subscriptions are available in advance of tickets for individual concerts going on sale to the general public, so you can enjoy first choice of your preferred seating areas as well as your preferred concerts. You can also pay over a six month period and no handling charges apply to tickets booked as part of a subscription.

In addition, you can exchange tickets for any concert you are unable to attend for another concert in the Subscription Series free of charge. Please give us forty-eight hours notice.

This year, we are delighted to offer the additional Subscriber benefit of priority notice for other concerts. We will send Subscribers details of other classical concerts in the 2009/10 season – recitals, orchestral and chamber music – during the summer, giving you a chance to plan ahead and book the best seats before the majority of our customers hear about the concerts.

We also run buses from Hexham (via Corbridge) and Alnwick (via Felton and Morpeth) to all of these Subscription concerts. You can book a space on the bus for £6.50 return per concert. Please book your bus tickets when you book your concert tickets.

Now, enjoy looking through this booklet and choosing which concerts you will come to and refer to the booking information to calculate just how much you will save. We hope you will find yourself spoilt for choice.

Subscribe and save up to 35%

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Photo: Northern Sinfonia © Mark Savage

Friday 18th September 2009Mario Venzago: Conductor Baiba Skride: ViolinSol Gabetta: CelloNorthern SinfoniaMendelssohnThe HebridesSibeliusLemminkäinen SuiteLemminkäinen and the Maidens of the IslandThe Swan of TuonelaLemminkäinen’s ReturnHaydnSymphony no.94 ‘The Surprise’BrahmsDouble Concerto

Friday 25th September 2009Esa-Pekka Salonen: ConductorTamara Stefanovich: PianoPhilharmonia OrchestraJanác̆ekSinfoniettaRavelPiano Concerto for the Left HandStravinskyThe Firebird (complete ballet music, arr. Salonen)

Friday 9th October 2009Thomas Zehetmair: Music DirectorJane Irwin: Mezzo-sopranoNorthern SinfoniaHaydnSymphony no.101 ‘The Clock’MahlerRückert-LiederBrahmsSymphony no.3

Sunday 18th October 2009 Stéphane Denève: ConductorIlya Gringolts: ViolinRoyal Scottish National OrchestraMahlerBlumineBergViolin ConcertoDvor̆ákSymphony no.7

Thursday 29th October 2009, 7pmNicholas Kraemer: ConductorCarolyn Sampson: TheodoraSusan Bickley: IreneJames Gilchrist: SeptimiusRobin Blaze: DidymusPaul Whelan: ValensNorthern SinfoniaNorthern Sinfonia ChorusHandelTheodora

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Photos: Sol Gabetta © Marco Borggreve, Imogen Cooper © Sussie Ahlburg, Esa-Pekka Salonen © Clive Barda

Tuesday 10th November 2009Imogen Cooper: Director/PianoBradley Creswick: DirectorNorthern SinfoniaBrittenSimple SymphonyMozartPiano Concerto no.18 in B flat ‘Paradies’BachSuite no.3MozartPiano Concerto no.22 in E flat

Thursday 19th November 2009Thomas Zehetmair: Music DirectorHeinz Holliger: OboeNorthern SinfoniaHaydnSymphony no.99ElliottCarterOboe ConcertoSchubertSymphony no.6

Friday 27th November 2009Sir Mark Elder: ConductorPolina Leschenko: PianoHalléElgarOverture: ‘In the South (Alassio)’LisztPiano Concerto no.1StraussAlso sprach ZarathustraJohnAdamsShort Ride in a Fast Machine

Thursday 3rd December 2009Thomas Zehetmair: Music DirectorDénes Várjon: PianoNorthern SinfoniaRossiniOverture: ‘William Tell’GriegPiano Concerto in A minorSibeliusValse tristeTchaikovskySymphony no.1 ‘Winter Daydreams’

AllconcertsareinHallOneandbeginat7.30pmunlessotherwisestatedandtherearepre-concerttalksat6.30pm(for7.30pmconcerts)and6pm(for7pmconcerts)beforeeveryconcert.ThedetailsofthesewillbepublishedinourEventsDiaryfortherelevantperiod.

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Friday 18th December 2009Simon Halsey: ConductorJames Oxley: TenorDame Evelyn Glennie: PercussionNorthern SinfoniaNorthern Sinfonia ChorusJohnTavenerThe LambJamesMacMillanVeni, Veni, EmmanuelBrittenSaint Nicolas

Thursday 14th January 2010Thomas Zehetmair: Music DirectorNorthern SinfoniaHaydnSymphony no.100 ‘Military’SchubertSymphony no.9 ‘Great’

Friday 29th January 2010Nicholas McGegan: ConductorYa-Fei Chuang: PianoNorthern SinfoniaMendelssohnOverture: ‘Ruy Blas’SchumannPiano Concerto in A minorBeethovenSymphony no.6 ‘Pastoral’

Friday 5th February 2010Garry Walker: ConductorGuy Johnston: CelloNorthern SinfoniaSibeliusPélleas and MélisandeSchumannCello ConcertoMozartSymphony no.41 ‘Jupiter’

Sunday 14th February 2010Yannick Nézet-Séguin: ConductorRonald Brautigam: PianoMelvyn Tan: PianoLondon Philharmonic OrchestraRavel‘Daphnis et Chloé:’ Suite no.2PoulencConcerto for two pianos RavelValses nobles et sentimentalesDebussyPrélude à l’Après-midi d’un fauneDebussyLa mer

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Photos: Yannick Nézet-Séguin © Marco Borggreve, Elizabeth Watts © Mike Owen, H.K. Gruber

Sunday 21st February 2010H.K. Gruber: ConductorJeremy Huw Williams: BaritoneNorthern SinfoniaStravinskyRagtimeMark-AnthonyTurnageThe Torn FieldsStravinskyConcertinoJohnAdamsThe Wound-DresserStravinskySuite from ‘Pulcinella’

Friday 26th February 2010Mario Venzago: ConductorSayaka Shoji: ViolinElizabeth Watts: SopranoStephan Genz: BaritoneNorthern SinfoniaNorthern Sinfonia ChorusSchumannViolin ConcertoBrahmsA German Requiem

Saturday 13th March 2010Frans Brüggen: ConductorFinghin Collins: PianoNorthern SinfoniaHaydnSymphony no.92 ‘Oxford’BeethovenPiano Concerto no.2MozartSymphony no.40

Wednesday 17th March 2010Heinz Holliger: Conductor/OboeNorthern SinfoniaWebernFive MovementsStraussOboe ConcertoSchumannConcertstück for 4 hornsMendelssohnSymphony no.4 ‘Italian’ (2nd version)

Monday 22nd March 2010Andrew Litton: ConductorFreddy Kempf: PianoBergen Philharmonic OrchestraGriegBell RingingProkofievPiano Concerto no.3ShostakovichSymphony no.5

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Photos: Yannick Nézet-Séguin © Marco Borggreve, Elizabeth Watts © Mike Owen, H.K. Gruber

Tuesday 23rd March 2010Andrew Litton: ConductorJulian Rachlin: ViolinBergen Philharmonic OrchestraGrieg‘Peer Gynt’: Suite no.1ShostakovichViolin Concerto no.1ProkofievSymphony no.5

Saturday 3rd April 2010Bramwell Tovey: ConductorSusan Gritton: SopranoJohn Graham-Hall: TenorWilliam Dazeley: BaritoneOrchestra of Opera NorthHuddersfield Choral SocietyRavel(arr.Grainger)La vallée des clochesRavelShéhérazadeOrffCarmina Burana

Friday 9th April 2010Diego Masson: ConductorCarolin Widmann: ViolinNorthern SinfoniaBartókHungarian SketchesLigetiConcert RomânescJohnWoolrichConcerto for ViolinRavelMother Goose

Saturday 24th April 2010Simon Halsey: ConductorSophie Bevan: SopranoMadeleine Shaw: Mezzo-sopranoBenjamin Hullett: TenorNeal Davies: BaritoneNorthern SinfoniaNorthern Sinfonia ChorusVivaldiConcerto no.1 from ‘L’estro armonico’HowardGoodallEternal Light: A RequiemVivaldiConcerto no.4 from ‘L’estro armonico’DurufléRequiem

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Photos: Bernard Labadie, Ed Lyon © RDP Photography, Carolin Widmann © Kay-Christian Heine

Saturday 1st May 2010Philip Pickett: ConductorEd Lyon: AcisJoanne Lunn: GalateaMichael George: PolyphemusNew London ConsortHandelAcis and Galatea

Friday 14th May 2010Andris Nelsons: ConductorLars Vogt: PianoCity of Birmingham Symphony OrchestraMussorgskyNight on Bald MountainBeethovenPiano Concerto no.4RachmaninovSymphonic Dances

Saturday 22nd May 2010Bernard Labadie: ConductorNorthern SinfoniaNorthern Sinfonia ChorusPurcellChacony in F from ‘King Arthur’DelalandeSymphonies pour les Soupers du Roy (excerpts)HandelMusic for the Royal FireworksPurcellMusic for the Funeral of Queen MaryHandelCoronation Anthems:Zadok the priestMy heart is inditingThe king shall rejoice

Friday 28th May 2010, 7pmLaurence Cummings: Director/HarpsichordAdrian Brendel: CelloNorthern SinfoniaBachCello Suite no.1Brandenburg Concerto no.6Cello Suite no.4Brandenburg Concerto no.1Cello Suite no.2Brandenburg Concerto no.2

Sunday 30th May 2010, 7pmLaurence Cummings: Director/HarpsichordAdrian Brendel: CelloNorthern SinfoniaBachCello Suite no.3Brandenburg Concerto no.4Cello Suite no.6Brandenburg Concerto no.3Cello Suite no.5Brandenburg Concerto no.5

Friday 4th June 2010Thomas Zehetmair: Music Director/ViolinJane Irwin: Mezzo-sopranoNorthern SinfoniaBachViolin Concerto in D minor B.W.V.1052a

SimonBainbridgeConcerto for Chamber Orchestra (world premiere)

MahlerLieder eines fahrenden Gesellen

SchumannSymphony no.4 (original version 1841)

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Support Northern Sinfonia by becoming a Principal PartnerNorthern Sinfonia brings enormous pleasure to thousands of people each year through its numerous concerts presented at The Sage Gateshead and further afield. Many of the musicians in the orchestra are also involved in coaching the next generation of outstanding classical musicians including Young Sinfonia and members of The Sage Gateshead’s other regional youth ensembles. Many also give one to one tuition to the gifted and talented musicians who train at The Sage Gateshead’s Weekend School.

Our valued Principal Partners support the breadth of the orchestra’s work and enjoy direct association with a single Northern Sinfonia ‘Chair’. Principal Partner support is credited each time the orchestra is listed in a concert programme and our group of Partners have the opportunity to meet the orchestra and their ‘Chair’ of choice throughout the classical season. We have several Principal Partnerships available, including the Music Director and Leader.

To find out more about becoming a Principal Partner please contact Alexandra Heley, Development Manager on 0191 443 4641 or by email at alexandra.heley@thesagegateshead.org

Support the orchestra by leaving a lasting legacyFollowing the success of Northern Sinfonia’s 50th Anniversary Season, we all look forward to another fifty years of thrilling performances from the orchestra of The Sage Gateshead. Underpinned by a charitable trust, the orchestra needs your support to continue its work. Choosing to leave a legacy gift to our endowment fund will ensure that Northern Sinfonia flourishes in perpetuity and it can be an effective way for you to reduce Inheritance Tax. Whether large or small, every legacy gift makes an enormous difference.

In recognition of your pledge we would be delighted to welcome you into our new Legacy Circle, through which we can thank you during your lifetime for your gift. In addition, you will enjoy a special association with the orchestra and our classical programme, have the opportunity to access social events and receive updates about our work.

For further information, please tick the relevant box on your subscription form or contact Alison Marley, Development Manager on 0191 443 5038 or by email at alison.marley@thesagegateshead.org.

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Founding PatronsThe Sage Group plcThe Barbour TrustNorthern Rock FoundationThe Garfield Weston FoundationJoan and Margaret Halbert

How to bookFirst of all fill in the personal details section on the booking form. Now decide how many concerts you wish to attend – you can choose 12, 19, 24 or 29 over the season. Tick your choices on the concert choice list on page 14.

Then fill in the details of the Subscription package(s) you require, telling us the number of concerts in your chosen package, your preferred price area (see seating plan overleaf and please note that we have added an additional 150 seats in price band B at the front of the stalls), and the price of your package (see page12). Then tell us the number of people your choice applies to and calculate the total price. Please also tick the box to indicate whether you wish to sit on Level 1, Level 2 or Level 3.

Please indicate whether you wish to take advantage of our bus service and calculate the total cost of those tickets, e.g. 12 return journeys to The Sage Gateshead @ £6.50 per return ticket = £78.

Now calculate your total payment and fill in the payment section of the form making it clear whether you wish to pay over six months or in one go.

You can then call our Ticket Office on 0191 443 4661 to make your booking or return your forms by post, along with your payment, to: Ticket Office, The Sage Gateshead, St Mary’s Square, Gateshead Quays, Gateshead NE8 2JR. If you prefer to book by post please ensure you mark your envelope “Subscription”.

Priority booking for existing Subscribers opens on Tuesday 12th May and tickets will be posted out from 19th May. Subscriptions go on general sale on Tuesday 2nd June 2009 and tickets for individual concerts in the subscription series go on sale on 16th June. See over for single ticket prices, including Area E tickets at £7.

Seats will be allocated on a strictly first come first served basis: we can’t guarantee your chosen seats, and your seats may vary for some concerts, but we will do our best.

We are sorry that we are unable to offer subscriptions in Area E.

If you are aged 60 years or over you will receive a discount of £2 per ticket and then your percentage discount for your Subscription. Other concessionary prices apply to full time students, unemployed people and under 19s, who all receive 50% discount off the price of a full Subscription. The table overleaf calculates these variables for you.

If you are a Subscriber with any physical difficulties, regardless of whether you use a wheelchair or not, it helps us to provide better customer service if you complete the section of the form on page 13 telling us of your specific requirements. If you have an essential carer they can come to concerts with you free of charge. Please make this clear on your booking form. Please also tell us if you bring a guide dog to concerts with you. If you wear a hearing aid, we advise you take advantage of our Sennheiser listening system which provides excellent audio quality. If you would like to use the system please tell us so we can reserve a headset for you.

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Ticketpricesforindividualconcerts £ £ £ £ Full 29.50 25.00 20.50 14.00

12concerts-save20% Full Subscriber 283.20 240.00 196.80 134.40 Senior Subscriber 264.00 220.80 177.60 115.20 Other concessions Subscriber 141.60 120.00 98.40 67.20

19concerts-save25% Full Subscriber 420.47 356.25 292.22 199.50 Senior Subscriber 391.97 327.75 263.72 171.00 Other concessions Subscriber 210.14 178.22 146.11 99.75

24concerts-save30% Full Subscriber 495.60 420.48 344.40 235.20 Senior Subscriber 462.00 386.40 310.80 201.60 Other concessions Subscriber 247.92 210.00 172.32 117.60

29concerts-save35% Full Subscriber 556.22 471.25 386.57 263.90 Senior Subscriber 518.52 433.55 348.87 226.20 Other concessions Subscriber 278.11 235.77 193.43 131.95

PRICE AREA A B C D

Level One Stalls Level Two

Level Three

StageStageStage

BAA

A

A

A

A

A

A

A

B

B

B

B

B

C C

CC E E

D D

NB: a further 5 rows of seats have been designated as Price B at the front of the stalls

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Booking Form Please return as detailed on page 11

Title Initials Surname

Address

Postcode

Telephone

(Please fill in your telephone number in case we need to contact you about your booking)

E-mail

Subscriptions

Preferred seating level (please tick) Level 1 Level 2 Level 3

Bus tickets @ £6.50 per return ticket £

Special requirements* (e.g. wheelchair user, guide dog, hearing loop)

*Please note any special access requirements you may have. We will do our very best to meet your requests.

PaymentI enclose a cheque payable to The Sage Gateshead for £

Please write your card number on the back of your cheque.

I wish to pay by Mastercard Visa Switch/Maestro Issue No. (Switch/Maestro)

Card number Expiry date /

Signature

Staggered payments If you are paying by credit or debit card, and wish to spread your payment over 6 months, please tick here. Payments will be deducted on the 15th of the month from June-November 2009.

Totaltopay£

Subscriptiontype

Full

Senior

Otherconcessions

Subscription total £

No. ofconcerts

ie. 12, 19, 24, 29

Price area(A-D)

Subscriptionprice (see p.12)

No. of people Total£

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Leaving a legacy gift is a personal and tax-effective way of remembering Northern Sinfonia in your will, ensuring the orchestra will be enjoyed by generations to come.

If you would like to receive information about leaving a legacy to support Northern Sinfonia, please tick here

If you have already included Northern Sinfonia or The Sage Gateshead in your will and would like to join our Legacy Circle, please tick here

Please tell us how you first heard about subscriptions(e.g. already on mailing list, saw an advert in BBC Music Magazine):

Concert choice – 12, 19, 24 or 29 concertsPlease tick the subscription concerts you wish to attend:* denotes 7pm start

18th September

25th September

9th October

18th October

29th October*

10th November

19th November

27th November

3rd December

18th December

14th January

29th January

5th February

14th February

21st February

26th February

13th March

17th March

22nd March

23rd March

3rd April

9th April

24th April

1st May

14th May

22nd May

28th May*

30th May*

4th June

If you are an existing customer, please enter your customer ID number here (it will be on the letter accompanying this brochure if you received it by post)

If your customer ID number is not known to you please tick

If you are a new customer, we will telephone you to ensure we understand your preferences and requirements.

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They say that being proud is a bad thing. But we’re not so sure. At Classic FM, we’re proud to be part of the North East’s musical life. We’re proud that Northern Sinfonia is one of our partner orchestras. And we’re proud that more people across the UK hear the music of Northern Sinfonia on Classic FM than anywhere else.

www.classicfm.com www.thesagegateshead.orgPhoto: Mark Savage

The Sage GatesheadSt Mary’s SquareGateshead Quays GatesheadNE8 2JR

Chairman: Lord Puttnam of Queensgate

Visit www.thesagegateshead.org for information on all our projects at The Sage Gateshead, around the region and nationwide.

Ticket Office: 0191 443 4661

Administration: 0191 443 4666

The details contained in this brochure are available in large print.Call 0191 443 4661.A note on text: for composers and repertoire, we use spellings from Grove Music Online. There are occasional exceptions where we’ve opted for the most commonly used title or name for ease of recognition.

The information in this brochure is correct at the time of going to print: we reserve the right to make changes which circumstances may necessitate.

North Music Trust is registered in England as a company limited by guarantee, number 4044936 and as a charity, number 1087445

Cover photo: Northern Sinfonia by Dan Brady