London was in the grip of a freezing winter when Handel’s charming L'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato was given its premiere at Lincoln’s Inn Fields Theatre in February, 1740. The weather was so bitter the Thames had frozen over, but the theatre assured its audience: “Particular care is taken to have the House secur'd against the Cold, constant Fires being order'd to be kept in the House 'till the Time of Performance.”
The warm welcome that today’s audience at Saffron Hall is bound to give renowned Baroque interpreter William Christie and his ensemble Les Arts Florissants when they make their highly-anticipated Hall debut with L’Allegro on Sunday 13 March, will undoubtedly make extra heating unnecessary at what promises to be a highlight of the venue’s impressive Spring season.
L'Allegro defies categorisation. At the time, Handel was turning away from Italian opera towards English oratorio, but he refused to put a label on the piece – not even to call it an ode, a serenade or a mask. Even its Italian title disguises its English libretto, based on Milton’s reflections on whether we should live in thoughtful moderation or surrender to unbridled good humour. Soprano Rachel Redmond, tenor James Wey and bass-baritone Sreten Manojlovic will help the audience decide.
Another major season highlight is the return to the hall of the London Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Vladimir Jurowski, in what promises to be an outstanding concert on Sunday 10 April. The great pianist Dame Mitsuko Uchida will play Beethoven’s Piano Concerto no. 4 in G major. Few interpreters can bring such grace and power to arguably Beethoven’s finest concerto. It should be a memorable evening, particularly as Jurowski will follow the Beethoven with a journey through the vast landscape of Bruckner’s mighty Sixth Symphony.
And there’s more mouthwatering piano repertoire to enjoy when exciting young pianist Alim Beisembayev brings a wide-ranging programme to Saffron Hall on Sunday 3 April. The 23-year-old swept the board at last year’s Leeds International Piano Competition, winning first prize, the audience prize and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society Prize in a performance that set him on the road to stardom. At Saffron Hall he will explore works by Chopin, Ligeti and Ravel and close with three movements from Stravinsky’s spectacular Firebird Suite. Expect encores.
The smiling generosity of violinist Nicola Benedetti, that great musical communicator, ensures a capacity audience wherever she plays. Saffron Hall is sure to welcome her on Saturday 26 February when she joins her friends, the cellist Leonard Elschenbroich and the pianist Alexei Grynyuk, to perform two delightful pieces: Schumann’s Piano Trio no. 1 in D minor and Brahm’s Piano Trio no. 1 in B major. They will also include Wolfgang Rihm’s Fremde Szene III – three “essays” for piano trio that have become classics of the chamber music repertoire since their emergence in the 1980s.