Handel at the Foundling Museum
Preview by Lizzie Guilfoyle
CELEBRATING Handel, the Foundling Museum has organised the following events in association with the annual London Handel Festival:
Handel at the Foundling: Evening concert – Tuesday, March 3, 7pm to 8.30pm (doors open 6.30pm).
Poignant flute sonatas frame Walsh’s compilation of highlights from Samson. The programme concludes with the great D minor recorder sonata from the Fitzwilliam Museum.
Flute Sonata in A minor (‘Halle’) HWV 37
Adagio, Allegro, Adagio, Allegro
Overture and Aria arrangements from Samson (Walsh)
Flute Sonata in E minor (‘Halle’) HWV 375
Adagio, Allegro, Grave, Minuet
Recorder Sonata in Bb major (‘Fitzwilliam’)
Courante, Adagio, Allegro
Harpsichord Suite No8 in F minor HWV 433
Recorder Sonata in D minor (‘Fitzwilliam’)
Largo, Vivace, Furioso, Adagio, Alla Breve
Taking part are Rachel Brown (flute and recorder), Katherine Sharman (cello), and Laurence Cummings (harpsichord).
Haydn in London: Evening concert – Tuesday, March 10, 7pm to 8.30pm (doors open 6.30pm).
To celebrate the bicentenary of the death of Joseph Haydn, the Revolutionary Drawing Room performs three of his great string quartets, two of them written for London audiences and the third his last complete work in the genre.
Quartets:
Op.71 No.1 in B flat major
Op.64 No.5 in D major (“The Lark”)
Op.77 No.2 In F major
The Revolutionary Drawing Room are Adrian Butterfield (violin), Jean Paterson (violin), Rachel Stott (Viola) and Ruth Alford (cello).
Messiah from Scratch: Rehearsal and evening concert – Saturday, April 4, rehearsal: 2pm to 5pm, concert: 7pm to 8.30pm (doors open 6.30pm).
The Little Baroque Company, led by Helen Kruger, will be putting together a performance of Handel’s famous Messiah from scratch in an afternoon. If you are keen to join in and sing then book your place to become part of this impromptu choir, otherwise come to the Museum and be part of the audience at the evening concert to enjoy the performers’ hard work.
Laurence Cummings (conductor), Elena Sancho (soprano), Hanna Hipp (mezzo-soprano), Daniel Joy (tenor) and Andrew Finden (baritone/bass).
Theodora: Talk at the Foundling Museum – Wednesday, April 8, 6pm to 7pm.
Dr Ruth Smith introduces Handel’s last great dramatic oratorio, Jephtha. Towards the end of his career Handel becomes more and more daring. After a visionary drama with a wrenchingly sad ending (Theodora), he took on a libretto about a father’s sacrifice of his daughter, which is apparently ordained by God. Why did Thomas Morell offer Handel this subject, and how did Handel make such appalling material into a masterpiece?
All the events must be booked directly through the London Handel Festival in advance either online or by calling the box office on 01460 54660.
An exhibition commemorating the 250th anniversary of the composer’s death, Handel the Philanthropist, is on display at the Foundling Museum until June 28, 2009.
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