London, Basingstoke, Bristol and Bruges
November 20 to 24, 2019
Toronto, November 19, 2019… For the first time since 2006, Canada’s globetrotting baroque orchestra returns to the UK for its Love & Betrayal Tour. The superb Canadian soprano Karina Gauvin joins the orchestra led by Music Director Elisa Citterio in an expertly crafted program contrasting ardent seduction with furious defiance.
The Love & Betrayal Tour begins November 20 at The Anvil, Basingstoke before passing through St George’s, Bristol (November 21) on its way to the Concertgebouw in Bruges (November 22). Returning to London, Tafelmusik performs the tour’s final concert at Milton Court Concert Hall, Barbican Centre, on November 24.
Recognized especially for her work in baroque repertoire, Karina Gauvin is a frequent collaborator with Tafelmusik. For the Love & Betrayal Tour, Gauvin enacts a wide range of emotions, from the seductive passion of Handel’s “V’adoro, pupille” from Giulio Cesare to the fiery passion of Rinaldo’s “Furie terribili.” The program is complemented with less familiar arias from Vivaldi’s Farnace and Ercole su’l Termodonte and finishes with the defiant “Scherza in mar” from Handel’s Lotario.
Interspersed between Gauvin’s arias, the musicians of Tafelmusik emulate her passions with dramatic instrumental interludes including two works by Vivaldi that are also featured on Citterio’s first recording with Tafelmusik, Vivaldi con amore. Citterio’s solo violin takes centre stage in Locatelli’s striking Concerto in E-flat Major, “Il Pianto d’Arianna,” one of the first pieces Citterio brought with her to Tafelmusik.
“The Love & Betrayal program gives us everything from passionate vocal pyrotechnics to touching lyricism, but at its core it unites baroque voices and instruments in the heights of emotion. Each day, I am astonished by the sheer joy and enthusiasm Tafelmusik players have on stage, and I am thrilled to collaborate with Karina Gauvin on my first European tour with the ensemble,” said Citterio.
Tafelmusik maintains a rigorous schedule of touring engagements, spending an average of five to eight weeks on the road each season. To date, the orchestra has visited more than 350 citiesin 32 different countries.
This tour has been made possible through generous grants provided by the Canada Council for the Arts.
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Love & Betrayal Tour Itinerary
Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra with guest soloist, soprano Karina Gauvin
Elisa Citterio, director
Wednesday 20 November, 7:45pm
The Anvil, Basingstoke, UK
Thursday 21 November, 7:30pm
St. George’s, Bristol, UK
Saturday 22 November, 8:00pm
Concertgebouw, Bruges, Belgium
Sunday 24 November, 7:00pm
Milton Court Concert Hall, Barbican Centre, London, UK
Program:
Handel Concerto grosso in B-flat Major, op. 3, no. 2Handel Aria “V’adoro, pupille” from Giulio Cesare
Vivaldi Sinfonia to Ottone in villa
Vivaldi Aria “Quell’usignolo che innamorato” from Farnace
Vivaldi Aria “Amato ben” from Ercole su’l Termodonte
Vivaldi Concerto for 2 oboes & 2 violins in C Major, RV 534Locatelli Concerto in E-flat Major, op. 7, no. 6 “Il Pianto d’Arianna”
Handel Overture to Agrippina
Handel Aria “Non ho cor che per amarti” from Agrippina
Handel Aria “Ah, mio cor” from Alcina
Handel Overture to Rinaldo
Handel Aria “Furie terribili” from Rinaldo
Handel Aria “Scherza in mar” from Lotario
ABOUT KARINA GAUVIN
Recognized for her work in the baroque repertoire, Canadian soprano Karina Gauvin sings the music of the 20th and 21st centuries with equal success. She has performed with the world’s leading symphony orchestras under the baton of Michael Tilson Thomas, Michel Plasson, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Mikko Frank, Teodor Currentzis, Bernard Labadie, Christophe Rousset, Alan Curtis, Sir Roger Norrington, Kent Nagano, and Jeremy Rhorer. She has recorded for Deutsche Grammophon, Virgin, Naïve, Sony Classical, EMI, and Erato labels. Her extensive discography (more than 50 titles) has won her numerous awards, including a Chamber Music America Award for her Fête Galantedisc with pianist Marc-André Hamelin, two Grammy nominations for her recordings with the Boston Early Music Orchestra, and several Opus Awards. Her collaborations with Tafelmusik started very early on in her career with a disc of arias and dances by G.F. Handel. Years later after many tours and concert projects, they collaborated again recording Handel’s Messiah. Forthcoming engagements include Saul/Merab (Le Châtelet); Giulio Cesare/Cleopatra (Les Talens Lyriques); Les Illuminations/Britten (Orchestre Métropolitain).
ABOUT TAFELMUSIK
Led by Music Director Elisa Citterio, Tafelmusik is one of the world’s leading period-instrument ensembles, performing on instruments and in styles appropriate for the era of the music. Renowned for dynamic, engaging, and soulful performances, Tafelmusik performs some 80 concerts each year for audiences across Toronto, and is Canada’s most toured orchestra, having performed in more than 350 cities in 32 countries. The orchestra is often joined by the critically acclaimed Tafelmusik Chamber Choir and its director, Ivars Taurins.
Tafelmusik also seeks to transport audiences to the baroque and classical periods through insightful multimedia programs and adventurous cross-cultural collaborations. Our musicians share their knowledge and experience through comprehensive education and artist-training initiatives such as the Tafelmusik Baroque Summer and Winter Institutes. Tafelmusik’s recordings on the Sony, CBC Records, Analekta, and Tafelmusik Media labels have garnered ten JUNOs and numerous international recording prizes.
2019/20 SEASON PARTNERS
Tafelmusik wishes to thank the following for their generous support: BMO Financial Group, RBC Foundation, KPMG, Catherine and Maxwell Meighen Foundation, Whitmer Trudel Charitable Foundation, The Pluralism Fund, Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, Toronto Arts Council, Classical 96.3 FM, and NOW Magazine. Tafelmusik is a proud partner of the Bloor St. Culture Corridor.
Media contact: Luisa Trisi, Big Picture Communications, 416 456-0499
luisa@luisatrisi.com | 427 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON M5S 1X7