BILL ELMS ASSOCIATES | PRESS RELEASE
Monday 23 May 2011 | For Immediate Release
A Gala Performance of
Conducted by Harry Bicket
Featuring guest soprano soloist Helen Massey
In support of the Guillemot Trust.
One of the World's Finest Chamber Orchestras comes to Liverpool
This October, the magnificent St George's Hall will play host to one of the finest chamber orchestras in the world – The English Concert – and in turn will provide Liverpool with one of its top calendar highlights of 2011.
The exceptional 9 piece orchestra will deliver a string of Baroque classics by composers Purcell, Bach and Vivaldi in St George's Concert Room. The evening is conducted by the highly praised Artistic Director, Harry Bicket and will also feature soprano soloist Helen Massey, any profits will go to theGuillemot Trust charity.
It has been two decades since The English Concert last played in Liverpool and the Northwest, underlining the importance – and indeed, rarity – of the upcoming visit on Sunday 2nd October 2011. This is a unique opportunity to attend an evening of inspiring performance and enjoy listening to a group of world-renowned and internationally applauded musicians.
Talented and beautiful soprano, Helen Massey, who originates from Cheshire, has performed to critical acclaim all over the UK and Europe. Recent concert appearances include Haydn's St. Nicholas Massand Beatus Vir by J. C. Bach in Glasgow Cathedral, Handel's Messiah in Truro Cathedral, Mozart's Exultate Jubilate in Grantham and Carl Orff's Carmina Burana at Eton College.
Conductor and Artistic Director, Liverpool born Harry Bicket, is internationally renowned in his field and especially noted for his interpretation of Baroque and Classical repertoire. He has led tours of The English Concert in the UK, USA, Europe and the Middle East, as well as conducting symphony orchestras all over the world, including Liverpool's own Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra in 2008, when he conducted the world premiere of Kenneth Hesketh's oratorio "Like the sea, like Time".
Harry Bicket commented: "I remember well growing up in Liverpool and seeing St George's Hall as an iconic landmark of the city, but one which was sadly boarded up and not open to the public, so it is an enormous pleasure to be returning many years later to perform in a building that is not only now open, but restored to its former glory. The English Concert and I are thrilled to be returning to Liverpool after many years, and performing the music of the most celebrated Baroque composers of their day."
The prestigious event is being organised for the Guillemot Trust charity, in order to raise the profile of the services they offer. The charity operates from the Royal Mersey Yacht Club and uses their premises, moorings and facilities. The Guillemot Trust was set up in close association with the Yacht club and many of the club's member's volunteers their services to the trust in order to ensure its smooth running and long term survival. The Trust deed stipulates that the vessel should serve a wider population giving people of all ages; especially the young and less advantaged, and non-members the opportunity to enjoy the pleasures of learning to sail.
Captain Hugh Daglish LVO JP Royal Navy, Chairman of the Guillemot Trust, explains: "Being afloat, you quickly come to respect the natural forces of wind, weather and tide, and learn to work with them. In a sailing boat, you discover something about yourself and the pleasures of good teamwork. From our great river you see the Liverpool and Wirral waterfronts in one sweep of the eye. The Guillemot Trust aims to make these life enriching experiences available to people who would not otherwise have the opportunity. The Trust is very new, so we are most grateful to the concert organisers, and we are honoured that The English Concert is performing in Liverpool to raise awareness and funds for our cause".
The special event at St George's Hall will be held in the stunning Concert Room – the perfectly opulent setting for this glittering, sensational musical performance. In line with an event of this calibre is an exclusive VIP package for a limited number of people. The package includes premium positioned seating, an event programme, pre-show and interval drinks and canapés in a VIP private suite.
The Concert Room at St George's Hall was designed by the architect Charles Cockerell and is widely considered to be one of his finest creations. The stage has been host to more than a few famous names; Charles Dickens gave many readings there and described it as a perfect venue.
Tickets for this one-off event are expected to sell quickly. Tickets go on sale on Monday 23rd May and a special early booking offer is available for tickets booked and paid before 31st July 2011 (excludes premium seating).
The Guillemot Trust is a registered charity - Registered number:1141765. Patron Dame Lorna Muirhead DBE
PERFORMANCE DETAILS
THE ENGLISH CONCERT
Conducted by Harry Bicket
Featuring guest soprano soloist Helen Massey
Sunday 2nd October 2011 @ 7.30pm
St George's Hall Concert Room, North Entrance, William Brown Street,Liverpool, L1 1JJ
Tickets on sale: Monday 23rd May 2011
VIP Package - £60.00 – Price includes - Premium positioned seat, programme and pre-show and interval drinks reception (including canapés) in a private suite.
Stalls and Curved seating - £37.50 (E/B Discount £35.00)
Balcony Seating - £27.50 (E/B Discount £25.00)
Early Booking Discount: Book and Pay by 31st July 2011 and receive £2.50 off per ticket (EXCLUDES Premium Seats)
Group Bookings: 1 in 10 goes free
How to Book – All bookings are processed through the Philharmonic Hall Box Office
Online at http://boxoffice.liverpoolphil.com. By telephone on 0151 709 3789.By post/in person - Box Office, Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, Hope Street,Liverpool, L1 9BP (Opening Hours, Monday to Saturday 10am - 5.30pm).
Notes
Further information on The English Concert can be found atwww.englishconcert.co.uk
Further information on St George's Hall can be found atwww.stgeorgesliverpool.co.uk
A little about The English Concert...
The English Concert (TEC) was founded in 1973 by harpsichordist, Trevor Pinnock. Now approaching its 40th anniversary, The English Concert is among the finest chamber orchestras in the world, with internationally acclaimed performances of Baroque and Classical music in the concert hall and also on CD. Among the most recorded of chamber orchestras, TEC has to its credit over 100 recordings with Trevor Pinnock and a series of critically acclaimed CDs. TEC also works with distinguished guest directors, including oboist Alfredo Bernardini, violinist Fabio Biondi and harpsichordists Laurence Cummings and Kenneth Weiss.
"The orchestra and Bicket added a beautifully contoured accompaniment throughout, leaving us as they began, veiled in a melancholic shroud, as bracingly cold as the frosty evening air I was about to walk out into."
The Daily Telegraph, October 2010.
"Directed from the harpsichord with precision by Bicket, The English Concert have a marvellously acute understanding of Handelian sensuousness." The Guardian, April 2010
"As the English Concert wolfed down the semiquavers in Bach's fourth orchestral suite during Wednesday's Baroque mixed grill, it was hard to imagine the music ever sounding fresher or cleaner." The Times, February 2008
A little about Harry Bicket...
Internationally renowned as a conductor, Harry Bicket is especially noted for his interpretation of Baroque and Classical repertoire. He has won high praise internationally for his work in opera, including at The Royal Opera Covent Garden, Glyndebourne Festival Opera, Opera North, Bayerische Staatsoper Munich, and Gran Teatre del Liceu Barcelona.
"Harry Bicket led the band with absolute assurance, doubling as harpsichordist and chamber organist." The Classical Source, November 2010.
A little about Helen Massey...
Helen Massey studied at the Royal College and Royal Academy of Music, where she won the Peter Pears Duo and English Song prizes and was chosen as soloist for Sir David Wilcocks 80th birthday concerts. She subsequently worked with Dennis O'Neill at his Cardiff International Academy of Voice. One of Helen's first operatic roles was as Emmie in Albert Herring, directed by Sir Thomas Allen, and since then her career has taken her far afield, from India to Italy.
"The evening belonged to Helen Massey. She walked onto the stage and took a firm grip on the show. The audience loved her – as did I." Opera Now, May/June 2006.
A little about St George's Concert Hall...
St George's Hall opened in 1856 and is a Grade 1 listed part of Liverpool's World Heritage Site. The re-opening on Monday 23rd April, 2007, marked the end of ten years of planning and five years of restoration. The £23m restoration of St. George's Hall was led by the architects Purcell, Miller and Tritton.
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