Prince Mahidol Hall and the Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra are honored to present a performance by The Academy of Ancient Music (AAM) – the world’s foremost period-instrument orchestra based in Cambridge, England. Founded by harpsichordist Christopher Hogwood in 1973, it was named after a previous organization of the same name of the 18th century. The musicians play on either original instruments or modern copies of instruments from the period of time the music was composed. AAM Music Director Richard Egarr leads this performance of Baroque masterworks and is joined by mezzo soprano Vivica Genaux.
Academy of Ancient Music
For more than 40 years the Academy of Ancient Music has enriched the lives of thousands with historically informed performances of baroque and classical music. Founded in 1973 by Christopher Hogwood, the orchestra has since performed on all six inhabited continents and recorded over 300 CDs. In 2006 Richard Egarr succeeded Hogwood as Music Director, and has led the orchestra on tours of Europe, Australia, the USA and the Far East.
The AAM’s 2015-16 season sees the conclusion of a three-year cycle of Monteverdi’s operas in partnership with the Barbican Centre; a principal player focus, and exciting collaborations with internationally renowned artists Ian Bostridge, Bernard Labadie, Lucy Crowe and Reinhard Goebel. International touring will see the orchestra perform in the Far East and across Europe, and plans for AAM Records include a series of recordings of the music of lesser-known Venetian composer Dario Castello.
May 3, 2016 marks the debut performance of AAM in Thailand at the Mahidol University’s Prince Mahidol Hall with Conductor Richard Egarr featuring Mezzo-Soprano Vivica Genaux performing Handel’s Water Music Suite No. 1 in F major, HWV. 348 and Vivaldi’s In turbato mareirato, RV. 637, Concerto for Strings in G major, RV.151 “Alla Rustrica”, La fede tradita e vendicata, RV.712: “Sin nel placido soggiorno”, La fida ninfa, RV.714: I.9: “Alma oppressa”, Concerto in D major, RV.562, Griselda, RV.718: II. “Agitata da due venti”. In this rare appearance, Maestro Egarr will be playing and directing the orchestra from the harpsichord.
Richard Egarr has been the Music Director of AAM since 2006 and he is also Principal Guest Conductor of The Hague Philharmonic and Associate Artist of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. He has a flourishing career as a guest conductor with orchestras ranging from Boston’s Handel and Haydn Society to the London Symphony, Royal Concertgebouw and Philadelphia Orchestras.
Egarr continues to play solo recitals across the world – in 2015 at the Edinburgh International Festival and at Carnegie Hall, where his programme includes Bach ‘English’ Suites and Handel ‘Great’ Suites, as featured on his two latest releases for Harmonia Mundi. These are notable additions to an impressive discography, which includes the Goldberg Variations and Well-Tempered Clavier, Mozart fantasias and rondos, and the complete harpsichord works of Louis Couperin. His growing list of recordings with the Academy of Ancient Music includes seven Handel discs (2007 Gramophone Award, 2009 MIDEM and Edison awards), and most recently JS Bach’s St Matthew Passion, released on the AAM’s own label in March 2015.
Soloist mezzo-soprano Vivica Genaux has been lauded throughout her two-decade career for her beautiful, immediately-identifiable timbre, remarkable technique, and prowess as a singing actress. Having garnered prizes including Pittsburgh Opera’s Maecenas Award, New York City Opera’s Christopher Keene Award, and an ARIA Award, Vivica now enjoys interacting with young singers via masterclasses and teaching opportunities. Engagements in the 2015 – 2016 Season take Vivica to four continents. The music of Rossini was central to her itinerary in Autumn 2015, beginning in September with performances of the title rôle in La Cenerentola with Europa Galante and Fabio Biondi at Germany’s Musikfest Bremen and Italy’s Reate Festival. She returned to Washington Concert Opera for Arsace in Semiramide in November.
