New season - new Hall - Saffron Hall

Saffron Hall, the new 730 seater concert hall in Saffron Walden, has announced the details of its 2014/15 season.  The hall opened in November 2013, and this is the first season under new Director Angela Dixon, and it is quite a varied programme. 

There are recitals from Maxim Vengerov, Paul Lewis, Iestyn Davies, and the Brodsky Quartet, plus Maria Joa Pires in Beethoven piano trios. The Sixteen and Harry Christophers perform Monteverdi's Vespers, and the BBC Singers and the Norwegian Wind Ensemble (Norway's oldest orchestra) perform Handel's Messiah. Other larger ensembles performing include the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Vladimir Jurowski with Ian Bostridge in the orchestral version of RVW's On Wenlock Edge, Nicola Benedetti and La Cetra Barockorchester Basel in Vivaldi's Four Seasons, the English Concert in Purcell's Dido and Aeneas, and the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra and Jiri Belohlavek in Smetana, Mendelssohn and Dvorak.

Local orchestra, Cambridge-based Britten Sinfonia make three appearances; Thomas Ades conducts his own music with violinist Pekka Juusisto, violinist Thomas Gould directs Bach's Goldberg Variations and a programme in which Barbara Hannigan both conducts and sings. The LA-based Calder Quartet will be bringing quartets by Ligeti and Andrew Norman (finalist for the Pulitzer Prise for Music), whilst percussionist Colin Currie and his ensemble with be performing Steve Reich including a new work written for Currie.

There is a new series of Sunday morning coffee concerts from rising stars such as cellist Philip Higham, pianist Lara Melda, violinist Callum Smart and trombonist Peter Moore the youngest ever winner of BBC Young Musician of the Year.

Local performers include the Saffron Walden Symphony Orchestra, Saffron Choral  Society and Saffron Opera Group who begin the season with Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg.

Saffron Hall is built in the grounds of Saffron Walden County High School and is the result of a partnership between the school and the Saffron Walden based Yellow Car Charitable Trust. Visit the Saffron Hall website for more details of events.