Brahms – Academic Festival Overture

Colosseum

Watford Philharmonic Preview

At the Watford Philharmonic Society’s concert at the Watford Colosseum on Saturday, 14th March, 7.30 pm, the choir and orchestra will perform two works by Johannes Brahms, both among the most popular in the repertoire. The concert will be presented and conducted by Terry Edwards. 

The main work will be Ein Deutsches Requiem (A German Requiem), sung in German.  Today one of the most frequently performed choral works this was not an immediate success as its style was so different from the conventions of the day.  After the death of his close friend and mentor, Robert Schumann, Brahms began to work on a memorial piece for him.  A few years later, devastated by the death of his mother, he concentrated on developing this work and in February 1866, started an intensive period of composition. By 1867, after revision and minor changes, the six movement Requiem was ready. This is not a Requiem Mass in the traditional Roman Catholic style.  When choosing the texts Brahms used the Lutheran translation setting the work in German.  His intention was to focus less on the dead but rather to console the living.  He wanted the work to be universal and not tied to any particular religion.  Watford Philharmonic are delighted to welcome two young professional soloists to this concert; James Oldfield, bass-baritone, and South African soprano, Sarah-Jane Brandon. (See below for more details).

The evening begins with a performance of the Academic Festival Overture.  Although never having attended university Brahms was awarded an honorary degree as Doctor of Philosophy in 1879 by the University of Breslau.  To acknowledge his appreciation of the honour he composed this overture together with a companion piece, the Tragic Overture.  The premiere of the Academic Festival Overture was conducted by Brahms at a special convocation of the University in 1881.  The overture is a single movement of four continuous sections with a number of themes, the first being an adaptation of Rakóczy March, which was a particular favourite of the composer.

The Watford Philharmonic Society is now affiliated to the Josephine Baker Trust, a charity founded to support young singers, giving the opportunity for some of the best young graduates from the UK and Europe to take part in the concerts.

Sarah-Jane Brandon (Soprano)

Sarah-Jane originates from Cape Town, where she completed a Performer’s Diploma in Opera at the South African College of Music, University of Cape Town, in 2007. As a student there, she performed the roles of Pamina in Die Zauberflöte and the Countess in Le nozze di Figaro for UCT in collaboration with Cape Town Opera, and performed frequently with the KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra.

In September 2007, she began her studies as a postgraduate scholar at the Royal College of Music (RCM) under the guidance of Janis Kelly and in 2008 continued her studies at the Benjamin Britten International Opera School (BBIOS). In 2008, Sarah-Jane won the Maggie Teyte Prize and Miriam Licette Scholarship, administered by the Musicians’ Benevolent Fund. She was awarded the Overseas Trophy, and the Lorna Viol and Audrey Strange Prizes in the 2008 Royal Over-Seas League Competition. She won the Cuthbert Smith Prize in the RCM’s Lies Askonas Competition and was awarded second place in the Richard Tauber Competition.

Sarah-Jane toured China as soprano soloist in December 2007 with the Amadeus Orchestra. In the UK, she has performed at the Wigmore Hall, the Royal Over-Seas League and the Crush Room, ROH. She performed the role of Maddalena in Handel’s La Resurrezione at St. George’s, Hanover Square, for the RCM, Sandrina in Mozart’s La finta giardiniera for the BBIOS and with the Academy of Ancient Music under Stephen Cleobury at Bridgewater Hall. In April Sarah-Jane sings the role of Lisaura in Alessandro for the 2009 London Handel Festival.

Sarah-Jane has generous support from the Josephine Baker and Ernest Oppenheimer Memorial Trusts. This year she was awarded a Stephen Catto Memorial Scholarship and Lucy Ann Jones Award (RCM). Her studies are supported in 2008/09 by the Countess of Munster Musical Trust.

James Oldfield (Bass-Baratone)

The twenty-seven year old English bass-baritone James Oldfield was a chorister in Leicester before holding a choral scholarship at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he read Geography.  In 2006 he became the Sir Thomas Allen Scholar at the Royal College of Music, studying with Ashley Stafford. James is now at the acclaimed Benjamin Britten International Opera School, for whom he has played Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro, Nick Shadow in Stravinksy The Rake’s Progress and Forester in Janáček The Cunning Little Vixen. His studies have been generously supported by the Josephine Baker and Rosemary Bugden trusts. This academic year James holds the inaugural Independent Opera Scholarship, as well as a Sybil Tutton Award, administered by the Musicians Benevolent Fund.

James’ other operatic roles include Sarastro (Die Zauberflöte), Bartolo (Le Nozze di Figaro), Polyphemus (Handel Acis and Galatea), Achilla (Handel Giulio Cesare) and Simon Magus in Vaughan Williams The Pilgrim’s Progress (The Philharmonia; Richard Hickox). Last November he covered the role of Ormonte in Handel Partenope for English National Opera.

James’ recent concert engagements include Haydn Nelson Mass (Royal Philharmonic Orchestra); Monteverdi Vespers (London Handel Orchestra); a Purcell programme at the Wigmore Hall; Sibelius Kullervo (King’s College, Cambridge); Handel Samson (Orchestra of St John’s); Messiah (London Festival Orchestra); Tippett Five Negro Spirituals (Cadogan Hall); and Bach Magnificat (St John’s Smith Square).

James’ future engagements include Brahms Requiem (Albert Hall), Clito in Handel Alessandro (London Handel Festival), Don Alfonso in Così fan tutte (Clonter Opera), and Figaro (Garsington Opera). For further information please see James’ website: www.james-oldfield.com