weinstadt artists management – s.p.r.l.u.
member of the european association of artists managers
THE ACADEMY OF ANCIENT MUSIC
& RICHARD EGARR
“Transmitting the kick of an energy drink” Financial Times, 2012
“The finest period-instrument orchestra in the world” Classic FM, 2012
The Academy of Ancient Music was founded in 1973 by Christopher Hogwood, under whose leadership the
orchestra developed the global reputation for inspirational music making which continues today. The AAM
performs baroque and classical music on period instruments, taking inspiration from the unique soundworlds
which composers would have originally known. Founded on a combination of academic research and superb
musicianship, the AAM’s performances have been acclaimed for their vitality and intimacy.
Over the past forty years the AAM has performed live to music lovers on every continent except Antarctica,
and millions more have heard the orchestra through its catalogue of over 300 CDs: Brit- and GrammyAward-winning recordings of Handel operas; the first-ever recording on period instruments of the complete
Mozart symphonies; pioneering accounts of the Beethoven piano concertos and Haydn symphonies; and
discs which champion neglected composers.
In 2006 Richard Egarr succeeded Christopher Hogwood as Music Director. Egarr has led the orchestra on
tours throughout Europe, the USA and the Far East, and in 2007 he founded the Choir of the AAM. Recent
recordings include a complete cycle of Handel’s Opp.1-7 instrumental music, released to celebrate the 250th
anniversary of the composer’s death, and the world-premiere recording of music by seventeenth-century
English composer Christopher Gibbons. In June 2012 the AAM was invited to perform at the Thames
Diamond Jubilee Pageant; and in summer 2013 the AAM was Resident Ensemble at London’s National
Gallery, accompanying the exhibition ‘Vermeer and Music’ with ongoing performances.
The AAM’s artistic excellence has long been fostered by a range of guest artists. Pianist Robert Levin and
singers Dame Emma Kirkby, Dame Joan Sutherland and Cecilia Bartoli were among those performing
regularly with the AAM in the early days, and a range of collaborations continue to inspire the group with
new ideas and fresh approaches. The current relationship with the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge
recently produced the world’s first live classical cinecast, with Handel’s Messiah streamed live into
hundreds of cinemas across the globe; and ongoing work with the likes of mezzo-soprano Angelika
Kirchschlager, counter-tenor Andreas Scholl, tenor James Gilchrist and violinist Alina Ibragimova lies at the
heart of the AAM’s present-day artistic success.
The future is just as bright. From September 2013 to August 2014 the AAM marks its 40th anniversary with
a season of concerts featuring the full range of the orchestra’s music-making from Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo
(1607) to Beethoven’s Symphony No.9 (1824). International plans include a major tour of Australia as well
as performances at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels and the Théâtre des
Champs Elysées in Paris. AAM Records, the orchestra’s own record label, was launched in October 2013,
with forthcoming releases including JS Bach’s St John Passion, St Matthew Passion and Orchestral Suites.
The AAM is Associate Ensemble at London’s Barbican Centre and Orchestra-in-Residence at the University
of Cambridge. Visit www.aam.co.uk to find out more.
2014
RICHARD EGARR
director & harpsichord
populierenlaan 3/26 – 2020 antwerp – www.concerts-weinstadt.be
tel : +32/3-216 70 60 - fax : +32/3-216 70 66 - e-mail : info@concerts-weinstadt.be
licence nrs : B-00414-405 VG 1575/BA - vat : be 0435.501.195 – iban : be61 3100 4141 2117 – bic : BBRUBEBB
weinstadt artists management – s.p.r.l.u.
member of the european association of artists managers
“Egarr’s energy and sustained vitality is breathtaking” BBC Music Magazine
“The Bernstein of Early Music” USA National Public Radio
The AAM’s Music Director Richard Egarr is a brilliant harpsichordist, and equally skilled on the organ,
fortepiano and modern piano. He is an accomplished conductor, and his zeal for music-making has led to his
being described as “the Bernstein of Early Music” by USA National Public Radio.
Egarr trained as a choirboy at York Minster, at Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester, and as organ
scholar at Clare College, Cambridge. He later studied with Gustav and Marie Leonhardt, further inspiring his
work in the field of historical performance.
Egarr was appointed Music Director of the Academy of Ancient Music in 2006, succeeding the AAM’s
founder Christopher Hogwood. Since then he has led the orchestra on tours of the USA, Australia, Asia and
Europe and made a number of award-winning recordings; and he has curated concert series including a year
surveying the music of the Bach dynasty and, beginning in September 2013, a cycle of Monteverdi’s operas.
He is involved with various other historically-informed orchestras, including Boston’s Handel and Haydn
Society and the Orchestra of the 18th Century. Outside the world of period instruments, he is Associate
Artist with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Principal Guest Conductor of the Hague Philharmonic. He
also conducts the Philadelphia, Royal Concertgebouw and London Symphony orchestras.
Opera and oratorio lie at the heart of Egarr’s work. In 2007 he founded the Choir of the AAM, and he made
his Glyndebourne debut in the same year conducting a staged performance of JS Bach’s St Matthew Passion.
As a soloist Egarr has performed throughout Europe, Japan and the USA. His acclaimed solo recording
output includes a cycle of JS Bach’s keyboard works, the latest release of which – the English Suites – was
acclaimed as “the best harpsichord recital of these works on disc” by BBC Music Magazine. He has also
recorded works for harpsichord and fortepiano by Couperin, Purcell and Mozart, and for many years he
formed an “unequalled duo” (Gramophone) with violinist Andrew Manze, with whom he has recorded
music from Biber to Schubert.
Richard Egarr is Visiting Artist at the Juilliard School in New York, and also teaches at the Amsterdam
Conservatoire. He lives in Amsterdam with his wife and daughter.
2014
For further information please visit www.aam.co.uk
populierenlaan 3/26 – 2020 antwerp – www.concerts-weinstadt.be
tel : +32/3-216 70 60 - fax : +32/3-216 70 66 - e-mail : info@concerts-weinstadt.be
licence nrs : B-00414-405 VG 1575/BA - vat : be 0435.501.195 – iban : be61 3100 4141 2117 – bic : BBRUBEBB