Page 84 - ASMF Marriner 100 Coverage Book

Choral Pilgrimage

The Sixteen is in its 45th year and its founder, Harry Christophers, has just turned 70, but this

superb professional choir is still breaking fresh ground. Its 2024 Choral Pilgrimage, visiting 20

towns and cities, highlights a little-known Renaissance female composer, Maddalena Casulana,
alongside works by Lassus, Josquin and Bob Chilcott.

Various venues, Apr 5-Sep 21; thesixteen.com

Marriner 100

The Academy of St Martin in the Fields (ASMF) celebrates the centenary of Neville Marriner,

its founding conductor, with concerts in London and Lincoln (his birthplace). They include a
premiere featuring Marriner’s grandson Douglas, a jazz drummer. There will also be an

exhibition and a digital “sound walk” in and around Trafalgar Square marking ASMF’s 25 years

of working with the homeless.

Various venues, London and Lincoln, Apr 15-24; asmf.org

Mark Elder’s farewell
After 25 years Mark Elder bows out as music director of the Hallé Orchestra with two

tremendous concerts: Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra in its original 1857 version (April 18), then a

big new choral work by James MacMillan, followed by Mahler’s Fifth Symphony (June 1).

“Tragedy to triumph: note the symbolism!” Elder says.

The Bridgewater Hall, Manchester, Apr 18, Jun 1; halle.co.uk
Carmens galore

Productions of Bizet’s opera spring up everywhere in 2024. They include Glyndebourne (from

the Broadway director Diane Paulus), the Edinburgh Festival (Paris’s Opéra-Comique company)

and Buxton Festival (Peter Brook’s adaptation La tragédie de Carmen). The pick, however, may

be the Royal Opera’s new staging by Damiano Michieletto featuring the sensational Aigul

Akhmetshina (who also sings the title role at Glyndebourne).
Royal Opera House, Apr 5-May 31; roh.org.uk

Marx in London!

Billed by Scottish Opera as a “madcap” comedy, the UK premiere of this opera by the composer

Jonathan Dove and the librettist Charles Hart presents a day in the life of the great thinker,

lifting the lid on his chaotic personal finances and family life. Stephen Barlow directs a cast led

by Roland Wood as Karl Marx.
Theatre Royal, Glasgow, February 13, 15, 17; Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, February

22, 24; scottishopera.org.uk