Since its founding in 1973, AAM has for 50 years been at the forefront of the historically informed performance movement, bringing this music to life through historically informed techniques, period-specific instruments and original sources. The orchestra’s anniversary season promises to be one of its most memorable yet, featuring world-class performances in London and Cambridge, the release of a new book charting AAM’s history, and the completion of a landmark recording cycle: the first recording of Mozart’s complete works for keyboard and orchestra.
‘We are thrilled to celebrate 50 years of the Academy of Ancient Music this season. Our anniversary is an opportunity to look back at AAM’s impressive history, and celebrate our continued commitment to historical accuracy and musical excellence. We look forward to performing some wonderful music throughout the season.’ Laurence Cummings, Music Director
The season launches on 18 October with a performance of Handel’s Music for the Royal Fireworks at the Barbican. AAM brings a fresh perspective and vigour to this iconic work, which has been a mainstay of the orchestra’s repertoire since its inception.
Highlights later in the season include a programme exploring Empress Maria Theresa’s musical world – a landscape of familiar names alongside lesser-known female composers, such as Maria Theresa Agnesi and Marianna Martines – as well as a performance of Bach's complete Brandenburg Concertos, an exploration of the art of the Italian concerto, and a presentation of music by Sons of England, curated by Reginald Mobley and including Purcell, Pepys, Handel, Festing, Sancho and a newly commissioned work by Roderick Williams. Further concerts at the Barbican and Milton Court will be announced later in the year.
The celebrations continue off stage with the release of a new book by acclaimed journalist and former Hogwood Fellow Richard Bratby (12 October 2023, Elliott & Thompson). The book charts AAM’s journey since its trailblazing first decades, through the digital boom of the 80s right up to the present day. Bratby explores the orchestra's rich and complex history and its role in lifting period instrument performance from the fringes of 1960s counterculture and putting baroque music into the pop charts.
The 50th anniversary season also sees AAM complete a landmark recording project with scholar-pianist Robert Levin, 30 years after it first began. Levin and AAM will release the final recordings in their Mozart cycle this season, with the last disc due out in June 2024. Upon completion, this cycle will become the first recording of Mozart’s complete works for keyboard and orchestra on either modern or historical instruments.
AAM is committed to nurturing the audiences, artists and arts managers of the future through its innovative education initiative, AAMplify. For the 50th anniversary season, AAM presents side-by-side sessions, masterclasses and workshops in association with the Royal College of Music, Royal Academy of Music and Guildhall School. To cultivate the next generation of early music performers and enthusiasts, AAM will also continue its £5 tickets for under 35s ticket scheme for all AAM concerts and events at the Barbican and West Road Concert Hall.