68. Christoph Prégardien: Studies and Improvisations

Wagner’s Wesendonck Lieder were written in 1857/8 while the composer was working on Tristan und Isolde, and two of the songs are directly labelled ‘studies’ for the opera. The texts were written by Mathilde Wesendonck, the wife of one of Wagner’s patrons, with whom it is sometimes claimed Wagner had an affair. The first edition of 1862 had no name attributed to the text, and it was not until after her death in 1902 that this was revealed. The great German tenor Christoph Prégardien and revered pianist-composer Michael Gees perform these alongside a selection of songs by Henri Duparc, who was heavily influenced by Wagner. Although Duparc lived until he was 85, he stopped composing at the age of 37, and later destroyed most of his music. Thankfully, he left 17 songs, that are considered among the finest of the French song repertoire. In between these groups, we hear one of Michael Gees’ legendary improvisations.

TRY BEFORE YOU BUY

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PRACTICAL INFORMATION

This event is an in-person and livestreamed event. Livestreamed performances will be available to watch live in our Digital Concert Hall at the advertised performance time and will be available to watch again and on demand until the end of November.

Want to watch this concert in person and at home? 'Hybrid' tickets, valid both in person and for the Digital Concert Hall, are also available for an additional £3 to the in-person price.

All our seating is unreserved. This means you are guaranteed a seat in your chosen area, but not a specific seat. In order to allow for social distancing, you will be seated as an individual or as a group, based on the number of tickets you booked for this concert.

For groups of more than 10, please phone or email the box office to book your tickets.

The performance duration is approximately 1 hour 15 minutes and there will be no interval.

TICKETS AND PASSES

(Online bookings only)

Book five or more concerts at the same time: 5% discount

Book ten or more concerts at the same time: 10% discount

Book fifteen or more concerts at the same time: 15% discount

For even further discounts click here for more information on our Festival Passes.

Tickets for both in-person and the Digital Concert Hall will be issued as eTickets by default. Printed tickets are available on request, for an additional fee.

COVID-19

Due to COVID-19 we have to do things a little differently this year. In order to keep everyone safe, our seating and concert conditions are subject to change in line with changing government guidance.

For more information about our COVID-19 safety measures, please click here.

If you are displaying symptoms of COVID-19 on the day of the concert, please do not attend, but get in touch with our box office to arrange a refund.

SEATING AREAS EXPLAINED

Due to uncertainty surrounding COVID-19 and to keep audiences safe, our venues this year will be socially distanced, and our main seating areas have a reduced capacity. We have added two additional seating areas with a limited view of the stage, to allow you to experience our live concerts at a reduced price.

Seating area A (£35): Centre aisle seats, with a clear view of the stage.

Seating area B (£22): Side aisle and back section seats. Some seats may have a reduced view of the stage.

Seating area C (£13): At the back of the church with a reduced view of the stage.

Seating area D (£5): Side chapel or back corner. Please note these seats have no view of the stage.