Gábor Takács-Nagy’s Inaugural Season as Music Director ushers in new era for Manchester Camerata

Distinguished Hungarian musician Gábor Takács-Nagy comes to the city of Manchester this autumn as he joins Manchester Camerata for his first full season as Music Director. Looking forward to working permanently with the world-class chamber orchestra, Gábor describes his move to Manchester as “something of a homecoming” thanks both to his English wife’s local origins (Burnley, Lancashire) and his life-long love of football.

Internationally known as a chamber musician and a founding member of the Takács Quartet, Gábor’s profile as a conductor is riding high after his recent appointment as Principal Guest Conductor of the Budapest Festival Orchestra. Following the announcement of this appointment Iván Fischer commented: “There are many conductors in the world who can get orchestras to play together but there are very few who can profoundly inspire. Gábor Takács-Nagy is one of them.”

Gábor holds several other posts including Music Director of the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra and International Chair in Chamber Music at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester.

Gábor Takács-Nagy’s inaugural season with Manchester Camerata marks the beginning of a new era for the orchestra with a season entitled Portraits in Music. He characterises it as “drawing together programmes which are musical portraits of the great emotions and big subjects common to all of our lives.” Over the course of the 2011/12 season this imaginative venture will see Gábor work a selection of outstanding international artists including percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie (28 Jan), pianists Jean-Efflam Bavouzet (24 Sept) and Kathryn Stott (10 Mar), and singers Rebecca Bottone (15 Oct) and Roderick Williams (4 Apr), as well as with Camerata’s inspirational new Leader – Giovanni Guzzo.

Speaking about his Manchester Camerata appointment, Gábor commented:  “It is an honour to become Music Director of Manchester Camerata, an ensemble of international quality. Life is not easy in the 21st century; it is full of challenges and in some places conflict. For me music is a great leveller, it is a universal language often signified by its beauty and truth and I look forward to exploring and sharing this exciting mission with you all, my English friends. I invite you to join us for a season of discovery, as Manchester Camerata and I embark on our new journey together.”
 
Always keen to push the boundaries and try something new, Camerata’s 2011/12 season will include two brand new programme strands – Unwrapped and UpClose – both of which aim to give audiences intimate opportunities to get to know and connect with the orchestra’s musicians and Gábor.

Unwrapped: Gábor Takács-Nagy and Camerata’s musicians will guide audiences through a piece of music before a complete performance. Works featured include Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings (25 September, 3.00pm), and Elgar’s Serenade for Strings (30 April, 6.00pm).

UpClose: an intimate and laidback series of chamber concerts in smaller venues around the city such as the Anthony Burgess Foundation (8 Nov and 16 May) and The Deaf Institute (7 February and 6 March). These performances showcase a new collaboration with artist John Hyatt, exploring the links between music and art.

Tickets for Manchester Camerata’s 2011/12 Concert Season are now on sale
Box Office Information:
0161 907 9000 / www.bridgewater-hall.co.uk
0161 907 5555 / www.rncm.ac.uk
0843 208 0500 / www.quaytickets.co.uk

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