Star trumpeter and alumna Alison Balsom named Milton Court Artist-in-Residence as stellar cast announced for the reworking of Gabriel

The full cast details have been annonced for a new production of Gabriel which takes place for one night only on the stage of the Barbican Hall on Monday 21 October 2019: Actors Jamie Parker (Harry Potter, History Boys, Henry V), Jack Farthing (Poldark), Anjana Vasan (Doll’s House) and Amanda Wilkin (Midsummer Night’s Dream) will join renowned trumpeter Alison Balsom, soprano Elizabeth Watts, countertenor Tim Morgan, tenor Gwilym Bowen, The English Concert with music director Harry Bicket and a chorus of singers from Guildhall School in this reworking of Gabriel.

A theatrical celebration of Baroque music and 17th-century London, and a testament to the power of the trumpet, Gabriel premiered at Shakespeare’s Globe in 2013. Dreamt up by Alison Balsom, award-winning playwright Samuel Adamson and theatre director Dominic Dromgoole, the colourful play has now been reimagined for the Barbican Hall as part of Alison Balsom's residency at Milton Court.

Gabriel is a series of interlinked scenes, vignettes and encounters, joined up by music of the period, with an emphasis on Purcell’s works for trumpet. It is a vivid entertainment featuring orchestral concert, and stories about real and imagined characters: monarchs and prostitutes, composers and transvestites. Orchestra, singers, actors and chorus come together to bring to life an extraordinary moment in our history and celebrate some of our greatest music. Dominic Dromgoole says: ‘It was a huge pleasure to present this wonderful tapestry of music and drama at the Globe, and truly exciting to reconceive it for a concert format with the English Concert and Alison’.

Guildhall School alumna Alison Balsom has been named the fourth Milton Court Artist-in-Residence, which is programmed in collaboration with the Guildhall School, and forms part of the Barbican’s own-promotion classical music season Barbican Presents in 2019-20. She is following in the footsteps of previous Milton Court Artists-in-Residence Richard Tognetti (2016-17), Jeremy Denk (2017-18), and Roderick Williams (2018-19).

As part of her residency, Balsom will present three very different projects, starting with Gabriel in October 2019. The residency then continues in March 2020 with a performance of Miles Davis’ Sketches of Spain (arr. Gil Evans) with Guildhall Jazz Orchestra and director Scott Stroman, and concludes in May 2020, when Balsom leads Britten Sinfonia, who are Associate Ensemble at the Barbican, in the world premiere of John Woolrich’s Hark! The echoing air. This will be part of a concert showcasing composers’ fascination with other composers’ music.

Alison Balsom’s new recording Royal Fireworks – a collection of grand Baroque masterpieces and new versions performed with the Balsom Ensemble – will be released worldwide on Warner Classics on 8 Nov 2019.

Alison Balsom, Milton Court Artist-in-Residence in 2019/20 – listings:

Alison Balsom in Gabriel: An Entertainment with Trumpet
Mon 21 Oct 2019 7.30pm, Barbican Hall

The English Concert, Harry Bicket (music director), Samuel Adamson (text), Dominic Dromgoole (director), Alison Balsom (trumpet), Elizabeth Watts (soprano), Tim Morgan (countertenor), Gwilym Bowen (tenor), Guildhall School Chorus, Jamie Parker (actor), Jack Farthing (actor), Anjana Vasan (actor) and Amanda Wilkin (actor)

Part of Alison Balsom: Milton Court Artist-in-Residence

Alison Balsom plays Sketches of Spain
Wed 18 Mar 2020 7.30pm, Milton Court

Alison Balsom (trumpet), Scott Stroman (director), Guildhall Jazz Orchestra
Miles Davis (arr. Gil Evans) Sketches of Spain
This concert also features Iain Bellamy 21st Century Pastoral
Iain Bellamy (composer & saxophone), Scott Stroman (director), Guildhall Big Band 

Part of Alison Balsom: Milton Court Artist-in-Residence

Britten Sinfonia with Alison Balsom
Thu 14 May 2020 7.30pm, Milton Court       

Britten Sinfonia, Alison Balsom (trumpet), Jacqueline Shave (director/violin)
Purcell arr Berio, Maxwell Davies Fantasias and Pavans, John Woolrich (after Purcell) Hark! The echoing air (world premiere), Scarlatti Sonatas Set 2 (orch John Woolrich), Sir Harrison Birtwistle Virelai (Sus une fontayne), Ligeti arr Howarth Mysteries of the Macabre

Part of Alison Balsom Milton Court Artist-in-Residence