Laurence Cummings opens his tenure as the Music Director of Academy of Ancient Music at the end of September with a performance of Haydn’s masterpiece The Creation at London’s Barbican Hall. As well as marking the first performance together in their new relationship, it also kick starts the season long “New Worlds” theme, which takes in music from 18th century South America, the enchanted worlds of Rameau and Geminiani, and works by “lutenist, courtier and musical adventurer” Nicholas Lanier.
Looking ahead to his first season, Laurence says “Our job is to find the extraordinary…. We must persuade, cajole and stimulate our audience. Even though it’s sometimes 300 years old, our music should sound contemporary. That sounds like an oxymoron, but it isn’t, because our predecessors were human beings, too. The pandemic has shown us that human experience is universal.”
Also this season he conducts concerts with Wroclaw Baroque Orchestra in Poland, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and the Orquestra Barroca Casa da Musica in Porto where he is also Music Director. In the opera house he conducts Alcina at Opera North and Monteverdi’s Orfeo for Garsington Opera, as well as his commitments at the London Handel Festival.
