1973
The Academy of Ancient Music is founded by Christopher Hogwood.
September: The AAM directed by Christopher Hogwood makes its first recording — Arne: 8 Overtures — which is released the following year.
1974
First public concerts. These take place in the UK in Birmingham, Kent
and Devon.
1975
First festival engagement (King’s Lynn, UK) and first concert outside
the British Isles (Bruges in Belgium).
1976
September: Tour of Holland.
November–December: Major tour of the Middle East and Far East organised by the British Council which includes concerts in Egypt, India, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia and Thailand.
1977
March: First concert in London at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, South Bank.
October: First tour of Australia and New Zealand.
1978
Formation of the classical orchestra. Up to this time the AAM played only
baroque programmes with the baroque orchestra. The classical orchestra is
formed with instrumentalists specialising in the classical period in order to
tackle later repertoire such as Mozart and Haydn.
August: First appearance at a BBC Promenade Concert (Royal Albert Hall, London) tied in with their first UK radio broadcast, in a baroque programme.
September: Recording of the Mozart symphonies cycle starts with Nos 18 to 24 (the Salzburg symphonies).
November: Tour of France including three concerts in Paris to pay tribute to Purcell, Vivaldi and Couperin respectively.
J. C. Bach: ‘Six Favourite Overtures’ becomes the first AAM recording to win a major award, a Grand Prix du Disque-Académie Charles Cros (France).
1979
The first release in the Mozart symphonies cycle wins a Gramophone Award (UK).
Two records — Handel’s Water Music, and Haydn’s Missa Sancti
Nicolai and Missa Brevis — win French awards from the Académie
Charles Cros.
March: First television appearances in the UK (BBC TV).
1980
The recording of Handel’s Messiah wins an Edison Award
(Holland) and a Caecila Prize (Belgium).
February–March: Tour of Germany followed by first concerts in Switzerland.
1981
First tours of Italy and Poland.
1982
March 4th: A party is held at the end of the recording sessions on
this day to celebrate the completion of the Mozart symphonies project.
A video of a performance of Handel’s Messiah is filmed in Westminster Abbey. This is later released internationally as well as being broadcast on UK television.
First tour of Portugal.
1983
May: Tour of Austria and Germany.
June: First appearance in Finland at the Naantali Festival.
1984
The recording of Vivaldi’s Le quattro stagioni wins the Best
British Classical Recording in the British Record Industry Awards which
leads to an appearance in the UK Music Week pop charts.
February: The classical orchestra tours Japan and Taiwan.
September: The baroque orchestra makes the first AAM tour of the USA.
1985
Release of first disc in the Beethoven symphonies cycle.
1986
The recording of Haydn’s Symphonies Nos 94 and 96 (‘Surprise’ and
‘Miracle’) wins an Edison Award (Holland).
February–March: Major tour of the USA with the classical orchestra.
May: First tour of Spain.
November: A smaller tour of the USA with the baroque orchestra playing Vivaldi’s Op. 3 ‘L’Estro armonico’.
1987
The recording of Handel’s Athalia with soloists including
Joan Sutherland and Dame Emma Kirkby wins a Gramophone Award (UK).
June: The AAM takes part in a midsummer music broadcast relayed all over Europe. They play extracts from Monteverdi’s Orfeo in Mantua and are dressed in period costume.
October: The AAM tours South America for the first time with concerts in Brazil and then continues the tour in North America.
November: Catherine Mackintosh, one of the AAM’s founder members, relinquishes her role as leader, but continues to work with the orchestra in an advisory capacity.
1988
The AAM celebrates its 15th anniversary and plans are announced for
a complete Haydn symphonies cycle.
January–February: Major European tour including Austria, Germany, Belgium and Italy. The AAM becomes the first period-instrument orchestra to play in Salzburg and receives outstanding reviews.
June: The AAM is the only British orchestra invited to take part in the Australian bicentennial celebrations. It goes on to tour Hong Kong and Japan.
September: Recording of Beethoven Symphony No. 9.
1989
February: The AAM inaugurates the first major period-instrument
education project bringing together the skills of inspiring teachers
from several early music groups. In the course of three years they give
a series of workshops in Bath, Belfast, Birmingham, Glasgow and Keele.
March: Completion of Beethoven symphonies cycle with the recording of Symphonies Nos 7 and 8. Tour in the USA and recording of Handel’s opera Orlando.
April: Filming at Esterháza for the South Bank Show and a commercial video on Haydn’s work as Kapellmeister at the palace of Esterháza, narrated by H. C. Robbins Landon and followed by performances of Symphonies 23, 28 & 29.
May: European tour of Beethoven Symphonies 7 and 8.
July: The AAM gives a semi-staged performance of Orlando at the BBC Proms. Project to record all the Bach harpsichord concertos begins at the Conservatoire Nationale de Musique in Paris.
October–November: Beethoven symphonies are toured in Japan and the USA.
1990
January: The AAM records its first Mozart opera, Die Entfürhung
aus dem Serail.
February: Haydn’s Creation tours Europe followed by Decca recording sessions and video filming in Gloucester Cathedral.
1991
July: Simon Standage appointed Associate Director for a term of two
years.
September: The AAM records Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito, the beginning of a successful collaboration with Cecilia Bartoli.
October: Concert performances of Clemenza in Japan with European soloists and Japanese choirs.
November: USA tour with Robert Levin playing Mozart piano concertos, a forerunner of the Decca recordings of the complete concertos.
1992
May: The AAM gives a special televised concert at Prague Castle for
Czech President Vaclav Havel.
July: Christopher Hogwood and the AAM accompany Kiri Te Kanawa in a new video drama The Sorceress.
1993
January: Associate Director Simon Standage directs a recording of J.
C. Bach symphonies for Chandos.
June: Decca’s recordings of Haydn symphonies have now reached the halfway mark.
August: The first recording session of the new Decca project to record the complete Mozart keyboard concertos with Robert Levin. As Mozart himself did, Levin will improvise all the cadenzas.
1994
March: Major tour of the USA including the Kennedy Center,
Washington D.C., Avery Fisher Hall, New York and Orchestra Hall,
Chicago.
May: The completion of Decca’s recording of La Clemenza di Tito, begun in 1991 and much delayed by soloists’ illness. When released in 1995 it receives the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik, a Grammy Nomination for Best Opera Recording and the Premio Internazionale del Disco ‘Antonio Vivaldi’ (Highly Recommended).
November: The AAM’s first collaboration with Catherine Turocy and the New York Baroque Dance company in a tour of Japan.
1995
The AAM receives a Gold CD for 15,000 copies sold in Holland of
Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater.
June: The AAM sells out at Greenwich Festival under its Associate Conductor-to-be Paul Goodwin.
November: To commemorate the 300th anniversary of Purcell’s death the AAM performs The Indian Queen and Dioclesian in the Barbican’s Purcell weekend in London. They repeat The Indian Queen the following week at la cité de la Musique in Paris.
1996
The AAM’s recording of Purcell’s The Indian Queen wins Ein
Echo für Dresden, Ancient Music Award.
January: Paul Goodwin appointed Associate Conductor and Andrew Manze Associate Director. Recording sessions for Haydn’s opera Orfeo ed Euridice starring Cecilia Bartoli.
June: The AAM signs a contract with Harmonia Mundi USA to record exclusively under the direction of Paul Goodwin and Andrew Manze. Christopher Hogwood continues to record with the AAM on the Decca L’Oiseau-Lyre label.
October: Andrew Manze is soloist and director in the Bach violin concertos, the first recording for Harmonia Mundi.
December: Paul Goodwin records Schütz Christmas music as his first CD with the AAM.
1997
February: The AAM appears in the Salzburg Mozart Festival with
Robert Levin playing Mozart’s own fortepiano in Piano Concertos No. 15
and 26. The concerts are filmed for international television
distribution.
June: The AAM under Christopher Hogwood makes its debut at the Handel Festival in Halle performing Joshua.
1998
The recording of Haydn’s opera Orfeo ed Euridice receives the Premio
Internazionale del Disco ‘Antonio Vivaldi’ (Highly Recommended).
September: Fourth tour to Brazil.
October: Recordings for Decca with Barbara Bonney and with Robert Levin.
1999
The major project of this year is Handel’s first London opera, Rinaldo.
Conducted by Christopher Hogwood and featuring Cecilia Bartoli,
performances throughout Europe in January and November lead to a recording
by Decca.
April: Official AAM 25th anniversary concert celebrating the 250th anniversary of Handel’s first concert in 1749 for the Foundling Hospital, directed by Christopher Hogwood, Andrew Manze and Paul Goodwin.
July: First BBC Prom under Paul Goodwin, including Tavener’s Eternity’s Sunrise.
August: Historical recreation of Mendelssohn’s 1829 performance of JS Bach’s St Matthew Passion at the Ansbach Bach festival under Christopher Hogwood.
November: The AAM Society is launched to encourage private support of the AAM. First edition of the AAM monthly email newsletter.
2000
May: The AAM accompanies finalists in the Belgian Queen Elisabeth
International Music Competition for singers.
June: Premiere performance and recording of John Tavener’s Total Eclipse, written for the AAM.
July: First recording under Edward Higginbottom with the Choir of New College Oxford (English coronation anthems).
November: Seventeen-concert tour of the US directed by Andrew Manze.
November: The AAM launches its first London season as Resident Period-Instrument Orchestra at St John’s, Smith Square.
2001
January: Performances of Haydn’s Orfeo ed Euridice with Cecilia Bartoli.
February: Richard Egarr and the AAM record the complete Bach harpsichord concertos.
March: The AAM’s second commission, David Bedford’s Like a Strand of Scarlet, is performed throughout England.
June: Tour of Japan and Korea performing Mozart’s last three symphonies.
September: The AAM’s international touring schedule is as busy as ever, with no fewer than 15 countries visited in the next 12 months, including Romania, Hungary and Turkey as well as the more regularly visited European countries and the USA.
October: The AAM’s second season at St John’s, Smith Square, starts.
2002
This year includes two major US tours: with Robert Levin and Christopher
Hogwood in February/March; and with Andrew Manze in October.
February: St John’s, Smith Square is packed for a concert with prizewinners from the 2000 Belgian Queen Elisabeth International Music Competition.
March: The AAM works with the choir Polyphony under their director Stephen Layton for the first time, in a performance of JS Bach’s St John Passion.
October: Launch of first Cambridge season and third London season; the latter, at St John’s, Smith Square, now has monthly concerts throughout the season from October to May.
November: The AAM’s first visit to the Megaron in Athens, Greece, in a programme of Handel Chapel Royal anthems conducted by Paul Goodwin.
2003
The AAM celebrates the 350th anniversary of the birth of Corelli with three
different programmes, including eight performances in March of a new
commission from John Woolrich, Arcangelo.
March/April: Major US tour, marking Andrew Manze’s departure as Associate Director of the AAM after seven years.
October: The AAM launches its 30th anniversary season, with expanded London and Cambridge series, featuring a wide variety of guest directors and soloists: violinists Giuliano Carmignola, Daniel Sepec and Pavlo Beznosiuk; harpsichordist Richard Egarr; the wind principals of the AAM; a number of vocal soloists including Patricia Rozario in a special Tavener 60th birthday concert; all in addition to appearances by Director Christopher Hogwood and Associate Conductor Paul Goodwin.
November: the offical 30th anniversary concert takes place in St John’s, Smith Square, in London, with a programme of Gade, Schumann, Weber and Mendelssohn, conducted by Christopher Hogwood.
2004
The AAM commemorates Heinrich von Biber on the 300th anniversary
of his death. Commemorative programmes include a performance of
the Mystery (or Rosary) Sonatas by Pavlo Beznosiuk in May;
a reconstruction of the Missa Bruxellensis for the BBC Proms in August;
and a programme of repertoire for eight natural trumpets, which was performed
in June, July and November.
October: Renowned conductor and harpsichordist, Masaaki Suzuki makes his UK debut. He directs the AAM and French countertenor Pascal Bertin in an all-Bach programme.
The AAM is appointed Orchestra-in-Residence at the University of Cambridge.
2005
April: The AAM records a CD of music by Purcell (‘Come ye sons of
art’ etc), its fourth EMI recording with the Choir of King’s
College, Cambridge, conducted by Stephen Cleobury.
September: The harpsichordist, Richard Egarr, takes up his appointment as Associate Director of the AAM. Plans include three Handel recordings for Harmonia Mundi USA.
2006
April:
January: The AAM’s live recording from January 2005 at the
Wigmore Hall of Handel, JS Bach and Vivaldi is released on
the Wigmore Hall Live Label to critical acclaim.
|
| Richard Egarr |
April: It is announced that Richard Egarr will be the successor to Christopher Hogwood as Music Director of the AAM from September 2006 at which time Christopher Hogwood assumes the title of Emeritus Director.
August: The AAM performs in the inaugural BBC Proms Matinée series at London’s Cadogan Hall, directed by Richard Egarr.