British conductor, keyboardist and early music expert Richard Egarr has been named the
St. Paul Chamber Orchestra’s newest artistic partner.
Although his time on the SPCO’s rotating roster of artistic partners doesn’t begin until September, Egarr is performing English baroque music with the orchestra Thursday through Sunday — as conductor and harpsichordist. (The shows are nearly sold out, except for Friday’s concert at Humboldt High School; check for tickets at thespco.org. The Humboldt High School performance is free for residents of St. Paul’s West Side.)
In future seasons, the SPCO plans to feature Egarr’s virtuosity as a keyboard soloist, as well as “his complete command as a conductor of baroque, classical and early romantic repertoire, “according to an SPCO news release announcing Egarr’s appointment.
Since 2006, Egarr has been music director of the Academy of Ancient Music, a renowned period instrument ensemble based in Cambridge, England, founded by former SPCO music director Christopher Hogwood. Egarr was recently appointed principal guest conductor of the Residentie Orkest in The Hague and was associate artist of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra from 2011 to 2017.
According to the news release, Egarr has conducted major symphonic orchestras such as the London Symphony, Royal Concertgebouw and Philadelphia Orchestra, and he has frequently performed with leading baroque ensembles such as Philharmonia Baroque and the Handel and Haydn Society. He regularly gives solo harpsichord recitals at Carnegie Hall, London’s Wigmore Hall and elsewhere.
Egarr received acclaim from audiences and critics during his most recent performances with the SPCO in March. Reviewing a performance where Egarr conducted and played both fortepiano and harpsichord, Pioneer Press critic Rob Hubbard said, “His spirit and energy were palpable,” and “Egarr made it all not just enlightening but fun.” Of his performance of Mozart’s 12th Piano Concerto on the fortepiano, Hubbard said “Egarr made it quite expressive on the absorbing Andante and imaginatively bridged the movements with improvised interludes.”
The artistic partners system goes back to 2004, when the SPCO transferred broad artistic responsibilities from a music director to the musicians and an intentionally diverse group of artistic partners. The current roster of artistic partners consists of American pianist Jeremy Denk, Swedish clarinetist Martin Fröst, Moldovan violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Finnish violinist Pekka Kuusisto and British multi-instrumentalist and baroque specialist Jonathan Cohen.
Past artistic partners include violinist Thomas Zehetmair, pianist Christian Zacharias, conductor Roberto Abbado, pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard, conductor Douglas Boyd, violinist Joshua Bell, conductor Nicholas McGegan and pianist and composer Stephen Prutsman.
