Jonathan Williams

It is with immense pleasure that I announce two exciting new phases of the Rameau Project taking place in 2021 and beyond: performances of the original version of Castor et Pollux (1737) and the writing of a much-needed guidebook on performing Rameau’s operas. These are made possible by a significant donation from Mrs Aline Foriel-Destezet, whose generous help has been an essential part of the Rameau Project’s many activities since 2014. Everyone at the Rameau Project extends our heartfelt thanks…

Many thanks Matthew Rowe for inviting me to work with you on your Gershwin/Balanchine ballet Who cares? Reorchestrating the score was sheer joy. Let’s hope we’ll see it staged again soon…!

Many congratulations to the CBSO team for the tremendous success of their first Baltic-style Song Festival! Hundreds of singers enjoyed a day making music with MIrga, Simon and the Orchestra in the newly opened Green Heart, right at the centre of the university. A wonderful day out and hopefully the first of many more Song Festivals to come…! Szła Dzieweczka, traditional Polish folk song, arranged for voices by Ula Weber, accompaniment by Jonathan Williams https://cbso.co.uk/event/song-festival

It’s been a real treat arranging Cool Yule for the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Youth Chorus. The really catchy song made famous by Louis Armstrong proved to be an audience favourite at the performances thanks to the choir’s brilliant singing and the orchestra’s stylish accompaniment. Thank you Simon Halsey and Julian Watkins for the commission and thank you Will and Jack for all the help getting the orchestral parts organised so effortlessly. Looking forward to next Christmas…! https://cbso.co.uk/christmas-2018…

Thank you to everyone who made our concert commemorating the end of World War I such a moving and memorable experience. Peter Harvey and Catriona Hewitson for singing so beautifully, the English Chamber Orchestra for their exquisite accompaniment, those who stepped forward to read the war poetry and, of course, the wonderful Ealing Choral Society for all their hard work and terrific singing. Fauré Requiem Elgar Sospiri Finzi Requiem da Camera Parry I was glad

It was wonderful to be in Utrecht for the first time in August and to give a paper at the Rameau Symposium. Approaches to Rameau’s complex performing practices was the subject and, with the talented soprano Lucía Caihuela, we explored two of Iphise’s airs from Dardanus – ‘Cesse, cruel Amour’ and ‘O jour affreux!’ focussing on what can be learned through the analysis of primary sources (scores and treatises) and of the music itself (metre, tonality, harmony, structure). And sharing…

No-one has done as much to bring the music of the French Baroque stage back to life as William Christie, so what a great pleasure it has been to welcome him to Oxford this week as the Humanitas Visiting Professor of Opera 2018-19 and to participate in the lively round-table discussion with him. What with James Halliday’s lecture and Bill’s conversation with Edward Higginbottom (in Prologue and 5 Acts format!), we have been treated to events both fascinating and entertaining……

Having already won two G.A.N.G. awards in San Francisco – including one for my choral compositions – and the Jerry Goldsmith award and having been BAFTA-nominated and voted the best game of 2017, the soundtrack of Horizon Zero Dawn has now been awarded the ultimate accolade – the 2018 IVOR NOVELLO award! Many congratulations to Joris, Joe, Alexis and Niels and everyone at Guerilla Games for this tremendous success…!

Here are some responses to the recent production of Dardanus which I was fortunate to conduct for English Touring Opera. I’m thrilled that the cast and orchestra have been recognised for their great work and that director Douglas Rintoul’s hugely intelligent, musically sensitive and sincere interpretation of the libretto has been so widely appreciated. Doug has completely changed the way I think about Rameau’s librettos and opened up new avenues of research to follow in 2018. Tim Ashley, The Guardian…