Richard Egarr will be the next Music Director of Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and Chorale, beginning at the start of the 2020/21 season, taking over from Nicholas McGegan, who will have been in that role for 35 years. Egarr is currently Music Director of the Academy of Ancient Music, a post he’ll be stepping down from after the 20/21 season.
There’s more information at the PBO website.
“I’ve been with the PBO, I think I’ve done three sets over the last 7, 8 years. I get on incredibly well with all of the musicians, some of whom I’ve known for quite a lot longer than those 7 or 8 years. And I just found the organization really up and thriving, and open and flexible, and it was a relationship which blossomed very very very quickly… What I love about the organization is that they’re totally supportive of artistic ideas, and the stuff I’ve been throwing around with them over various meals and drinks, every now and again. I have very very wide ranging tastes in lots of ways.” He says he’s looking forward to both continuing what they’ve been doing, and also exploring new areas of repertoire for them. “I know the orchestra’s done some modern music, which I’m very very keen to continue doing. Also, the Romantic side of the repertoire is something that I’m very interested in. Early Romantic, and actually even later Romantic repertoire. And I believe it is something that orchestras like Philharmonia can do extraordinarily well.” He’d also like to shine a spotlight on the very beginning of the Baroque. “There’s plenty of early 17th Century repertoire to discover, or rediscover. Not just from Italy, but from Germany and also England. There’s a fantastic repertoire from the early 17th Century in England. So there’s sort of … the broadness is something which I’m very excited about.” And he’s also excited about interaction with audiences. “Breaking that fourth wall in a concert and communicating, so it’s an exchange between the concert platform and the audience is so important. To share something with them which will give them perhaps another take on the music, or give them a fresh idea of how to listen to a work.”
