Rachel Podger

Rachel Podger (born 1968) is an English violinist specialising in the performance of baroque music. She often conducts baroque orchestras from the violin, and in 2004 took up a guest directorship with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, having previously been leader of The English Concert from 1997 to 2002.

Career

Rachel Podger was born in England but educated at a German Steiner school. She returned to study first with Perry Hart, then at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama with David Takeno, Pauline Scott, and Micaela Comberti. During her studies, she co-founded baroque chamber groups The Palladian Ensemble and Florilegium, and worked with period instrument ensembles such as the New London Consort, and London Baroque.

She was leader of the Gabrieli Consort and Players and later of The English Concert, c. 1997–2002, touring extensively, often as soloist in Vivaldi's le quattro stagioni and grosso mogul concertos. In 2004 she began a guest directorship of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, opening with a tour in the USA with Bach's Brandenburg Concertos. She also works as a guest director with Arte dei Suonatori (Poland), Musica Angelica (USA) and Santa Fe Pro Musica (USA), and as soloist with The Academy of Ancient Music.

She is a professor of baroque violin at both the Guildhall School of Music & Drama and the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama and also teaches regularly at the Hochschule in Bremen. She has recently been appointed professor of baroque violin at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen.

When not touring with various orchestras and other classical players, Rachel works with her husband in Brecon, South Wales helping young musicians through the Mozart Music Fund, which she founded in 2006, as well as holding workshops and giving recitals. She is a major figure at the annual Brecon Baroque music festival held during the last weekend of October every year.

In September 2008, Rachel Podger took up the newly-founded “Micaela Comberti Chair” for Baroque Violin at the Royal Academy of Music in London.

Instruments

Podger currently plays a violin made in Genoa in 1739 by Pesarini, a later student of Antonio Stradivari. Initially Rachel played a modern Stradivarius copy.

Recordings

Rachel Podger records for Channel Classics Records.

• Bach's complete sonatas and partitas for violin solo volume 1, volume 2 and complete (top recommendation in BBC Radio 3 "Building a Library")
• Telemann's twelve fantasies for solo violin (1746)
• Bach's complete sonatas for violin and harpsichord, with Trevor Pinnock
• Purcell's sonatas of 3 parts, with Pavlo Beznosiuk and Christopher Hogwood
• Bach's solo and double violin concertos, with Andrew Manze
• Vivaldi's 12 concertos 'La Stravaganza', directing Arte dei Suonatori (won Gramophone magazine's Best Baroque Recording of 2003) available on CD, SACD and Studio Master.
• Mozart's complete sonatas for violin and fortepiano, with Gary Cooper – volumes 1–8
• Rameau's Pieces de clavecin en concerts, with Trevor Pinnock and Jonathan Manson
• Mozart & Haydn Violin Concertos, with The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and Pavlo Beznosiuk viola (available on CD, SACD and Studio Master).
• Bach's solo violin concertos, with Brecon Baroque (2010)

Sources

• BBC Radio 3, Profile: Rachel Podger , The Early Music Show, broadcast 27 April 2008. Accessed 8 May 2009.
• James Reel, "Master of the Universe: In early music, violinist Rachel Podger found a second calling", Strings magazine, February 2005, No. 126. Accessed 2009-09-02.

External links

• Gary Cooper & Rachel Podger on Logan Arts Management