Christopher Purvis, Trustee, Handel House Trust, announced the following
press release today:
HANDEL HOUSE MUSEUM PROJECT TO PROCEED
The Handel House Trust Ltd and The Co-operative Insurance Society
have today signed an agreement that Handel House Trust will lease
the upper storeys of numbers 23 and 25 Brook Street, Mayfair, London
W1 at a peppercorn rent for 25 years. Handel House Trust is now able
to proceed with the creation of a museum in 25 Brook Street, the
house in which the composer George Frideric Handel lived for almost
half of his life.
The Co-operative Insurance Society is undertaking the necessary
structural work on the two buildings, including the installation of
a lift for the museum. Handel House Trust will take over the building
when these works are completed, which is expected to be in November
1999. Handel House Trust will carry out the fit out of the museum,
which is expected to open in early 2001.
In the light of these very positive developments, Handel House Trust
has appointed Jacqueline Riding as Museum Director. (See below.)
She takes up her post in July. It has also appointed MRDA as architects
and Ronayne Associates as museum designers.
Sir Alan Bowness CBE, the Chairman of the Handel House Trust, said:
"This agreement is a key step in the creation of a museum to one
of the world's greatest composers. We are very grateful to the
Co-operative Insurance Society for their generous and patient support
of our project".
Philip White of the Co-operative Insurance Society said: "We are
pleased to help to bring to fruition the Handel House Trust's plans
for a fitting and viable museum dedicated to Britain's greatest
composer".
Further information can be obtained from:
Christopher Purvis (for Handel House Trust)
19 Norland Square
London W11 4PU
Tel 0171 221 6985
Fax 0171 792 1757
Mobile: 0468 276470
Background
-----------------
The Handel House Museum seeks to honour and perpetuate the memory of
the composer George Frideric Handel in the house where he lived from
1723 until his death there, in 1759. It seeks to promote knowledge
and enjoyment of his music and his contribution to British and
international cultural life through the collection and display of
material related to all aspects of his life and achievements,
performances of his music and a wide range of educational activities.
A museum will be created by linking the upper storeys of the two
terrace houses at 23 and 25 Brook Street, Mayfair, which date back
to the early 1720s. Handel occupied the house at what is now Number
25, and it was there that he composed most of his music, including
operas, oratorios (among them Messiah), concerti, the Coronation
Anthems and the Music for the Royal Fireworks.
The museum will include the recreation of the first floor drawing
room, which would have been the principal room of the house. There
will also be room for the display of collection items and for education
programmes. It is expected that music will play an important part
in the museum's activities.
Handel House Trust has acquired through a separate trust, the Handel
House Collections Trust, a significant collection for display in the
museum. This includes the Byrne Collection, consisting of several
hundred objects, including a letter from Handel to his librettist
Charles Jennens with its original envelope; an autograph leaf from
Esther; Mozart's hand-written arrangement of a Handel fugue;
Mainwaring's 1760 biography of Handel annotated by Jennens; early
editions of operas and oratorios; and oils, prints, portraits and
sculpture. Other important items that have been acquired are: A
portrait of Charles Jennens by Thomas Hudson; a newly discovered
watercolour of the Brook Street houses by James Buckler, dated 1839;
Bartolomeo Nazari portrait of Faustina Bordoni, the Italian soprano
who sang for Handel in the 1720s.
The Heritage Lottery Fund made a grant in 1997 of 375,000 pounds
towards the purchase of the Byrne Collection. In 1998 a previous
plan to buy the whole of 25 Brook Street fell through. However,
Over 2 million pounds has been raised from sources other than the
Co-operative Insurance Society and the Heritage Lottery Fund which
has agreed a grant in principle to support refurbishment, fitting
out and interpretation, following further assessment. A capital
campaign has been launched to raise the remaining 1.5 million pounds
required in time for the opening of the museum. Handel House Trust
has every confidence that this target will be reached.
Jacqueline Riding, the newly appointed Museum Director, is currently
Assistant Curator at the Palace of Westminster. She previously worked
at the Theatre Museum, the Guards Museum, and the Tate Gallery.
Brad Leissa, M.D.
http://www.intr.net/bleissa
|
