BAROQUE LONDON. MUSIC FOR COURT AND SALON

MAY 13, 2015 | 20th Century Theatre, London

Rachel Podger director/violin
Brecon Baroque

Illustrated talk by Richard Wigmore

Handel Trio Sonata in D major, Op. 5 No. 2, HWV 397
Handel Trio Sonata in G minor, Op. 2 No. 8, HWV 393
Handel Violin Sonata in A major, Op. 1 No. 3, HWV 361
Geminiani Violin Sonata in D minor, Op. 4 No. 8
Purcell 10 Sonatas in 4 parts: No. 6 in G minor, Z807; 12 Sonatas of 3 parts: No. 6 in C major, Z795; No. 3 in D minor, Z792
Boyce Sonata No. 1 in A minor

Avison Sonata for harpsichord, 2 violins and cello in D major, Op. 8 No. 3

In the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries London was the most vibrant and cosmopolitan musical centre in Europe. Alongside music for theatre and chapel, a rich tradition of chamber music developed, whether for performance at court or in private salons. Rachel Podger and Brecon Baroque, together with speaker Richard Wigmore, celebrate Baroque London’s musical pre-eminence in a programme of string sonatas ranging from Purcell’s intricate, inward-looking sonatas in 3 and 4 parts to the breezy tunefulness of William Boyce and Thomas Arne. En route they take in a flamboyant sonata by the expatriate Italian virtuoso Francesco Geminiani, and two captivating trio sonatas by Handel, the German émigré who inherited Purcell’s mantle as ‘England’s own Orpheus’.