Ton Koopman 80th Birthday CelebrationsSoloists of the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, Ton KoopmanWigmore Hall, 29 November 2024 Ton Koopman and a pocket-sized version of his Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra came to the Wigmore Hall as part of his extended 80th Birthday Celebrations. The main touring programme of the celebration year has been a new version of Handel’s ..read more

Viennese Virtuosity: Symphonies by Mozart, Haydn and friendsAcademy of Ancient Music, Laurence CummingsMilton Court, 14 November 2024 Wanhal: Symphony in D major, Bryan D17Mozart: Symphony No 36, LinzDittersdorf: Symphony No 4 from Symphonies after Ovid’s MetamorphosisHaydn: Symphony No 80 The Academy of Ancient Music (AAM) and Laurence Cummings continue their Transformation series of 2024/5 concerts with a concert of symphonies by ..read more

J S Bach: The Six Brandenburg ConcertosOrchestra of the Age of EnlightenmentThe Anvil, Basingstoke. 12 November 2024 Performing all six of Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos in a single concert is a relatively rare occurrence, so this was a very welcome event in Basingstoke’s Anvil concert hall, a favourite venue for the Orchestra of the Age of ..read more

Johann Ludwig Krebs (1713 – 1780)Keyboard Works Volume 3 & 4Steven Devine, harpsichordResonus Classics RES10329 (77’30) & RES10344 (63’50) Steven Devine continues his crustation-inspired (Krebs = crayfish or crab) series of recordings of Krebs’ keyboard works with Volumes 3 and 4. They follow the two earlier recordings reviewed here (Volume 1) and here (Volume 2 ..read more

‘Birch Tales‘The Picardy Players, James BattyArt Workers’ Guild, 19 October 2024 This fascinating “multi-sensory concert experience” from the Picardy Players ticked several boxes of musical and historical interest alongside the senses of sight, smell, taste and touch, represented by displays of birch bark, wafts of woodland smells, birch juice drinks from the bar, and a ..read more

Charpentier’s Actéon & Rameau’s PygmalionAcademy of Ancient Music, Laurence CummingsAnna Dennis, Rachel Redmond, Katie Bray, Thomas WalkerMilton Court, 9 October 2024 François Clouet: Bath of Diana (1558) The Academy of Ancient Music opened its 2024/25 season, under the banner of Transformation, with a concert performance double-bill of French Baroque ‘operas’ or, more exactly, a Pastorale en musique ..read more

Niccolò Jommelli – a celebrationThe Mozartists, Ian PageFflur Wyn, Ambroisine Bré, Hugo BradyWigmore Hall, 18 September 2024 “Vidi il mar tutto in procella” from Ricimero, re de’ Goti (1740)“Se il povero ruscello” from Ezio (1741)“Io già sento nel mio petto” from Merope (1741)“Crescon le fiamme” from Didone abbandonata (1763)“De’ miei desiri ormai… Che farò?” from ..read more

International Young Artist’s PresentationLaus Polyphoniae 2024 AMUZ, Antwerp. 24 August 2024 The International Young Artist’s Presentation (IYAP) is an annual coaching and presentation scheme promoted by AMUZ (Flanders Festival Antwerp) and the Musica Impulscentrum to help promising young musicians “grow into tomorrow’s stars”. Six young early music ensembles are invited to three days of coaching by international early music ..read more

BBC Proms: Bach’s St John PassionBach Collegium Japan, Masaaki SuzukiRoyal Albert Hall, 19 August 2024 Bach’s Passio secundum Joannem, the St John Passion, was first performed on 7 April 1724 during the Good Friday Vespers at the Nicholaskirche in Leipzig, a last-minute change from the originally planned Thomaskirche. It was less than a year since he took up the post ..read more

National Early Music Association UK Move to a subscription-free and open access model The National Early Music Association UK (NEMA) was founded in 1981 as a coordinating body for the various strands of early musical activity in the UK and to promote the appreciation and performance of early music by amateurs and professionals. It is a Registered ..read more