The English Concert
is a baroque orchestra playing on period instruments based in London. Founded in 1972 and directed from the harpsichord by Trevor Pinnock for 30 years, it is now directed by harpsichordist Harry Bicket. The orchestra has been led by Nadja Zwiener since September 2007. [1]
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THE ENGLISH CONCERT TICKETS
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The English Concert and Choir
The English Concert was founded by
Trevor Pinnock and others in November 1972. The date of foundation is often given as 1973, probably because they started with seven people and only later progressed onto the orchestral repertoire as their number increased. They were one of the first orchestras dedicated to performing
baroque and
early classical music on
period instruments, their repertoire from then to now ranging approximately from
Monteverdi to
Mozart.
[2]
Their London debut was at the English Bach Festival in 1973, which led to their first recording in 1974,
Sons of Bach harpsichord concertos
, on CRD records.
[3] They first played at
The Proms in 1980, and toured
North America in 1983. The group gained much recognition from their prolific number of recordings with
Archiv Produktion from 1978 until 1995, during which they recorded most of the major baroque repertoire.
The Choir of the English Concert
(or permutations of that phrase), was formed in 1983 to perform
Rameau's
Acante et Céphise
. It continued assembling as needed for recordings and performances with the group until the mid-1990s, when the decision was made to make it a regular choir on a level with the orchestra, in preparation for their performance of
Bach's
mass in B minor
. Performances of
oratorios and large-scale vocal works became more common after this. Rather than use established soloists in the arias and solo sections of these works, the
choir was thought to be so good that the soloist material was shared amongst the regular members, a practise that Andrew Manze continued.
[4]
From 1996 to 2001 The English Concert was engaged in a major concert project entitled 'Great Religious Works of the 18th Century'. This was launched with
Messiah
performances, continuing in 1997 with
J. S. Bach's
Mass in B Minor
performed in Italy, France, Germany, Austria and at the BBC Proms. Next was Bach's
St. John Passion
and
Mozart's Requiem in 1999. In 2000 there were 18 performances of Bach's
St. Matthew Passion
, in locations from Tenerife to Tokyo. The six-year cycle was completed with a performance of
Haydn's
Die Schöpfung
at the 2001 Lucerne Festival. The
Christmas Oratorio
performed in Spain, Italy and Germany in December 2002.
[5]
Trevor Pinnock stepped down as director in 2003 to pursue solo and other conducting projects.
[6] Orchestra members decided to hand over to violinist
Andrew Manze, who was at that time associate director of
The Academy of Ancient Music.
[7] One of his first projects as director was a reconstruction of the first performance of
Handel's
Water Music
, sailing down the
River Thames on a barge. This was filmed for the
BBC and released on DVD.
[8] With Manze's leadership came a new series of recordings with
Harmonia Mundi.
The English Concert continues to appear at the major London venues, including the
Wigmore Hall,
Cadogan Hall and
South Bank Centre, as well as touring internationally and playing at major music festivals. In September 2007, harpsichordist
Harry Bicket succeeded Andrew Manze as director. Notable collaborations in the last three seasons have been with such internationally-acclaimed figures in historical performance as violinist Fabio Biondi, oboist Alfredo Bernardini, conductor
Laurence Cummings, director Rinaldo Alessandrini, harpsichordist
Mahan Esfahani, soprano
Elizabeth Watts, countertenor
David Daniels, and director and recorder player
Maurice Steger.
Related ensembles
There was, for a time, a chamber ensemble drawn from the principal members,
The English Concert Chamber Ensemble
, which released a few recordings as 'Members of The English Concert' or using their individual names.
The English Concert Winds
were a group of wind players from the orchestra who released a recording.
[9]
Some notable past members
Violin:
- Simon Standage - leader 1972-1991 - left to direct Collegium Musicum 90
- Elizabeth Wilcock
- Micaela Comberti
- Graham Cracknel
- Peter Hanson - leader 1992-1997 - now leads the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique
- Rachel Podger - leader 1997-2002 [10]
- Roy Goodman
- John Holloway
Cello:
- Anthony Pleeth - 1972-1985
- Jaap ter Linden
- David Watkin
Violone:
- Amanda MacNamara
- Peter McCarthy
Recorder:
Horn:
Flute:
- Stephen Preston
- Nicholas McGegan
- Lisa Beznosiuk
Oboe:
- David Reichenberg
- Paul Goodwin
Lute:
Recordings
Main article: Trevor Pinnock: Recordings: Orchestral works with The English Concert
Under the direction of Andrew Manze:
- C.P.E. Bach: Symphonies Wq.183 and cello concerto
- Biber: Missa Christi resurgentis
- Handel: As steals the morn...
arias & scenes for tenor (with Mark Padmore, tenor)
- Mozart: Eine Kleine Nachtmusik
- Mozart: violin concertos nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
- Vivaldi: seven concertos ‘for the Holy Roman Emperor’
Under the direction of Harry Bicket:
- Bach: Brandenburg Concertos & Orchestral Suites (with David Daniels, countertenor)
Notes and references