Handel and Bach: A Baroque Celebration

Sound the trumpet! In the baroque era, every concert was a celebration, as composers and performers competed to dazzle, to move, and above all, to entertain their audiences. It was a Europe-wide phenomenon. In Germany, Telemann wrote music to feast by, and his friend Johann Sebastian Bach composed religious music as powerful and as heart-rending as any opera. And here in England, in 1717, King George I simply put an orchestra on a boat and sailed off up the Thames: the ultimate royal pleasure cruise, set to the irrepressible melodies of his favourite composer, George Frederic Handel.

Tonight, Sinfonia Viva remains firmly on dry land, but the music will be shooting for the stars. 309 years on, Handel’s Water Music is as entertaining as ever, and it’s the climax of an evening of baroque music at its most playful, as well as its most profound. In true eighteenth century style, Sinfonia Viva’s leader Sophie Rosa doubles as both conductor and soloist in Bach’s sublime A minor Violin Concerto, and we’re delighted to welcome soprano Jessica Cale – first prize winner of the Kathleen Ferrier Awards – to sing Bach’s jubilant Cantata No.51, as well as two of Handel’s most spectacular showpieces for the human voice. They’re tales of longing, sorrow and glory: a captive princess weeps for her lost love, and a jubilant herald summons angelic trumpeters. Expect big emotions and stirring sounds as Sinfonia Viva invites you to enjoy an evening of music that lights up the sky.