Baroque ABCs: Musicians from the OAE and John Butt at St George's Bristol

By David Fay, 27 March 2013

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Reviewed at St George's Bristol, Bristol on 25 March 2013

Bach, Brandenburg Concerto no. 4 in G major, BWV1049

Bach, Komm, du süsse Todenstunde - Cantata, BWV161

Bach, Brandenburg Concerto no. 5 in D major, BWV1050

Bach, Es ist das Heil uns kommen her - Cantata, BWV9

Soloists from the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

Soloists from the Choir of the Enlightenment

John Butt, Director, Harpsichord

Bohemian Winds from the OAE

Jack Johnson, 5th February

An accomplished technical display from the OAE's period wind ensemble which occasionally lacked personality.

***11

Hidden Haydn: Soloists from the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres, 26th April

Short, but nonetheless entertaining, the lunchtime series at St George’s, Bristol put on a show with the final of their Hidden Haydn concerts. The programme was designed to explore the lost and less frequently played works of Franz Joseph Haydn (1832-1809), with a couple of treats from less well-known composers thrown in.

***11

The Dunedin Consort Messiah remains a welcome seasonal speciality

David Smythe, 18th December

The Dunedin Messiah, a speciality with Baroque instruments, is given with soloists Nardus Williams, Lotte Betts-Dean, Joshua Ellicott and Dingle Yandell in Perth, directed by John Butt.

****1

John Butt and the OAE celebrate Handel's Solomon

Roy Westbrook, 12th October

The Queen of Sheba is clearly in a hurry in this account of Handel's oratorio at the Queen Elizabeth Hall.

*****

Handel's Messiah overpowered by massed forces at the Proms

Nick Boston, 7th September

Massed choral forces, a strong solo line up and expanded orchestral forces overpower Handel at the end of the BBC Proms Choral Day.

***11

Leipzig 300: Dunedin Consort explores the Thomaskantor shortlist

David Smythe, 7th February

The Dunedin Consort explores the 1723 Thomaskantor shortlist: Georg Philipp Telemann, Christoph Graupner and Johann Sebastian Bach in a programme directed by John Butt.

****1

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David Fay

David studied Music and French at Bristol University and is now undertaking a PhD in Musicology. His specialism is religious music but his musical passions range from Alkaline Trio to Zadok the Priest.