Bach at Breakfast: Ensemble 360 serve up a Goldberg feast

By Phil Parker, 18 May 2025

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“every note was pin-sharp and clear in focus, leaving the performers with absolutely nowhere to hide”

Reviewed at Samuel Worth Chapel, Sheffield on 18 May 2025

Bach, Goldberg Variations, BWV988 (arr, Sitkovetsky)

Ensemble 360

Benjamin Nabarro, Violin

Rachel Roberts, Viola

Gemma Rosefield, Cello

Symmetries in Sound: Ensemble 360 explores music and maths

Phil Parker, 13th February

Forwards? Backwards? Upside down? All three at once? From Machaut to Pärt, Ensemble 360 considers the relationship between musical structures and varieties of mathematical pattern.

****1

A trio of Mozart quintets from Ensemble 360

Phil Parker, 15th January

Ensemble 360’s opening concert of their Sheffield spring season reveals the rich variety present in three very different Mozart quintets.

****1

A concert of masterworks from Ensemble 360 and guests

Phil Parker, 22nd May

Another day, another impeccable concert by Ensemble 360 and friends at this year’s Sheffield Chamber Music Festival.

****1

Ensemble 360’s Lark takes wing

Phil Parker, 5th February

Ensemble 360’s Music in the Round concert is a homage to the 20th-century English industrialist Walter Willson Cobbett... and also to the enduring popularity of The Lark Ascending.

****1

Wind masterpieces take centre stage in Ensemble 360 Sheffield concert

Phil Parker, 22nd January

In a programmed titled Birds and Bagatelles, Ensemble 360’s wind players offered vividly characterised music in this programme of 20th-century classics of the repertoire.

****1

Grief and joy vie for supremacy in Ensemble 360’s season opener

Phil Parker, 18th September

Ensemble 360 offer a game of two halves at the Sheffield Crucible Playhouse, pairing works by Pavel Haas and Leoš Janáček.

****1

More reviews...

Phil Parker

Phil is a retired A-level English teacher who is now able to devote his life to things he really wants to do with his time. These include, but are not limited to: writing short fiction (his first collection, Girl with Fan, was published in late 2023), singing, creating programme notes for his choir’s concerts, volunteering, cooking, reading, and attending all home games at his beloved Manchester City. Alongside these is listening to classical music (live, on disc and on the radio), a lifetime’s love of which was sparked at the age of 11 when he discovered Haydn.

Bach at Breakfast: Ensemble 360 serve up a Goldberg Variations feast