A thrilling evening of music from Bach's Bohemian Cousin

By Jack Johnson, 22 October 2015

Loading, please wait...

See full listing

“Zelenka, like Bach, was adept at stylistic pluralism”

Reviewed at Smith Square Hall, London on 20 October 2015

Zelenka, Trumpet fanfare

Zelenka, Opening and closing coro from Il Serpente di Bronzo

Zelenka, Trio Sonata no. 3 in B flat major

Bach, Nun ist das Heil und die Kraft - Cantata, BWV50

Zelenka, Sinfonia and Terra’s recitativo and aria No. 2 & 3 from Il

Zelenka, Trumpet fanfare

Zelenka, Missa dei Filii, ZWV 20

Spiritato

Barts Chamber Choir

Augusta Hebbert, Soprano

Magid El-Bushra, Countertenor

Julian Perkins, Conductor

Wonderfully festive!

Jessica Croghan, 20th December

We trudged through the snow to Kings Place, full of anticipation for an evening of beautiful music and festive cheer. The Barts Chamber Choir, conducted by Ivor Setterfield provided this, with a wonderful program from traditional audience carols to lesser known pieces by Berlioz, Howells and Vaughan Williams.

Baroque this Christmas!

Charlotte Valori, 9th December

A skilfully programmed evening of Italian Baroque music gave us a Christmas concert with a difference – and, thanks to superb playing from Spiritato!, an immensely enjoyable one.

****1

The Also-Ran Who Outran Fate: Daniel Purcell's Judgement of Paris

Charlotte Valori, 5th March

For sheer dramatic potential, let alone the beauty of its music, Daniel Purcell’s The Judgement of Paris is a rare find. In this celebratory performance at St John’s Smith Square, this long-lost opera sparkles at us across the silent centuries.

****1

Baroque rarities by the GSMD

Nahoko Gotoh, 11th June

The two works in Guildhall School’s Baroque opera double bill, Thomas Arne’s The Cooper and Stradella’s San Giovanni Battista had little in common except that both are rarely performed, yet somehow made quite good bedfellows.

***11

The Also-Ran Who Outran Fate: Daniel Purcell's Judgement of Paris

Charlotte Valori, 5th March

****1

Bach to basics: The AAM performs the St Matthew Passion

Roy Westbrook, 29th March

A claim was made not to authenticity, but merely to “a chance to hear the work anew”.

****1

More reviews...

Jack Johnson

After completing a postgraduate degree in Music at King's College London in 2013, Jack now works in development for an arts charity based in London. Aside from regularly attending concerts, he plays piano and clarinet and enjoys singing with several choirs. Particularly passions include Bach, Prokofiev and the neglected choral works of Hummel