When, where and what did you play the first time with the English Concert?
My first experience with the English Concert was Handel’s Saul with John Butt at the Edinburgh International Festival in 2022, which has just been released as a part of Handel for All!
What has been your most memorable TEC concert and why?
Rodelinda at Carnegie Hall in December 2023. It was my first time playing in that magnificent space and it was made all the more special being able to see my mum and grampa in the stalls. It came at the end of a tour that had taken us around the world (and a bit..!), and despite having pretty much abolished any sense of circadian rhythm, there was still such boundless energy, alert responsiveness and unparalleled sensitivity from every single person on stage. It was my grampa’s first ever experience of opera and he can’t wait until his next fix!
What’s one of your favourite pieces of music and why?
I was fortunate enough to be involved in some ambitious music-making growing up through youth orchestras and there’s one programme that will always stand out for me: Richard Strauss’ Ein Heldenleben paired with Thomas Adès’ Asyla. It seemed to show the full range of what an orchestra could do and, at its peak, it felt as if we were collectively riding a wave. The next time I experienced such a revelatory programme was one including Bach’s cantata, Widerstehe doch der Sünde, which opened my eyes to the timbral possibilities and extremes that can only be reached on gut. Having said that, it’s tricky to beat an evening with Herbie Hancock’s Head Hunters album and a couple of negronis…
Is there anything about you that would surprise people?
I coached gymnastics as a teenager!
Biography
Manchester-born double bassist, Alexander Jones, enjoys a varied career of solo, chamber and orchestral performance.
Following his studies at Selwyn College, Cambridge and the Royal Academy of Music, he joined the chamber collective, O/Modernt, and was appointed Assistant Principal double bass with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.
Alexander is in demand as a guest principal, and has appeared with the Philharmonia, Ulster and Royal Scottish National orchestras, as well as other period-instrument groups, such as the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and Dunedin Consort.
As a chamber musician, he has collaborated with international soloists such as Kirill Gerstein and Alena Baeva, principals of the Berlin Philharmonic, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, and Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, and has performed at the Festival d’Aix–en-Provence, Schelswig-Holstein Festival and Grafenegg Festival.
A proponent of new music, he has collaborated with a number of composers, including David Matthews and Robin Holloway, whose music he has premiered and recorded.
Alexander is also a keen composer and academic; his music has been performed at the BBC Proms by members of the Aurora Orchestra and his studies on Schoenberg and Dvořák are held by libraries internationally.
