Alfonso Leal is The English Concert’s Co-Principal Viola player and its Chief Executive
When, where and what did you play the first time with the English Concert?
It was a BBC Prom directed by Andrew Manze back in 2003 (right out of college!)
What has been your most memorable TEC concert and why?
Handel’s Orlando at the Barbican was pretty special. There is an obbligato viola duet with Orlando (who was sang by Iestyn Davies) and it just felt right!
What’s one of your favourite pieces of music and why?
It will have to be St Anne’s Organ Prelude by Bach BWV 552. There is something truly majestic about the piece. It gets me every time. Or Wotan’s farewell in Wagner’s Walkure… Or Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro (all of it!)… Sorry I’ve given more than one.
Is there anything about you that would surprise people?
I am one of 7 kids! I have a twin brother and no-one in my family has any sense of pitch. Singing happy birthday with my folks sounds like an atonal deconstructed composition.
