Bach reserves some of his most beautiful music for the moment of death. In this video, Katharina Spreckelsen performs the soaring oboe line in this exquisite sinfonia from Cantata 156 with The English Concert, directed by Kristian Bezuidenhout. Ich steh mit einem Fuß im Grabe / I stand with one foot in the grave.
Bach – Nadja Zwiener performs in front of Bach’s tomb
Nadja Zwiener, leader of The English Concert, performs Bach’s Sarabanda from his Partita for Solo Violin in D Minor BWV 1004 at the Thomaskirche in Leipzig, where the composer’s remains rest.
Purcell – Rondeau from The Indian Queen with Kristian Bezuidenhout
Listen to this sweet short Rondeau from Purcell’s The Indian Queen was recorded by The English Concert and Kristian Bezuidenhout at the Henry Wood Hall in London in November 2019. Performers: Nadja Zwiener, Tuomo Suni – ViolinAlfonso Leal del Ojo – ViolaJonny Byers – CelloKristian Bezuidenhout – Harpsichord and Director
Kristian Bezuidenhout: Principal Guest Director
The 2017-2018 season marks the start of a wonderful partnership as Kristian Bezuidenhout becomes The English Concert’s Principal Guest Director. Catch a glimpse of the orchestra in action and hear from Kristian as we set out on our journey together. “I’ve had the great pleasure of working with these superb musicians many times, and I am always struck not just …
Kristian Bezuidenhout: Keyboards in Mozart symphonies
For the majority of music in the baroque period, whether purely instrumental, chamber, or for the church or opera house, a keyboard instrument played a pivotal role in the continuo group. Yet for music of the classical period, especially the classical symphony, the role of the keyboard (or even if one is used at all) has become somewhat of a …
Biber Rosary Sonatas
Ahead of The English Concert’s first appearance at Kings Place on 6 December 2017, violinist Nadja Zwiener offers her insight into the ferocious virtuosity required to play Biber’s music and the intimate sound world he creates with the use of scordatura.
Handel: Ariodante ‘Cieca notte’
Richly scored and tightly plotted, an all-star cast brings to life one of Handel’s finest operas, Ariodante. Following her stunning appearance in Alcina in 2014, the latest instalment in our Handel opera series sees the return of Joyce DiDonato in the title role. Marking 500 years since the publication of Ludovico Ariosto’s Orlando furioso, a tale of knights and entangled …
Handel: Ariodante ‘Bramo aver mille vite’
Richly scored and tightly plotted, an all-star cast brings to life one of Handel’s finest operas, Ariodante. Following her stunning appearance in Alcina in 2014, the latest instalment in our Handel opera series sees the return of Joyce DiDonato in the title role. Marking 500 years since the publication of Ludovico Ariosto’s Orlando furioso, a tale of knights and entangled love, Ariodante stands as Handel’s final …
Handel: Ariodante ‘Scherza infida’
Richly scored and tightly plotted, an all-star cast brings to life one of Handel’s finest operas, Ariodante. Following her stunning appearance in Alcina in 2014, the latest instalment in our Handel opera series sees the return of Joyce DiDonato in the title role. Marking 500 years since the publication of Ludovico Ariosto’s Orlando furioso, a tale of knights and entangled love, Ariodante stands as Handel’s final …
Handel: Alcina
Catch a glimpse of The English Concert and mezzo-soprano superstar Joyce DiDonato during the Madrid leg of their 2014 tour of Handel’s Alcina. Produced for Spanish television, this short documentary includes an interview with Artistic Director Harry Bicket. “The English Concert, the acclaimed period instrument ensemble, with Harry Bicket conducting, presented an elegant, dramatically riveting concert performance at Carnegie Hall, with …