Gijs Elsen, has announced his intention to leave his position as Chief Executive of The English Concert by 1st January 2019. Since Gijs joined in 2011, the orchestra has seen a period of unprecedented growth both artistically and commercially. Elsen and Artistic Director Harry Bicket built a series of ground breaking, high-profile cross-artform collaborations and a flagship annual Handel opera …
Garsington Opera and The English Concert
On the eve of its 45th Anniversary Season, The English Concert are delighted to announce an exciting new partnership with Garsington Opera. Beginning in 2020, The English Concert will perform in one or two productions each season for an initial 5 year term. In that same period, Garsington Opera (who celebrate their 30th Anniversary Season in 2019) will also extend …
Music of the Dark Lady
The English Concert Returns to the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse Ahead of our 2018-2019 season, we are delighted to announce our return to the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse at Shakespeare’s Globe on 8th July. In recent years, we’ve been involved in a number of projects at the Globe, from retracing Charles Burney’s footsteps through the musical landscape of the 17th and 18th centuries …
‘The most spectacular opera event of the season’ – Rinaldo report
Just over a month on from our latest Handel blockbuster, and we’re still trying to catch our breath, such has been the critical acclaim that greeted us upon our return to the UK.
History man – Harry Bicket on the cover of Opera Now
Harry Bicket is well known to opera goers for his stylish, revelatory interpretations of Baroque operas, persuading modern orchestra to take a historically informed approach to their playing. This year, as music director of Sante Fe Opera, he branches out into Bernstein, bringing his broader musical horizons into focus. Heidi Waleson met the Anglo-American conductor in New York during the …
On the big screen: Messiah
Messiah as You’ve Never Seen It Before Coming to a Cinema Near You on Wednesday, 28th March 2018 for One Night Only Staged by the Tony Award-winning director Tom Morris (War Horse), this acclaimed dramatisation of Handel’s masterpiece from Bristol Old Vic provides a rare chance to rediscover the intense spirituality of its many well-known arias and choruses, beautifully performed …
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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 …
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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 …
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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.
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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 …