The Art of the Harpsichord

Harpsichordist Alastair Ross plays JS Bach, Handel, Laschanzky and their contemporaries – celebrating an instrument that liberated the baroque imagination.

In the baroque era, the harpsichord was the bleeding edge of music technology. It was an instrument of infinite possibilities, opening new vistas to professional composers and bringing music into the home - where previously unheard voices were emboldened to create and inspire.

For decades, Academy of Ancient Music’s harpsichordist Alastair Ross has lived and breathed this music and this world. Now he joins forces with Laurence Cummings to recreate a musical revolution. Bach weaves sublime visions, keyboard masters capture the sunlight, and brilliant noblewomen make themselves heard at last, writing music that sparkles with invention, fantasy and emotion. A celebration of an age, an instrument, and the alchemy that happens when keys and quills encounter imaginations without limits.

There will be a free pre-concert talk in the auditorium at 6.30pm.

PROGRAMME
JS Bach Harpsichord Concerto in E, BWV 1053
Telemann Oboe Concerto in D minor, TWV 51:d1
Handel Trio Sonata in G, Op. 5 No. 4, HWV 399
Wilhelmine von Bayreuth Harpsichord Concerto in G minor
Madam Laschanzky Oboe Concerto in B flat
Pasquini Sonata for two harpsichords in D
JS Bach Concerto for two harpsichords in C minor, BWV 1060

PERFORMERS
Academy of Ancient Music
Laurence Cummings director & harpsichord
Alastair Ross harpsichord