In the light of the candle

This concert by the London Obbligato Collective offers a musical response to ‘Joseph Wright of Derby: From the Shadows’, The National Gallery's latest exhibition (7 November 2025 – 10 May 2026), exploring the same themes of mortality, reflection, and curiosity that glow through Wright’s iconic night scenes.

Performed by flute, cello, soprano, and harpsichord, the programme features music by composers from Wright’s world – including William Herschel, Edward Miller, and Thomas Linley the Elder – as well as Handel’s evocative cantata 'Pensieri notturni di Filli'. Together, these works illuminate the emotional and philosophical shadows of Wright’s candlelit vision.

Just as Wright used flickering light and deep shadow to explore themes of mortality, melancholy, moral inquiry, and human fragility, this concert offers a sonic response to his world – shaped by the cultural, intellectual, and musical circles of Enlightenment Britain.

Among the composers featured is William Herschel, astronomer, composer, and one of Wright’s most celebrated portrait subjects, whose music reflects both the refinement and curiosity of the era.

Wright also painted the flautist and composer Edward Miller, whose portrait was only recently rediscovered after centuries in private hands. As a young man, Miller played the flute in Handel’s orchestra, and his music – elegant, expressive, and quietly devotional – bridges the public grandeur and private reflection that permeate Wright’s work.

Another sitter was Thomas Linley the Elder, whose portrait is now lost, but whose influence as a teacher and composer in Bath made him a key figure in provincial musical life.

The programme is anchored by Handel’s 'Pensieri notturni di Filli', a cantata steeped in nocturnal atmosphere, poetic longing, and emotional nuance, qualities that resonate closely with Wright’s candlelit interiors and their introspective mood. Performed by flute, cello, soprano, and harpsichord, the concert weaves together instrumental brilliance and poetic song, exploring the interplay of reason, melancholy, and imagination – themes that flicker at the edges of both Wright’s paintings and this music.