Bound to Nothing

Join baroque violinist Conor Gricmanis and The Shrewsbury Baroque Orchestra for an evening of 17th-century music – from the glorious and sacred to the wonderfully wild.

Featuring works by Castello, Schmelzer, Uccellini, Erlebach and other gems of the Stylus Fantasticus, this concert invites you into a world where music is anything but predictable.

Performed on a colourful array of period instruments – including viola da gamba, theorbo, guitar and gut-string violin – the ensemble brings this repertoire to life with all its drama, ornamentation and freedom.

The Stylus Fantasticus, or 'fantastic style', emerged as a bold departure from the more restrained Renaissance tradition. Improvisatory, expressive and full of surprises, its music can feel almost like storytelling: each piece begins somewhere familiar, only to wander, twist and arrive somewhere completely unexpected.

Think of it as a beautiful, untamed garden – full of intricate filigree, sudden turns, dazzling colour and something wonderfully wild growing at every corner. Come and lose yourself in the fantastic style.