Speed Interview – Guy Cutting
Thu 2 May 2013
Tenor Guy Cutting joins us on 17 May for the third and final instalment of Bach’s Cantatas and Brandenburg Concertos. He took a break from rehearsals to speak with us about some of the simpler things in life.
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Current Distractions
Thu 25 Apr 2013
A Viola player using the latest technology to create a musical composition, an artist based in Singapore that can create life-like images with just paint and resin – there’s so much to see here and all so culturally nourishing. Plus, if you can make it to the bottom, there’s a picture of Haydn in hair…
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John Butt: In Conversation
Thu 18 Apr 2013
As we prepare for the next in our series of three concerts at Kings Place celebrating the musical genius of J.S Bach (coming up tomorrow night), we caught up with conductor John Butt to find out more about the composer himself and what makes him so special. For full information and booking details, visit the…
Read MoreSally Bruce-Payne – Speed Interview
Fri 12 Apr 2013
Mezzo-soprano Sally Bruce-Payne joins us at Kings Place, on 19 April, for Bach Unwrapped: Cantatas and Brandenburg Concertos. We asked her to take our speed interview, here’s what she had to say.
Read MoreSing the Passions
Fri 22 Mar 2013
Our Sing the Passions event at Kings Place is coming up tomorrow afternoon and we’re busy practicing our scales and warming up our vocal chords. For those of you able to make it, here’s a bit about what we’ll be exploring in the workshop… Our Principal keyboard player Robert Howarth will be joined by tenor…
Read MoreSpeed Interview – John Butt
Thu 21 Mar 2013
Conductor John Butt is about to make his appearance with us for the first of three concerts at Kings Place celebrating Bach’s Cantatas and Brandenburg Concertos. We put our speed interview questions to him:
Read MoreBach…unwrapped
Sat 16 Mar 2013
Bach-ing mad? Then you might like our video trailer. We’re very excited to be part of Kings Place’s largest annual series to date, Bach Unwrapped, celebrating the genius of Johann Sebastian Bach. We kick off our set of nine events on 22 March with a concert celebrating his Cantatas and Brandenburg Concertos, led by the…
Read MoreBach, St John Passion CD
Polyphony and Stephen Layton present their celebrated performance of Bach’s most dramatic masterpiece. Accompanied by the OAE and a starry team of soloists, Layton directs a vivid account, the excitement of the narrative drama contrasting with heartbreaking moments of reflection. In Ian Bostridge, we have the most iconic Evangelist of the last twenty years; an…
Read MoreAntonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Composer
Vivaldi/The Man Antonio Lucio Vivaldi was born in Venice. He was baptized immediately after his birth by the midwife, which led many people to believe his life was somehow in danger. The real reason is still not known for sure, some argue it was due to ill health while others state that an earthquake the…
Read MoreChristmas Playlist
Fri 14 Dec 2012
It’s well known that Bach loved a bit of Wham and in tribute to him, we’ve made an OAE Christmas playlist.
Read MoreSpeed Interview: Julia Doyle
Fri 23 Nov 2012
As acclaimed soprano Julia Doyle prepares for her performance in Handel’s celebrated Messiah on 11 December, she took some time out to tell us a bit about her pre-concert superstitions and some of her musical heroes.
Read MoreScary classical music from the movies
Wed 31 Oct 2012
To freak us out a bit on this ‘All hallow’s eve’, we thought we’d hunt down those chilling classical pieces that have sent shivers down our collective spines at the movies… Prepare to be spooked!
Read MoreBostridge sings Bach: Audience Reaction
Mon 14 May 2012
Here’s what the audience thought of our all-Bach concert with Ian Bostridge, a few weeks ago at the Queen Elizabeth Hall. We’re about to go off on tour with Ian with the same programme, so if you live in Vienna, Dresden, Prague, Warsaw or Innsbruck you still have a chance to catch this concert. Details…
Read MoreBach: the missing soloists
Fri 27 Apr 2012
This Wednesday, 25 April, saw us at the Queen Elizabeth Hall performing an all-Bach concert, with soloist Ian Bostridge and director Steven Devine. What anyone who was at the concert will have realised though was that Ian was not the only soloist, with the Brandenburg Concerto No.4 and also the Cantata Ich habe genug also…
Read MoreBaroque Giants: Bach – Audience Reaction
Thu 8 Mar 2012
On Sunday we performed an all-Bach concert at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, and caught up with the audience afterwards to find out what they thought of it. There are further chances to hear the concert in Bradford-on-Avon tomorrow, 9 March, and in Birmingham’s Town Hall on 10 March.
Read MoreLisa Beznosiuk: Speed Interview
Tue 6 Mar 2012
We chatted to OAE Principal flautist Lisa Beznosiuk to ask her a few questions, amidst her solo performances with us this week on our Baroque Giants: Bach tour in London, Birmingham and Bradford-on-Avon.
Read MoreThe Works returns: trailer
Mon 5 Mar 2012
We’re excited that our new concert series, The Works, returns for a second outing tomorrow night at Southbank Centre. The idea behind The Works is to give you the classical music equivalent of a gallery’s audio guide – a guided tour of selected classical masterpieces. At tomorrow’s event we’re featuring Bach’s Suite No.3 and Brandenburg…
Read MoreLaurence Cummings: Speed Interview
Tue 28 Feb 2012
After a very slight break for the OAE, we’re going on another tour, this time with Laurence Cummings who will be directing an all-Bach programme from the harpsichord. In London we’ll be at the Queen Elizabeth Hall on 4 March, followed by The Night Shift on the same night and the programme also appears as …
Read MoreFebruary Podcast: Sir Mark Elder, Laurence Cummings and frothy tea…
Thu 9 Feb 2012
It’s time for the latest packed edition of the OAE podcast, this time with added snazzy intro music. In this edition we speak to Sir Mark Elder about Berlioz’s Romeo and Juliet, chat with Laurence Cummings about Bach, talk to composer Sally Beamish and writer Melanie Reid about Spinal Chords, a new piece for the…
Read MoreKennedy kicks up a fuss…
Mon 15 Aug 2011
Nigel Kennedy has kicked off quite a debate this weekend, with an article in The Observer picking up on some programme notes by him from a recent performance of Bach. In it, he criticises modern-day performances of the composers music, and period-performance in particular, stating: “Even the description of oneself as being ‘authentic’ is unbelievably…
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