Warm up those vocal cords…the H factor is here.
Wed 26 Nov 2014
In concerts generally we play the music and you listen and enjoy. There is of course one well known exception – and that is the Hallelujah chorus of Handel’s Messiah. For reasons we’ll explain in a future post generally what happens ( in the UK at least) is that the entire audience stands up and joins in – much to the bemusement of any non-Brits in the audience.
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“A dream come true”. We chat with Richard Tognetti
Sat 22 Nov 2014
We’re currently on tour with violinist Richard Tognetti, who is directing our ‘Lord of the Strings’ programme – which you can hear in London in full on Tuesday (parts of it also feature in Monday’s The Works and The Night Shift).
Read MoreTrue Sound, True Music – a new year of OAE concerts ahead
Wed 8 Oct 2014
A new season of OAE concerts starts on 9 October, with concerts at Southbank Centre and elsewhere running through until May next year. You can get a little taste of what’s to come on our 100 second new season trailer, filmed in a low-fi ‘activist’ style to match our brochure and images this year.
Read MoreIn rehearsal: Sir Roger Norrington conducts Berlioz
Wed 13 Aug 2014
Last autumn we went on tour with our Emeritus Conductor Sir Roger Norrington, with some pretty unusual repertoire for us – Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique. Indeed, this was only the second time we have ever programmed this piece. Here’s a clip of the Orchestra and Sir Roger Norrington rehearsing the piece at the Palais des Beaux-Arts (BOZAR) in Brussels ahead of performances there, and in Warsaw and Helsinki.
Read MoreVideo Vault: 10 minutes with OAE Music Librarian Colin Kitching
Wed 16 Jul 2014
We had a rummage through our archives and found this gem from back in 2008 which we thought was worth sharing with you all. Then intern Nick Cooke traveled out to deepest Chesham to meet up with OAE Librarian Colin Kitching. The video includes rare footage of the OAE’s legendary music shed…
Read MoreGamechangers: Mildly Rude in rehearsal
Tue 10 Jun 2014
Boyce’s Solomon – A Serenata was wildly popular in its day and even eclipsed Handel’s Messiah in the popularity stakes. But it’s libretto was perhaps slightly racy and it fell foul of later, more prudish, tastes.
Watch the video below for a sneak peek at our rehearsals.
Read MoreMildly Rude?
Thu 29 May 2014
On 12 June we close our Southbank 2013-2014 Season with Gamechangers: Mildly Rude?, so called for its inclusion of Boyce’s Solomon – A Serenata, which caused outrage when performed in front of Victorian audiences.
Read MoreGamechangers: Symphonic Greats – audience vox pops
Fri 11 Apr 2014
Back on Tuesday we bought Gamechangers: Symphonic Greats to the Royal Festival Hall, with performances of Beethoven’s Symphony No.7 and Schubert’s Symphony No.9 conducted by Semyon Bychkov. We caught up with the audience afterwards and here’s what they said.
Read MoreWatch the OAE rehearse Schubert Symphony No.9
Fri 4 Apr 2014
Our intrepid cameraman Zen ventured out to the wilds of Hammersmith this morning to capture the OAE at work, rehearsing Schubert’s Symphony No.9.
Read MoreSigsiwald talks about the Spalla
Mon 24 Mar 2014
Ahead of our last concert featuring the Violoncello da Spalla, tomorrow night at Southbank Centre, here’s a video with Sigiswald Kuijken talking about and demonstrating the instrument.
Read MoreOffenbach’s Fantasio: Trailer
Thu 5 Dec 2013
We’ve just released this video trailer ahead of our performance of Offenbach’s opera Fantasio on 15 December.
Read MoreMonday nights are about ironing, housework and working late. Right? Wrong.
Thu 26 Sep 2013
If your typical Monday night contains ANY of the things in the video above then we can help you.
Read MoreIs this your face on a Monday?
Wed 18 Sep 2013
Well, is it?
Very few of us jump out of bed on a Monday full of the joys of spring. It’s very few people’s favourite day of the week.
Read MorePreview the year of music coming up…
Sat 7 Sep 2013
Get a taste of what we have in store for you over the year ahead with our just-released 2013-2014 trailer. In it we look back at highlights from the last 12 months and give you a taste of some of the most exciting treats we have in store for you.
Read More2012: Our top moments
Fri 21 Dec 2012
Well, what a year it’s been…what with the small matter of the Olympics, the Diamond Jubilee, the notorious IKEA monkey in a coat, and of course, some fab concerts with the OAE.
So we thought we’d put together our top office highlights from 2012…enjoy!
Read MoreThe evolution of the violin bow
Thu 8 Nov 2012
OAE violinist, Henrietta Wayne, gives us an insight into the history of the violin bow, from the 1500s to today.
Watch the video to find out about what a violin frog is and how you can make your own bow with a twig and string!
Read MoreGlyndebourne: on demand
Mon 6 Aug 2012
We’re very pleased to be able to offer you the chance to watch the 2009 Glyndebourne production of Purcell’s The Fairy Queen, featuring the OAE, online.
Read MoreFrench Impressionists with Sir Simon Rattle: Audience Reaction
Tue 12 Jun 2012
We caught up with audience members after Sunday’s concert with Sir Simon Rattle and Pierre-Laurent Aimard to ask them what they thought – here’s what they said. More photos and video from the Rattle tour coming soon.
Read MorePierre-Laurent Aimard on Ravel’s piano concerto for the left hand
Sun 10 Jun 2012
Ahead of tonight’s concert at the Royal Festival Hall here’s a video we filmed during rehearsal last weekend, in which Pierre-Laurent Aimard talks about Ravel’s dark and war-tinged Piano Concerto for the left hand.
Read MoreOn the road with the OAE, Sir Simon Rattle and the Labèque Sisters
Thu 31 May 2012
As we’re about to hit the road with Sir Simon again we thought it was a good time to post this video from last year’s tour with him, when we visited Luxembourg, Paris, Dublin and of course, London.
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