Getting a Handle on Handel!

Bath Recitals’ ‘Candlelit Spring Extravaganza’ features three fantastic works by one of the greatest of all Baroque composers. But here are five interesting things you may not know about George Frederic Handel…

1. Handel’s nickname was ‘The Great Bear’ – not only due to his walking style and large stature, but also because of his reportedly fiery temper!


2. Handel was not allowed to play music at home because his father disapproved of his musical aspirations. He used to sneak into the attic to play the clavichord his mother had smuggled there. Handel initially studied law at the University of Halle before dropping out to become a musician.


3. Handel was almost killed in a duel with fellow composer, Johann Mattheson after a brawl broke out at the premiere of Mattheson’s opera. Handel narrowly escaped one of Mattheson’s sword thrusts by a large metal button on his coat.

Afterwards they reconciled their differences and remained friends for the rest of their lives.


4. One of Handel’s most famous works is ‘Zadok The Priest’ written for King George II’s coronation in 1727. But fans of the UEFA Champions League may also recognise their anthem is an adaptation of several elements from Handel’s original composition reshuffled and transformed to suit the new context.


5. Although born and educated in Germany, Handel’s fame was so great that many Brits claimed him as their own. After the debut of his opera Rinaldo he moved into 25 Brook Street, Mayfair, London in 1712. (Guitarist Jimi Hendrix was later to live next door – the two homes are now a museum).

Although appointed as Composer of Music of the Chapel Royal for King George I, the Schism Act of 1714 prohibited him from working without a licence from a bishop. The 1727 ‘Handel Naturalisation Act’ made him a naturalised British Citizen.


Handel’s Water Music

The highlight of Bath’s Spring Season

Handel's Water Music

St Michael’s Church, Broad St, Bath BA1 5LJ
20 April 2024, 7.30pm Tickets £14-£30

Handel: Water Music Suite No.1 F major
Handel: Concerto for Organ The Cuckoo and the Nightingale
Handel: The Choice of Hercules

Supported by The Joyce Fletcher Charitable Trust

Handel’s Water Music

We wanted you to be the first to know that tickets have just been launched for Bath Recitals’ ‘Spring Extravaganza’ with a concert of wonderful seasonal Baroque music by Handel on 20 April.

Alongside Handel’s much-loved Water Music will be a delightful concerto for organ The Cuckoo and the Nightingale. This will be followed by one of Handel’s magnificent oratorios The Choice of Hercules.

A terrific line up of soloists including sopranos Angela Hicks, Eleanore Sian Cockerham and counter-tenor Neil Moore will be supported by the Georgian Festival Chorale and the St Woolos Sinfonia conducted by Daniel Robert Cushing.

Thank you for supporting us in 2023!

Our last concert of 2023 was a sell-out success with hundreds of people enjoying festive music performed by the Noctis Chamber Choir and Carolean Concert at St Michael’s Without Church in central Bath.

The candlelit concert was co-conducted by Bath Recital’s artistic director Daniel Robert Cushing and Noctis conductor Francis Faux.

It was the final of our 2023 programme which started with the extraordinary performance of Solomon in Bath Abbey in April.

“Thank you to everyone who supported Bath Recitals by attending one of the four fantastic concerts we staged during 2023,” said Bath Recitals chairman David Gregory.

“We are working on our programme for 2024 and look forward to seeing existing and new supporters during next year.”

In the meantime Bath Recitals wishes all its supporters a very Happy New Year!

Farewell Mr President

It is with great sadness that Bath Recitals announces the death of our founder and president, Tom Clarke on 28 November 2023.

All are welcome to attend his funeral on Wednesday 20th December 2023 at 10am. It will take place at St. Michael’s Without Church, Broad Street, Bath BA1 5LJ (opposite Waitrose).

Tom dedicated his life to music and supported many young musicians at the beginning of their careers. His inspiration and charm will be greatly missed. 

Tom’s farewell will feature music chosen by himself and performed by members of the Noctis Choir together with instrumentalists. This will include Purcell’s opening march from Funeral Music for Queen Mary, Michael Head’s Sweet Chance sung by soprano Maisie Lewis and Peter Warlock’s Bethlehem Down.

Tom Clarke

Also included will be Waft her angels through the Skies from Handel’s Jeptha and Purcell’s Funeral Music Thou Knowest, Lord, the Secrets of our Heart.

Tom has been a colourful and prominent figure in the cultural life of the city for over 40 years. Since the 1980s he has staged over 600 ‘shows’ (as Tom always liked to call them). This has had a hugely positive impact on the cultural scene in the city as well as providing a valuable platform for young professional musicians.

Tom has been a colourful and prominent figure in the cultural life of the city for over 40 years. Since the 1980s he has staged over 600 ‘shows’ (as Tom always liked to call them). This has had a hugely positive impact on the cultural scene in the city as well as providing a valuable platform for young professional musicians.

Tom has been a colourful and prominent figure in the cultural life of the city for over 40 years. Since the 1980s he has staged over 600 ‘shows’ (as Tom always liked to call them). This has had a hugely positive impact on the cultural scene in the city as well as providing a valuable platform for young professional musicians.

The Twelve Tickets of Christmas

What will your true love be sending to you this Christmas? Maybe a ticket for A Carolean Christmas on 20 December?

But you had better be quick! There are just 12 tickets left for our spectacular Candlelit Christmas Concert at St Michael’s Without!

With some wonderful seasonal music from the Renaissance to the present day, this Christmas extravaganza will feature two Bath conductors – Francis Faux and Daniel Robert Cushing – and the Noctis Chamber Choir, one of Bath’s premier vocal ensembles.

The highlight of the programme will be a performance of Vivaldi’s Gloria, one of the undoubted glories of the Baroque age and described by Classic FM as ‘a beauty beyond belief, prompting a frisson of sheer delight’.

Also included will be traditional Christmas Carols old and new with soloists, soprano Maisie Lewis and mezzo-soprano Molly Soo, joined by the rich orchestral sounds of The Carolean Consort.

A Carolean Christmas

Wednesday 20 December, 7.30pm
St Michael’s Without, Broad Street, Bath BA1 5LJ
Noctis Chamber Choir
The Carolean Consort

Francis Faux & Daniel Robert Cushing conductors
Maisie Lewis soprano & Molly Soo mezzo-soprano

Carolean Christmas

Giovanni Battista Pergolesi Magnificat in B flat
Michael Praetorius Lo, how a Rose e’er blooming
Peter Warlock Bethlehem Down
Elizabeth Poston  Jesus Christ the Apple Tree
Traditional Carols Past Three O’clock & The Boar’s Head
Antonio Vivaldi  Gloria in D major

Tickets from £14 to £27 available from the Bath Box Office

Celebrate Christmas with our Spectacular Carolean Concert

Bath Recitals brings A Carolean Christmas to the beautiful surroundings of St Michael’s Without on 20 December... but don’t miss out as tickets are already selling fast for ‘the highlight of Bath’s Christmas Season’…

One of the highlights of the programme will be Vivaldi’s Gloria, one of the undoubted glories of the Baroque age.

This 12 movement work is one of the most popular works of all time, described by Classic FM as: 

‘a beauty beyond belief, prompting a frisson of sheer delight’.

“This intimate and candlelit concert presents a not-to-be missed performance of Vivaldi’s Gloria sung by Bath’s premier chamber choir.

Says Artistic Director of Bath Recitals Daniel Cushing

This Christmas extravaganza will include some wonderful seasonal music from the Renaissance to the present day. Two Bath conductors join forces to bring this unmissable candlelit concert to Bath’s Christmas season this year:

Conductors Francis Faux and Daniel Robert Cushing

Stars of the show will be Bath’s own Noctis Chamber Choir. Noctis has established itself as one of Bath’s premier vocal ensembles, a group of highly skilled choral singers, professional musicians, singing teachers and lay clerks who are known for their versatility and innovation.

Other works in the programme will include the delightful The Boar’s Head Carol. This Christmas gem composed by Elizabeth Poston was commissioned by Cuthbert Bates for the City of Bath Bach Choir and first performed in the Pump Room.

Noctis Choir: ‘A beautiful blend of voices’

A Carolean Christmas

Wednesday 20 December, 7.30pm
St Michael’s Without, Broad Street, Bath BA1 5LJ

Noctis Chamber Choir & The Carolean Consort
Francis Faux & Daniel Robert Cushing conductors
Maisie Lewis soprano & Molly Soo mezzo-soprano

Giovanni Battista Pergolesi Magnificat in B flat
Michael Praetorius Lo, how a Rose e’er blooming
Peter Warlock Bethlehem Down
Elizabeth Poston  Jesus Christ the Apple Tree
Traditional Carols Past Three O’clock & The Boar’s Head
Antonio Vivaldi  Gloria in D major

Tickets from £14 to £27 available from the Bath Box Office

Meet the Brandon Hill Chamber Orchestra

Katie McConochie introduces the Brandon Hill Chamber Orchestra and talks about Haydn’s wonderful Symphony No.6 Le Matin…

Katie, a violinist in the Brandon Hill Chamber Orchestra, is thrilled to be performing a programme of fabulous music from the Classical age.

See her and the orchestra perform in the quintessential classical architecture of St Swithin’s Church on 21 October.

No sooner had the young Joseph Haydn signed his contract with his new employer, Prince Paul II Anton Esterházy on 1 May 1761 than he was given a challenge: To compose a work based on the theme of the three times of day.

Haydn’s first composition was the Symphony No. 6. The nickname ‘Le Matin’ was not Haydn’s own, but was given because of the opening slow introduction of the opening movement, which clearly depicts sunrise.

The Esterházys maintained a full time chamber orchestra of considerable talent. This would be a gift for any up-and-coming composer, and Haydn certainly exploited the talents of the players.

This symphony is characterised by unusual virtuoso writing across the orchestral ensemble with solo passages for flute and violin – as if harking back to the days of the Concerto Grosso.

Classical Greats with Bobby Chen

Brandon Hill Chamber Orchestra - Bobby Chen

Saturday 21 October, 7.30pm
St Swithin’s Church, 37 The Paragon, Bath BA1 5LY

Thomas Arne Overture No.4 in F
Joseph Haydn Symphony No.6 in D major Le Matin
Johann Christian Bach Symphony in D major Op.18 No.4
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Concerto No.9 in E flat K271 Le Jeunnehomme 

Tickets: Adults £28, £22, £16; under 18s & students £16, £12, £8

Bobby Chen introduces one of the ‘Wonders of the World’

That’s how the famous concert pianist Alfred Brendel described one of Mozart’s favourite piano concertos – coming up next from Bath Recitals…

Watch pianist Bobby Chen above introduce this fabulous work with its interplay between the piano and orchestra in the first movement, the graceful elegance of the second and the wit and vitality of the third. 

Completed by Mozart in January 1777, the highly regarded critic and musicologist, Charles Rosen has called it ‘perhaps the first unequivocal masterpiece of the classical style.’

The work has long been known as the JeunehommeConcerto, with a claim that Mozart wrote the piece for an unnamed French pianist – the ‘Jeunehomme’ (French for “young man”) when visiting Salzburg.

However, it is now thought that the dedicatee was actually a proficient pianist named Victoire Jenamy. She was a daughter of one of Mozart’s friends, the dancer Jean-Georges Noverre.

We are thrilled to be welcoming Bobby Chen back to Bath after his last appearance with Bath Recitals in 2015 (see below)

Classical Greats

Saturday 21 October, 7.30pm
St Swithin’s Church, 37 The Paragon, Bath BA1 5LY

Thomas Arne Overture No.4 in F
Joseph Haydn Symphony No.6 in D major Le Matin
Johann Christian Bach Symphony in D major Op.18 No.4
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Concerto No.9 in E flat K271 Le Jeunnehomme 

Tickets: Adults £28, £22, £16; under 18s & students £16, £12, £8

Brandon Hill Chamber Orchestra - Bobby Chen
Georgian Gala

Georgian splendour in Bath!

As we look forward to our next concert featuring the international pianist Bobby Chen and the Brandon Hill Chamber Orchestra, here is a look back at our favourite photographs from our fabulous Georgian Gala concert last month.

That concert featured the talented soprano Eleanore Sian Cockerham from Voces8, baritone Matthew Tilley, mezzo soprano Molly Soo and The Georgian Festival Chorale & Orchestra with conductor Daniel Cushing.

It was a great evening and we have another one planned for next month too! Don’t miss it when our next concert on 21 October is staged in a gem of a venue, Saint Swithin’s Church, on 21 October – tickets on sale now from Bath Box Office.

  • Georgian Gala
  • Georgian Gala
  • Georgian Gala
  • Georgian Gala
  • Georgian Gala
  • Georgian Gala
  • Georgian Gala
  • Georgian Gala
  • Georgian Gala
  • Georgian Gala
  • Georgian Gala
  • Georgian Gala
  • Georgian Gala
  • Georgian Gala
  • Georgian Gala
  • Georgian Gala
  • Georgian Gala
  • Georgian Gala
  • Georgian Gala
  • Georgian Gala
  • Georgian Gala
  • Georgian Gala
  • Georgian Gala

Classical Greats

Artistic Director Daniel Cushing introduces Classical Greats which is coming up next from Bath Recitals…

The concert includes a great musical line up featuring music from some of the greatest composers of the classical age: 

From Mozart with international concerto pianist Bobby Chen, to a joyous symphony by Haydn and music by the ‘English’ Bach – JC Bach – the youngest son of the famous JS Bach. 

The concert also features music by Thomas Arne (pictured above left), well known as the composer of Rule Britannia which is featured every year at the Last Night of the Proms. This concert will include a delightful overture by Arne to open the concert.

The venue for this concert will be one of Bath’s secret gems, St Swithin’s Church on the Paragon. It will be the first time this venue has been used by Bath Recitals.

Classical Greats
Saturday 21 October, 7.30pm
St Swithin’s Church, 37 The Paragon, Bath BA1 5LY

Thomas Arne Overture No.4 in F
Joseph Haydn Symphony No.6 in D major Le Matin
Johann Christian Bach Symphony in D major Op.18 No.4
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Concerto No.9 in E flat K271 Le Jeunnehomme 

Tickets: Adults £28, £22, £16; under 18s & students £16, £12, £8