We are thrilled to announce the launch of our new YouTube channel where you can watch the recent performance of Handel’s Solomon…

This amazing performance in Bath Abbey on Saturday 22nd April was the first professional performance of ‘Solomon’ in Bath since Handel’s day. This Coronation Concert for the City of Bath also marked the anointing of King Charles III on the site where the first King of all England, King Edgar was crowned in 973. 

The Georgian Festival Chorale and St Woolos Sinfonia performed one of Handel’s greatest oratorios under the baton of Daniel Robert Cushing (pictured above).

Coming up…

The Georgian Festival Chorale & Orchestra are back this summer to capture the spirit of the Georgian age with an 18th century gala concert of music by some of the great composers of the period. Music by William Boyce, Henry Purcell, JS Bach and Wolfgang Mozart will feature with soprano Eleonore Sian Cockerham, mezzo-soprano Molly Soo and baritone Matthew Tilley.

Georgian Gala

Saturday 26 August, 7.30pm
St Michael’s Without, Broad Street, Bath BA1 5LJ

Tickets Adults £22-£27; under 18s & students £14-20
Doors open at 6:45pm. Pre-concert and interval drinks available.

Join us for this fantastic programme which captures the essence of the ‘Georgian Baroque’…

William Boyce Overture in A
Johann Sebastian Bach Cantata Widerstehe doch der Sunde BMV 54
William Boyce Symphony No. 1 in Bb
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Exultate Jubilate K165
George Frederick Handel Birthday Ode to Queen Anne (1713) and Eternal Source of Light Divine
Henry Purcell Birthday Ode to Queen Mary (1694) Come ye Sons of Art Away

Sponsored by the Friends of Bath Recitals

Our much anticipated concert in Bath Abbey on 22 April will feature some of the finest musicians in the country. Discover more about the soloists and the orchestra performing Handel’s Solomon…

Founded in 2008, the St Woolos Sinfonia comprises professional players drawn mostly from the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and Welsh National Opera. 

Performed by over 60 musicians in the glorious setting of Bath Abbey, Handel’s Solomon will be conducted by Daniel Robert Cushing.

In addition to the orchestra the Georgian Festival Chorale will sing the choruses with key soloists taking the role of the characters in the story of Solomon The King.

The role of Solomon himself will be taken by countertenor, Neil Moore. Neil studied music in Glasgow where he sang at both St. Mary’s Cathedral Glasgow and Edinburgh. After touring the USA he joined Hereford Cathedral Choir giving performances for the then Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall.

Neil has appeared at the Three Choirs Festival, broadcast BBC Radio 3 and Television and features on several recordings. 

Soprano Emilie Parry-Williams will take the joint roles of Pharaoh’s Daughter and Nicaule, Queen of Sheba. Emilie is based in South Wales with a Postgraduate Diploma from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. She has also studied at the European Opera Academy with Conservatorio Luigi Cherubini, Florence, and Glyndebourne Academy. 

Recent performances include the Common Wealth theatre company, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, productions supported by the Arts Council of Wales and notable performances on ITV’s ‘The Voice UK.’

Tickets are now on sale from Bath Box Office so don’t miss this incredible opportunity to experience what is probably Bath’s only professional performance of this great oratorio since the 18th century.

You can also buy your tickets by calling Bath Box Office on 01225 463362 (10am – 5pm, Monday to Friday, closed Bank Holidays)

Join us for this memorable concert of seasonal music with The Carolean Consort on Wednesday 21 December. 

The Carolean Consort is a West Country ensemble of professional young musicians who have acquired national and international reputations in the field of baroque music.

Making their debut with Bath Recitals they will present a Christmas concert with music from Baroque masters including excerpts from Handel’s Messiah.

Some terrific instrumental sonatas by Baroque masters Telemann and Vivaldi will also feature in this varied and colourful programme:

Also included will be a sparkling harpsichord concerto by Thomas Chilcot, organist at Bath Abbey in fashionable 18th century Bath and where he played a highly influential role in the city for forty years.

Some lovely 20th century carols will also be performed by composers Peter Warlock, Michael Head and Bath Recitals’ President, Tom Clarke.

Don’t miss this unusual, candlelit Christmas concert in the stunning setting of St Michael’s Church in the centre of the city.

Tickets are available online or in person from the cafe at St Michael’s Church during opening hours.

The Carolean Consort

Wednesday 21 December, 7:30pm
St Michael’s Church, Broad Street, Bath, BA1 5LJ 

Handel: Recorder Sonata in F
Handel: Excerpts from Messiah
              Rejoice Greatly
              I know my Redeemer liveth
              Let the bright Seraphim
Telemann: Sonata for cello
Vivaldi: Sonata in G
Carols:
          Peter Warlock: Bethlehem Down
          Michael Head: Little Road to Bethlehem
          Tom Clarke: Lullaby at Christmas
Trad: Two Polish Carols
Chilcott: Harpsichord Concerto in F

Bath Recitals welcomes the prestigious Mithras Trio to Bath on 15 October for a fabulous concert of music by Mozart, Shostakovitch and Tchaikovsky…

The Mithras Trio are currently members of the BBC New Generation Artists scheme – in fact the only ensemble in this highly regarded scheme. They can often be heard performing on BBC Radio 3 and are building an international reputation for their exquisite playing.

Their appearance in Bath is part of a whistle-stop tour across the length and breadth of the UK and has been made possible with the help of The Countess of Munster Musical Trust.

The Mithras Trio have been praised for their ‘exquisite phrasing’, ‘full-blooded commitment’ and ‘bold, passionate colours’.

Their programme brings music by three of the greatest composers to have written for the Piano Trio:

In the 18th century, Mozart is generally credited with transforming the line up of violin, cello and piano into the balanced piano trio which has become a central form in classical chamber music. 

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Around one hundred years later, Tchaikovsky wrote his only piano trio – ‘in memory of a great artist’ (Nikolay Rubinstein), and it is a masterpiece of melody and melancholy.

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By contrast, Shostakovich’s youthful piano trio mixes the Romantic spirit with more chromatic moments recalling a more impressionistic style – yet all hinting at his greatness yet to come.

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The Mithras Trio

Saturday 15 October, 7:30pm
St Michael’s Church, Broad Street, Bath, BA1 5LJ 

Mozart: Piano Trio in G Major, K. 564
Shostakovich: Piano Trio in G Major, K. 564
Tchaikovsky: Piano Trio in G Major, K. 564

Bath Recitals is grateful for the support from The Countess of Munster Musical Trust for this event. 

What is it about Baroque music that is so appealing? We take a closer look in advance of Convivio’s dazzling programme in Bath on 27 August with The Alchemist: Music by Handel and his contemporaries…

Someone once described Baroque music as beautiful mathematics. Several others have used words such as complex, contrapuntal anddeep. Others identify with the emotional capacity of Baroque music, using words such as soothing, inspiring, uplifting and relaxing. Some simply use the word energizing.

“Generally speaking the Baroque period is when the orchestra was born, opera kicked off in a big way and the concerto gave soloists the chance to properly show off.

Classic FM

Returning after last year’s sell-out concert, the eight-piece Convivio ensemble consists of some of the UK’s top young period instrument players programming some of the very best Baroque music in their 27 August concert.

Featuring music by one of the most important and long-lived of the Baroque composers. George Frederic Handel, this concert will also include music by some of his contemporaries including Vivaldi, Telemann, Hasse and Fasch.

“From the early 1600s to the mid 1700s the Baroque sound remained distinct – ordered, ornate and increasingly emotive as the period went on.”

Classic FM

The term ‘Baroque’ is a French word. It is a translation of the Portuguese word for ‘broken’ or ‘mis-shapen’ pearl which is ”barrocco’. 

Some interpret the French word as meaning irregularly shaped or flawed. 

CONVIVIO
The Alchemist:
Music by Handel and his contemporaries

Saturday 27 August, 7:30pm
St Michael’s Church, Broad Street, Bath, BA1 5LJ

Handel: The Alchemist Suite
Fasch: Sonata in F Minor
Hasse: Oboe Concerto in F Major
Handel: Sinfonia in B flat
Vivaldi: Sinfonia in G
Telemann: Concerto for 2 oboes, bassoon and strings in D Minor