Music by Handel and his contemporaries

Join us on 27 August as we welcome back by popular demand the Convivio ensemble with The Alchemist, a dazzling evening of Baroque music by Handel and his contemporaries…

Convivio performing to a sell-out Bath Recitals’ audience at St Michael’s in August 2021

This promises to be an evening of sublime baroque instrumental music performed by the eight piece Convivio ensemble which consists of some of the UK’s top young period instrument players.

‘The best concert I have ever been to’

Audience member at Bath Recitals, June 2022

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The Alchemist was the first of Handel’s works to be performed in England, turned into incidental music for Ben Jonson’s Alchemist in 1710.

The concert also features Concertos and Sinfonias by Handel’s contemporaries, Vivaldi, Telemann, Hasse and Fasch

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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

Join Bath Recitals on Saturday 2 July to hear some great music with this colourful instrumental combination…

The Aglica Trio head to Bath on 2 July with music by some of the most well-known composers and arrangers who have been attracted by the unique beauty, variety and colour combination of flute, viola and harp.

Unlike the more conventional string quartet, none of these pieces are alike with each composer and arranger creating a unique sound world with their own captivating music:

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Elegiac Trio by Arnold Bax was his response to the 1916 Easter rising when his friend was executed and life in Ireland was never to be the same again.Yet the music is not angry or furious, more a reflective and dream-like celebration of the Ireland he loved. 

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Maurice Ravel’s Sonatine was originally written for solo piano, but arranged in 1994 as a commission for Amelia Freedman and the Nash Ensemble. The music pays homage to the graceful style of the late eighteenth century and classical structure. 

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Zodiac Trio by Welsh composer William Mathias characterises the three members of the Robles Trio who premiered the piece in 1976. Through Pisces, Aries and Taurus, the three movements range from playful energy to humour and joyful sensitivity.

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Debussy’s Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp was one of his last compositions. Experimental in style, and making the most of the different sound worlds of each instrument, Debussy said ‘I can’t say whether one should laugh or cry. Perhaps both at the same time?’

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Argentinian Astor Piazzolla brought Tango from the bordellos and dance halls of Argentina to the concert halls of Europe. Histoire du Tango traces the evolution of the Tango and is often performed in different combinations of which flute, viola and harp is particularly successful.

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Two works by the American Jazz composer George Gershwin with A Foggy Day from the 1937 film A Damsel in Distress, its title referring to London’s polluted pea-soup fogs of that period, and Love Walked In from the movie musical Goldwyn Follies in beautifully crafted arrangements for the trio.

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Contemporary classical Uruguayan-born American composer Miguel del Aguila wrote SUBMERGED based on Alfonsina Storni’s romantic, surrealist poem Me at the Bottom of the Sea. On the surface, things seem innocent and light-hearted, but beneath the surface it can be a different story!

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With this wonderful and varied music, three terrific International performers from Wales, Poland and Belgium, a beautiful and convenient city centre venue, this concert is too special to miss. Make sure 2 July is in your diary and book your tickets online now.

The Aglica Trio

Saturday 2 July, 7:30pm
St Michael’s Church, Broad Street, Bath, BA1 5LJ 

Arnold Bax: Elegiac Trio
Maurice Ravel: Sonatine
William Mathias: Zodiac Trio: Pisces, Aries, Taurus
Claude Debussy: Sonate pour flûte, alto et harpe
Astor Piazzolla: Night Club, 1960
George Gershwin: A Foggy Day & Love Walked In
Miguel del Aguila: SUBMERGED

Bath Recitals 2022 opens on 9 April with a dazzling Easter concert with music by the master of the Cantata: JS Bach…

During his long life Bach wrote a huge number of cantatas, of which over 200 have survived. In 1707 when Bach was 22 he took up an appointment as the organist of St. Blasius church in Mühlhausen. He probably composed a cantata as an audition piece. Composing cantatas soon became an expected part of his role for special occasions such as New Years Day, weddings and funerals.

What is a Cantata?

A cantata is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir. The name derives from the Italian verb cantare, ‘to sing’.

Bach took up a new job in Weimar in 1708. By 1714 he had became Konzertmeister and the composition of cantatas for the Schlosskirche (court chapel) now became a monthly expectation. 

But in 1723 he started a new post as Kantor at the Thomaskirche and Nikolaikirche in Leipzig. Now his job was to compose a new cantata every week, rehearsing with soloists, chorus and orchestra, and performing them, conducting from the keyboard, every Sunday and church holidays.

After Bach’s death the cantatas fell into obscurity and remained forgotten until a society called the Bach-Gesellschaft began to publish the composer’s complete works from 1851. Today these wonderful works are given a new lease of life both within the liturgy and outside of it.

The ambition of the Oxford Bach Soloists is to perform, in sequence, JS Bach’s complete vocal works over 12 years. The aim is to perform Bach’s works as he himself would have realised them with performers, instruments, and venues that echo the university and churches of Bach’s hometown of Leipzig.

Oxford Bach Soloists
JS Bach: 
Cantatas for Easter and Ascension

Saturday 9 April, 7:30pm. St Michael’s Church, Broad Street, Bath, BA1 5LJ

Cantata 4: 
Christ lag in Todesbanden BWV4 
Christ lay in the Bonds of Death

Cantata 31:
Der Himmel lacht! Die Erde jubilieret BWV31
Heaven laughs! Earth exults

Cantata 166: 
Wo gehest du hin? BWV166 
Where are you going?

Cantata 37:
Wer da gläubet und getauft wird BWV37 
He who believes and is baptised

 ❤️ Now is a great time to renew your membership or join as a Friend to help us to support young British musicians during 2022…

Bath Recitals is celebrating its 40th anniversary year during 2021-2022. Over four decades we have given a platform to young professional musicians with over 600 concerts being staged in the city. Many of these events provided a valuable platform for the stars of today.

❤️ We are now planning a vibrant series of concerts for 2022 which will be announced soon. Give us your support to help us keep this tradition alive in 2022 and beyond.

Our wonderful city centre venue at the historic church of St Michael’s Without is the perfect setting for classical music with superb acoustics, comfortable seating and bar.

And our colourful and informative digital programmes are now FREE and available to download in advance or at the concert.

❤️ Without the love and support of our friends we simply wouldn’t be able to stage our amazing concerts. You can become a Friend of Bath Recitals for a minimum donation of just £30 a year and enjoy our concerts even more knowing that you are supporting our valuable work with young British musicians.