Artist Spotlight - Oboist Anthony Robson

Recognised as an international leader in the field of historical oboe performance Anthony Robson is a long-standing member of Yorkshire Baroque Soloists.  As an orchestral musician, chamber musician and soloist he has appeared with leading period orchestras including the English Baroque Soloists, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and Collegium Musicum 90. His discography of solo performance includes complete recordings of oboe concerti of JS Bach and Albinoni which have received considerable critical acclaim. 

We began naturally with JS Bach and asking Tony for his take on his work...

It’s the sheer genius of it all, in the case of the choral works it’s the 

complete understanding of the text and how he picks the 

instrumentation and thematic subject to suit. I also love his idiomatic 

instrumental writing, he obviously had some sensational players at his 

disposal. 

What do you most enjoy about performing in York?

Who wouldn’t enjoy performing in York? I’m a Yorkshireman born and 

bred, it’s always nice to come home, and St Michael le Belfrey [where Yorkshire Baroque Soloists often perform] is the ideal venue for baroque music.  

What is the hardest thing about performing?

I find that the most difficult thing is being too hard on oneself, when you 

feel that you might not have delivered your best (it sometimes happens 

we’re only human !) and you feel you have let your fellow musicians and 

the composer down. The tiniest mishaps like a missed note can be so 

devastating but one has to think of the bigger picture or it would become 

impossible to survive. Having high standards can be so detrimental to 

expression, you have to find a way to get through that barrier so that you 

can really fly and express what you feel in your heart, what the 

composer is trying to convey, and how you can get the audience in the 

palm of your hand and take them on that journey. 

Tony coaching York's Minster Minstrels at the NCEM as part of the 

Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment Anthem project

Is there any piece of music or repertoire that haven’t had the opportunity to perform yet but would like to?

I always regret the fact that I never got to play the Swan Lake ballet of 

Tchaikovsky, and it’s certainly too late now ! It was hearing the exquisite 

solo at the start of the second act that led me to take up the oboe at the 

age of 11. I remember telling my daughter my regret and her reply was 

‘Oh Dad, that solo was made for you !’ 

When you’re not practising or performing, how else do you like to spend your time?

I like to come up to Yorkshire whenever I can and spend time with my 

partner who lives near Haworth, luckily I get to do that a lot ! We enjoy 

pootling about in Yorkshire and the Lake District and drink a lot of beer ! 

If you hadn’t become a musician, what other job would you have liked to do?

None, I simply can’t imagine ever having been anything but ! 

How do you mostly listen to music?

Well to be honest, I don’t much, I might occasionally think, ‘I haven’t 

heard Mahler 4 in a while’ and pop on a CD but generally I don’t ‘take 

my work home’ because it’s so inferior an experience than actually 

performing music. 

Who would you invite to your dream dinner party?

I’d love to sit at table with Bach and Handel and find out if they got along 

at all !

Bach and Handel: Good dinner guests?

We look forward to hearing Anthony playing oboe for the Yorkshire Baroque Soloists in JS Bach: Magnificat & Cantata BWV 140 Wachet Auf (Sleepers, wake) and CPE Bach: Magnificat with Yorkshire Bach Choir and conducted by Peter Seymour. 

Vocal soloists include Bethany Seymour (Soprano), Wendy Goodson (Soprano), Rachel Lancaster (Alto), Solomon Hayes (Alto), Jason Darnell (Tenor) & Gareth Brynmor John (Baritone).

The concert takes place on Saturday 10 December 7.30pm at the Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall, University of York.

Tickets are available in advance via bit.ly/YBachXmas 

The concert is part of the York Early Christmas Festival 2016

Artist spotlight - Baritone Gareth Brynmor John

Gareth Brynmor John - Photo credit Robert Workman

Gareth Brynmor John is soloist in our upcoming performance of JS Bach and CPE Bach at the York Early Music Christmas Festival. Winner of the Kathleen Ferrier Award, baritone Gareth Brynmor John studied at St John’s College, Cambridge and the Royal Academy of Music where, in his final year, he won the Royal Academy of Music Patrons’ Award. He recently studied at the National Opera Studio where he was supported by the Royal Opera House, Richard Carne Trust, and Chris Ball. He will make his debut with Welsh National Opera singing Schaunard (La Bohème) in Spring 2017.

We caught up with Gareth and asked him some questions about his life as a musician.

What do you most enjoy about performing in York?

I love coming to York. My wife studied English at the University and I visited every fortnight for three years. It brings back very happy memories.

What is the hardest thing about performing?

Often a performance could be the culmination of several weeks (or even months) work. You want to show the audience your best work, and that delivering that can be stressful.

How do you prepare for performing this kind of repertoire?
Music of this era is often fast moving with lots of runs. It requires the voice to be agile, and the brain to know where it is going. There are no shortcuts. It takes time.

Detail from the autograph score of CPE Bach: Magnificat

Is there any piece of music or repertoire that haven’t had the opportunity to perform yet but would like to?

As a singer, our instrument is part of our bodies and it carries on changing as we get older. Some of the bigger operatic repertoire isn't right for my voice yet, but I would love to sing some Verdi at some point.

Which living musician do you most admire?

Daniel Barenboim as both a musician and a performer. And because he's not scared to believe that making music can be a practical force for good in the world.

What is your musical guilty pleasure?

Mariah Carey...

How do you mostly listen to music?

I don't find music that relaxing to have on in the background, so mostly, I deliberately sit down and listen to music on a stereo at home. I suppose I'm lucky that I have time in the day to do that.

If you hadn’t become a musician, what other job would you have liked to do?

I think in another life, I would like to be an engineer. It seems like their work can be so varied, and exciting. The benefits of the work they do are very tangible as well.

Who would play you in the film of your life?

Colin Firth obviously - can't you see the resemblance? (sigh)

What keeps you awake at night?

Listening to old trashy Radio 4 sitcoms on BBC iPlayer - you can't beat them. That and my two year old daughter!

We look forward to hearing Gareth singing alongside other soloists Bethany Seymour (Soprano), Wendy Goodson (Soprano), Rachel Lancaster (Alto) Solomon Hayes (Alto) & Jason Darnell (Tenor) in JS Bach: Magnificat & Cantata BWV 140 Wachet Auf (Sleepers, wake) and CPE Bach: Magnificat. Accompanied by Yorkshire Baroque Soloists and conducted by Peter Seymour

Saturday 10 December 7.30pm at the Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall, University of York.

Tickets are available in advance via bit.ly/YBachXmas 

The concert is part of the York Early Christmas Festival 2016

 Further details on Gareth can be found on his website: http://www.garethjohnbaritone.co.uk/

Yorkshire Bach Choir 2016-17: Bach and beyond

Image copyright Ian Martindale: http://www.ianmartindalephotography.co.uk/

We are happy to announce our 2016-17 concert season! Join us for a year of music brimming with inspiration, excitement and history.

Yorkshire Bach Choir has a reputation for the quality and authenticity of its performances including the greatest pieces in the choral repertoire. Along with this familiar fare, this season will introduce less familiar music from figures as diverse as CPE Bach and Zoltan Kodály. For lovers of great choral or early music can there be a better way to spend a Saturday evening in York?

Renaissance Unchained: 29.10.16

Byrd (TL), Lassus (TR), Sweelinck (BR),
Victoria (BL), Palestrina (Ctr)

Our opening concert showcases the variety and depth of music across Europe during the Renaissance with music by Byrd, Sweelinck, Lassus, Palestrina and Victoria. Challenging the idea that Renaissance musical innovation was centred exclusively in Italy it includes music from Spain, the Low Countries and our own Isles. 

We unlock the mysteries of William Byrd’s intriguing Mass for Five Voices which was secretly performed in the private chapels of devout English Catholics during the turbulence of the late sixteenth century. Italy is not ignored in our tour of Europe as we perform Palestrina’s plangeant, suspension-filled setting of the Stabat Mater for double choir. Other gems of Renaissance music included in the programme are the exquisite motet ‘Justorum Animae’ by Lassus and a festive ‘Hodie’ by Sweelinck.

Further details: bit.ly/YBRenaissance

YBC @ Illuminating York

We are thrilled that this opening concert will once again be a part of the artistic programme for the Illuminating York Festival. We are pleased that our singing will once again be part of the magical atmosphere across the city on evenings of the festival. 

This year's festival makes a particular focus of some of York’s greatest religious spaces including York Minster and the adjacent St Michael le Belfrey which is the home of our concert series. Illuminations on the exterior of St Michael le Belfrey promise to be complemented by tranquil sonorities inside.   

Bach at Christmas: 10.12.16

For our December concert we make the first of two visits this season to the Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall (University of York) to perform Bach at Christmas with Yorkshire Baroque Soloists. The concert includes an unmissable trio of festive works with JS Bach’s Magnificat and cantata Wachet Auf (Sleepers, wake’). Particularly exciting will be the York premiere of CPE Bach’s exciting setting of the Magnificat text.  

Tickets are selling quickly for what promises to be a highlight of the York Early Christmas Music Festival.

Further details: bit.ly/YBachXmas

Heinrich Schütz at the Dresden Court: 4.02.17

2017 will open with Heinrich Schütz at the Dresden Court when we explore the wonderful range of music written by one of the most important, innovative composers of the seventeenth century. 

We showcase the range of his musical style from his expressive, trailblazing settings of the passion story to the sonorous vocal textures of his colourful psalms.    

Further details: bit.ly/YBSchutz

Bach: Mass in B minor: 18.03.17

Completed in the final year of his life, the monumental Mass in B minor is arguably Bach's greatest achievement. All in all, it is the perfect realisation of his endlessly flexible and inventive musical style. 

An outstanding line-up of vocal soloists complements the period-style agility of Yorkshire Baroque Soloists.

Book early for what promises to be a highlight of 2017 musical life in York!

Further details: bit.ly/YBach 

20th Century Choral Classics: 13.05.17

Organist Ben Horden

We return to the Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall (University of York) on 13 May for a colourful programme of music for organ and choir entitled 20th Century Choral Classics accompanied by organist Ben Horden. 

In this concert we present three distinctive twentieth century settings of spiritual texts for voices and organ. Both Kodály and Duruflé take their cue from earlier musical styles, especially Gregorian chant, and reinvent familiar texts in the full technicolour of their own individual musical languages. Completing the trio of works is Walton’s The Twelve a hugely imaginative and distinctive setting of W H Auden’s words.    

Read more about Ben Horden at http://www.benhorden.com/

Further details: bit.ly/YB20thCent

Monteverdi: Vespers (1641) and Carissimi: Jephte: 17.06.17

YBC and Yorkshire Baroque Soloists at
York Early Music Festival December 2015

Known as ‘the other vespers’, Monteverdi’s 1641 collection Selva morale e spirituale is a greatest hits compilation from his many years’ experience as a church composer. The virtuosic settings combine a characteristic combination of weighty, expansive choral writing and exquisite vocal solos. Forming an ad hoc vespers sequence, the music performed reflects Monteverdi’s revolutionary, colourful treatment of voices and instruments. Dramatic flair and vividly imagined biblical characters are the hallmarks of Carissimi’s compact masterpiece Jephte. 

Further details: bit.ly/YBVespers

Come to hear us!

Full details of ticket prices and season subscriptions can be found on our website. You can save money across the season by subscribing for one of our season tickets. For the first time this year £5 student tickets will be available in advance of the concert.

Further details on Yorkshire Bach Choir: bit.ly/YBChoir
Yorkshire Baroque Soloists: bit.ly/YBSoloists

All our concerts (except for the December and May concert at the Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall) are performed in the spacious St Michael le Belfrey a historic church in the heart of the city.

YBC Concert reminder service: http://bit.ly/1nbRxIJ

Twitter: @YorksBachChoir

Facebook: Yorkshire Bach Choir

Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/yorksbachchoir

Email: marketing@yorkshirebachchoir.org

Songs and Elegies of the English Romantics

We look ahead to our upcoming concert on Saturday 7 May which presents a programme of musical works by English 20th Century composers - Vaughan Williams, Finzi, Tippett and Howells -  spanning two continents and covering the old world and the new world. 

The Old World is represented in Vaughan Williams’ Mass in G minor.  The composer's oft-quoted words "There is no reason why an atheist could not write a good mass" belie the originality with which Vaughan Williams created the mass which is an intricate homage to Tudor polyphony. Gerald Finzi’s Seven Poems of Robert Bridges beautiful response to the classical, delicate poetry of Robert Bridges. The New World arrives in Tippett’s vibrant Five Negro Spirituals extracted from his larger work A Child of our Time including classic arrangements of Steal Away and Deep River. Howells’ short, but intensely moving, setting Take him Earth, for Cherishing was publically dedicated as a response the the assassination of John F Kennedy but was arguably a more personal reaction to the tragic death of the composer’s son Michael.

Original title page of Howells
Take him Earth, for Cherishing

As Peter Seymour our conductor comments: ‘It is great to be rehearsing these highly individual works which are fantastic examples of not only of the skill of the their four very individual composers but geographically span both sides of the Atlantic. Much of the music seems to defy easy categorisation as Vaughan Williams and Tippett in particular both take something that was old and refashion in their own unique, often daring musical language. There is a huge range of musical expression from the gentle poetry to more extrovert, sonorous moments which will sound glorious in the uniquely resonant acoustic of St Michael le Belfrey.  

St Michael le Belfrey, York

We hope you can join us for what promises to be a wonderful concert on Saturday 7 May starting at 7.30pm. Tickets are priced at £14 (full price) and £12 (concessions). £5 tickets for students will be available on the door.  Tickets are available in advance from the National Centre for Early Music or by clicking here: bit.ly/EnglishRomantics 

Artist Spotlight - Violinist Lucy Russell

 
Lucy Russell is among the most distinguished of international violinists who has now led the Yorkshire Baroque Soloists for several years. She has achieved eminence on both historical instruments and their ‘modern’ counterparts, performing and recording music from Monteverdi to the present day with equal distinction and authority. She became leader of the Fitzwilliam String Quartet in 1995; with them she has played all over Europe, North America, South Africa, Canada and Israel as well as making recordings for Linn Records, Divine Art Records, the BBC and various foreign radio stations. The quartet plays on both modern and historical set ups and will be recording late Beethoven String Quartets on heavy gut for Linn this Autumn. In addition to Yorkshire Baroque Soloists, Lucy is much in demand as Leader of several Early Music orchestras and has worked in this capacity for such as The King’s Consort, Classical Opera Company, Dunedin Consort, and she has also been a key player with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.  She has made numerous recordings over the years as an orchestral and chamber player and regularly teams up with Rachel Podger with her own ensemble, Brecon Baroque. 
 
Tell us a bit more about performing in York with the Yorkshire Baroque Soloists: 
I was a student when I first had the opportunity to play with YBS. I must have been fairly clueless and 'green' but I cut my teeth on some of the very best repertoire. It's been about 3 decades now since I first played and I think I can only have been unavailable to play with the group for only one or two concerts! We've  played abroad, recorded and done what most successful outfits do but most importantly, we are a tight knit bunch who cherish making music together and enjoying each other's company!
 

Lucy Russell

You've recently recorded J.S Bach Sonatas for Violin and Harpsichord with John Butt what was your experience of recording such a cornerstone of the repertoire?    
Recording the Bach Violin Sonatas was the mission of a lifetime!  I started to dabble with these works whilst still a student at York and had always been drawn to them but to finally record them was a dream come true. They offer the best of Bach - they encompass Bach the cerebral, the human being, the profound, the emotional, the jazzy. It's all there and playing with John was a 'hand in glove' experience and a lot of fun too!
 
Do you plan any similar projects? 
I'm into CPE Bach (one of Bach's sons) and Beethoven and I'd love to record these sonatas some day. Maybe also Mozart.....how long have I got?!!

As a youngster, did you ever have a eureka moment listening to or performing a certain piece of music? 
I've had so many eureka moments whilst listening to music/playing music that it's hard to single out any particular one. As a youngster, performing Tchaikovsky's Pathetique Symphony and Rachmaninov's Symphonic Dances fuelled my passion for the great romantic composers. Beethoven's Missa Solemnis and Verdi's Requiem also blew my mind. I think I'm very fortunate to have these kind of moments on a regular basis and as leader of the Fitzwilliam String Quartet, this can happen on an almost daily basis - Beethoven late quartets spring to mind.......Thank goodness for Music!
 

Lucy leading Yorkshire Baroque Soloists rehearsing Haydn Creation

If you could travel in a musical time machine to experience a certain period or era in history where and when would you travel to?
I'd have loved to meet Haydn. His music, like that of Bach, appeals to me for all the same reasons I quote above.  He is a three-dimensional composer and his imagination, humour, pathos etc seemingly endless. Hugely respected by Beethoven and Mozart, to name but two, he had a profound influence on his contemporaries and beyond yet I think he'd have been more fun to hang out with in the Bier Keller than either of his aforementioned grumpy or flighty chums!
 
What is your musical guilty pleasure?

Lucy with the Fitzwilliam String Quartet

Mainstream jazz or Bruckner symphonies listened to at home with no lights on!

How do you relax?
Inventing new ways to incorporate yet more garlic or chilli into my cooking. And practising yoga!
 
What would your super power be?
To ensure a permanent state of world peace.
 
What is your most treasured possession?
Life itself.
 
What keeps you awake at night?
The music I'm currently working on!

We look forward to hearing Lucy lead the Yorkshire Baroque Soloists in JS Bach Easter Oratorio (BWV 249), Bach Mass in G minor (BWV 235) and Ascension Oratorio (BWV 11).   The concert will take place in St Michael le Belfrey, York on Saturday 12 March and further details on the concert and how to buy tickets can be found at: bit.ly/YBach

You can find more information on Lucy and the Fitzwilliam string quartet at http://www.fitzwilliamquartet.org. Details of her first solo CD of Bach’s Obbligato Violin Sonatas with John Butt can be found on the Linn Records website.

Artist Spotlight - Trumpeter Crispian Steele-Perkins

Crispian Steele-Perkins

Crispian Steele-Perkins is unquestionably one of the worlds most renowned trumpeters. His biography reads like the resume of several musicians as opposed to a singular trumpeter. The list of singers, classical and popular, that he has appeared with is remarkable including Kiri te Kanawa, Emma Kirkby, John Tomlinson, Bryn Terfel, Led Zeppelin, Kate Bush, Cliff Richard, Bob Geldof and Harry Secombe.  This list reflects an eclectic career that includes performing repertoire from Handel to Glenn Miller; Crispian can, for instance, be heard playing on the soundtracks of over 80 films from Jaws to The Life of Brian. He is treasured by fans of early music for his appearances with groups such as The Academy of Ancient Music, The Kings Consort and The English Baroque Soloists. Ahead of his appearance playing Bach with the Yorkshire Baroque Soloists and Yorkshire Bach Choir on Saturday 12 March we caught up with Crispian to ask him some questions about his music making and life. 

I’m guessing you’ve performed the Easter and Ascension Oratorios before, tell us more about how Bach writes for the trumpet in these particular pieces.
Bach never writes for the trumpet in the same way twice unless re-using material.  These two are amongst my favorites and I never cease to be amazed at the technical virtuosity that his players must have achieved at the time.

As a trumpeter, what are your 'Desert Island' pieces?
Maybe Hummel's Concerto in the correct key of E (not Eb) but I don't think there is yet a 100% satisfactory version on record.

What do you enjoy most about performing in York?
I like working with Peter Seymour and enjoy working with a fairly set team of excellent musicians. Nice audiences too !

Eddie Calvert 'Oh My Papa'

Is there any piece of music or repertoire that you haven’t had the opportunity to perform?
No. I love Handel's 'Occasional Oratorio' which rarely gets performed though.

As a youngster, did you ever have a eureka moment listening to or performing a certain piece of music?
As a 69 year old youngster I heard a Rumanian Gypsy Band - Eureka indeed !

What was the first ever record you bought?
'Oh My Papa' Eddie Calvert - 'The man with the golden trumpet'-

Who is the composer (dead or alive) that you’d most like to meet? 
Haydn

What do you sing in the shower? 
I HATE showers and I can't sing for toffees.

What is your most treasured possession? 
An Antique Trumpet (several)

[Here is a gallery of Crispian's instruments on his personal website]

Crispian and one of his motorbikes

You're in a karaoke bar and (voluntarily or non-voluntarily) you have to sing or perform, what would you sing? 
I would have pity on the public and keep silent.

When you’re not practising or performing, how else do you like to
spend your time? 

Motorbikes......






We look forward to hearing Crispian in the exhilarating trumpet-led choruses of JS Bach Easter Oratorio (BWV 249) and Ascension Oratorio (BWV 11).  The concert will also include Bach Mass in G minor (BWV 235).  

The concert will take place in St Michael le Belfrey, York on Saturday 12 March and further details on the concert and how to buy tickets can be found at: bit.ly/YBach

Further details on Crispian can be found on his website: http://www.crispiansteeleperkins.com/ 

Victoria: Psalms and Motets

YBC rehearsing in December 2015 for Haydn: Creation

A very happy new year to all our followers! Following our ‘sensational’ performance of Haydn Creation in December 2015, we return to the beautiful acoustics of St Michael le Belfrey in the heart of York. The magnificent sonorities and mystical fervour of the Spanish Renaissance unite in a diverse programme of psalm and motet settings by the extraordinary composer Tomás Luis de Victoria. The performance includes a range of musical settings from the joy of his Laetatus sum in 12 parts to the contemplative intensity of his 8-part Salve Regina. 

The range of colours in Victoria’s music is amazing from the tranquil rivers of Babylon in his psalm setting ‘Super flumina Babylonis’ to the lively antiphonal conversations of ‘Nisi Dominus’. To give you a flavour of what you can expect at the concert, here is a YBC recording of the setting of the beautiful, poignant Psalm 136 (By the waters of Babylon):

Victoria: Super Flumina Babylonis

Super flumina Babylonis,
Illic sedimus, et flevimus
dum recordaremur tui Sion.

(By the waters of Babylon,
there we sat down and wept
when we remembered thee, O Zion.)

Illic interrogaverunt nos,
qui captivos abduxerunt nos,
verba cantionum.

(For there they that carried us away captive
required of us a song.)

Quomodo cantabimus
canticum Domini in terra aliena?

(How shall we sing the Lord’s song 
in a strange land?)

For this concert we perform music specially edited for the choir from part books in the British Library for a recording of Victoria which was released in 2002. The recording is available via our website. Underpinned by an organ continuo the concert offers an insight into the life of a fascinating man who was scholar, mystic, priest, singer, organist and composer.

The concert takes place on Saturday 6 February 2016 at St Michael le Belfrey York starting at 7.30pm and tickets priced at £14 (£12 concessions) are available either in advance at the National Centre for Early Music, online here: bit.ly/YBVictoria, or, on the door. Student stand-by tickets - priced at £5 - are available at the door 10 minutes before the start of the concert.