
Mixing it up
Nicholas Kenyon looks at new discoveries and recent trends in historical performance. Where can the revolution take us now?
Nicholas Kenyon asks where the historical performance style revolution will take us next.
Fifty years ago a revolution began in classical music. Back then, there was little doubt how to play a Mozart symphony or a Bach passion – it meant big symphonic forces, heavy textures, slow speeds and modern instruments. But then along came period performance: a new generation of musicians researched and revived period instruments, performance styles and forgotten composers. With lighter forces, faster speeds and new tools, they declared war on the interventionist musical culture of the mid-19th century. To start with, they were largely dismissed as eccentrics - Neville Marriner called them "the open-toed-sandals and brown-bread set” – and academics unable to play in tune. But throughout the 1970s and 80s they multiplied and gathered force. Along with the advent of the CD, their newfound repertory and fascinating new-old sound gave a boost to the classical recording industry. They overturned the way classical music was listened to and performed, making household names of musicians whose scholarly credentials became almost as important as their performing flair.
Nicholas Kenyon tells the story of that revolution, from the earliest pioneers to the global superstars of today. Across the series, he’ll uncover the musical detective-work which went on in universities and rehearsal rooms, reliving the incredible vitality of the times through landmark recordings which took the musical world by storm.
In the last episode in this series, Nicholas looks at new discoveries and recent trends in early music performance. Where do we go next?
J. S. Bach: Sinfonia - Cantata 29
Wendy Carlos, Moog
Anon: Sanctus
Hilliard Ensemble
Jan Garbarek, saxophone
Vivaldi: The Four Seasons - Spring 0-1, Recomposed By Max Richter
Daniel Hope, violin
Konzerthaus Kammerorchester Berlin
André de Ridder, conductor
Barbara Strozzi: E pazzo il mio core
Emanuela Galli, soprano
La Risonanza
Fabio Bonizzoni, conductor
Schutz: Herr, nun lässest du deinen Diener in Friede fahen
Vox Luminis
Lionel Meunier, conductor
Schubert: Impromptu D 935 no 4 in F minor
Andras Schiff, piano
Wagner: Lohengrin - Act 3 Prelude
London Classical Players
Sir Roger Norrington, conductor
Lanner: Jorgel-Polka
Concentus Musicus
Nikolaus Harnoncourt, conductor
Debussy: Nocturnes - Fetes
Les Siecles
Francois-Xavier Roth, conductor
Knussen: Two Organa - No 1
London Sinfonietta
Oliver Knussen, conductor
J. S. Bach: Widerstehe doch der Sünde, BWV 54 (Transcr. by Víkingur Ólafsson)
Víkingur Ólafsson, piano
Produced in Cardiff by Amy Wheel
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Music Played
-
Johann Sebastian Bach
Sinfonia - Cantata 29
Performer: Wendy Carlos.- TELARC : CD-80323.
- TELARC.
- 2.
-
Anon.
Sanctus
Performer: Jan Garbarek. Ensemble: The Hilliard Ensemble.- ANONYMOUS: Virgo flagellator.
- ECM RECORDS.
- 3.
-
Antonio Vivaldi
Spring 1
Composer: Max Richter. Performer: Daniel Hope. Performer: Konzerthaus Kammerorchester Berlin. -
Heinrich Schütz
Herr, nun lässest du deinen Diener in Friede fahen
Ensemble: Vox Luminis. Conductor: Lionel Meunier.- RICERCAR : RIC 311.
- RICERCAR.
- 1.
-
Franz Schubert
Impromptu D 935 no 4 in F minor
Performer: Sir András Schiff.- DECCA : 425-638-2.
- DECCA.
- 6.
-
Richard Wagner
Lohengrin - Act 3 Prelude
Conductor: Sir Roger Norrington. Ensemble: London Classical Players.- EMI : CDC 5-55479-2.
- EMI.
- 7.
-
Josef Lanner
Jorgel-Polka Op 194
Ensemble: Concentus Musicus Wien. Conductor: Nikolaus Harnoncourt.- SONY : 88697914112.
- SONY.
- 17.
-
Claude Debussy
Nocturnes - Fetes
Orchestra: Les Siècles. Conductor: François‐Xavier Roth.- Harmonia Mundi : HMM905291.
- Harmonia Mundi.
- 4.
-
Oliver Knussen
Two Organa - No 1
Orchestra: London Sinfonietta. Conductor: Oliver Knussen.- DEUTSCHE GRAMMOP : 449-572-2.
- DEUTSCHE GRAMMOP.
- 5.
-
Johann Sebastian Bach
Widerstehe doch der Sünde, BWV 54 (Transcr. by Víkingur Ólafsson)
Performer: Vikingur Heidar Olafsson.- Deutsche Grammophon : 4835022.
- Deutsche Grammophon.
- 11.
Broadcasts
- Sun 8 Dec 2019 23:00ѿý Radio 3
- Sun 23 Aug 2020 12:00ѿý Radio 3