Monday 2 December 2013

December at Kings Place - from Bach to Tango by way of a Carnival

Daniel-Ben Pienaar
December sees King's Place coming to the end of their Bach Unwrapped season as well as some seasonal, and non-seasonal goodies. There's a chance to catch the completion of cycles of Bach's keyboard, cello and violin works, plus his Mass in B Minor and Christmas Oratorio. The Christmas theme continues Messiah and Britten's Ceremony of Carols, but there is also a coffee concert performed by a team of celebrity pianists, and a chance for Violetta to tango!

South-African pianist Daniel-Ben Pienaar is performing both books of Bach's The Well-Tempered Clavier in two concerts this week (5,6/12). Cellist Christopher Richter completes his cycle of Bach's Cello Suites and Sonatas (7/12). And Rachel Podger completes her cycle of Bach's Violin Sonatas and Partitas with Marcin Switkiewicz (18/12). The Choir of Clare College, Cambridge is joining the Aurora Orchestra, conductor Nicholas Collon with soloists Malin Christensson, Jennifer Johnston, William Towers, Andrew Kennedy and Benedict Nelson for a performance of Bach's Mass in B Minor. A performance which would seem to promise a very traditional take on the forces used (21/12). By contrast, the Platinum Consort and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, directed by Scott Inglis-Kidger will be performing parts I, III, V and VI of the Christmas Oratorio, with just eight singers and with the soloists coming from the choir in what promises to be refreshingly intimate performance. (19/12)


The Christmas theme continues with Britten's Ceremony of Carols performed by Barts Chamber Choir conducted by Ivor Setterfield (20/12), and John Lubbock conducts OSJ Voices and the Orchestra of St Johns in Handel's Messiah with Alice Privett, Roderick Morris, Christopher Turner and Bozidar Smiljanic (22/12).


Pianist Lucy Parham will be joined by a whole pile of celebrity friends for the coffee concert on Sunday 8 December, to perform Schuman's Kinderszenen and Saint-Saens Carnival of the Animals. Pianists will include Ed Balls, Simon Russel Beale, Niamh Cusack, Alan Rusbridger, Juliet Stevenson. Sounds like fun (8/12).

The Allegri String Quartet are joined by viola player Martin Outram for a programme which includes Mozart, Haydn and Brahms last string chamber works (8/12).  Sr Roger Norrington conducts the Cambridge University Chamber Orchestra in a programme which includes Haydn's last symphony plus music by Alessandro Scarlatti and Menselssohn (15/12)

Opera singer Ann Liebeck joins up with dancer Nuno Silva and Cuban jazz/classical violinist Omar Puente and his Tango Quartet for Violetta's Last Tango ! (8/12) Then Carlos Costa will be speaking about his much awaited second book, Pigs Foot (9/12).

The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment will help the New Year in with concerts on 31/12 and 1/1/2014, performing Bach, Biber, Muffatt, Purcell and Telemann, directed by Matthew Truscott, with soprano Ruby Hughes.

Further information from the Kings Place website.
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