Concerts by Candlelight at the Sam Wanamaker Playouse

Last Winter the Sam Wanamaker P layhouse opened at the Globe Theatre and it has proved one of London's most fascinating theatrical spaces. Not just for plays, but for opera (see our review of Cavalli's L'Ormindo, concerts and other events. The programme of events for the first part of the 2014/15 season promises all sorts of good things, all by candlelight on Sunday afternoons and Monday evenings. Music ranges from 17th century to contemporary, with excursions into jazz and further afield. There are also spoken word events from poetry to short stories.


The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment is performing a pair of concerts with music from the period which the theatre is recreating, with Charpentier's music for Moliere's Le Malade Imaginaire (3,9/11), and Matthew Locke's music for The Tempest (25,26/1/2015). But it isn't just period music, there is also a programme celebrating Judith Weir's appointment as Master of the Queen's Music, with music by Weir and previous Masters (including Maxwell Davies and Elgar) performed by Tasmin Little (violin), Jane Manning (soprano) and Alissa Firsova (piano) (27/10). Whilst tenor Ian Bostridge collaborates with guitarist Xuefei Yang for a programme of Britten, Argento and Chinese folk-songs (30/11). Harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani and mandolin player Avi Avital will be performing their first London concert together as a duo (7/12),

The Chilingirian String Quartet are presenting two concerts, one with music from the era of World War 1 including works by RVW and Elgar (1/12), and with the Tenebrae Consort the mix Haydn's Seven Last Words with Gesualdo's settings of the same texts (11/1/2015).

On the jazz front Jacqui Dankworth joins forces with the Brodsky Quartet (19/10), whilst the EFG London Jazz Festival presents two concerts Andy Sheppard's Shakespeare Songs (16/11), and Flamenco Jazz from Chano Dominquez and Nino Josele (17/11). The John Logan Band makes an appearance on 2 November. Further afield, cellist Jean-Guihen Queyres are joined by two zarb players and a lyra player for a programme exploring the music of the Mediterranean (the zarb, by the way, is a Persian drum) (10/11)

On the spoken word side, Simon Armitage will be performing his own translation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (23,24/11). Rather intriguingly Charlotte Rampling and cellist Sonia Wieter-Atherton will be combining Sylvia Plath's poems and Britten's Cello Suites (15/12). During the Christmas period there are short stories being read by a range of actors including Penelope Wilton.

Elsewhere on this blog:

• Summer Listening: Craig Ogden's Summer Guitar - CD review
• Prom 47: Britten's War Requiem - concert review
• Chamber intensity: Werther at Grimeborn - opera reveiw
• Princely splendour: Sacred music from 18th century Rome - CD review
• The Rite as you've never heard it: Rite of Spring from Les Siecles - CD review
• Don't you know who I am: Preventing attacks of Grumpy Critic - feature article
• My beloved's voice: Sacred songs of Love from Jesus College - CD review
• Prom 37: Steve Reich - concert review
• Home