17 March Barnes Music Festival

7.30 pm St Mary’s Barnes

A beautiful Object – the Harpsichord

Shining new light on an old favourite with a new commission written for us by Héloïse Werner.

Henry Purcell, arr. Britten, arr Siwczak Chacony in G Minor

Héloïse Werner A beautiful Object

Stephen Dodgson Sonata for Four

Élisabeth de la Guerre Unmeasured Prelude (leading to ensemble impro)

Manuel De Falla Concerto for Harpsichord

Peter Facer oboe, tbc clarinet, Thomas Hancox flute, Jacki Shave violin, Caroline Dearnley cello (Members of  Britten Sinfonia) Pawel Siwczal, harpsichord & artistic director

Auspiciously absent at the start, the harpsichord is introduced with music by Purcell in an arrangement that links its celebrated past to the present. Héloïse Werner then approaches the instrument, quite literally, with care and curiosity before diving in to discover and explore the very nature of this ‘beautiful object’ in her distinct style. Dodgson‘s Sonata for Four has a serenade-like character. Its harmonies are piquant and characterful, and – unusually for a modern chamber work – it is consistently tuneful. With the last movement especially  Dodgson guides us back towards the time of the harpsichord’s height of fame, and we chose an Ummeasured Prelude by a French Baroque composer De La Guerre to really show off the harpsichord in all its Baroque beauty.

A concert dedicated to the contemporary harpsichord cannot really end without having at least mentioned Manuel De Falla’s  Concerto for harpsichord and five instruments. As it has also influenced Héloïse’s choice of instrumentation we think it is only right to finish the concert with a piece that basically started the renaissance of such a Beautiful Object.