Harry Bicket discusses the development of period instrument performance during the past several decades. Bicket reveals his belief that attitudes towards the practice should be revised, allowing ensembles like The English Concert to be judged directly against orchestras that perform on modern instruments.
For the fledgling conductor and Karajan ‘wannabe’, conservatoires, universities, and summer schools offer the chance to hone their craft, swapping practice in front of their bathroom mirrors for rehearsal time with mentors, accompanists, or full-size symphony orchestras. Yet for the aspiring baroque director, prospects of working within such a specialised field are far and few between. Teaming up with the …
Ian Bostridge discusses his recording of Three Baroque Tenors featuring six world premiere recordings of arias by Caldara, Conti, Gasparini, Handel, Scarlatti, and Vivaldi. John Beard, Francesco Borosini, Annibale Fabri: these three men helped to revolutionize music in the 18th century. Their voices moved the greatest composers of the time to increasingly write for tenors, a move from the Castrati, which had …