Concerto Copenhagen
Bach Orchestral Suites
Sat 24 Oct, 7.30pm, Smith Square Hall
London Festival of Baroque Music opens with an unmissable UK exclusive: a rare London appearance from the world-leading Baroque specialists, Concerto Copenhagen. They’ll be performing all four of J.S. Bach’s Orchestral Suites in the clarity and vitality of their original scoring.
Concerto Copenhagen & Lars Ulrik Mortensen
Stylus Phantasticus
Sun 25 Oct, 2pm, Smith Square Hall
From Venice to Vienna, London to North Germany, this chamber music concert traces the stylus phantasticus, a free-spirited Baroque style that swept across 17th-century Europe. Featuring composers including Castello, Bertali, Schmelzer, Biber, Locke, and Purcell, this programme reveals the Baroque at its boldest and most vibrant.
Stile Antico
A Renaissance Roadtrip
Sun 25 Oct, 2pm, Smith Square Hall
Join GRAMMY-nominated vocal ensemble, Stile Antico, for a musical tour across Europe.
This evocative programme conjures bustling cities, sacred spaces, and the rich musical tapestry at the dawn of the Baroque era.
Charlotte Spruit
Unaccompanied Bach
Mon 26 Oct, 1.05pm, Smith Square Hall
2024 Classic FM ‘Rising Star’ Charlotte Spruit brings masterpieces by Bach to life in a lunchtime recital.
Programme to include:
- J.S. Bach Violin Sonata No. 3 in C Major
- J.S. Bach Violin Partita No. 2 in D Minor
Laurence Kilsby & Yuli Bayeul
John Dowland: Flow My Teares
Tue 27 Oct, 7pm, Smith Square Hall
A captivating programme for lute and tenor that marks the 400th anniversary of the death of John Dowland, the master of melancholy and one of the most celebrated songwriters of his age.
The Curious Bards
Henry Purcell: Rebellion
Tue 27 Oct, 9pm, Smith Square Hall
The Curious Bards explores one of England’s greatest musical voices, Henry Purcell. Beyond the celebrated composer of opera lies a musician deeply inspired by the dances and songs of his time.
This programme offers a fresh and intimate portrait of the composer, one whose genius is rooted in the living energy of people.
Performed in the round, you’ll be up close to the musicians as the music of Purcell refracts into songs, dances, and playful rounds.
Théotime Langlois de Swarte & Thomas Dunford
Mad Lover
Wed 28 Oct, 7pm, Smith Square Hall
Passion, virtuosity and heartbreak collide in Mad Lover, as violinist Théotime Langlois de Swarte and lutenist Thomas Dunford explore the expressive depths and dazzling brilliance of 17th-century English music.
Ensemble Theodora
Mad Lover
Wed 28 Oct, 9pm, Smith Square Hall
Ensemble Theodora is an early music group renowned for their freshness and curiosity. Wanderlust explores the influence of Louis XIV’s France on German musical taste, from Lully’s theatrical brilliance to sacred traditions that flourished across the Holy Roman Empire.
Matthew Martin
Passacaglia
Thu 29 Oct, 1.05pm, Smith Square Hall
Organist Matthew Martin explores how musical ideas evolve across centuries, contrasting Bach’s Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor with Frank Martin’s twentieth-century Passacaille, a work that refracts Bach through modern harmonies.
Sinfonia Smith Square
Goldbergs Reimagined
Thu 29 Oct, 7.30pm, Smith Square Hall
Arranger and conductor Robin O’Neill, together with Sinfonia Smith Square, offers a striking orchestral perspective on the Goldberg Variations.
Originally written for keyboard, Bach’s 30 variations on a single aria unfold here through a vivid spectrum of instrumental colour.
Nardus Williams & Liz Kenny
Shut The Gate Against My Thoughts
Fri 30 Oct, 6pm, Smith Square Hall
Tracing the musical expression of melancholy across 16th and 17th-century Europe, soprano Nardus Williams and lutenist Liz Kenny perform works by Dowland, Caccini, Monteverdi, and Strozzi.
Trio Mediæval & Arve Henriksen
Rímur
Fri 30 Oct, 8pm, Smith Square Hall
Trio Mediæval and trumpeter Arve Henriksen reimagine ancient Nordic songs, blending medieval chant, folk traditions, and contemporary improvisation to bring centuries of Nordic vocal heritage to life.
La Nuova Musica
Bach Mass in B Minor
Sat 31 Oct, 7pm, Smith Square Hall
One of the most distinctive voices in the early music field, La Nuova Musica are praised for performances that are vivid, stylish, and deeply expressive.
Joined by a stellar cast of soloists, they’ll be performing one of the great masterpieces of the Baroque – J.S. Bach’s Mass in B minor – to close this year’s London Festival of Baroque Music.
