Historical instruments such as the Baroque violin, viols or the harpsichord offer an incredibly wide palette of musical possibilities, explored over centuries by composers both familiar and unfamiliar. Indeed, to provoke your thoughts: have we perhaps lost more historical music than we still have…?
In recent decades, however, an increasing number of living composers have turned their attention to these period instruments, exploring new sound worlds that resonate with contemporary audiences.
Last year, the London International Festival of Early Music (LIFEM) commissioned composer Roxanna Panufnik to write Tears no More (for solo harpsichord) for their opening concert. The result, a stunning fantasy on William Byrd's arrangement of Dowland's Pavana Lachrymae, was performed by Jane Chapman.
Panufnik is known for turning music on its head, always finding something new and exciting within the music of the past. In her interview with Continuo Connect, she tells us about three recent commissions for period instruments.
Many early music performers are seeking to expand and diversify their practice by exploring genre crossovers. There are big and beautiful commissions, and then there are special discoveries you can stumble upon when attending a recital in a little church down the road, on a whim.
Here are just a few of many examples of these exciting explorations, by both up-and-coming and established composers and ensembles:
Baroque meets Jazz
Since 2022, the ensemble Liturina and jazz musician and composer Jonny Mansfield have been exploring the creative meeting point between Baroque music and Jazz. Written ‘as a response’ to JS Bach’s Trio Sonatas BWV 1038 and 1039, the two new works - 1038 and 1039 - ‘draw on these trio sonatas for inspiration’. Read more about this project supported by Continuo Foundation. Both new and original works will be recorded for Liturina’s debut album.
Bryars and Bridges
In 2023, the Consone Quartet premiered a new work by Gavin Bryars for string sextet, expanding not only their repertoire but also the size of their ensemble, in a tour supported by Continuo Foundation. Bryar’s The Bridges of Königsberg is a haunting piece that captures the melancholic world of Königsberg, home of the great Enlightenment philosopher Immanuel Kant in music of meditative beauty.
Nyman and Purcell
In 2017, Fretwork commissioned Michael Nyman to write a new work for viol consort, and he responded with Music After a While. This piece is based upon Purcell's song Music for a while, or more particularly, upon its striking bass-line.
Bassoon Enlightenment
Michael Gordon's Bassoon Concerto Observations on Air was commissioned by the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and premiered in 2016. It was specifically written for bassoonist Peter Whelan and the OAE. Whelan commented:
“It challenges the way I think about the classical bassoon and encourages me to consider new possibilities in terms of timbres and extended techniques.”
Our new playlist: ‘music after a while’
You can hear some of the pieces mentioned above along with a few of Roxanna Panufnik’s inspirations and more in our new playlist ‘music after a while’.
The playlist also includes Impressions by Icelandic composer Anna Thorvaldsdottir, which is written to be performed on the inside of a harpsichord (2015), and American composer Nico Muhly’s Nowheresville, a collaboration with Faroese singer/songwriter Teitur Lassen recorded with Holland Baroque. Muhly and Lassen’s lyrics were inspired by or collected from video and commentary found on YouTube: early music meets social media!
There is much more to discover on Continuo Connect - old and new! Have a look, you might just stumble across a new piece or an old gem that captures your imagination.
Until the next time -
Kirsten & the Continuo Connect team
P.S. We cannot let you go without mentioning our very own Tim Benjamin’s contribution to the genre… Have a listen to Se il ciel mi fà sperar (if heaven makes me hope), a radical restructuring of an aria from Handel’s Giulio Cesare, performed by the group Rarescale.