June is full of music for Fiori. On 12 June we were privileged to be invited to Wickhambrook in Suffolk, under the auspices of Music in Country Churches (patron His Majesty the King). What an honour to perform for such a prestigious series.
David Blackadder
And what an ace team we had for the occasion – headed up by trumpeter royal David Blackadder, whose distinguished career includes playing solo trumpet at the Royal Wedding in 2018.
A regular player at Glyndebourne, David’s many posts include professor of natural trumpet at the Royal College of Music and at the Guildhall School of Music, principal trumpet of the Academy of Ancient Music, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and the English Baroque Soloists and the Orchestre Révolutioniare et Romantique under Sir John Eliot Gardiner.
Malu Lin Swayne
Our wonderful team also included long term Fiori violinist Malu Lin Swayne, leading the strings – a regular of the Glyndebourne Sinfonia, where she has been sub principal for many years. Malu’s career also includes many opera performances at the Grange, Longborough Festival Opera , Garsington and the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, as well as a solo CD of contemporary music with her husband, the well known composer Giles Swayne.
Notable Fiori Musicali Musicians
Also amongst our ‘army of generals’ for Wickhambrook was Fiori violinist Rebecca Dinning, another Glyndebourne Sinfonia regular, who also plays with the London Sinfonietta and the LPO, whilst cellist Joe Crouch snatched time away from a run of Rodelinda at Garsington Opera to be with us. Andrew Durban on bass has played for many years for John Eliot Gardiner’s orchestras and viola player Hazel Brooks performs with the Sixteen, the Hanover Band and the London Handel Orchestra (when she isn’t busy researching historical manuscripts!)
Gail Hennessy
What a team! And representing the woodwind, the irrepressible Gail Hennessy (one of this country’s foremost exponents of baroque who teaches historical oboe at the Guildhall School of Music and the Royal College of Music.) Her Marcello oboe concerto was just magic! You could have heard a pin drop. And such beautiful embellishments…
This beautiful programme of Handel and Bach included Bach’s sublime cantata Ich habe genug with superb bass soloist Andrew Tipple – who has appeared at Garsington Opera, Neville Holt and Wexford.
Upcoming Concerts
What a joy to perform all this marvellous music together in such a lovely venue on a perfect summer evening with such fab performers! And Northamptonshire gets to hear this programme too when we repeat it on 15 June in Harlestone.
Then the end of the month finds us celebrating Palestrina’s 500th anniversary. The Fiori Choir perform Palestrina’s gloriously uplifting Missa Papae Marcelli in the deserted church at Wolfhampcote on Sunday 29 June. An experience not to be missed!
Visit the Fiori Concert Calendar for more upcoming events, or buy tickets for all Fiori events from ticketsource.co.uk/fiori