31/10/2019
AN EVENING OF MOZART AND HANDEL
Sat Nov 23, 7.30pm at St Giles
Mozart and Handel are on the programme at St Giles in-the-Fields on Saturday, November 23rd. The concert, put together by conductor Fabricio Brachetta and organist Jonathan Bunney, and featuring the acclaimed London Arte Chamber Orchestra, promises to be a musical highlight this winter.
Over a coffee, Fabricio and Jonathan, who have worked together for several years at this historic West End landmark, told us about the upcoming concert.
Fabricio, tell us about the concert at St Giles on Saturday November 23rd?
Fabricio: We’ve put together an evening of rich music and soaring melodies, perfect for a winter evening in the run-up to Christmas. Mozart’s magnificent Symphony no. 40 will be the highlight, preceded by a wonderful Handel organ concerto, as well as a brand new composition from me to open the evening. We’re looking forward to a memorable night of music.
What’s special about music at St Giles-in-the-Fields?
Jonathan: The acoustics are phenomenal, which for an organist is so important. But it’s more than that. St Giles is very atmospheric. This is a historic 18th-century church that also feels intimate and welcoming. You can sit in a pew, surrounded by all these memorials to poets and writers, and yet feel very close to the musicians on stage. A concert here is a real journey.
Can you tell us about the pieces that will be performed?
Fabricio: Mozart’s 40th symphony is one of his later, more mature works, and it is very emotionally engaging – quite dark in parts, which is unusual for Mozart. He wrote it at a time of personal struggle, so it is full of unexpected drama. These final three symphonies, Nos 39 - 41, are considered Mozart’s masterpieces. Last year we performed Symphony No.39, and next year we will do 41, so we’re working through them!
Jonathan: Handel’s organ concerto no 6 is one of my favourite works by him. He composed six organ concertos for chamber organ and orchestra during 1735-36. This work is full of gusto and melodic flair, and sees the composer at the height of his creative powers.
The evening will open with a new piece of music. Can you tell us about it?
Fabricio: I’ve written a new work in one movement, inspired by the birth of my son, Luca. It makes full use of our chamber orchestra, and focuses on a range of emotions. I cannot write purely ‘happy’ music. Instead I hope to capture the intense, heartfelt palette of experience that comes with the birth of a child.”
