Classical Journey: Grand Baroque is TONIGHT (Friday 30 August 2013) Tickets available for the baroque concert of the year! A few snapshots of rehearsals in Exeter Cathedral

JanJoost van Elburg
at Exeter Cathedral
to conduct 'Grand Baroque'

Yesterday and today, Exeter Cathedral has been resounding to the combined excellence of an extraordinary combination of baroque musicians.

At the centre of this musical maelstrom is Musical Director, JanJoost van Elburg, who has come from Amsterdam to conduct the Blackdowns Early Music Projects choir in their performance of 'Grand Baroque' TONIGHT.

Geoffrey and Catherine Bass, founders of Blackdown Early Music Projects have arranged for JanJoost (or 'J.J.' as he's affectionately known) to have an army of baroque voices and instruments at his disposal for one of the most impressive Cathedral concerts of the year.

The Blackdown Early Music Projects choir will be joined by several local choral singers - including Zoë Fitzsimmons (soloist with the Exeter University Choral Society) and Keith Wainwright (Exeter Chamber Choir). The Altenburg Ensemble will provide majestic baroque trumpets (and Steve Burke's baroque tympani) while the English Cornett and Sackbut Ensemble will add three sackbuts and two 'cornetti'. (See below, if you're not sure what cornetti are.)

The string section is provided by Monteverdi String Band, led by Oliver Webber. In addition to their baroque violins and violas, and bass violin, there will also be Peter McCarthy's violone and Eligio Quinteiro's theorbo for a fabulous combination of sounds.

Fronting the choir and orchestra are eight international choral soloists - a fabulous line-up.

The concert will include ten amazing baroque choral and instrumental masterpieces. 'The first half of the programme will feature five short works followed by a major choral mass, 'Missa Sanctissimae Trinitatis' by Johann Joseph Fux

The second half of the concert will be 'Missa in Labore Requeis' by Georg Muffat.

The Altenburg Ensemble of baroque trumpeters will introduce the mass with 'Intraden 73 & 74' by Johann Christoph Pezel. The mass itself will be interspersed with two baroque organ works performed by Steven Devine on his Kenneth Tickell chamber organ.

Rehearsals continue in the Cathedral this afternoon, and everything will come together for the main event at 7.30pm tonight. The best tickets (if there are any left!) are £25, but unreserved aisle seats can be bought in advance for £10 - and 'on the door' they are only £12.

Follow the most popular link to the right of this post for full details of how to get involved.

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