THE ACADEMY OF ANCIENT MUSIC

ACADEMY OF ANCIENT MUSIC

M&G Concert at the Civic Theatre

02.03.14

One of the best baroque bands around, the AAM brought their new programme to the Civic for this very enjoyable evening's music-making.

It's based around the Dresden Court of Augustus the Strong. Vivaldi's Venetian style was very popular there, apparently, especially when brass and wind were added to the mix. So the concert began and ended with concertos featuring lavish wind parts as well as virtuoso writing for the violin – the two horns, in particular, vied with Rodolfo Richter's fiddle [whose history goes back further than the music he played] to spectacular effect.

William Carter, whose lute is a mere ten years old, was the soloist in Fasch's Concerto, with its sensuous slow movement.

In a generous programme, we also heard a colourful Overture by Veracini, and two works by JS Bach, a lively Third Brandenburg, and the Concerto for Three Violins, with its scintillating finale.

The last Civic Concert for this season, at the end of the month, will feature the Orchestra of the Swan in Mozart and Britten.