CANDLES were lit early at the Philharmonic this year. Luckily the cause wasn’t a failed payment to Centrica.
Extravagant candelabra – they were actually electric – were lit to set the scene for an aural Baroque banquet.
Four Seasons by Candlelight was a joyous celebration of the works of 18th century musical maestros Bach, Handel, Purcell and of course Vivaldi, by the Mozart Festival Orchestra. It was almost as delicious a feast for the eyes as the ears.
The orchestra – 14 violins and violas, four cellos, a double bass and a harpsichord – arrived in finely detailed period costume, from powdered wigs down to buckled shoes.
The evening began with a blast of Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No.3 and then Soprano Gail Pearson appeared in a cloud of crimson silk, for I Know My Redeemer Liveth from Handel’s Messiah.
In the late 17th century explained violin soloist and director David Juritz, London was the groovy centre of the music scene and Handel, who headed over from Germany, had the pick of Europe’s divas to perform with.
Juritz peppered the evening with tasty historical morsels like those. Introducing Crispian Steele-Perkins, he explained how with its echoes of a call to arms and the hunt, the trumpet was considered the most exciting instrument.
