Baroque Alchemy offers several touring programmes exploring the meeting of early music and contemporary sound worlds. Programmes can be tailored to suit different audiences and venues.
The Great Experiment
An adventurous fusion of elements from baroque and beyond
The Great Experiment brings together reimagined early music and contemporary sound worlds in a wide-ranging programme of drama, colour and surprise. Evocative music by mediaeval mystics, 17th-century musical alchemy from Pandolfi and Montalbano, and re-forged baroque masterworks by Albinoni, Telemann, Handel, Forqueray and Veracini sit alongside fiery flamenco and soulful tango by Albéniz and Piazzolla, and the modern lyricism of Ian Clarke. The programme culminates in a spectacular, reimagined suite from J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations, bringing this wide-ranging journey to a thrilling and imaginative conclusion.
The Golden Thread
A many-coloured tapestry woven around the music of Bach
The Golden Thread traces a rich and varied musical journey around the music of J.S. Bach, using his works as an anchor for exploration across centuries and styles. A varied selection of movements from Bach’s sonatas, partitas, cantatas and suites is threaded throughout the concert, around which Baroque Alchemy weaves an eclectic and colourful tapestry: ancient music associated with the Cathars, mediaeval dance, early-baroque sorcery from Biber and Uccellini, Gallic fire and gypsy frenzy from Ibert and Monti, unashamed romanticism from Massenet, and contemporary contemplation from Hermann Beeftink. The result is a constantly shifting journey that moves freely across time and style.
Sounds of the Unexpected
A playful, family-friendly musical journey across the ages
Sounds of the Unexpected is a playful and engaging concert designed to spark curiosity and delight audiences of all ages. Armed with a quiver of recorders of all shapes and sizes and a state-of-the-art keyboard that can morph into almost any instrument imaginable, Piers Adams and Lyndy Mayle bring music of past and present, from near and distant lands, vividly to life. Expect a medieval Italian dance that feels uncannily like a disco groove, musical portraits of birds, cats and frogs by Biber, evocative sounds from sun-drenched Spanish hills by Albéniz, switched-on Bach, jazz-inflected Telemann, chilled-out Handel — and much more besides. Entertaining, imaginative and full of surprise.
Dances with Old Masters
Early music reimagined in vivid new sound worlds
Dances with Old Masters presents an imaginative re-interpretation of early music, bringing medieval and baroque repertoire into dialogue with contemporary sound worlds, through Baroque Alchemy’s unique pairing of recorders and modern keyboards. Music ranges from mediaeval minstrels and early-baroque magicians such as Pandolfi and Biber to high-baroque masters including Bach, Handel, Telemann and Albinoni. Presented with deep historical awareness and playful contemporary experimentation, the programme asks a simple but provocative question: what might these old masters have done with the extraordinary musical tools of our own time?
The Quiet Flame
A meditative journey through sound, breath and light
The Quiet Flame offers a contemplative musical journey, shaped as a seamless flow of sound, breath and resonance. More seamless sound-journey than traditional concert, the programme combines some of the most timeless melodies from distant ages and cultures with the duo’s own improvisations, inviting listeners into a state of deep stillness and reflection. Inspired by the philosophy of many early musicians — that the ears are a gateway to the soul — The Quiet Flame offers music as a space for listening, presence and quiet transformation.