The 'London' Bach
Tuesday 22 January 2008 7.30pm
The Wigmore Hall, London W1
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Classical Opera Company returns to Wigmore Hall on Tuesday 22 January to present a programme profiling the life and music of Johann Christian Bach. The concert features internationally acclaimed soprano Susan Gritton and rising star Sophie Bevan in arias from five of Bach’s operas, and the programme also includes a harpsichord concerto featuring variations on ˜God Save the King", played by our regular harpsichordist Steven Devine. The Orchestra of The Classical Opera Company is conducted by artistic director Ian Page.
Johann Christian Bach (1735-1782) was the youngest surviving son of the great Johann Sebastian Bach. He served his apprenticeship in Italy, writing successful operas for Turin and Naples, before he was invitedto write a new opera for the Italian opera house in London. He arrived in London in 1762 and spent most of the rest of his life there, subsequently being known as the 'London’ Bach. When the young Mozart visited London in 1764-5 he and Bach became close friends, and Bach is generally considered to have been the single most important influence on the development of Mozart’s style.
