Channel Title: Academy of Ancient Music Channel Description: Academy of Ancient Music (AAM) is an orchestra with a worldwide reputation for excellence in baroque and classical music. Using historically-informed techniques, period-specific instruments and original sources, we bring music vividly to life in committed, vibrant performances. Established nearly 50 years ago to make the first British recordings of orchestral works using original instruments, AAM has released more than 300 albums to date, collecting countless accolades including Classic BRIT, Gramophone and Edison awards. We now record on our own label AAM Records, and are proud to be the most listened-to period-instrument orchestra online, with over one million monthly listeners on Spotify. AAM is Associate Ensemble at London’s Barbican centre and the Teatro San Cassiano in Italy, and Orchestra-in-Residence at the University of Cambridge, The Grange Festival, Milton Abbey International Summer Music Festival and The Apex, Bury St Edmunds. <video> 50 Years of Academy of Ancient Music Description: 17 September 1973, 10.00am. Musicians gather at All Saints’ Church in Petersham, West London, for three days of sessions to record overtures by Thomas Arne. Under the baton of Christopher Hogwood, their approach was radical – they performed on period instruments using, as far as possible, the techniques that were current at the time of composition. A new orchestra, the Academy of Ancient Music, was born. ~~~ Read more about 50 Years of AAM: https://bit.ly/AAM-50 Listen and watch AAM: https://linktr.ee/AAMorchestra ~~~ Photographs: AAM outside St Jude’s © Cat Mackintosh AAM at Kedleston Hall © BBC TV Messiah © Cat Mackintosh Fireworks rehearsal © Clive Barda Photography USA tour, 1986 © Paul Hughes Cologne © AAM archive Emma Kirkby/Christopher Hogwood © AAM archive Richard Egarr/Robert Levin © Patrick Allen operaomnia.co.uk Recordings: Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major, K. 467: I. Allegro maestoso (AAM041 / 2023) Handel: Messiah: Symphony (L'Oiseau Lyre / 1980) Handel: Messiah: But who may abide (L'Oiseau Lyre / 1980) Mozart: Concerto Movement for Piano, Violin, and Orchestra in D major (AAM043 / 2023) Filmed by Simon Wall / TallWall Media Edited & produced by Benjamin Sheen for AAM </video> <video> Mendelssohn: Hebrides Overture (extract) | Academy of Ancient Music & Barnaby Smith Description: Join us at our next concert: https://www.aam.co.uk An extract from a live performance of Mendelssohn's Hebrides Overture by Academy of Ancient Music, conducted by Barnaby Smith, at the VOCES8 International Festival at Milton Abbey, August 2022. Performed on period instruments. #weareAAM </video> <video> Geminiani: The Enchanted Forest | Movements 1 & 2 | Academy of Ancient Music Description: Join us at our next concert: https://www.aam.co.uk The first two movements of of La Foresta Incantata, by the Italian-born, London-based composer Francesco Geminiani (1687–1762), performed live by Academy of Ancient Music and Laurence Cummings on 28 October 2021 at Milton Court Concert Hall. This is instrumental music for the 1754 pantomime 'La forêt enchantée' by the Italian impresario Giovanni Niccolò Servandoni (1695-1766). ~~~ The story relates an episode from Gerusalemme liberata, Torquato Tasso’s epic poem of the the First Crusade, published in 1593, somewhat in imitation of Orlando furioso. The Christians, attacking Jerusalem, must cut wood from a nearby forest to build their siege engines, but a spell cast by a Saracen sorcerer has left every tree possessed by malign spirits, such that no Christian hero, however bold, dare enter. Eventually the knight Rinaldo attempts the task, and is surprised to find that the enchanted wood offers him birdsong, sweet-smelling flowers, and nymphs playing musical instruments. Eventually he comes across a myrtle, but as he raises his axe a vision appears of the sorceress Armida, whom he had previously loved. He hesitates to strike, but overcomes his reticence – as well as the transformation of the false Armida into a giant wielding 50 swords – to kill her and thus break the enchantment. – extract from programme notes © 2021 Lindsay Kemp ~~~ 00:00:00 Movement 1 (Andante) 00:01:16 Movement 2 (Allegro Moderato) #weareAAM </video> <video> Gabrieli: Sonata No. 21 for 3 violins | Academy of Ancient Music Description: Join us at our next concert: https://www.aam.co.uk Giovanni Gabrieli (c1554-1612), Sonata per tre violini e basso (a 4), Ch.214 (XXI from Canzoni et Sonate, 1615): performed live by Academy of Ancient Music at Milton Court Concert Hall, London, 25 November 2021 as part of the New Worlds: South America programme. #weareAAM </video> <video> Giovanni Legrenzi: Il ballo del Gran Duca Description: From the new album, Infinite Refrain: https://lnk.to/InfiniteRefrain Laurence Cummings directs Academy of Ancient Music in a performance of Il ballo del Gran Duca by the Italian baroque composer Giovanni Legrenzi (1626–1690). ~~~ The first of its kind, this duet album is a musical journey that draws back the curtain that has obscured gay love-stories for centuries. In the 17th century, Venice offered a liberal safe haven of sorts to the gay community of greater Europe. There are accounts of outed artists escaping to Venice to live and work amongst its more permissive culture. Almost 400 years later, we reconnect with this uncommonly tolerant place and time to share a history that is yet untold. The album includes vivid and charming duets from Monteverdi’s 7th book of madrigals as well as his touching musical love letters (lettere amorose). Additionally, there are four modern-day premieres of works by the little-known composers Boretti, Melani, and Castrovillari; including a moving duet for the lovers Hercules and Theseus as they exit the underworld hand-in-hand. Solo arias by Cavalli and Stradella depict the yearning of hidden love, and the recording culminates with one of the most beautiful duets of all time, ‘Pur ti miro’ from Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea. This album is a recognition and celebration of gay love that spans the centuries. ~~~ #weareAAM </video> <video> Melani: Ercole in Tebe | Da torbido | Jorge Navarro Colorado & Academy of Ancient Music Description: From the new album Infinite Refrain: Music of Love’s Refuge (Randall Scotting & Jorge Navarro Colorado) https://lnk.to/InfiniteRefrain Jorge Navarro Colorado, tenor Laurence Cummings, conductor Academy of Ancient Music The first of its kind, this duet album is a musical journey that draws back the curtain which has obscured gay love-stories for centuries. In the 17th century, Venice offered a liberal safe haven of sorts to the gay community of greater Europe. There are accounts of outed artists escaping to Venice to live and work amongst its more permissive culture. Almost 400 years later, we reconnect with this uncommonly tolerant place and time to share a history that is yet untold. The album includes vivid and charming duets from Monteverdi’s 7th book of madrigals as well as his touching musical love letters (lettere amorose). Additionally, there are four modern-day premieres of works by the little-known composers Boretti, Melani, and Castrovillari; including a moving duet for the lovers Hercules and Theseus as they exit the underworld hand-in-hand. Solo arias by Cavalli and Stradella depict the yearning of hidden love, and the recording culminates with one of the most beautiful duets of all time, ‘Pur ti miro’ from Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea. This album is a recognition and celebration of gay love that spans the centuries #weareAAM </video> <video> Clarke: Mr. Shore's Trumpett Tune | David Blackadder & Academy of Ancient Music Description: Join us at our next concert: https://www.aam.co.uk Mr. Shore's Trumpett Tune, by Jeremiah Clarke (1674–1707), performed live by David Blackadder and Academy of Ancient Music at Milton Court Concert Hall, London, 24 October 2019. There are few more jubilant and uplifting sounds in music than the natural trumpet. With its bright, piercing tone and rich timbre, it has become an emblem of the baroque, signalling occasions of joy, triumph and celebration. Writing around 1700, the renowned critic and amateur musician, Roger North, described the trumpet as a "small, portable, comodious and martiall tube", one that was "glorious and admired". With new advances in instrument technology, this was the golden age of the trumpet and just about every composer across Europe – from Bach to Vivaldi, Handel and Purcell – intended to make the most of this glorious new sound. It is a little ironic, then, that the person responsible for composing the best-known piece for baroque trumpet is far from a household name. A successor to Purcell at London’s Chapel Royal and later organist at St. Paul’s Cathedral, Jeremiah Clarke (1674-1707) is now rightfully credited as the composer of the popular wedding voluntary The Prince of Denmark’s March – better known simply as the Trumpet Voluntary – but for many years the work (along with several others) was wrongly attributed to Purcell. Among a handful of other pieces for trumpet in his output is the brisk voluntary Mr. Shore’s Trumpett Tune, composed for the leading English trumpet virtuoso of the day, John Shore. We know that both Purcell and Handel wrote some of their most demanding trumpets parts with Shore in mind, and although Clarke’s voluntary is somewhat modest by comparison, its high tessitura and skilful ornamentation give us a glimpse into Shore’s technical proficiency. Extract from programme notes commissioned by AAM © Jo Kirkbride #weareAAM </video> <video> Handel's Messiah: AAM In Conversation Description: AAM Principal Oboe, Leo Duarte, leads a conversation about Handel's Messiah, featuring Julia Kuhn, Ruth Kiang and Laurence Cummings. </video> <video> Mozart's Piano Concertos: Completing the Cycle (Animation) | Academy of Ancient Music & Robert Levin Description: Commissioned to celebrate the release of AAM's new recording – listen to it all here: https://naxos.lnk.to/AAM041 Academy of Ancient Music has released a new recording of Mozart’s Piano Concertos as part of its long-running project to record all of Mozart’s works for keyboard and orchestra. This new release, featuring Piano Concertos No. 21 in C Major K467 and No. 24 in C Minor K491, comes more than 20 years after the previous volume, when the series was put on indefinite hold in 2001 because of the changing fortunes of the record industry. The music in this video is an extract from the second movement 'Andante' from Mozart's Piano Concerto in C Major K467, performed by Robert Levin and Academy of Ancient Music, conducted by Richard Egarr. It is set to traditional hand-painted rotoscoped animation using nearly 1,500 hand-painted frames and using animation techniques influenced by the early visual music pioneers of the 1920s and 30s. "It is widely accepted that Mozart would have improvised much of his solo keyboard parts in performance (the manuscript scores can be quite sketchy) and Levin is the leading exponent in recreating the Mozart style on the spot. Throw in expressive playing from the AAM and these performances have plenty of character, the C Major bright and spirited, the dark C Minor foreshadowing the Romantic era. The remaining four discs are eagerly awaited." ★★★★★ Financial Times Read more about this recording: https://aam.co.uk/new-mozart-recording-released-20-year-wait/ Stream, download and buy: https://naxos.lnk.to/AAM041 Read more about the animation: https://bit.ly/MozartAnimation Animation by André Beukes, commissioned by Academy of Ancient Music: https://www.andrebeukes.co.uk ℗ Academy of Ancient Music 2023 </video> <video> Trailer: Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E Minor | 30 June 2023 | AAM & Bojan Čičić Description: Join us at our next concert: https://www.aam.co.uk On 30 June, Academy of Ancient Music performed Beethoven's Pastoral 6th Symphony, alongside Mendelssohn's 'Hebrides' Overture and his Violin Concerto in E minor. Leader of AAM, Bojan Čičić, will perform the solo in the Violin Concerto, and here he gives a little sneak preview of the preparation for the concert. #weareAAM </video> <video> Trailer: Scherzi musicali | 20 & 21 April 2023 | Academy of Ancient Music & Bojan Čičić Description: "This really was something different, and totally in keeping with the sense of imagination and adventure the Academy of Ancient Music is exuding these days." – Seen & Heard International Leader of Academy of Ancient Music, Bojan Čičić, presents our concert 'Scherzi musicali', which we performed in Cambridge and London on 20 & 21 April 2023. With battles, dances and curious inventions in the 17th century, the programme included: FARINA Capriccio stravagante WESTHOFF Imitatione delle campane WALTHER Hortulus Chelicus No.28: Serenata SCHEIDT Ludi musici I: 21. Galliard battaglia à 5 SSWV59 SCHMELZER Balletto à 4 ‘Die Fechtschule’ BIBER Mensa Sonora: Pars VI in G minor SCHMELZER Polnische sackpfeiffen à 3 BIBER Battaglia à 10 #weareAAM </video> <video> Geminiani: The Enchanted Forest | Movements 3–6 | Academy of Ancient Music Description: Join us at our next concert: https://www.aam.co.uk Movements 3–6 of La Foresta Incantata, by the Italian-born, London-based composer Francesco Geminiani (1687–1762), performed live by Academy of Ancient Music and Laurence Cummings on 28 October 2021 at Milton Court Concert Hall. This is instrumental music for the 1754 pantomime 'La forêt enchantée' by the Italian impresario Giovanni Niccolò Servandoni (1695-1766). ~~~ The story relates an episode from Gerusalemme liberata, Torquato Tasso’s epic poem of the the First Crusade, published in 1593, somewhat in imitation of Orlando furioso. The Christians, attacking Jerusalem, must cut wood from a nearby forest to build their siege engines, but a spell cast by a Saracen sorcerer has left every tree possessed by malign spirits, such that no Christian hero, however bold, dare enter. Eventually the knight Rinaldo attempts the task, and is surprised to find that the enchanted wood offers him birdsong, sweet-smelling flowers, and nymphs playing musical instruments. Eventually he comes across a myrtle, but as he raises his axe a vision appears of the sorceress Armida, whom he had previously loved. He hesitates to strike, but overcomes his reticence – as well as the transformation of the false Armida into a giant wielding 50 swords – to kill her and thus break the enchantment. – extract from programme notes © 2021 Lindsay Kemp ~~~ 00:00:00 III: Andante 00:00:48 IV: Allegro moderato - Andante - Adagio 00:03:03 V: Allegro moderato 00:05:21 VI: Andante spiritoso #weareAAM </video> <video> Haydn: The Seasons | Spring: Introduction | Academy of Ancient Music Description: Join us at our next concert: https://www.aam.co.uk An extract from the opening movement of Haydn's 'The Seasons', performed live by Academy of Ancient Music and directed by Laurence Cummings at Barbican Hall, London. ~~~ "An exhilarating performance by the Academy of Ancient Music" – Evening Standard ~~~ ‘How refreshing to the senses! How reviving to the heart!’ Haydn’s The Seasons embraces the whole of nature, brimming with all the generosity, humour and uninhibited humanity that only he could supply. There are storms and sunrises, drunken farmers and a ploughman whistling an oddly familiar tune: in short, it’s exactly what you’d expect from a sequel to 'The Creation'. Academy of Ancient Music Laurence Cummings, conductor Nina Dunn Studio, video and projection design Martin Parr, staging director Recorded at Barbican Hall, London 4 October 2022 Audio & video: Live from the Barbican Website: http://www.aam.co.uk​​ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aamorchestra​​ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/academyofancientmusic Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/aamorchestra​​ #weareAAM </video> <video> Animating Mozart: Behind the Scenes Description: Listen to the new album: https://naxos.lnk.to/AAM041 We go behind the scenes with André Beukes as he creates a beautiful new animation to accompany AAM's new Mozart recording. The music is set to hand-painted rotoscoped animation taking inspiration from the album cover's painting by Paul Klee, and using nearly 1,500 hand-painted frames and using animation techniques influenced by the early visual music pioneers of the 1920s and 30s. Watch the animation: https://youtu.be/JkrDQHjTicY The new album is released as part of a long-running project to record all of Mozart’s works for keyboard and orchestra. Featuring Piano Concertos No. 21 in C Major K467 and No. 24 in C Minor K491, it comes more than 20 years after the previous volume, when the series was put on indefinite hold in 2001 because of the changing fortunes of the record industry. "It is widely accepted that Mozart would have improvised much of his solo keyboard parts in performance (the manuscript scores can be quite sketchy) and Levin is the leading exponent in recreating the Mozart style on the spot. Throw in expressive playing from the AAM and these performances have plenty of character, the C Major bright and spirited, the dark C Minor foreshadowing the Romantic era. The remaining four discs are eagerly awaited." ★★★★★ Financial Times Read more about this recording: https://aam.co.uk/new-mozart-recording-released-20-year-wait/ Stream, download and buy: https://naxos.lnk.to/AAM041 ℗ Academy of Ancient Music 2023 </video> <video> Bach: Orchestral Suite No. 3 | Air (‘Air on the G string’) | Academy of Ancient Music Description: Join us at our next concert: https://www.aam.co.uk The second movement 'Air' from JS Bach's Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major BWV1068, performed live by Academy of Ancient Music at the Bath Bachfest. It is perhaps best known thanks to a later arrangement by German violinist August Wilhelmj (1845–1908), which became known as 'Air on the G String'. Filmed by Classical Media for Bath Bachfest: https://bathbachfest.co.uk Find out more about AAM at https://www.aam.co.uk </video>

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Academy of Ancient Music (AAM) is an orchestra with a worldwide reputation for excellence in baroque and classical music. Using historically-informed techniques, period-specific instruments and original sources, we bring music vividly to life in committed, vibrant performances.

Established nearly 50 years ago to make the first British recordings of orchestral works using original instruments, AAM has released more than 300 albums to date, collecting countless accolades including Classic BRIT, Gramophone and Edison awards. We now record on our own label AAM Records, and are proud to be the most listened-to period-instrument orchestra online, with over one million monthly listeners on Spotify.

AAM is Associate Ensemble at London’s Barbican centre and the Teatro San Cassiano in Italy, and Orchestra-in-Residence at the University of Cambridge, The Grange Festival, Milton Abbey International Summer Music Festival and The Apex, Bury St Edmunds.

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