ED2016 5/5 Reviews ED2016 Music Reviews

The Slimy Stuarts And The Glorious Georgians (Eboracum Baroque / Terry Deary)

By Louise Rodgers | Published on Friday 26 August 2016

A book brought to life! Children’s author Terry Deary narrated this tale of rich and poor with authority, compassion and – naturally – humour. No funny voices or costumes, but there was the wonderful Eboracum Baroque, a group of young professional musicians who played period instruments and sang beautifully. Their repertoire was baroque music – plenty of Purcell and Handel – but accompanied by the sort of stories you don’t usually hear at concerts. For example, when Handel’s ‘The Music for The Royal Fireworks’ was first performed, a firework ignited a lovingly constructed pavilion, and so the architect punched the person in charge of the fireworks! Musically, I loved ‘Wondrous Machine’, a witty ode by Purcell to the organ, king of instruments – allegedly better than the lute!

Canongate Kirk, 20 Aug.
tw rating 5/5 | [Louise Rodgers]