Brighton Early Music Festival has been described as “early music with a distinctive Brighton twist” and is well known for doing things just a little bit differently.
From the team who brought aerial dancers swinging from the rafters of St Bartholomew’s Church for their tenth anniversary in 2012, there are some decidedly ‘quirky’ offerings in 2014.
Before the start of the main festival, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment brings its acclaimed series of classical pub nights The Night Shift to Brighton for the second time on October 17. Sold out in London, these events are a chance to enjoy a drink and listen to some great music in a relaxed and informal setting.
As part of the opening night on October 24, BREMF Club Night is a chance to don a carnival mask and let your hair down whilst listening to great music from Venice.
The bar will be open throughout this 30 minute short, starting at 10pm. Go along and start your evening with something a bit out of the ordinary!
If historical tales of debauchery are more your thing, the following evening’s Popes, Power and Patronage concert in St Bart’s Church offers some hair-raising tales. Or pop in for a free late night offering of Tudor choral music in the same venue at 10.15pm.
The weekend of November 1/2 is packed with relaxed daytime events.
In Latest Music Bar on November 1, four new generation ensembles will be presenting 30 minute sets from around Europe, with tickets from £4 available on the door.
At the other end of town on November 2, The Old Market will be transformed into a Leipzig coffee house for an updated, costumed version of Bach’s Coffee Cantata.
Focusing on the eternal story of conflict between the generations (no less true in 1730s Leipzig than today!), this will be a sparkling event with some surprises.
The festival culminates in several dance-themed events.
On November 7 the wonderfully-named Society of Strange and Ancient Instruments will be putting on a wild night of Tudor dance and music in their Nine Daies Wonder show. Recreating a 400-year old publicity stunt by Will Kemp, an actor with Shakespeare’s troupe who morris-danced from London to Norwich, St George’s Kemptown will be set out cabaret style and you can take along a picnic to enjoy during the performance.
Finally on November 8 the festival will be premiering Powerplay – a brand new music-drama based on tales from the Paris Opéra and featuring French dance with a dancer and choreographer flying in from Paris. Unusually, the narrator for the evening will be a mischievous cherub who’s seen it all from his perch high up in the Opéra gods, and certainly has some stories to tell….
This year the Festival is offering more low-price tickets than ever, with £5 Prom tickets available for almost all festival concerts. You can also buy bargain prom pass covering virtually all events for just £50.
The bargain prom pass is only on sale at BREMF’s new mini-site www.bremf.org.uk/lovemusic and audience members will be encouraged to tweet about their experiences using the hashtag #lovemusic throughout the Festival.
For full details about the Festival, CLICK HERE:
Tickets can be booked there or by phone or in person from Brighton Dome Ticket Office on 01273 790709
You must be logged in to post a comment.