PREVIEW: Brighton Early Music Festival: Nature & Science

BREMF 2016: Nature & Science

OBSERVATION, DISCOVERY, INVENTION, CREATION

28th October to 13th November

Brighton Early Music Festival, known as BREMF, is a world leader in pioneering dynamic events which make music from the last 1000 years and from many parts of the world, relevant and exciting to modern audiences of all ages, they use venues across the city to bring this exciting program of music to as wide a group of people as possible and this years programme is as full of wonders and oddities as always. It’s breadth of engagements and musical styles is always one of the great strengths of the  BREMF,  here’s just a few of the highlights of the festival but check our their Website for the full line up,  free, family orientated, stand up and dance even ancient multi media yoga mash up, there’s no dust on this lot. They even have a sublime nights music in the Sea life centre; Neptune’s Song featuring Telemann ‘Water Music’ suite and JS Bach Orchestral Suites.

Galileo is one of the highlights of this years festival.  Galileo is a brand new play with music about the life of Galileo, and actor Roger Watkins  will play the role of Galileo, in a superb venue this musical drama will pack a punch.   Gaia is a modern take on the great intermedi spectaculars of the Renaissance, with 16^th and 17^th century music linked to modern film and dance, it’s a proper retake on this but with digital multi -media addictions to widen the impact of this music. It  has a real community element, involving the BREMF Community Choir and BREMF Consort of Voices, alongside professional singers and instrumentalists.

Other  events which have excited me are Handel and Vivaldi with L’Avventura London (also to be broadcast on BBC Radio 3) with the superb soprano Grace Davidson taking the lead, her voice is a triumph, book for this now.  Purcell and Locke with the BREMF Players & Singers aims to be an evening of classic perfect harmonic bliss and a lot less formal is the Society of Ancient Instruments’ Sound House exploring Francis Bacon’s experiments with sound,  including some really weird and wacky instruments, which they will demonstrate and play. This  event: MEDICINE AND MORTALITY. Life, death and beyond with music by Marais & Rameau is at the Friends Meeting House on the 5th.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlvDSkOhVYY

If a sit-down concert isn’t your thing, don’t miss the BREMF Clubnight on Saturday 5th November at 9pm. This lively performance by up and coming artists takes place in The Devil’s Disco, upstairs at The Joker (Preston Circus), and the bar will be open throughout.
For families there are two shows for all ages – OAE TOTS: Going on a Journey for pre-school aged children on 1st October, and Dr Dee’s Daughter and the Philosopher’s Stone – a brand new family show aimed at slightly older children with recorders and puppetry on 12th November.

BREMF is a lot more than a festival. They offer year round concerts and workshops, and information on other early music events in the area.

See the website here for more information and a full program of the up and coming events or you can book tickets for events here

28th October to 13th November