Rachel Brown, flute and recorder
Adrian Butterfield, violin
Oliver Webber, violin
Katherine Sharman, cello
Laurence Cummings, harpsichord

Since making their debut at Handel's parish church, St. George's Hanover Square, as part of the London Handel Festival 2000, the London Handel Players have given concerts across the UK, Europe and North America collaborating regularly with singers such as Emma Kirkby, James Bowman and Daniel Taylor. The members of the group are principal players of the London Handel Orchestra, pursue busy solo and directing careers, work with many of the major early-instrument ensembles in the UK and abroad and are professors at the conservatoires in London. They bring together a wealth of recording experience and their two recent recordings, the first of Handel's Op.5 trio sonatas and the second entitled "Handel at Home", both for Somm, have been highly acclaimed.

Recent highlights include concerts at various UK festivals with Emma Kirkby, appearances at festivals in Canada, Romania and Ireland and the group's debuts at the Wigmore Hall last April and at the Goettingen Handel Festival in May.

Their recording of Handel's violin sonatas was released last year (Somm) and Handel's Op.2 trio sonatas are due for release in March 2009.

Reviews

"I find all the performances well-nigh perfect...the music is absolutely gorgeous"

Piers Burton-Page, International Record Review (Handel Trio Sonatas Op.5)

"This extremely attractive release is sure to find a wide audience; it's as much fun as it is beautiful."

Robert Levett, International Record Review ("Handel at Home")

"Their consummate musicianship is consistently delightful"

David Vickers, Gramophone Magazine ("Handel at Home")

"This review could be reduced to just three words: 'Buy this recording'"

Robert Bigio, Pan ("Handel at Home")

"Piers Burton-Page welcomed the London Handel Players' Somm account of Handel's Op.5 as "well-nigh perfect" (September 2005), a view from which I would not dissent regarding the current issue...these three outstandingly gifted players are at the peak of their collective form..."

Julian Haylock, International Record Review, March 08 (Handel Violin Sonatas)

Programmes

The London Handel Players offer a huge selection of programmes, from purely instrumental music by Handel, and violin sonatas for two or three players, to varied concerts of French, Italian, German and English music for one or two singers (Emma Kirkby, Robin Blaze, Daniel Taylor, Charles Daniels, Peter Harvey) and up to 7 players.

Instrumental: flute, strings and harpsichord

Handel at Home (6 players: fl, 2v, vla, vc, hpschd)
Flute Concerto in G minor HWV287
Violin Sonata in D major HWV371
Un Momento from Alcina HWV34 arr. Walsh
Trio Sonata Op 5 no 4 in G HWV399
Overture and What tho’ from Solomon HWV67 arr. Walsh/Brown
Trio Sonata Op 2 no 3 in Bb major HWV388
Myself I shall adore and No, no, I’ll take no less from Semele HWV58 arr. Walsh/Brown

Handel’s English Circle (5, 6 or 7 players: (fl), 2v, vla, vc, (db), hpschd)
Handel Op.3 No.3
Festing Concerto Op.3 No.8
Stanley Organ Concerto
Babel Symphony for the Harpsichord and Violins
Purcell Abdelazer Suite
Handel Sonata a 5
Weidemann flute concerto
Sammartini recorder concerto

Pastoral Symfonye (8 players: fl, 3vl/ hurdy gurdy, vla, vc, db, hpschd/organ)
Purcell Music from The Fairy Queen (Midsummer)
Vivaldi flute concerto La Notte
Oswald selection from The Seasons
Vivaldi arr. Chedeville Spring from The Seasons for hurdy gurdy
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Vivaldi violin concerto La Caccia
Handel The Cuckoo and the Nightingale organ concerto
Vivaldi flute concerto Il Gardellino

or

Vivaldi flute concerto La Notte or Il Gardellino
Vivaldi violin concerto La Caccia
Vivaldi arr. Chedeville Summer fromThe Seasons for hurdy gurdy
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Rebel Les Elemens

Bach and Sons (8 players: fl, 3v. vla, vc, db, hpschd)
JS Bach violin concerto
JC Bach harpsichord concerto
CPE Bach flute concerto
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WF Bach sinfonia
JS Bach Brandenburg Concerto no.5 or Suite in B minor

Father, Godfather and Son (8 players: fl, 3v. vla, vc, db, hpschd)
Telemann Suite in E minor for flute and strings
JS Bach violin concerto
JC Bach harpsichord concerto
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CPE Bach flute concerto
JS Bach Brandenburg Concerto no.5 or Suite in B minor

A Feast of Concertos (8 players: fl, 3v. vla, vc, db, hpdchd)
Virtuosic concertos by Telemann, Vivaldi, JS and CPE Bach


Instrumental: flute, violin (or 2 violins), cello, harpsichord

2009 Anniversaries
A celebration of Handel and/or Purcell, Benda, Corrette, Avison, Haydn, WF Bach and Martinu

An Evening at the Palace of Reason (4 players: fl, v, vc, hpschd)
CPE Bach Trio Sonata in Bb
Frederick the Great Flute Sonata in C major
Benda Violin Sonata
Quantz Flute Sonata in Bb major
JS Bach Musical Offering

Telemann in Paris(5 players: fl, v, gamba, vc, hpschd)
“Paris” Quartets, and works by the musicians with whom he collaborated: Blavet, Guignon, Forqueray

Beg, Borrow or Steal! (4 players: fl, v, vc, hpschd)
Bach trio in G (borrowed bass line)
Leclair violin sonata (grovelling preface)
Telemann Quartet in A (pirated in Paris)
Couperin La Piemontoise (fake name)
"Vivaldi" (Chedeville) sonata in G minor from Il Pastor Fido (stolen name)
Handel Trio op 5 no 1 (borrowed from himself, trades description...)

Bach and Beyond
Bach, Buxtehude

Handel and his Italian Friends
Handel
Corelli
Geminiani Trio Sonata in E major
Locatelli Trio Sonata in D major
Giordani Quartet in G major (hpschd, fl, v, vc)

France
Rameau Pieces de Clavecin
Leclair Deuxieme Recreation de La Musique
Leclair Violin Sonata
Blavet Flute Sonata
Couperin Sonata from La Piémontoise
Marais Suite in G minor from Pièces en trio (1692)

The English Trio Sonata (4 players: 2v, vc, hpschd)
Music by Purcell, Festing, Avison, Arne, Boyce, Handel


Violin recitals: violin, (cello) and harpsichord

Sonate Inglese (2/3 players: v, (vc), hpscd)
Violin sonatas by Handel and Italians who came to England
Corelli, Geminiani, Veracini, Castrucci, Handel

From Handel to Mozart
Music in the new galant style in London by Handel, Giardini, Abel, JC Bach, Mozart

The English Violin Sonata
Music by Festing, Babell, Gibbs, Handel


Flute/recorder recitals: flute/recorder, (cello) harpsichord

Bach, complete and completed (2/3 players: fl, (vc), hpscd)
The complete Bach sonatas for Flute and obbligato harpsichord including our completion of the A major sonata from which about 46 bars have mysteriously disappeared…

Handel and Haydn (2/3 players: fl, (vc), hpscd)
Handel’s first known sonata in D, an early work from Halle, the monumental B minor sonata and the lovely C major recorder sonata contrasted with lively trios by Haydn for harpsichord, flute and cello.

Bach’s Pupils (2/3 players: fl, (vc), hpscd)
Rarely heard works by Kirnberger, Krebs, Muthel, Abel, and Bach’s famous sons Carl Phillip and Wilhelm Friedemann, all pupils of the great master.

Music from the Court of Louis XIV (2/3 players: fl, (vc), hpscd)
Courtly dance suites by Hotteterre, Michel De La Barre, Monteclair and Couperin interspersed with contemporary transcriptions of favourite operatic arias and popular songs.

Father, Godfather and Son (2/3 players: fl, (vc), hpscd)
Spirited and characterful works for recorder and flute with continuo by CPE Bach, JS Bach and Telemann.

Music from the Court of Frederick the Great (2/3 players: fl, (vc), hpscd)
Virtuosic and rhetorical works by Friedrich II of Prussia, his flute teacher, Quantz, court accompanist, C.P.E. Bach, Benda.


Programmes with singers:
Emma Kirkby, soprano, Robin Blaze and Daniel Taylor, counter tenors,
Charles Daniels, tenor, Peter Harvey, baritone

Purcell with Daniel Taylor, countertenor
Music for a while
The Plainte
One Charming Night
Strike the viol
Music in Amphytrion
Daniel Purcell
John Blow
John Eccles

Bach and Handel with Peter Harvey, baritone (singer + 7 players: fl, 2vln, vla, vc, db, hpschd)
Telemann Concerto in E minor for flute, violin and strings
Handel - Cantata: Spande ancor
J.S Bach Brandenburg Concerto no.5
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Telemann Flute Concerto in G
Handel - Cantata: Cuopre tal volto
J.S. Bach Aria from BWV8 Liebster Gott, wann werd’ ich sterben?

French programme with Peter Harvey, baritone (singer + 4 players: fl, vln, bc)
Leclair Deuxième Recréation de La Musique (fl, vl, bc)
Campra Les Femmes (baritone, fl, vln, bc)
Marais Suite in G minor
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Couperin L’Apothéose de Lully (fl, vln, bc)
Rameau Pieces de Clavecin (fl, vln, hpschd)
Clérambault: Pigmalion (baritone, fl, vln, bc)

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