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AB24 Aberdeen Baroque
With such a myriad of instrument combinations this concert is destined to be memorable.
At the end of their well devised programme, AB24 received warm applause for their very fine musicianship and interesting talks.
Early Music
Instrumentation
- Amanda Babington - Baroque Violin, Recorders, Musette
- Claire Babington - Baroque Cello
- David Smith - Harpsichord
Repertoire
AB24 offers attractive, easily accessible programmes of Baroque music, typically mixing less well-known repertoire from England and Scotland with works by the great German and Italian composers such as Bach and Vivaldi. AB24 are also keen exponents of French baroque music, an interest that has led Amanda to become one of only a handful of players of the musette, delicate eighteenth-century French bagpipes favoured by Louis IV. Typical programmes offered by AB24 blend trio sonatas with solo sonatas for recorder, violin or cello and include works for solo violin, cello, recorder or harpsichord.
Biography
On a tight budget? Why not go for an ensemble that can offer the variety and flexibility of a larger ensemble but for the cost of only three musicians? AB24 offers a myriad of different instrumental combinations. Its three players between them can offer a variety of sound combinations usually available only with a much larger ensemble.
“David Smith and Amanda Babington...created a lovely sweet blend of recorder sound...very fine florid playing, perfect in both rhythmic focus and intonation...imitative passages for the two recorders were wonderfully clear cut and accomplished intelligently by the performers.”
Amanda Babington is a baroque violinist, recorder player and musette player who works regularly with period ensembles in the UK and Europe. She is also Artistic Director of Baroque In The North. Cellist Claire Babington combines historically informed performance with contemporary music, frequently premiering works. Brought up in Aberdeen, Claire and Amanda enjoy bringing their expertise back to the city as Visiting Performance Fellows at the University of Aberdeen. David J. Smith is an organist, harpsichordist and recorder player. He specialises in early seventeenth-century keyboard music from England and The Netherlands, and in improvisation in a variety of styles and idioms. Before moving to Northumbria University in September 2018 as Founding Head of Music, David was professor of music at the University of Aberdeen, where he served as Head of Music and was Master of Chapel and Ceremonial Music.
"...David Smith on harpsichord and cellist Claire Babington whose performance combined energetic muscular bowing and leaping fingerboard work with admirable freedom and facility; an inspiring performance."
AB24 was formed from a share love of the repertoire afforded to them by the wide variety of instrument combinations at their fingertips! The postcode name of the ensemble represents in pleasing symmetry the area of the city where all three members have, over the years, enjoyed living, working and performing.
Highly respected in their fields, all three musicians like to share their knowledge of the repertoire and period with their audiences via spoken interludes in each concert. They also love to chat to and give demonstrations to audience members after concerts.
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