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Red Priest
For sheer technical wizardry, charismatic showmanship and expressive devilment, Red Priest is in an exhilarating class of its own.
Early music groups can be out there when it comes to vitality and less conventional presentation, but I've seen nothing as theatrically charismatic as Red Priest gave us on Saturday night…. The virtuosity of all four players was nothing short of jaw-dropping, and their style of dress, general visual presentation and engagingly humorous commentary was very refreshing.
Early Music
Instrumentation
- Piers Adams - Recorders
- Julia Bishop - Violin
- Angela East - Cello
- David Wright - Harpsichord
Repertoire
BAROQUE EXTRAVAGANZA:
Bach - Preludio
Cima - Sonata
Purcell, Cazzati, Ortiz - A Suite of Grounds
Handel - Recorder Sonata in B minor
Telemann - Fantasia and Gypsy Sonata
Bach - Prelude for Cello
Handel - Largo and Harmonious Blacksmith Variations
Vivaldi - Concerto 'La Notte'
Couperin - Les Barricades Mystérieuses
Bach - Andante, Toccata and Fugue
TRULY MADLY BAROQUE:
Vivaldi - Concerto in A minor
Bach - Adagio
Handel - Trio Sonata in F
Van Eyck - Variations on Daphne
Lanzetti - Amoroso
Baltzar - John Come Kiss
Bach - Brandenburg Concerto no 5
Telemann - Largo and Gypsy Rondo
Royer - Vertigo
Handel - Amoroso
Corelli - La Folia
Biography
The inimitable quartet Red Priest – named after the original 'red priest' Antonio Vivaldi, and hailed in the New York Times as ‘the wildly virtuosic little band’ – is one of the great success stories of the British early music scene over the past three decades. Founded in 1997 by the recorder player Piers Adams and violinist Julia Bishop, the group has re-defined the boundaries of baroque performance, freely engaging in creative rearrangement and stylistic recombination, and presenting its unique blend in daringly energetic live performances which have delighted audiences worldwide.
Amongst the group’s accomplishments are a no.1 bestselling album (The Baroque Bohemians, 2017), six other albums including an irreverent take on the Four Seasons (2003) hailed by Gramophone Magazine as one of the all-time best versions of the work, a South Bank Show TV profile viewed by a million people (2005), numerous other TV and radio broadcasts, and over 1500 concerts spread over 50+ tours of America as well as trips to Canada, Mexico, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, China, Malaysia, Cuba, Russia, Ukraine, Lebanon, Israel, almost every European country… and of course Scotland (where Piers was born!)
Following the fallow years of the pandemic Red Priest has come together in its almost original line-up, and is now enjoying an autumn revival with a series of tours in the UK and Europe playing favourites from their extensive repertoire as well as new arrangements. Book now to hear this iconic band in what may be its final chapter!
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