This is the website for the International Baroque Players, a group of outstanding young musicians from the newest generation of professional period performers. It is a self–governing orchestra and serves as an illustration of what can be achieved through a blend of talent, hard work and friendship.
A group of twenty-somethings playing in Soho hotspots and commissioning cartoons as publicity: not your average baroque ensemble, perhaps. The International Baroque Players (IBP) is the latest group to take an up to date approach to promoting and communicating classical music. And it has the walk to match the talk, with all members, drawn from nine countries, in demand among the top European period bands.
The group was formed late in 2008, following a Britten-Pears Young Artists Programme in which the bulk of the group was participating. “It was one of those courses where everything comes together brilliantly, musically as well as socially,” explains general manager and viola player Aliye Cornish. “We substituted in a few people from the European Union Baroque Orchestra (EUBO) , because quite a few of us had done that as well. Because we all knew each other, we were all excited about embarking on this adventure together. That was what made people want to come back and play for free, sleep on sofas for a week, and all sorts of things.”
The group’s emphasis is on communication, youthful enthusiasm, and putting on well-known music alongside more unusual repertoire – including a recent performance of an unrecorded violin concerto by Pisendel and a “Fast and Furious” programme of Italian virtuosity. Other engagements include an appearance in February at London Limelight, the 100 Club’s night of “classical music in a rock and roll setting”, with a programme of Vivaldi, Hasse and Platti. “It’s a great opportunity for us”, says Cornish of the Limelight gig, “because you get to reach a whole new audience – people that wouldn’t necessarily go to a concert and sit down and listen to a symphony all the way through. So we decided to put together a programme showing why we love playing baroque music – little gems that help to explain the allure of the baroque era to those that haven’t necessarily explored it much before.”
Putting concerti grossi in a bar setting could be cringeworthy in the wrong hands, but one suspects IBP will be wise to its audience. “We’re hoping to get people laughing and really engaging with what we’re doing” says Cornish. “I don’t think anyone wants to hear us talking about biographical detail in that sort of setting. The idea is to have a bit of a laugh and a really good time playing some wonderful music.”
And the fun doesn’t stop on-stage. IBP has commissioned cartoon publicity from a German graphic-designer contact of Johannes Pramsohler. “He did one for us for a concert of Music for the Dresden Nobility in September, so he had four composers on a plane drinking champagne and gin and tonic, with some saucy looking air stewardesses. People don’t tend to promote concerts like that, they don’t bring out the fun element in what they do, and we just think that’s a terrible shame.”
IBP is currently planning projects for later in 2010. For more information, visit www.internationalbaroqueplayers.com.
Chris Elcombe
'the hottest young band around' - Sean Raffery, In Tune, Radio 3
General Manager - Aliye Cornish
Orchestral Manager - Sally Woods
Alternative means of contact can be found on the contact page.
website : Richard Sweeney & George Crawford
