Taking Early Music to the skies

As part of its ongoing mission to take early music to new and unusual places, Brighton Early Music Festival (BREMF) took over the i360 in Brighton early on Sunday morning (Nov. 4).

SACKBUTS and cornetts from Musica Antiqua Salzburg accompanied the Lithuanian vocal ensemble Canto Fiorito, performing pieces from their programme The Hanseatic Way.  The Hanseatic League was a key trade confederation across Europe from London to Tallinn, between 1300 and 1700.

The musicians explore in their full programme the cultural exchange that went alongside the close trade links, with music from ten different countries (in concert on Sunday evening at St Martin’s Church in Brighton).  As a taster, as well as performing to invited guests on the i360 itself, they also gave a free pop-up performance for the public at the base of the tower.

The Brighton Early Music Festival, now in its 16th year, has been celebrating the richness of 700 years of music from Europe, looking at Britain’s long and often tempestuous relationship with the rest of the Continent from medieval times onwards.

Still to come during the festival are an opera double bill of rarely performed works by Monteverdi and John Blow, a concert by the fine young ensemble the Fieri Consort, and two concerts from two of BREMF’s own choirs.

Firstly, the BREMF Consort of Voices will perform music by Taverner, Tallis and Byrd in Reformation Remainers, and then to conclude the festival, the BREMF Singers, joined by the BREMF Players, and a great line up of young soloists, in Peace in Europe, with music by Charpentier, Purcell, Handel and Zelenka.

The festival runs until Sunday, November 11.

For venues, times and tickets, click here:

By Nick Boston