RENOWNED trumpeter Crispian Steele-Perkins will lead the brass sound in J S Bach's festive choruses in the Yorkshire Bach Choir's concert at St Michael le Belfrey on March 12.
This 7.30pm concert offers the opportunity to hear three JS Bach masterpieces, the Easter Oratorio, Mass in G minor and Ascension Oratorio. The two oratorios are characterised by their festive orchestration and exhilarating trumpet-led choruses, while the Mass, despite its relative brevity, is an assembly of some of Bach’s most glorious choral writing.
All three works feature arias that range in style from the contemplative to the celebratory, performed by soloists drawn from within the choir.
A big draw next weekend: Crispian Steele-Perkins
Looking forward to next weekend's concert, Crispian says: "Bach never writes for the trumpet in the same way twice unless re-using material. These two oratorios are among my favourites and I never cease to be amazed at the technical virtuosity that his players must have achieved at the time."
Steele-Perkins has performed with a remarkable list of singers, both classical and pop, such as Kiri te Kanawa, Emma Kirkby, John Tomlinson, Bryn Terfel, Led Zeppelin, Kate Bush, Cliff Richard, Bob Geldof and Harry Secombe.
His eclectic career has taken in performing a repertoire ranging from Handel to Glenn Miller and he can be heard on the soundtracks of more than 80 films, including Jaws and Monty Python's The Life Of Brian. His love of early music has seen him perform with The Academy of Ancient Music, The King’s Consort and The English Baroque Soloists.
No stranger to the York concert stage, what does Crispian most cherish about performing here? "I like working with Peter Seymour and enjoy working with a fairly set team of excellent musicians. Nice audiences too," he says.
Tickets cost £24, concessions £22, in person from the National Centre for Early Music in Walmagte, on 01904 658338 or via the NCEM ticketing link, bit.ly/YBach
Did you know?
The first record Crispian Steele-Perkins bought was Oh My Papa by Eddie Calvert. "He was the man with the golden trumpet," he says.
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