Faithful to the Spirit

Despite the interest in historical performance, mainstream performers have largely ignored the hardest evidence of all: early recordings. These performances, often made by contemporaries of or in consultation with composers, may tell us something about the spirit of music making that a composer’s words and notation cannot. Recordings may also serve as a lens through which we may better understand and question how we make music today. In transforming music’s ephemeral nature into a more lasting object, through detailed notation and later through recording, a strict orthodoxy of music making has evolved. If we can re-discover what used to be, we may breathe new life into music making today. In conjunction with a British Library Edison Fellowship, this residency builds upon last season’s exploration of the music of Elgar, Vaughan Williams, and Grieg. This residency will widen its scope to explore major works by Brahms, Dvořák, and Chausson.