• Crispian Steele-Perkins trumpet
• David Wright harpsichord
• Essex Baroque Orchestra
• directed by Tassilo Erhardt violin

Crispian Steele-Perkins makes a welcome return to the festival with a programme of English music for trumpet and orchestra. He plays Henry Purcell’s suite from the play Bonduca, the trumpet overture from Purcell’s Indian Queen, the overture to Handel’s opera Atalanta, and a fine trumpet concerto by the Coventry composer Capel Bond, published in 1766. The programme also includes works from Handel’s great set of concerti grossi op. 6, as well as keyboard concertos by John Stanley and Thomas Arne, played by David Wright on an original Kirckman harpsichord of 1778.

Crispian Steele-Perkins is one of the world’s most respected virtuoso trumpeters, well known for concerto and solo appearances all over the globe. He is equally at home on the natural trumpet of the Baroque period as on the modern instrument, he collects and restores historic trumpets, and he writes about them as well as giving lecture recitals and demonstrations. David Wright won the prestigious Broadwood Harpsichord Competition in 2003 and his recent recording of J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations has been warmly received. The concert is directed from the violin by Tassilo Erhardt who performs regularly at the Festival with the Essex Baroque Orchestra and the award-winning chamber ensemble Apollo & Pan.