01. Brahms's Circle and the Musical Past (Part One)

10 October 2020, 11:00am - 12:00pm

Presented in association with the Royal College of Music

As well as being a brilliant and engaging speaker, Natasha Loges is a renowned Brahms scholar, whose book Brahms and his Poets has been described as ‘extremely useful and endlessly fascinating’ (Gramophone Magazine). In a two-part event, she delves into Brahms’s fascination with music from the medieval to the baroque, bringing in some remarkable characters along the way.

PART ONE: A sensation in 1880s Berlin: Amalie Joachim’s Historical Song-Recitals
One of Brahms’s favourite singers was the mezzo-soprano Amalie Joachim. Her husband, the violinist Joseph Joachim, divorced her after twenty-one years because of a flimsy charge of infidelity. This forced the mother of six to return to the concert stage to earn her living. One of her great innovations was to offer a series of recitals which traced the history of song over several centuries. Illustrated with performances by Katy Thomson and Ana Manastireanu from the Royal College of Music, this talk will explore the repertoire choices which so impressed the discerning audiences of 1880s Berlin, and the importance of Amalie Joachim’s friendship with Brahms.

PART TWO: Brahms and the Medieval
Please click here for details.

JOIN IN:
The talk and music for this event will be pre-recorded, but will be introduced live by Natasha Loges, who will also be available to answer any questions at the end of Part Two. During the event, please email any questions or post them on social media (#OLF2020), and Natasha will answer as many as time allows.