Christopher Bucknall news

Inaugural Recital of a new harpsichord for Eton College

Wednesday 18th December 2019

I am so pleased to have been asked to give the inaugural recital on Eton College’s new Alan Gotto harpsichord. A copy of an instrument by Pierre Donzelague of 1711, it will be a treat to get to know this new instrument and to ‘play it in’ ahead of my recital on Sunday 19th January. This recital will be a collaboration with the wonderful recorder player Ian Wilson and will feature music by Bach, Handel, Rameau and Scarlatti.

Cavalli La Calisto for Theater Aachen

Sunday 1st December 2019

I’m delighted to have been asked to conduct Cavalli La Calisto for Theater Aachen in Spring/Summer 2020. It will be an exciting time to work with the musical team in Aachen as the orchestra focuses increasingly on historically informed performance.

Handel’s Youthful Exuberance!

Friday 15th November 2019

On February 21^st, 2020 I continue my relationship with Oxford-based Instruments of Time and Truth with an electrifying programme featuring works written by Handel during his studies in Italy. We’ll be joined by the wonderful Irish soprano, Anna Devin for his luscious cantata Il Delirio Amoroso alongside instrumental gems by Handel and his teacher, Corelli. https://www.timeandtruth.co.uk/20182019-season

Release of Devotion on the Deux-Elles label

Friday 1st November 2019

It’s wonderful to report the release of a gorgeous disc of Purcell songs by Julia Doyle. We had a glorious week of music making and recording in Binham Priory Norfolk in September 2018 with Matthew Wadsworth and Kate Bennet-Wadsworth and this is the very happy result. Do take a look and listen here: https://open.spotify.com/album/4jGfqmuUlQEF5E8GwdTW6D

Teaching at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire

Tuesday 15th October 2019

I’m thrilled to have begun my work heading up the Historical Vocal Department at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. After a very successful five weeks coaching and conducting the students on Mozart Die Zauberflöte for their Spring Opera 2019, this feels like an organic step to be working with all year groups on various elements of historically informed practice. This term has been devoted to working on elements of ornamentation and vocal declamation in eighteenth century Italianate vocal music.

Cosi in Amsterdam

Saturday 5th October 2019

I’ve just returned from a fantastic stint away in Amsterdam assisting Ivor Bolton on Mozart Così fan Tutte at Dutch National Opera. A wonderfully talented cast and the superb Netherlands Chamber Orchestra made for a glorious show. It was such a privilege to work on this score with Ivor who has such an amazing knowledge of the piece alongside the luminary textual insights from language coach Rita de Litteris. And Dutch National Opera are a wonderful, friendly and creatively brave company.

Boughton House

Wednesday 10th July 2019

I had the very great pleasure of collaborating with a research team from the Royal College of Music to bring to life some of the music contained in the Montagu Music Collection at Boughton House, Northamptonshire. As part of the launch event for a new exhibition: A Passion for Opera: The Duchess and the Georgian Stage I directed a group of musicians and singers for a performance of some excerpts from the collection including work by Mozart, Rossini and Paisiello. The highlight for me was playing this repertory on the stunning 1816 piano built by John Broadwood and Sons on loan from the Cobbe Collection. More information and video clips of the project here: https://sound-heritage.ac.uk/projects/passion-opera-boughton-house

Purcell and Bach at the Queille Festival

Thursday 30th May 2019

Last week I had an intoxicating week of music-making at the magical Queille Festival in the South of France. I directed performances of Purcell, Dido and Aeneas featuring Mary Bevan as Dido and a stellar line-up of players and a delicious Sunday morning concert of Bach suites and secular cantatas.

Die Zauberflote at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire

Monday 4th February 2019

Rehearsals are now well underway for the RBC’s production of Mozart Die Zauberflöte that I am conducting. The Conservatoire Vocal Department is flourishing under their current Head of Departmen, Paul Wingfield and I have two very promising young casts of singers to work with. It’s going to be a lot of fun bringing this extraordinary score to life with the student singers and players in conjunction with the director, Michael Barry.

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