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PROJECT DESCRIPTION

STILL LIFE: EARLY BAROQUE FANTASY – PRESENTATION TOUR

Following the Continuo Foundation–supported release of our debut album 'Still Life' (Deux‑Elles, 19 September 2025), Música d'Outrora will take this repertoire on a focused tour of three English venues. The 90‑minute programme traces the 'stylus phantasticus' across the European continent, showing how improvisatory freedom was shaped by local idioms and performance practices as it developed from Italian origins through Central European transformations to its adaptation in the British Isles. These sonatas, trio sonatas and 'motetti diminuiti' (diminished motets) capture the restless curiosity of a Europe in transition—shifting from Counter‑Reformation gravitas to the theatrical splendour of emerging courts—and invite listeners into a sound‑world where flashes of virtuosity, rhetorical twists and dancing pulses mirror the era's fascination with theatricality, transcendence, and the search for new modes of musical expression beyond established forms.

Our ensemble has expanded from a core trio to a five‑player group, adding theorbo/archlute (Asako Ueda) and Baroque guitar (Louis Moisan) to violin, viola da gamba/cello and keyboard (harpsichord/organ), enabling richer basso continuo textures and greater versatility in programming works by diverse composers.

SERIES OF PERFORMANCES (Fall/Winter 2025-26):
• National Centre for Early Music, York – Self‑promoted at the UK's flagship historical performance venue renowned for award‑winning acoustics and BBC Radio 3/Linn Records recording pedigree. Immersive lighting, Baroque artwork projection and professional multi‑camera recording with optional livestream.
• New College, Oxford – College‑promoted lunchtime concert in the historic chapel, engaging directly with the university's vibrant student community. Post‑concert Q&A explores historical performance practice and career pathways, connecting with music students and the broader academic community drawn to interdisciplinary baroque studies.
• St Alban's Church, Birmingham – Self‑promoted at the Victorian church whose resonant neo‑Gothic acoustics drew BBC Radio 3 broadcasts throughout the 1960s‑80s. We maintain a long‑standing relationship with St Alban's and the Birmingham community, having recorded our debut album here.

EXPECTED AUDIENCES
This tour strategically engages three distinct audience communities: specialist early music connoisseurs at York who follow cutting‑edge historical performance; Oxford's academically curious students and faculty seeking intellectual engagement with baroque aesthetics; and Birmingham's established local audience who value accessible classical programming in familiar community spaces. All venues will offer reduced‑price tickets for students and over‑65s and provide step‑free access.

RECORDING/STREAMING
The York performance will be filmed for promotional shorts to be hosted on our website, with a livestream broadening access for remote viewers.