A Baroque concert by Manchester Baroque reconstructing 18th-century subscription concert programmes from Manchester's archives, performed on period instruments.
Manchester Baroque are playing at St Ann's Church on Saturday 1 May, from 19:30 to 21:30. The concert is part of 'Musick' in Manchester 1744/45, a long-term, research-led project led by the ensemble's artistic director, Prof. Dr Pauline Nobes.
The whole thing started when Nobes came across a transcript of sixteen subscription concert programmes performed in Manchester between 2 November 1744 and 20 August 1745. Since then, the ensemble has been reconstructing them, drawing on the city's own archive of musical scores. The aim is to stay as faithful as possible to the originals, pairing the big Baroque names like Corelli and Handel with lesser-known 18th-century English gems found in Manchester's archives. The performances are given on period instruments, and this one takes place in St Ann's Church, the city's only surviving 18th-century church. The project is supported by the Continuo Foundation.
If you're not familiar with the subscription concerts of the time, they were essentially a series of paid-for performances that a city's musical life built itself around. By working from the original programmes, Manchester Baroque are bringing back a specific slice of the city's musical history rather than just putting together a random Baroque set. It's a slow-burn project that's been running for a while now, with this concert being one of the reconstructed programmes from that 1744/45 season.
Every week we pick 🏆 the 5 best 🏆 things to do in Manchester and send them to your inbox. Just one weekly email, no spam.
By submitting your email, you accept our Privacy Policy
It runs from 19:30 to 21:30 at St Ann's Church on Saint Ann Street, M2 7LF.
