The NLCE featured on BBC Radio 3′s In Tune programme with Sean Rafferty, joined by composer Sally Beamish and music historian Dr Fiona Elliott.

We were previewing our “Mozart, Mechanical Marvels and More…” programme which took place last night, 27th July, to a packed house at Wigmore Hall.   With a fascination for the latest technology in Mozart’s Vienna in 1790, we commissioned new realisations of four of his miniatures written for mechanical instruments.  Composers Sally Beamish, Julian Philips, Philip Cashian and Martin Butler all made new arrangements of these pieces, and Sally also wrote a set of variations upon her theme.   Sitting alongside that in the Wigmore concert were Ligeti’s Bagatelles for quintet, and John Woolrich’s Book of Studies I, including miniatures such as “Clockwork Chorale”. The links are clear!

Lastly, we were joined by piano superstar Angela Hewitt for the sublime Mozart Quintet for Piano and Winds in E flat.

Listen to us on BBC, talking about the projects, the historical background, and performing realisations by Sally Beamish and Martin Butler.