From the 1st of April to the 10th of May 2025, it is with great joy and anticipation that the Institut français d’Écosse in Edinburgh launches the inaugural edition of the Baroque Music Festival. The programme will offer a unique journey through the splendor of Baroque music, with concerts by talented local and European musicians dedicated to bringing these masterworks to life.
To inaugurate the Baroque Music Festival, an exceptional concert will bring together French-American soprano Heloïse Bernard, Luxembourg-born recorder player Annemarie Klein and harpsichordist Jan Waterfield at the St Cecilia’s Hall in Edinburgh. The three Scotland-based female artists will perform major works by Bernier, Rameau, Couperin, De Bailly, Janequin, de Rore, Purcell, Handel, and Eccles.
This will be followed by an unforgettable organ recital with Scottish organists Caroline Cradock and John Kitchen at the Greyfriars Kirk, one of Edinburgh’s most beautiful concert spaces. The programme will celebrate some of the great French composers for the organ, including François Couperin and his Gloria of the Messe pour Les Paroisses, which will be performed with plainsong choir.
Iranian mezzo-soprano Anousha Nazari and French classical guitarist Antoine Morinière will explore the richness of musical diversity with Baroque Labyrinth: When Handel Meets Maraghi. This musical programme offers a journey through the paths of Baroque music, where the works of Handel, Purcell, Dowland, and Strozzi meet with the captivating melodies of 15th-century Persian composer Abd al-Qadir Maraghi.
For her concert at the St Cecilia’s Hall, Chinese pianist and harpsichordist Mujie Yan will present a captivating harpsichord programme that showcases the instrument’s versatility, expressiveness, and timeless elegance.She will perform major works by Froberger, Rameau, Duphly, Martinů and Handel.
The Tombeau: Couperin & Ravel Project at the Institut français d’Écosse will give the audience a unique insight into Maurice Ravel’s creative process, in celebration of the 150th anniversary of his birth. Héloïse Bernard (soprano), Tiffany Vong (harpsichord), Tim Macdonald (Baroque violin) and the Historical Dance and Music Ensemble Autrefois led by Talitha MacKenzie will perform Maurice Ravel’s Le Tombeau de Couperin (1919) alongside the Baroque music and dance that inspired it.
For the final concert of the Baroque Music Festival, Maxim Emelyanychev will offer a very special evening of Mozart celebration at the St Cecilia’s Hall. The passionate Russian conductor, pianist and harpsichordist will present captivating renditions from the world of Mozart on the fortepiano, harpsichord and modern piano.
April’s Follies: Concert with Héloïse Bernard, Annemarie Klein and Jan Waterfield | Tuesday 1 April | 7pm | St Cecilia’s Hall, Edinburgh | £15/£12
Organ recital with Caroline Cradock and John Kitchen | Saturday 5 April | 7pm | Greyfriars Kirk, Edinburgh | £15/£12
Baroque Labyrinth: When Handel Meets Maraghi | Thursday 10 April at the Institut français d’Écosse, Edinburgh | Friday 11 April at the Kelvin West Parish Church, Glasgow | 7pm | £15/£12
Mujie Yan plays Handel and Rameau | Thursday 24 April | 7pm | St Cecilia’s Hall, Edinburgh | £15/£12
Tombeau: Couperin & Ravel | Friday 25 April | 7pm | Institut français d’Écosse, Edinburgh | £15/£12
Maxim Emelyanychev plays Mozart | Saturday 10 May | 7pm | St Cecilia’s Hall, Edinburgh | £25/£20
Venue: Institut français d’Écosse, W Parliament Square, Edinburgh EH1 1RN
Contact
- Julia Bregeron, Communications Coordinator
julia.bregeron@institut-francais.org.uk / 013 1285 6029