It was a pleasure to give two performances with Spiritato this week: firstly at the Wiltshire Music Centre in Bradford on Avon on 5 November 2025 and then again as part of the London Festival of Baroque Music at Smith Square Hall (formerly St. John’s Smith Square) on 7 November 2025. The orchestra, directed from the violin by Kinga Ujszászi, presented a thrilling programme that explored the music of Johann Friedrich Fasch, Johann Sebastian Bach, and Christoph Graupner.

The concert opened in style with Fasch’s Concerto in D major for 3 trumpets, timpani, 2 oboes, violin and strings. The first half also featured an early version of Bach’s Orchestral Suite No. 2 in A minor (BWV 1067), and Graupner’s Overture Suite in D major (GWV 420), into which a heart-rending movement entitled ‘Le Desire’ from Graupner’s Ouverture in F major (GWV 445) had been included. After the interval came Bach’s Sinfonia in D major (BWV 1045), the Fasch Sonata in D minor for 2 Violins, Viola & b.c (FWV N:d3), and finally Bach’s Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major (BWV 1068). I played first trumpet throughout, with William Russell (founder member of Spiritato) on second trumpet, Gareth Hoddinott on third (and bumping in the Graupner) and Keith Price on timpani.