English Bach Festival

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English Bach Festival. Annual series of concerts and operas founded 1963 by Lina Lalandi, Greek-born harpsichordist and singer. Orig. based at Oxford, but transferred mainly to London 1968. Joint art. dirs. Lalandi and J. A. Westrup 1963–70, Lalandi from 1971. Programmes are based on Bach but widened to incl. operas by Rameau, Handel, Vivaldi, and Rossini. Some of the opera perfs. have been at CG. Stravinsky cond. his own works in 1964. Much contemp. mus. perf., incl. f. Brit. ps. of works by Skalkottas, Xenakis, Stockhausen, Ligeti, Messiaen, Smalley, and Lutyens.

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