“I have always found Baroque music to be very satisfying music, it is emotional, academic and beautiful in equal measure”

 Alice Earll (violin)

Alice Earll is a member of the Handel House Talent scheme 2018/19. Since graduating from the Royal Academy of Music in 2016, she has performed at the BBC Proms with the Academy of Ancient Music, formed the critically acclaimed Baroque outfit Ensemble Moliere and played at Shakespeare’s Globe as part of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons. We caught up with Alice to talk about her experience as a Baroque virtuoso.

 I believe you have just returned from a performance of Venceslao at the Halle Festival. Congratulations, what an experience! Was this your first time in Handel’s home town?

It’s always a pleasure to visit Handel’s home town and this was my second visit to Halle with Opera Settecento. Last year we gave a performance of Ormisda and next year we hope to give the debut performance of Handel’s Fernando from the new Bärenreiter editions. This year was a particularly exciting visit as the company travelled to Halle by train from London in order to lessen the environmental impact of our journey.

 We’re really looking forward to your one-on-one masterclass with Anais Chen later this month. As a great emerging proponent of Baroque music, do you still find collaborations with highly experienced players like Anais deepen your knowledge of the genre?

Masterclasses always open your eyes to new ideas and interpretations of the music, which is great to keep you on your toes. It is an invaluable opportunity to discuss and hear first-hand how performers, such as Anaïs, formulate their playing styles and techniques with regard to their understanding of historical performance. After having spent years listening to her recordings it will be wonderful to see her play this beautiful music up close.

What first drew you to 18th Century Music?

I have always loved this period of history and whilst studying modern violin at RNCM I had an inspirational masterclass with period instrument specialist Pavlo Beznosiuk. After that my interest in everything baroque snowballed and I began playing the baroque violin full time. Recently I have been researching the social and historical context of the music I have been performing, creating a series of lecture recitals. The next concert in the series “3,2,1! 3 centuries, 2 performers, 1 concert” will be debuted at Handel House in November.

In your view, what makes baroque music intriguing and relevant to modern audiences?

I have always found baroque music to be very satisfying music, it is emotional, academic and beautiful in equal measure. There is something for everyone in the genre and with ongoing research and study, performers and musicologists are always investigating and presenting new (or old!) ways of understanding this music, meaning performance practice never stays still.

We are incredibly lucky at Handel & Hendrix in London to host concerts with such a breadth of new talent. What does a performance at Handel House mean to young musicians?

Being part of the Handel House Talent Scheme has been wonderful for me. The house itself is imbued with an inspirational history, a joy to work in such a venue, but as a concert space Handel House always encourages me to debut new ideas to an engaged and friendly audience. It is an invaluable rehearsal space and offers the opportunity to interact with the public during museum visits, answering tricky questions and speaking in depth about the instruments!

Come and hear Hannah perform at our Christmas Showcase!