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Greenwich Early Music Festival 2009



Cello



































Recorders



































Violins



































Recorders



































Clavichord



































Recorders



































Boaz Berney 4

































Viols



































Fortepiano



































Dolmetsch



































Pedal Keyboard



































Harpsichord 5



































Harp



































Recorders 5



































Harp 2



































Painted Hall 5



































Keyboard



































Baroque Guitars






































Viols 8
































Keyboard 3



































Trumpets



































Baroque Trumpets






























Bass Recorder



















Painted Hall 6

Shawms, Bagpipes, Baroque Flutes & Magic

The Greenwich Early Music Festival opened dramatically with the first London storm of the Winter:

Winter Storm

The festival was vast with almost a hundred exhibitors, some in the Painted Hall, others tucked away down corridors in the Old Naval College.

Old Naval College, Greenwich

Painted Hall

Painted Hall

There was the usual atmosphere of friendly fanaticism unique to early music shows (rivalled only by gatherings of Wagner fans). Wherever you looked someone was blowing, scraping, plucking, honking, parping, or in deep conversation about the efficacy of catgut violin strings.

Violin Maker

Cello Player

Viol Consort

Many of the instruments were exquisitely beautiful.

Harpsichord 1

Harpsichord 2

Harpsichord 3

Harpsichord 4

Viols

Cello Back

Recorders 1

Recorder boxed

There was a good showing of sweet-voiced smallpipes:

Smallpipes 1

Bagpipes 1

Bagpipes 2

Smallpipes 2

And some of the best historical renaissance, baroque and romantic flutes in the world:

Boaz Berney Flutes 1

Boaz Berney Flutes 2

Boaz Berney Flutes 3

Bow makers were out in force:

Pieter Affourtit Bows 1

Pieter Affourtit Bows 2

Pieter Affourtit Bows 3

Eitan Hoffer Bows 1

Eitan Hoffer Bows 2

A festival superstar - a nine foot theorbo:

Theorbo 1

Theorbo 2

Theorbo 3

Walk a few feet and find a serpent:

Serpent

Then a table of crumhorns and shawms:

Crumhorns & shawms

Sit down for a cup of tea and someone plays Mozart, note-perfect, on a fortepiano nearby:

Fortepiano

Or Bach on a bass viol:

Bass Viol

Most of all the festival was about music as active, living, magical: to be done with family and friends, not just consumed, passively, in a concert hall. Room for both, of course, but early music people are special.

Greenwich early music festival magic

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16th November 2009
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