Period performance

The history of the AAM is the history of a revolution. When Christopher Hogwood founded the orchestra almost forty years ago, he rejected the decades-old convention of playing old music in a modern style. Hogwood and the AAM were inspired by original performances and, along with musicians across Europe, were beginning to discover the sound worlds which Bach, Handel and Haydn would have known. These bold initial steps would lead to a radical transformation in musical performance, allowing baroque and classical masterworks to be heard anew from that day to this.

So what’s different about the AAM? Partly it’s the instruments, which are originals (or faithful copies of them). The stringed instruments have strings made of animal gut, not steel; the trumpets have no valves; the violins and violas don’t have chin-rests, and the cellists grip their instruments between their legs rather than resting them on the floor. The result is a sound which is bright, immediate and striking. Also, the size of the orchestra is smaller, meaning that every instrument shines through and the original balance of sound is restored. There’s also a difference in the way we approach our music making. Composers prized the creativity of musicians, expecting them to make the music come alive and to communicate its thrill to the audience — an ethos we place at the heart of all that we do. Very often we don’t have a conductor, but are directed by one of the musicians; the result is a close interaction within the orchestra, making for spontaneous and sparky performances. It’s not just about researching the past; it’s about being creative in the present.

In everything we do, we aim to recapture the intimacy, passion and vitality of music when it was first composed. The result? Performances which are full of energy and vibrancy, the superb artistry and musical imagination of our players combined with a deep understanding of music as it was originally performed.