A glance at Fretwork’s copious discography reveals the scope of its musical interests and appetite for exploring the glories of the viol consort repertoire. It is joined by a cast of close colleagues and friends to celebrate its 40th anniversary at Wigmore Hall with a programme that reaches back to the consort music of Dowland, John Jenkins and William Lawes and forward to works by Sir George Benjamin and Silas Wollston. ‘Fretwork is the finest viol consort on the planet’, wrote the London Evening Standard, a view endorsed by sage critics worldwide.

EPSG:4326

Fretwork; Sir George Benjamin conductor; Susan Bickley mezzo-soprano; Iestyn Davies countertenor; Ian Bostridge tenor; Silas Wollston organ

Wigmore Hall

"...please obediently notify the departure to England" Baroque music from Germany and the Kingdom

Bochum Baroque

Anneliese Brost Musikforum Ruhr

A legendary figure in the establishment and development of the Early Music movement, Jordi Savall has contributed as much as any individual to the current popularity of works from the distant past. He brings with him the ensemble he founded 50 years ago, and which retains the sheer vitality and explorative excellence that has marked his entire career. The programme celebrates a tradition of consort music that lasted for two centuries and traversed many countries – with English composers notable for their prominence.

Jordi Savall director, treble viol; Hespèrion XXI

Jordi Savall director, treble viol; Hespèrion XXI Book now

Ahead of two performances at Wigmore Hall, one of the most exceptional figures in today’s music world, Jordi Savall, with Hesperion XXI the ensemble he founded 50 years ago, brings Irish audiences a rousing programme of Fantasies, Battles and Dances. The programme performed by these captivating artists celebrates the golden age of European Consort Music that lasted for two centuries and traversed many countries – with English composers notable for their prominence. Passion and creativity with world-class scholarship guaranteed!

Jordi Savall & Hesperion XXI - Wigmore Series Dublin

Royal Irish Academy of Music

This programme offers a rare and wonderful taste of music by some of England’s greatest composers, including Orlando Gibbons and William Byrd. The repertoire is sublime and often strange, and is the musical equivalent of a fragile Vermeer portrait, combining exquisite intimacy with enigmatic melancholy.

Resounding Shores: Ye Sacred Muses

Royal Academy of Music

Step into the world of early English consort music, flourishing in Restoration England under Charles II. Curated by Principal Cellist Joanna Blendulf, this year’s Podium concert presents a rare combination of instruments: tenor and bass viols, violas, violins, violone, theorbo, organ, and harpsichord, creating a sound that is intimate and reedy. Purcell’s celebrated Chacony is underpinned by a hypnotically repeating bass line that yields to the Fantasia upon One Note, where a single unchanging pitch anchors the music while the ensemble spirals around it. William Lawes’ Consort Sett No. 6 (a personal favorite of Joanna’s) is dramatic, unpredictable, and ahead of its time. Music by Matthew Locke adds theatrical flair with stormy scenes from The Tempest, before the concert culminates in John Jenkins’s Newark Siege: a musical battle that pits bass viols against one another in a riveting finale.

Viols at Court: Purcell & Locke

Reed College

Sanctuary Hall at First Congregational UCC

The Royall Consort of King Charles I was at the cutting edge of 17th century music, and today it lives again with Academy of Ancient Music.
King Charles I was a connoisseur of the visual arts, but he had exquisite taste in music, too, and the brilliant young composer and courtier William Lawes flooded the Stuart court with some of Britain’s – and Europe’s – most innovative (and ravishing) sounds.

The Royall Consort

University of Cambridge

Milton Court Concert Hall

The Royall Consort of King Charles I was at the cutting edge of 17th century music, and today it lives again with Academy of Ancient Music.

John Jenkins

Events

Upcoming events

20 - 21 Feb, 2027

Viols at Court: Purcell & Locke · Portland Baroque Orchestra

21 - 22 Apr, 2027

The Royall Consort · Academy of Ancient Music

Apr 22, 2027

The Royall Consort · Barbican Centre

Past events

Oct 1, 2026

Fretwork; Sir George Benjamin conductor; Susan Bickley mezzo-soprano; Iestyn Davies countertenor; Ian Bostridge tenor; Silas Wollston organ · Wigmore Hall

Feb 25, 2026

Bochum Baroque · Bochumer Symphoniker

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