Events
Baroque 1620-1800:
Style in the Age of Magnificence
There is a varied programme of events to complement the exhibition.
Call +44 (0)20 7942 2211
Special Events
The Listening Gallery
Sunday 5 April, 14.00,
Norfolk House Music Room
Friday 5 June, 18.30,
Hochhauser Auditorium, Sackler Centre
Sunday 19 July, 14.00,
Hochhauser Auditorium, Sackler Centre
Professors and students from the Royal College of Music present a series of free concerts featuring music recorded especially for the Baroque exhibition.
Free, no ticket required
Contemporary Friday Late: Captured in Stone
Friday 24 April, 18.30 – 22.00
Explore the craft of sculpture and the use of unique materials.
Free, no ticket required
Baroque Baroque
Friday 19 June, 18.00 - 21.30
Sackler Centre and throughout the V&A
Explore the exuberance, decadence and theatricality of the Baroque style in an evening of burlesque, performance and spectacle. The Irrepressibles premiere their re-interpretation of Baroque fantasy and sound, the Human Music Box, with thanks to Latitude Festival. Cabaret artist Chris Green of Duckie performs Baroque Obama, irreverently parodying art history lectures. Richard Cork leads a tour of Baroque 1620-1800 and students from Wimbledon College of Art model extravagant Baroque-inspired costumes. Join in the Baroque Ball; learn Baroque dances and create a light and sound piece inspired by Baroque style.
Free, some events ticketed
Baroque Concerts
Sundays, 26 April - 5 July, 14.00
Lecture Theatre or Hochhauser Auditorium, Sackler Centre
The English Concert and guests are giving a series of free Sunday concerts in the Museum.
Free, no ticket required
Sunday 26 April
Monteverdi, Madrigals of Love and War
I Fagiolini
Robert Hollingworth, director
Sunday 10 May
Mr Handel's London
Christian Curnyn, director/harpsichord
Rebecca Bottone, soprano
Sunday 7 June
The German Court Orchestra
Harry Bicket, director
Elizabeth Watts, soprano
Sunday 21 June, 15.00
South American Baroque
Jeffrey Skidmore, director
Ex Cathedra Consort & Baroque Ensemble
Sunday 5 July
Il Giardino di Amore
Harry Bicket, director/harpsichord
Elizabeth Watts, soprano
Lunchtime Talk
Curator Talk
Wednesday 3 June, 13.15 - 14.00
Hochhauser Auditorium, Sackler Centre
Exhibition curator Joanna Norman presents a free, illustrated talk.
Free, no ticket required
Conference
Baroque: An International Language
Friday 5 June, 10.00 - 17.30
Hochhauser Auditorium, Sackler Centre
How and why did the Baroque style operate as a global phenomenon? Citing material from all the known continents as well as key source locations such as Rome and Versailles, speakers will consider the development of the Baroque visual language and its cultural contexts. It will focus on the Baroque as a world style, its development as a formal vocabulary and its migration across Europe and beyond. Particular points of emphasis will be on the role of European courts, court workshops and diplomatic relations as a means of style transmission, and on the export and evolution of the style in different cultural contexts outside Europe. Speakers will include exhibition curators Michael Snodin and Nigel Llewellyn as well as experts and academics including Gauvin Alexander Bailey (University of Aberdeen), Joseph Connors (Villa I Tatti), Angela Delaforce (Independent Scholar), Jeroen Duindam (University of Groningen), Judi Loach (Cardiff University) and Marjorie Trusted (V&A).
£45, concessions available
More information or to book, call +44 (0)20 7942 2211
Study Day
Restoration London
Saturday 16 May, 10.00-17.30
Seminar Room 3
Examine the cultural achievements of Restoration London which rose like a phoenix from the terrors of the Great Plague and the Great Fire, replete with new cathedrals and thoroughfares, a reinvigorated theatre and court, and vast wealth emerging from new systems of banking and international trade. Explore the Banqueting Hall and the Royal Hospital at Greenwich, the public art of Rubens and Thornhill, and the architecture of Wren and Hawksmoor. Investigate the masques and entertainments of Inigo Jones, the theatre of Vanburgh, Congreve and Defoe, and the experiences of living in a city in the process of rapid expansion and change. Speakers include Alan Morrison, Robert Harbison, Richard Humphreys and Adrian Tinniswood.
£45, concessions available
Call +44 (0)20 7942 2211
In association with the University of Westminster
Seminar
World Cities: Rome
Saturday 6 June, 13.30-16.30
Seminar Room 1, Sackler Centre
A city full of astounding art and architecture, a city with intimate corners and expansive piazzas. Discover how Rome and Roman life excites creativity, passion and devotion. Speakers include historians, travel writers, authors and curators.
£25, concessions available
Call +44 (0)20 7942 2211
Short Course
Baroque Interiors and Decoration
Tuesdays, 21 April - 9 June 2009, 10.30-13.00
Seminar Room 1, Sackler Centre
Caroline Knight, Architectural Historian
Explore this dramatic, dynamic and theatrical style that produced some of the greatest art and architecture between 1600 and 1750, including the Grande Galerie de Versailles, the State Apartments at Hampton Court and luxurious furnishings such as tapestry and silver furniture for palaces. Concentrating on architecture and interiors, particularly in England and France, you will consider the function and appearance of the State Apartment and look at the rich decoration, furniture, and textiles, as well as dining, table settings and theatre. Sessions include a close examination of some of the principal objects and designers featured in the show.
£200, concessions available
More information or to book, call +44 (0)20 7942 2211
Digital Design Courses
Baroque Tea and Cakes - Digital Cake Decorating
Friday 1 May, 10.30-17.00
Digital Studio, Sackler Centre
Have your cake and eat it too with this one-day digital cake-decorating course. Visit the exhibition Baroque 1620-1820: Style in the Age of Magnificence for inspiration and then take photographs around the museum. Back in the digital studio you will work with Photoshop to transform your photographs into beautiful baroque designs before having them printed directly onto delicious cupcakes. Enjoy your cupcakes with a cup of Queen Anne tea by Fortnum and Mason. Each participant will get 12 cupcakes to eat and bring home.
Suitable for beginners with basic computer skills
£75, no concessions (includes materials)
Baroque Stars!
Sunday 26 April, 11.00-17.00
Digital Studio, Sackler Centre
Use Garage Band software to transform samples of Baroque classical music into something completely new by adding hip-hop beats or techno loops.
Free, drop-in
Mirror Mirror
Friday 19 June, 18.30ñ21.30
Saturday 20 June, 10.30ñ17.00
Sunday 21 June, 10.30ñ17.00
Digital Studio, Sackler Centre
Create a unique, interactive digital artwork using your own image in a virtual mirror and Baroque style visuals. Join interaction designer Joel Gethin Lewis and members of the digital team and discover your Baroque styled alter-ego.
Free, drop-in
Events for People with Disabilities
Baroque 1620-1800: Style in the Age of Magnificence
Friday 19 June, 18.30-19.30
Meeting Point, Grand Entrance
A curator-led BSL interpreted tour of the exhibition for the hearing impaired
Free, advanced booking essential.
To book, call +44 (0)20 7942 2211
Baroque 1620-1800: Style in the Age of Magnificence
Thursday 18 June, 13.00-14.00
Meeting Point, Grand Entrance
A curator-led descriptive talk in the exhibition for the visually impaired
Free, advanced booking essential.
To book, call 020 7942 2211
Event for Mental Health Service Users
Barroco Poblano
Mondays 1, 8, 15, 22 June, 14.00-16.30
Design Studio, Sackler Centre
Focusing on folk baroque from Mexico, this series of four workshops for mental health service users will examine examples of this style, which include brightly coloured tiles and painted stucco. Participants will be guided in how to translate this style into making practical objects such as clay figurines and religious icons.
Free, advanced booking essential.
To book, call +44 (0)20 7942 2060
Families
World of Baroque
Sunday 10 May, 13.00-16.0
Mr Handel's London
Sunday 7 June, 13.00-16.00
The German Court Orchestra
Throughout the V&A
Join The English Concert on a discovery of 300 year-old instruments. Listen to a Baroque concert performance and create your own musical composition inspired by Baroque sounds.
Free, drop-in
A year of events celebrating Baroque music and style
The grandeur and majesty of the Baroque era is being celebrated by cultural organisations throughout the UK in 2009, inspired by the anniversaries of two leading Baroque composers; it is the 250th anniversary of Handel's death and the 350th anniversary of Purcell's birth. The opulent Baroque style will be captured through Baroque '09, a year of events celebrating Baroque art, music and culture through an exciting programme of concerts, operas and exhibitions.
For more information on the full programme of events, visit www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/baroque09
