WHAT EVEN IS AN ARIA?

We’ve been invited by the London Handel Festival to curate a night reimagining what Handel’s arias can be. Across three acts, experimental approaches to sound and performance are played out – themes of excess, of extravagance, and of the “misshapen pearl” the word Baroque literally means are brought to the fore. From the cutting edge of contemporary classical, experimental and electronic music, artists Lotte Betts-Dean (mezzo-soprano) + Xiaowen Shang (harpsichord), Lore Lixenberg (voice) + Lore Amenabar Larrañaga (accordion), and Bianca Scout (voice) reimagine arias for the 21st century. Set inside an intimate deconsecrated church in the heart of London, these artists combine traditional instrumentation, electronics, rave, and more to create three unique performances that trace a line between Handel and the modern day.

Lotte Betts-Dean and Xiaowen Shang present classical and contemporary works exploring what an aria can be – dramatic, impassioned, emotional. From Handel through to modern pop songs, these works are performed by the traditional combination of harpsichord and voice. We hear the arias as they might have been heard in Handel’s day, but also hear modern songs as they might have been performed centuries ago, blending past and present.

Lore Lixenberg and Lore Amenabar Larrañaga bring AKKORDEON BAROQUE: inspired by accordion players on and around Berlin’s U Bahn, they take Baroque music to epitomise something “quirky, unexpected, sexy, off-kilter, virtuosic, maybe ugly-beautiful”. At the centre of their set is Handel’s Concerto Grosso (Opus 6 No. 10) – traditionally played by baroque string ensemble – but in this concert performed solely by multitracked voice, unfolding tendrils of voice revealing Handel’s counterpoint.

Bianca Scout, best known for her acclaimed album Pattern Damage, approaches Handel arias with her distinctive style of sampling and distorting with hypnotic vocals and immersive soundscapes.

access information

Stone Nest is an old building and unfortunately cannot currently accommodate electric wheelchairs. They can accommodate manually operated wheelchairs at ground floor level via a temporary ramp; please let us know that you are a wheelchair user when booking and whether a Companion will be accompanying you via the email info@stonenest.org and we will arrange a Companion ticket for you. Unfortunately our basement bar Below Stone Nest cannot currently accommodate wheelchair users.