The Chapel Royal was where English music got serious about itself. It was the court's own choir and its pool of composers, and for generations it set the sound of royal ceremony. Arcangelo, the period-instrument ensemble led by Jonathan Cohen, follows that thread across two concerts at Wigmore Hall, one in October and one in January.
The first, Sacred Music, is on Friday 30 October 2026 at 7.30pm. The programme moves in order of history, and it is a satisfying run: Christopher Gibbons, Matthew Locke and Purcell, then Pelham Humfrey, John Blow and Maurice Greene, before arriving at Handel's O praise the Lord with one consent, HWV254. It reads as a family tree, and hearing the later composers answer the earlier ones is the real pleasure.
The second, Chamber Music, is on Friday 8 January 2027, also at 7.30pm. Carolyn Sampson, soprano, and Hugo Hymas, tenor, are the voices, and Cohen directs from the harpsichord. Chamber music is the right register for this repertoire. The music was written for rooms, and a small group in a good one gets closer to its original intent than any large hall can.
Wigmore Hall is a natural home for it. The hall has long been prized for its acoustic and its sense of nearness, and period instruments gain from that more than most. Gut strings and a harpsichord can sound dry in the wrong space. Here they bloom without losing their edge.
Each concert is preceded by a talk at 6pm. In October it features Nicholas Kenyon and Kirsten Gibson, and in January Professor Stephen Rose and Nancy Kerr. The talks are worth the early arrival. They tell you what to listen for, and a programme of this sort makes much more sense once you know why these composers belong in the same room.
On timing, October is days away, so treat January as the date to plan around. It sits after the Christmas rush, and it gives the winter a decent start. If you can attend both, do so in order, since the series is built as a journey. If you can only manage one, choose the programme that matches your mood: the sacred music for grandeur, the chamber concert for intimacy.
Best for A winter treat for someone who loves a small room and a good acoustic.
