Thursday 20 May, Shaw House, Church Road, Shaw
3.00pm (finishes approx 5pm)
£16.50 Unreserved seating
Includes
afternoon tea
The London Handel Players
| Adrian Butterfield | violin |
| Rachel Brown | flute/recorder |
| Laurence Cummings | harpsichord |
Shaw House, an Elizabethan mansion which has recently been restored, was bought by James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos, in 1721. Brydges employed Handel as his composer-in-residence for a short time and Adrian Butterfield and the London Handel Players will give a lecture/recital that will reveal the history of their connection and include examples of the music written for the Duke by Handel, such as the oratorio, Esther, and the Chandos Anthems, and by some of his contemporaries.
Shaw House was built in 1581 by Newbury clothier Thomas Dolman. This fine Elizabethan building was home to successive Dolman families, the flamboyant Duke of Chandos and the Andrews and Farquhar families. Shaw House then began a new life as a school for generations of local children until 1985 when the building was deemed unsafe. Following a £6million restoration project Shaw House is now open to the public.
