J. S. Bach: The Art of Obligato Davina Clarke & Tom Foster

• Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750): Wir danken dir, Gott, wir danken dir, BWV 29:
• 1 Bach: Wir danken dir, Gott, wir danken dir, BWV 29: III. Halleluja, Stärk und Macht 05:36
• Wir müssen durch viel Trübsal in das Reich Gottes eingehen, BWV 146:
• 2 Bach: Wir müssen durch viel Trübsal in das Reich Gottes eingehen, BWV 146: III. Ich will nach dem Himmel zu 08:54
• Violin Sonata in G Major, BWV 1021:
• 3 Bach: Violin Sonata in G Major, BWV 1021: I. Adagio 04:07
• 4 Bach: Violin Sonata in G Major, BWV 1021: II. Vivace 00:56
• 5 Bach: Violin Sonata in G Major, BWV 1021: III. Largo 02:15
• 6 Bach: Violin Sonata in G Major, BWV 1021: IV. Presto 01:20
• Bereitet die Wege, bereitet die Bahn, BWV 132:
• 7 Bach: Bereitet die Wege, bereitet die Bahn, BWV 132: V. Christi Glieder, ach bedenket 04:13
• Wohl dem, der sich auf seinen Gott, BWV 139:
• 8 Bach: Wohl dem, der sich auf seinen Gott, BWV 139: II. Gott ist mein Freund 05:44
• Es ist euch gut, daß ich hingehe, BWV 108:
• 9 Bach: Es ist euch gut, daß ich hingehe, BWV 108: II. Mich kann kein Zweifel stören 03:22
• Violin Sonata No. 3 in E Major, BWV 1016:
• 10 Bach: Violin Sonata No. 3 in E Major, BWV 1016: I. Adagio 04:09
• 11 Bach: Violin Sonata No. 3 in E Major, BWV 1016: II. Allegro 03:03
• 12 Bach: Violin Sonata No. 3 in E Major, BWV 1016: III. Adagio Ma non tanto 04:12
• 13 Bach: Violin Sonata No. 3 in E Major, BWV 1016: IV. Allegro 03:53
• Lobe den Herren, den mächtigen König der Ehren, BWV 137:
• 14 Bach: Lobe den Herren, den mächtigen König der Ehren, BWV 137: II. Lobe den Herren 03:20
• Erfreut euch, ihr Herzen, BWV 66:
• 15 Bach: Erfreut euch, ihr Herzen, BWV 66: V. Ich furchte zwar/nicht des Grabes Finsternissen 07:23
• Total Runtime 01:02:27

Info for J. S. Bach: The Art of Obligato

Obligato is a dynamic period instrument ensemble featuring an international roster of world-class musicians, celebrated for their captivating and finely detailed interpretations of Baroque music, with a particular focus on the works of Bach and Handel. Formed by alumni of the Royal Academy of Music, each member of Obligato has an impressive career performing with leading period ensembles, including the English Baroque Soloists, Academy of Ancient Music, The English Concert, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, and Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique.

Each musician is also an accomplished soloist, performing on prestigious stages worldwide, such as Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, and the Royal Albert Hall, which adds to the ensemble’s unique energy and distinctiveness. Their debut album, Sweet Stillness, released to critical acclaim, explores Handel’s Nine German Arias with soprano Mary Bevan. Led by violinist Davina Clarke, the album spotlights the intricate interplay of vocal and instrumental lines, bringing out the expressive potential of obligato style in Handel’s arias.

In their latest project, The Art of Obligato, Davina Clarke and Obligato delve into the relationship between violin and voice in selected Bach cantata arias. This album features Clarke alongside tenor Nick Pritchard and countertenor Hugh Cutting. Clarke has curated a collection of arias that highlight Bach’s expressive depth and the powerful musical dialogues between obligato violin and voice.

Davina Clarke, violin
Tom Foster, organ, harpsichord
Hugh Cutting, countertenor
Nick Pritchard, tenor

Davina Clarke
performs around the globe with the world’s most highly regarded period ensembles – The English Baroque Soloists and Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique, The English Concert, Academy of Ancient Music, Dunedin Consort, Arcangelo, The Sixteen and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.

Davina read music at The University of Manchester where she held a McMynn Scholarship. She graduated with a First Class Honours and went on to pursue a Masters at the Royal Academy of Music where she studied under Simon Standage and Rachel Podger. During her time there, she won the Roy Burcher and Tebbutt Exhibition Awards, and was awarded a First Class Distinction and a DipRAM for an outstanding Final Recital.

She performs regularly at Carnegie Hall and The Lincoln Center (New York), the Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), Philharmonie (Paris), La Scala (Italy), Palau de la Musica (Barcelona), The Royal Opera House, Wigmore Hall and Royal Albert Hall in London.

Her most recent engagements have included the BBC Proms, recording her first solo album (‘Sweet Stillness’), and also extensive tours of Europe, the USA and the Far East performing Beethoven, Handel and Berlioz. Last year, Davina was made an Associate of The Royal Academy of Music (ARAM) for her outstanding contribution to the music industry and she has recently been sworn in as a Freeman at The Worshipful Company of Musicians.

The start of 2024 has started with the recording of Davina's second solo album, ‘The Art of Obligato’, which is due to be released later this year on Voces8 Records.

Off the platform, Davina is founder and host of ‘The Classical Corner’, a podcast which takes listeners behind the scenes of the classical music world today, through discussions with some of the world’s most highly regarded musicians. She has recently appeared on BBC Radio 3 as a presenter on ‘Inside Music’. Davina also hosts, ‘Musical Mixology’, an online cocktail series, exploring the relationship between classical music and cocktails. Her most recent collaboration has been a campaign with Fever-Tree.

Davina plays on both a 1659 Francesco Ruggieri violin and also a 1699 Giovanni Baptista Rogeri violin and is very grateful to Sebastian Lyon, The VEC Acorn Trust and The Stradivari Trust for their generous support.

“I was immediately struck by Davina’s innate musicianship, her violinistic prowess, her passionate engagement and seriousness of purpose, and her rare but surefooted sense of style. Added to that was the most priceless attribute of all - a manifest willingness to learn, to imbibe and to assimilate [She plays] with authority, charm and conviction - and a beguiling beauty of tone.” — Sir John Eliot Gardiner CBE

”Davina plays with a freshness and beauty of tone that, combined with her eloquent musical voice, brings the music of the baroque era to life and inspires every audience member”. — Laurence Cummings

This album contains no booklet.