Bjarte Eike and his group Barokksolistene take their unique concert experience around Europe this summer, with performances in Austria, Denmark, Germany, Norway and the UK during July and August.
They began in July at the lavish monastery of St Florian, just outside of Linz, performing their Purcell's Playground concert as part of the Stiftskonzerte festival. The concert was described by the Oberosterreichisches Volksblatt as an "extraordinary final highlight to the flagship festival of Upper Austria", with the critic writing "first you are perplexed, then delighted, the infected with the joy of the ensemble".
In August the group travels to Bodø in Northern Norway, where Bjarte Eike is Artist-in-Residence at the Nordland Musikkfestuke and has curated a series of genre pushing events. As well as their trademark Alehouse Sessions, there is Expedition Eike, a leisurely 3km stroll around the town with musical interludes and surprises at numerous venues. The festival culminates in a performance of Dido and Aeneas staged by Thomas Guthrie, with a new opening by Bjarte Eike and jazz keyboard player Jon Balke.
Later in August they perform The Alehouse Sessions at the CPH Opera Festival, Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival and end the summer by opening the Musikfest Bremen in Germany, where they perform three concerts through the evening on Aug 24. They round off August at their spiritual home - the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse at The Globe, where they perform an intimate version of their Alehouse Sessions under candlelight.
