This week’s #RAArtistinFocus is Nicholas McGegan.
Standing at the forefront of historically informed performance, Nicholas McGegan has been hailed as “one of the finest baroque conductors of his generation” (The Independent) and “an expert in 18th-century style” (The New Yorker).
Previously #RAArtistinFocus a little over a year ago, read on to find out what Nicholas has been up to since...
Nicholas is currently in Copenhagen where, this Autumn, he has been conducting performances of Mozart's comic opera Le nozze di Figaro at The Royal Danish Theatre. The production, which ran from 6th October and ends on 17th November, has already been highly commended by critics.
https://www.rayfieldallied.com/artists/nicholas-mcgegan
https://kglteater.dk/en/whats-on/season-20242025/opera/le-nozze-di-figaro
In May 2024, Nicholas was busy working on a production of Handel's Giulio Cesare with Blackwater Valley Opera. Directing the Irish Baroque Orchestra from the harpsichord, critics responded very enthusiastically to Nicholas McGegan's performance, the rhythmic exuberance he exuded from his fellow musicians being particularly highly commended.
Nicholas McGegan’s discography includes more than 100 releases spanning five decades. 2024 sees two new CD releases from Nicholas. A disc of Mozart’s Horn Concertos with soloist Alec Frank-Gemmill and the Swedish Chamber Orchestra will be released on 8th November 2024, on the BIS record label.
https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/9726134--mozart-horn-concertos?srsltid=AfmBOoqSDvg5ABrekvS4eplzSnet_rVRJI59SuDItmxOUveb4QZU6oux - Preorder here!
Bach’s Mass in B Minor, recorded live and released in March 2024 by Avie records, was met with great critical acclaim:
“an exemplary performance… McGegan draws on a lifetime of experience with this music to produce a coherent and well-paced reading … I would not hesitate to recommend this performance to a listener looking for a first or only recording of the work” – American Record Guide
“McGegan and Cantata Collective show that the Mass in B Minor is, in significant ways, always new and always contemporary, even in a time period so much more secular than Bach’s and so much less inclined to the creation of musical expressions of the highest order.” – Infodad
https://www.nicholasmcgegan.com/bach-mass-in-b-minor
The Christmas season 2024 sees an exciting line up of engagements for Nicholas. He will conduct Handel’s Messiah with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra in Poole on 11th December, and with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra in Glasgow on 2nd January. Nicholas will also conduct the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra in the Elisabethzaal, in a programme which includes Handel’s Music for the Royal Fireworks.
