Baroque Christmas Presented by Liszt Academy

In the 17th century, English music underwent a transformation on a scale similar to the political and social changes of the time. By the final decades, a fusion of local traditions with the French and Italian music that had entered the country resulted in the emergence of a distinct, rich, and diverse English Baroque style. The main representatives of this musical movement were John Blow and his tragically short-lived pupil, Henry Purcell. Alongside genres and forms (opera, suite) already established in other parts of the world, they created unique forms such as the free-form voluntary, which played a significant role in Anglican worship. Zsombor Tóth-Vajna, a keyboard artist, and the Harmonia Caelestis Baroque Orchestra, which he leads, have carefully selected a program of Christmas-related works from this repertoire, evoking both the spirit of 17th-century England and the warmth of the holiday season.