Ahead of a new BBC4 documentary about his project The Alehouse Sessions, the violinist and artistic director of the Barokksolistene talks about his reasons for recreating the sonic world of 17th century London taverns
When 17th Century England went into lockdown and the Puritans closed playhouses and theatres, musicians and performers sought refuge in backrooms of taverns and alehouses to vent their anarchy.
Some four centuries later, the Barokksolistene created the Alehouse Sessions, a project in which they perform folk melodies, sea-shanties, bawdy ballads and cheeky ditties alongside ayres and dances by Purcell and Playford in homage to the sonic world of 17th century tavern music.
This spring (most likely 23 April), BBC4 brings The Alehouse Sessions to screens in a new film directed by Dominic Best, capturing the sound world of rebellious London under Oliver Cromwell’s draconian laws.
In this interview, Bjarte Eike, artistic director of the Barokksolistene, talks about genesis of The Alehouse Sessions.
To watch a trailer for the film, click here.