In association with the Senses and Feelings in Hogarth’s World exhibition at Hogarth’s House
Peter Sheppard Skærved – Violin
Malene Sheppard Skærved – Speaker
Works by Handel, Corrette, ‘Mr Simons,’ Geminiani, Tartini and new tunes from the 1718 ‘Dancing Master’. Poetry by Henry Fielding and ‘The sound of family’ – New Poems by Malene Sheppard Skaerved. World Premiere by Michael Alec Rose (USA)
An evening of music and words in William Hogarth’s house, which he called his ‘block of cheese.’ Hogarth’s house was, is, comfortable, warm, homely, and welcoming. Most music-making in the 18th century took place in intimate spaces, where, as here, social pretension was impossible and there was not room for more than one instrument, in this case the violin.
This concert will be played on a violin by Girolamo Amati made in 1629, and an extraordinary instrument made by Thomas Smith and the carver John Boson, who carved much of the decoration in nearby Chiswick House.
Violinist Peter Sheppard Skærved is the dedicatee of over four hundred works for violin and acclaimed for his extensive recording and filming of early music. Recently he has released films on Nicolo Paganini’s violins in Genoa, as well as on the instruments of the Metropolitan Museum of Art New York City, and the Ashmolean Museum. He was nominated for a Grammy Award for his recordings of Hans Werner Henze Concertos.
Writer and filmmaker Malene Sheppard Skærved has collaborated extensively with composers, resulting in both orchestral melodramas and more intimate chamber works. Her critically acclaimed work is performed across the USA and Europe.
Working with Peter Sheppard Skaerved and the historian Ben Hebbert, she has made a series of films about Hogarth in Chiswick.
