One of the things that has always drawn me to baroque music is its directness and often its simplicity. I think it’s very brave to write something extremely simple that goes straight to the core of a feeling. That’s something baroque music does very successfully – it strips things back and finds the real essence of an emotion, directing it like a laser beam into your soul. Handel, for example, does this beautifully. Some of his most exquisite melodies are incredibly simple. Just have a listen to As with rosy steps from Theodora.
What keeps baroque music feeling fresh for me is the sense that you can approach it differently every time through improvisation, ornamentation, and experimentation. With some other musical styles, one can sometimes feel hemmed in by the notes on the page, whereas in baroque music, there’s so much freedom. We’re encouraged to improvise, experiment, and play with the melody. Working with brilliant baroque players, who themselves add a great deal of ornamentation and decoration, is always inspiring to me. It encourages me to be bold and try new things, and it’s okay if something doesn’t come out quite right. The important thing is the sense of play, and responding to your colleagues’ musical offerings.