The Lecosaldi Ensemble of London is a performing group of professional singers and instrumentalists, until recently based at the Lutheran Church of St Anne & St Agnes in Gresham Street in the City of London. The name is that used by its founder and Director, Peter Lea-Cox, when composing in the baroque style.
Peter is a virtuoso organist, improviser, director and composer. As Cantor at St Anne’s until last year, he ensured that, as in Bach’s days at Leipzig, new music is composed for each Sunday, and that all the music he performs is “soli Deo gloria” - to God’s glory alone.
The Lecosaldi Ensemble has performed in three main series: the monthly Bach Vespers service, the Bach Cantata series of concerts which has presented every one of Bach’s extant church and secular cantatas, and other concerts and liturgical performances on appropriate occasions.
The world première
of Lecosaldi's Fugue in C for five organs
and continuo was given on the evening of
Thursday 8 September
in the International Church of Copenhagen (Sct Andreas Kirke, Gothersgade 148, København K). This is one of a series of ten organ recitals in Denmark during the period from 28 August to 20 September.
Remaining concerts in Peter Lea-Cox's 2005 tour of Denmark comprise:
Sunday 18 September at 16:00 - Holte ChurchThe Lecosaldi Ensemble will continue the Bach Cantata Series at the Lutheran Church of St Anne and St Agnes, Gresham Street, London EC2 at:
13:10 on Tuesday 27 September
Peter
Lea-Cox will conduct singers and instrumentalists in Bach’s
Cantata 78, “Jesu,
der du meine Seele”
(Jesus, who has wrested my soul) and Telemann’s setting of
Psalm 100, “Jauchzet
dem Herrn”
(Rejoice in the Lord) for bass, trumpet, strings and continuo.
Peter Lea-Cox began a lunchtime series of concerts presenting Bach cantatas when organist at St Jude-on-the-Hill, Hampstead Garden Suburb, and they came to full fruition in monthly Tuesday performances at the City church of St Mary-at-Hill, where Peter was also organist. Sadly, this church was severely damaged by fire (including a portative organ used by the Lecosaldi Ensemble), and although much (including the small organ) has been restored, the Cantata Series moved first to St Katherine Cree and then to St Anne & St Agnes. In this series and the Bach Vespers services referred to above, every surviving one of Bach’s Cantatas has been performed (the 195 church cantatas and the several secular works), a feat matched by very few ensembles in the world. It may also be noted that in Bach Vespers the inclusion of Scripture Sentences comes very close to completion of all Bach's 389 chorale harmonisations, which has not as far as is known been undertaken anywhere since Bach's own use of them.
Once
a month (at 7.00pm, generally on
the second Sunday of every
month except August and September) the Vespers service at the Lutheran
Church of St Anne & St Agnes in London took the form of a
90-minute
service
much as Johann Sebastian Bach would have known it, with
Peter Lea-Cox directing and playing the large and chamber organs. Bach
Vespers services are now available by request, at various churches in
England and the East Coast of the United States.
The main part of the service opens with a motet appropriate to the day’s Lesson by a composer Bach would have known. The hymns are harmonised, as Bach would expect, differently for each verse according to the needs of the words: many harmonisations are by Bach, with others as required by other baroque composers or newly composed by Lecosaldi. Each hymn is preceded by an appropriate Chorale Prelude, and the Lord’s Prayer, Creed and Scripture Sentences are again set appropriately for Bach’s time, the Creed itself being largely as Luther would have known it.
The centre-piece of the service, after or around the sermon, is a Bach Cantata written for the particular Sunday in the year. These are performed by the Lecosaldi Ensemble, using single strings, wind as necessary, and chamber organ and basso continuo. There are around nine singers, with solo parts being taken by members of the group.
As a prelude, postlude, and incidental music for the offertory, a baroque concerto is performed, or sometimes some other appropriate instrumental work by Bach or one of his contemporaries or predecessors. Here, in general, the continuo keyboard instrument will be harpsichord, with Lea-Cox directing from the keyboard.
Peter Lea-Cox comments that “Emotionally the music is ungraspable - you unwrap a layer and there’s another one. Bach’s work can be enjoyed as great music, but it has a deeper meaning as a spiritual experience and an expression of joy.”
Other concerts and services are performed as required; for example, there have usually been Easter and Christmas concerts at St Anne’s, and the group participated in the Bach Festival held each summer in the City of London. A Bach Vespers service has also been given in Canterbury Cathedral. The ensemble is active on the East Coast of the Unites States, bringing to Lutheran communities and others a demonstration of how Bach’s work is being carried on in this way.
Performances are given using modern instruments and at concert pitch, but all the musicians and singers are expert in baroque performance and sensitive to the needs of the period.
Initially, the members of the Lecosaldi Ensemble were taken from the body of current or recent students at the Royal Academy of Music, where Peter Lea-Cox taught Harmony and Choral Conducting. When he left the Academy, the core of performers tended to stay with him, and many are still delighted to support what they see as a unique link direct to both the music and the mind of Johann Sebastian Bach.
Lecosaldi's Administrator in the US is the Revd Ronald T Englund, who may be reached on englund@cape.com. Alternatively, enquiries in the UK and the rest of Europe may be made to info@lecosaldi.com.