a performer of remarkable intensity and musicianship.

The Sunday Telegraph

 

Rachel performs on a wide range of modern and historical flutes and recorders. she is partnered by harpsichordists Laurence Cummings and James Johnstone, cellists Katherine Sharman and Mark Caudle, pianists Geoffrey Govier and Simon Nicholls and guitarist William Carter. With her husband, Adrian Butterfield, she appears with the London Handel Players and the Revolutionary String Quartet.

We can travel with our own harpsichord but we are always happy to use a resident instrument.

The themed programmes below are just a cross section of the many presentations we have put together over the years. Repertoire can be varied to suit. We always introduce our concerts and are happy to give pre-concert talks or educational workshops at any level.

Contact Rachel at info@uppernote.com

Bach Sonatas
Obbligato Sonatas in B minor, Eb major, A major and G minor
Continuo sonatas in E minor and E major
Solo Partita in A minor

Pre-Concert Talks:

  • The Bach Flute Sonatas
  • Bach and the Flute
  • Bach's Lost Bars - The Completion of the A major Sonata

 

 

Teacher, Pupil and Accompanist: Music at the Court of Frederick the Great
Sonatas by Frederick the Great, Quantz and C.P.E. Bach

Pre-Concert Talks:

  • Quantz's Legacy
  • Frederick the Great
  • C.P.E. Bach - A Genius Overlooked

'exquisite musicianship... the audience, at least 400 strong, didn't move a muscle at the end, so entranced were they by the sound and the precision of the playing.'
Pan

 

 

Fantasia
The twelve Telemann Fantasias - an hour long tour de force for solo flute.

Pre-Concert Talk:

  • Inspired Ingenuity - The Twelve Telemann Fantasias

 

 

Flutes Ancient and Modern

a lecture recital
Four centuries of flutes presented through masterpieces of the repertoire, including works by Bach, Mozart, Hummer, Doppler, Boehm, Fauré and Prokofiev.

'A tour de force... Rachel Brown's depth of technical and historical knowledge about her instrumentsm coupled with her surety of technique made us feel immediately at ease... a beautifully phrased rendition of this haunting romantic melody... Through music, fact and humorous anecdote I had a thoroughly enjoyable and informative evening.'
Halifax Evening Courier

 

 

Spirit of France
Highlights of the French repertoire performed on historical flutes with harpsichord and/or piano, including works by Montéclair, Rameau, Couperin, Leclair, Tulou, Taffanel, Fauré and Jolivet.

Pre-Concert Talks:

  • Spirit of France - What make French music French

  • Famous Flute Makers of France

 

Handel

with the London Handel Players (Laurence Cummings, harpsichord and Katherine Sharman, cello)
Baroque flute and recorder sonatas and highly popular contemporary arrangements of operatic highlights.

Pre-Concert Talk:

  • Handel at Home

 

Flutes from the Cold War

silver flute with Geoffrey Govier, piano
Russian, East European and American works, including those by Prokofiev, Taktakishvili, Martinů, Copland and Barber.

Pre-Concert Talk:

  • Behind the Iron Curtain

 

Magic Flute

with the Revolutionary String Quartet
Mozart's Flute Quartets and a contemporary arrangement of highlights from Die Zauberflöte

Pre-Concert Talk:

  • Mozart's Flute - Magic, Mediocre or Maligned?

 

Portraits
Musical portraits of a chosen composer:

Couperin, Rameau, Telemann or Handel

 

Flute & Lute

with William Carter, baroque guitar and lute
A whirlwind tour, from serenading Louis XIV and the duetting Prince and Princess of Prussia to Klezmer and folk with flutes, lutes and guitars spanning four centuries.