Founded by cellist Dietrich Bethge in 1988 from London’s leading musicians, London Octave aims to approach the baroque and classical repertoire in a fresh and energetic manner, often without a conductor.
Through their regular London season at St Martin-in-the-Fields, the South Bank and on BBC Radio 3, London Octave has attracted a loyal following of concert goers who appreciate their vitality and virtuosity. This, coupled with their programmes based on major and accessible works, has established them as one of the leading chamber orchestras in Britain. The members, many of whom have distinguished individual careers, frequently take turns as soloists and leading musicians are often invited to work with the ensemble. During recent seasons, artists include John Lill, Nick van Bloss, William Bennett, Crispian Steele Perkins, Lorraine McAslan, Yvgeny Sudbin, James Bowman, The Tallis Chamber Choir.
London Octave’s CD, Better Baroque, featuring well known baroque masterpieces received great acclaim, being described as, “an absolute gem full of sparkle and wit” in Metro. Time Out commented, “Forget the routine baroque, this is better baroque”. Dutton recently released a new CD by London Octave (conductor Kypros Markou) featuring works by the early 20th century American composers A.Foote and V.Herbert.