Founded by cellist Dietrich Bethge in 1998 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 its 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 its vitality and virtuosity. This, coupled with its programmes based on major and accessible works, has established it 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. Artists who have appeared with the ensemble include John Lill, Nick van Bloss, William Bennett, Crispian Steele Perkins, Lorraine McAslan, Yevgeny Sudbin, James Bowman, Susanna Hurrell, Andrew Watkinson and John Lenehan.
London Octave’s CD, Better Baroque, featuring well known baroque masterpieces, received great acclaim and was 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 Arthur Foote and Victor Herbert.