London Obbligato Collective
Sara Deborah, baroque violin
Masumi Yamamoto, harpsichord

London Obbligato Collective presents a colourful programme of music from 18th-century London for the violin and obbligato harpsichord by Felice Giardini, Carl Friedrich Abel and Johann Christian Bach.

London Obbligato Collective is a new ensemble formed in 2023, run by the London-based harpsichordist Masumi Yamamoto. It focuses on the repertoire for the obbligato harpsichord with complementary instrumental parts, also known as the accompanied harpsichord sonatas.

Britain was a hub for this repertoire particularly in the North East and in London with composers such as Charles Avison, John Garth, Felice Giardini, Carl Friedrich Abel and Johann Christian Bach.

The ensemble varies in size from 2 to 5 musicians of flexible instrumentation, the only constant being the obbligato harpsichord. The colours and nuances of the solo harpsichord texture are effectively highlighted and enhanced by the richness of accompanying instruments in this unique genre.