Julian Perkins
Julian Perkins is a vital presence on the early music scene, equally well known as a conductor and keyboard player. He also sings, teaches, and is a noted researcher.
Perkins was born in London. He was the youngest of four siblings, taking up keyboards, violin, and recorder to keep up with his brothers and sisters, and becoming frustrated that his legs were not long enough to allow him to play the organ. As a child, he sang in a performance of Mahler's Symphony No. 8 ("Symphony of a Thousand") under conductor Klaus Tennstedt, recalling to The Cross-Eyed Pianist site: "A grumpy old man, in poor health, flailing about in a seemingly haphazard manner on the podium, but I have never, ever heard an orchestra or choir sound like they did with him -- and this had nothing to do with his relative fame." Perkins studied at King's College, Cambridge, and went on for further studies as harpsichordist and conductor at the Schola Cantorum in Basel and the Royal Academy of Music in London. Perkins founded the early music ensemble Sounds Baroque in 2005 and has since served as its director. The group has attracted top-notch soloists, including Simon Callow, Dame Emma Kirkby, and Mark Padmore. He is a frequent guest conductor with the Southbank Sinfonia and has conducted opera productions at the Buxton International Festival, Cambridge Handel Opera (where he has served as artistic director), Guildhall School of Music & Drama, and other venues. As a keyboardist, he has played concertos with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, the Orchestra of the Sixteen, and the Royal Northern Sinfonia, among other groups. As well as harpsichord, Perkins plays the fortepiano and the clavichord; he has often given solo recitals on the latter instrument at festivals.
Perkins has made clavichord recordings of 20th century music (Herbert Howells and Stephen Dodgson) as well as Bach's French Suites, BWV 812-817. He has also recorded for Avie and Resonus Classics as the conductor of Sounds Baroque. Perkins has performed and recorded piano duo music with Emma Abbate, and he joined violinist Peter Sheppard Skaerved for a recording of three Schubert sonatas on historically appropriate instruments in 2020. Perkins teaches harpsichord at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, and he has given master classes at Britain's Royal Opera Studio. His research articles have been published by both the Oxford and Cambridge University Presses.
© James Manheim /TiVo
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Discography
16 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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Handel's Attick: Music for Solo Clavichord
Classical - Released by Deux-Elles Limited on Jun 23, 2023
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Piano Duets, Vol. 2
Classical - Released by Resonus Classics on Mar 30, 2018
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
From Handel's Home: The Keyboards of Handel Hendrix House
Classical - Released by Delphian Records on Feb 9, 2024
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Worgan: Complete Harpsichord Music
Julian Perkins, Timothy Roberts
Classical - Released by Toccata Classics on Mar 5, 2021
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Piano Duets, Vol. 1
Classical - Released by Resonus Classics on Aug 5, 2016
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Daniel Purcell: The Judgment of Paris
Opera - Released by Resonus Classics on Mar 3, 2014
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert: Violin Sonatas
Peter Sheppard Skærved, Julian Perkins
Chamber Music - Released by Athene on Jun 12, 2020
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
Fantasia in D Minor, TWV 33:2: I. Presto
Classical - Released by Delphian Records on Feb 2, 2024
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Weber: Complete Keyboard Duets
Classical - Released by Deux-Elles Limited on Jul 10, 2020
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Tournament for Twenty Fingers
Classical - Released by BIS on Jul 1, 2022
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Smith & Handel
Classical - Released by Chandos on May 1, 2015
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Handel: Overture to Riccardo Primo - Smith: Six Suites of Lessons for the Harpsichord
Classical - Released by Chandos on May 1, 2015
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Summer Dreams: American Piano Duets by Beach, MacDowell & Barber
Classical - Released by Brilliant Classics on Feb 26, 2024
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Nares: Eight Setts of Lessons for the Harpsichord - Handel: Suite in D Minor
Classical - Released by Avie Records on Apr 22, 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rodelinda: Overture HWV 456 No. 4: III. Menuet
Classical - Released by Delphian Records on Jan 19, 2024
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
A Voluntary or a Flight of Angels in C Major, HWV 600
Classical - Released by Delphian Records on Jan 26, 2024
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo