
The actual bicentenary of Queen Victoria’s birth (1819) may have passed but that shouldn’t be a reason to let this entertaining combination of repertoire pass out of the performance sphere. With lieder by Prince Albert himself and works by both Fanny and Felix Mendelssohn, this programme presented with David Jones and/or Inge-Lise Nygaard explores the music loved and performed by the Royal couple. Their tastes ranged from Schubert to Gilbert and Sullivan, and we even played the piano duet Lied ohne Worte, op. 62 no. 4 that Mendelssohn arranged especially for Victoria and Albert. The touching tribute of Queen Lili’uokalani of Hawaii written for the Golden Jubilee, and Liszt’s Concert paraphrase on God Save the Queen (1841) provided the grand finale.