Painter Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788) was a keen amateur musician, and his household was known for hosting musical gatherings. Gainsborough himself played the viola da gamba, while his daughters played instruments such as the harpsichord and theorbo. He painted several musicians, including Johann Sebastian Bach's son, Johann Christian (1735-1782), and another German composer, Carl Friedrich Abel (1723-1787), as well as Felice Giardini (1716-1796), an Italian composer, all of whom worked in London. This program features music specifically designed for home performance, precisely the kind of music that would have been played in the Gainsborough household and includes a couple of rarely-heard harpsichord trios by Valentino Nicolai.

Sara Deborah, baroque violin / Carina Drury, baroque cello / Masumi Yamamoto, harpsichord