The English Concert was founded by Trevor Pinnock in 1973. They have together established a world-wide reputation for the expressive vitality and technical quality of their music-making, and have for many years been amongst Britains leading period instrument ensembles.

The English Concert promotes its own series of concerts in London and is also in great demand overseas with repertoire ranging from chamber music to opera. In 2002 the focus for the larger-scale work is on J.S.Bachs great religious masterpieces, the St.Matthew Passion and Christmas Oratorio, while the orchestral work includes concerts in The Netherlands, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria and Hungary. In 2001 The English Concert toured a new Jonathan Miller production of Handels great opera Tamerlano as a co-production with the Handel Festival, Halle and Thtre des Champs Elyses, Paris. The performances at Sadlers Wells in London were recorded live for this CD. Outside Europe The English Concert has toured the USA, South America and Japan within the last two seasons, and will return to Japan and South America in 2003 and to North America in the 2004/05 season.

Trevor Pinnock is recognised as a leading personality in the direction of period-instrument performance and a harpsichord soloist of international reputation.

Having trained as a chorister at Canterbury Cathedral and as a scholar at the Royal College of Music, Trevor Pinnock formed The English Concert in 1973; since then, his lively and stylish interpretations with this ensemble have set new standards in the field of period performance.

Trevor Pinnock has appeared frequently as a guest conductor with many of the world's leading orchestras, including the Boston, San Francisco and Detroit Symphony orchestras, the St Paul and Los Angeles Chamber orchestras and at the Tanglewood and Mostly Mozart festivals, he became Principal conductor and artistic director of the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Ottawa. He made his Metropolitan Opera debut in 1988 with Handel's Giulio Cesare.

The 1999/2000 season included engagements with the Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra, Mito Chamber Orchestra, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, tours of the USA and South America with The English Concert, chamber music recitals with Rachel Podger and Jonathan Manson in Japan and duo recitals with Maxim Vengerov in Europe. The 2000/2001 season includes concerts with The English Concert in Japan (Bach St Matthew Passion), Spain (Monteverdi Combattimento), Halle, Paris and London (Handel Tamerlano) and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, among others.