Our February cover star performs The Mad Lover by J. Eccles, from his eponymous album. Théotime Langlois de Swarte performs with Thomas Dunford on lute.
Langlois de Swarte says in The Strad February feature, ‘I was completely obsessed with the John Eccles music on my first programme. Harmonia Mundi agreed to me recording it with Thomas Dunford, but I couldn’t get a concert booking for it in Paris. I was calling people I knew, and they said, “Eccles isn’t famous. I’ll never find an audience for that. You should do Corelli.” Yet after the success of the recording we had many concerts.
‘I don’t know why there’s this perception that Baroque music is really specialised and for educated people. It’s kind of sad, when, for instance, a lot of The Mad Lover’s pieces were originally heard in taverns.’
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