Baroque Alchemy: Piers Adams on bringing early music into a modern world
Baroque Alchemy: Piers Adams on bringing early music into a modern world at Portsmouth Cathedral.
For most people, the recorder evokes school music lessons or quaint chamber music. For Piers Adams, it has been a passport into a career spanning decades of inventive, high-energy performance. This spring, he returns to Portsmouth Cathedral with his new project, Baroque Alchemy, as part of the Festival of Early Music 2026, offering audiences a thrilling journey from Baroque to contemporary soundscapes.
Adams’s musical path began in his early teens. “I discovered you could play the recorder as a real instrument thanks to a wonderful head of music at my school,” he recalls. “I was drawn into the sound world of Baroque and Renaissance music, this ethereal historic world.” But music started as a hobby alongside a degree in physics, and it wasn’t until postgraduate study at the Guildhall School of Music that Adams realised early music was his calling.
Even then, the early music world was flourishing and highly purist. Adams, always drawn to a more adventurous approach, began experimenting with the recorder in different repertoire, from romantic music to contemporary sounds. Around the same time, he encountered synthesizer music and meditation soundscapes, which inspired a long-held ambition to merge Baroque with modern textures.
“That idea sat with me for years,” he says. It wasn’t until forming Baroque Alchemy with keyboardist Lindy Mayle that he could fully explore it. Together, they have created a live show combining electronic keyboards and the recorder, blending the virtuosity and energy of early music with modern sound worlds.
Adventure, authenticity and accessibility
Baroque Alchemy is about more than novelty. “A lot of people playing music from this period get lost in research and forget that these were real, energetic, flamboyant people,” Adams explains. “Red Priest was one attempt to regain that spirit, and Baroque Alchemycontinues it. We explore the historic beauty and authenticity of the music, but allow ourselves to imagine it with the tools of today.”
The programme for Portsmouth is a kaleidoscope of styles. While early music remains central, audiences will also hear Piazzolla tangos, modern pieces like Ian Clarke’s Hypnosis, flamenco from Albéniz’s Asturias, and a suite of ten variations from Bach’s Goldberg Variations, reimagined for recorder and synthesizer. The result is both exhilarating and contemplative, showcasing the recorder’s expressive power alongside the infinite palette of the modern keyboard.
Adams is passionate about making early music approachable. “The library mentality, the very serious, earnest presentation, can be intimidating. But these were real people, full of energy. Combining the historic and the modern makes the music immediate and engaging for everyone.”
Advice for young musicians
Reflecting on his own journey, Adams encourages young musicians to be curious and adventurous. “Learn everything you can from those who have been there before you, and then free yourself to do with it what you want. Be experimental, be yourself, and make it personal.”
Alongside Baroque Alchemy, Adams continues his work with Red Priest and supports the development of the modern Eagle Recorder, championing new repertoire like Howard Moody’s Eagle Concerto, expanding what the recorder can do today.
Early Music for Everyone
Baroque Alchemy perfectly embodies the Festival of Early Music 2026 theme, Early Music for Everyone. Whether you are a long-time lover of early music or discovering it for the first time, this concert at Portsmouth Cathedral promises virtuosity, imagination, and a fresh perspective on music centuries old, brought thrillingly into the present.
Piers Adams and Baroque Alchemy appear at Portsmouth Cathedral as part of the Festival of Early Music 2026. Full programme details and ticket information can be found at festivalofearlymusic.com