London Obbligato Collective
Sara Deborah, baroque violin
Masumi Yamamoto, harpsichord

Beyond Bach: Leipzig Connections
The London Obbligato Collective presents a duo programme of music where harpsichord and violin meet as equals. At its heart is one of J. S. Bach’s sonatas for obbligato harpsichord and violin, praised for their intricate dialogue between instruments. Alongside Bach, we hear Christoph Graupner — who was Leipzig’s preferred candidate for Cantor after Telemann declined the post, placing Bach only third in line — and Johann Adolph Scheibe, a younger composer whose early career unfolded in the same Leipzig circles as Bach before he moved on to Hamburg. Heard side by side, their works create a vivid portrait of an age alive with invention and musical dialogue.

The London Obbligato Collective is a London-based period-instrument chamber ensemble, founded by harpsichordist Masumi Yamamoto in October 2023. Specialising in under-represented chamber music repertoire, the ensemble highlights the harpsichord in a more soloistic role than traditionally expected, beautifully complemented by other instruments.
In its debut season, the ensemble performed at venues including the National Gallery, the Horniman Museum, Handel & Hendrix, and the National Centre for Early Music in York. They recently toured Southern England with their From Gainsborough’s Salon programme and are preparing their first commercial CD release, supported by the Continuo Foundation, and the Orbis Pictus Foundation.

The musicians of the London Obbligato Collective regularly perform with leading period-instrument ensembles such as the Gabrieli Consort & Players, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, The English Concert, and the Academy of Ancient Music. With a flexible lineup of two to four musicians, the ensemble explores a diverse repertoire, showcasing the harpsichord’s rich, nuanced tones alongside other period instruments.
www.londonobbligatocollective.com