To some outside its core audience, classical music might seem dull, dusty and nearly unassailable. When he founded the British baroque quartet Red Priest in 1997, Piers Adams set out to reimagine how to ease newcomers into the genre.
His solution? Pirate garb, theatrics and, above all, more recorder.
“It’s not like we’re a Broadway show or anything, but we find that, in our genre, a little goes a long way,” Adams said. “I still never quite believe I make my living playing the recorder, but I can see that Red Priest does fulfill a need for a more dramatic and friendly approach to the classics, baroque in particular.”
Adams, violinist Julia Bishop, cellist Angela East and harpsichordist Howard Beach have crafted an energized approach to classical music that bridges the gap between the intricacy of centuries-old works by Bach and Vivaldi with the showmanship of modern rock groups.
In the beginning, few performers were willing to follow Piers out on a limb — at least, not for long. The first concert featured a lineup of nine players, more than half of whom left by the third concert, Adams said.
Despite the early difficulty, the group has since gone on to achieve international acclaim, including performance slots in prestigious music festivals from Prague to Hong Kong.
Tuesday night, they’ll close out the 30th annual Patten Performances Series at UTC. Their set list will include material drawn from their 2007 album, “Pirates of the Baroque,” and their latest release, “Johann, I’m Only Dancing,” Adams said.
Even if they regularly rearrange many pieces, the musicians of Red Priest have been playing the works of other composers night after night for more than a decade. Despite this repetition, remaining interested is easy, Adams said.
“Thankfully the music is so good that on most nights we can lose ourselves in it and in the performance,” he said. “There is a huge level of concentration required … so our minds need to be on full alert even after the 100th show.”
IF YOU GO
* What: Patten Performance Series, featuring Red Priest.
* When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
* Where: UTC Fine Arts Center, corner of Vine and Palmetto streets.
* Admission: $22 adults, $19 ages 60 and older, $15 students.
* Phone: 425-4269.
* Venue Web site: www.utc.edu/finearts.
* Related links at fyi.timesfreepress.com.
DISCOGRAPHY
1998: “Priest on the Run”
2002: “Nightmare in Venice”
2003: “Vivaldi: The 4 Seasons”
2007: “Pirates of the Baroque”
2010: “Johann, I’m Only Dancing”
WHAT’S IN A NAME
Red Priest is named after legendary red-haired Italian composer/clergyman Antonio Vivaldi. Originally, the group was going to feature an all-female backing group and call itself The Red Priest and the Convent Girls, said founder and recorder performer Piers Anothny.