On Thursday the 21st of December at 13:00 join London Obbligato Collective for a festive lunchtime concert at the National Gallery, and learn about period instruments and how they differ from their modern counterparts.  

The ensemble will be playing Harpsichord Trios by Johann Christian Bach (1735-1782) and Carl Friedrich Abel (1723-1787), both of whom had their portraits painted by Thomas Gainsborough.  

The pieces will contain musical depictions of nature, much in the same way Gainsborough portrayed nature in his paintings, as well as some festive tunes from the 18th century. The harpsichord that will be used will be a replica of the 1770s Kirkman which was commissioned by the Matthiesen Foundation and donated to the National Gallery.