Davina Clarke released her second recording The Art of Obligato a passionate exploration of the Baroque style through the arias and violin sonatas of J.S. Bach

The recording explores Clarke’s deep admiration for obligato writing, inspired by her own background in singing and playing alongside soloists including Mary Bevan, with whom she collaborated on her 2022 debut album Sweet Stillness.

The album presents some of J S Bach’s finest obligato writing, with Clarke taking the lead on Sonata No. 3 in E Major, BWV 1016 and Sonata in G Major, BWV 2021 and, alongside seven arias showcasing this technique, including ‘Ich furchte zwar’ from Erfreut euch, ihr Herzen, BWV 6, which was released as a single in October ahead of the album.

The soloists performing the arias on the album are Nick Pritchard (tenor) and Hugh Cutting (countertenor), who feature alongside Clarke and her newly-formed continuo ensemble Obligato, consisting of Tom Foster (harpsichord), Alex Rolton (cello), and Sergio Bucheli (theorbo); the recording was produced by Adrian Peacock.

The Art of Obligato offers a follow-up to Clarke’s debut album Sweet Stillness with Mary Bevan, which highlighted the obligato writing in Handel’s Nine German Arias and two of his violin sonatas; the recording was described as ‘luminous’ in a 4-star review by BBC Music Magazine, praising the way Clarke and Bevan’s performances ‘intertwine beautifully’.

Davina’s love of the arts also extends to broadcasting: in November 2023, she hosted an episode of BBC Radio 3’s Inside Music, and she is the founder and host of ‘The Classical Corner’, a podcast which takes listeners behind the scenes of the classical music world today, through discussions with some of the world’s most highly regarded musicians.

Listen to The Art of Obligato here.