From Gainsborough's Salon
Painter Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788) was a keen amateur musician, and his household was known for hosting musical gatherings. Gainsborough himself played the viola da gamba, while his daughters played instruments such as the harpsichord and theorbo. He painted several musicians, including Johann Sebastian Bach's son, Johann Christian (1735-1782), and another German composer, Carl Friedrich Abel (1723-1787), as well as Felice Giardini (1716-1796), an Italian composer, all of whom worked in London. This program features music specifically designed for home performance, precisely the kind of music that would have been played in the Gainsborough household and includes a couple of hitherto unknown harpsichord trios by Valentino Nicolai.
Johann Christian Bach (1735-1782)
Sonata for the Harpsichord with Accompaniments for a Violin and Violoncello
Op.2 No.5 in A Major
Vivace – Tempo di Menuetto
Felice Giardini (1716-1796)
Sonata for Harpsichord and Violin Op. 3 No. 6 in D Major
Allegro – Minuetto
Trios for the Harpsichord with Accompaniments for a Violin and Bass Obbligato
No. IV in F Major
Allegro Moderato – Andante – Allegro
Felice Giardini
Duo pour violon et violoncelle
II: Adagio III: Allegro assai
Trios for the Harpsichord with Accompaniments for a Violin and Bass Obbligato
No. VI in D Major
Moderato – Menuetto: Grazioso
Carl Friedrich Abel (1723-1787)
Sonata for the Harpsichord with Accompaniments for a Violin and Violoncello
No. III in D Major
Un poco Vivace – Giga
About the ensemble:
The London Obbligato Collective is a London-based, period-instrument chamber ensemble founded by harpsichordist Masumi Yamamoto in October 2023. The ensemble specialises in under-represented chamber music repertoire featuring a written-out harpsichord part, where the harpsichord takes centre-stage, supported by beautifully complementary instruments.
In their debut season, the ensemble performed at the National Gallery, the Horniman Museum, Handel & Hendrix, and the National Centre for Early Music. They are currently in the midst of their "From Gainsborough’s Salon" project, partly supported by the Continuo Foundation and culminating in their first commercial CD release in 2025.
Musicians of the London Obbligato Collective regularly play with leading period-instrument groups, including the Gabrieli Consort & Players, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, The English Concert, and the Academy of Ancient Music. With an ensemble size ranging from 2 to 4 musicians, they offer flexible instrumentation that highlights the rich, nuanced tones of the harpsichord across a diverse repertoire.
London Obbligato Collective
Sara Deborah, baroque violin
Carina Drury, baroque cello
Masumi Yamamoto, harpsichord
Sara Deborah, baroque violin
German-born musician Sara Deborah is a versatile performer on the violin and viola covering solo, chamber and orchestra repertoire on both historical and modern instruments. An alumni of the Guildhall School of Music & Drama and former string junior fellow at the Royal College of Music, she won a Making Music Award for Young Musicians and the Premio Bonporti for baroque violin in Italy 2017.
Praised by international press for her ‘singing elegance’ and ‘angelic instrumental voice’, Sara has performed as a soloist in venues including the Wiener Konzerthaus, Cadogan Hall and at the Lufthansa Baroque Festival, and as a chamber musician at the Wigmore Hall and King‘s Place. She has been a section principal for the European Union Baroque Orchestra, Dunedin Consort, and Florilegium, and further works with historical ensembles like the English Concert, OAE and the Sixteen in concert halls across the world. She was a founder member of the Chiaroscuro string quartet, and has collaborated on various CD recordings and broadcasts for BBC Radio 3 and Classic FM.
As an experienced teacher, she has inspired several generations of musicians at the Menuhin School and Bedales. In her home county Hampshire she directs the string orchestra SouthDowns Camerata and has founded the yearly Spirit of Music Festival. An activist for compassion, humanity and the environment, she loves walking in nature and foraging, and with her musician husband raises their family of three children, a dog and two Guinea pigs.
Carina Drury, baroque cello
Cellist Carina Drury’s playing has been described by BBC Radio 3 as ‘singing across the centuries’.
At 9 years of age Carina had her first cello lesson with Nora Gilleece in Dublin and ever since has been in love with the expressive sound of the cello! Her love of 18th century music took hold while she was a student of Jonathan Manson’s at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where she twice won the Early Music Prize.
Carina toured as principal cello with the European Union Baroque Orchestra in 2010 and has since worked as guest principal with La Serenissima, the Irish Baroque Orchestra, Gabrieli players and Camerata Ireland. As a soloist Carina has performed cello concertos at the National Concert Hall in Dublin and St.Martin in the Fields in London.
Carina released her first album ‘Irlandiani’ thanks to Arts Council of England funding in 2020. It has been played on BBC Radio 3, RTE Lyric FM and Deutschlandfunk Radio. She was awarded an Arts Council Ireland Emerging Artist Grant in 2021 and she has toured the programme in London, Dublin and Cork. Carina and her ensemble have just released a second album, Smock Alley, with First Hand Records, generously supported by the Continuo Foundation.
When not playing the cello, Carina can be found baking elaborate cakes which she brings to rehearsals to share!
Masumi Yamamoto, harpsichord
Based in London, Masumi Yamamoto has graced stages as a soloist at the London Handel Festival, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, King’s Lynn Festival and venues abroad in Portugal, Australia, and Japan. She gained international recognition as a prize-winner at the International Harpsichord Competition in Bruges, becoming the first Japanese laureate in 25 years. Her discography includes the acclaimed 2020 recording “Handel: Works for Viola da Gamba and Harpsichord” with viola da gamba player Ibrahim Aziz, released by First Hand Records.
Masumi is also a highly sought-after continuo player, frequently collaborating with many period-instrument ensembles such as the Academy of Ancient Music, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Gabrieli Consort & Players, and The English Concert. She has also performed with modern-instrument orchestras, including the London Symphony Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the Hallé Orchestra, and the Royal Northern Sinfonia.
Beyond performing, Masumi is a Continuo Professor at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and teaches harpsichord at St. Paul’s Girls’ School. She is also an active content creator, managing three YouTube channels where she has shared over 200 performance and educational videos since 2020.
Away from the harpsichord, Masumi is a keen swimmer and beginner diver, often found training on the springboard to perfect a simple dive.