Serenades
Relax with music in the garden glade.
8th, 9th, 15th August 2026
Garden Glade, Waterperry Gardens
With the Waterperry Opera Festival Orchestra.
Bask in the warm, mellow sound of a wind octet carried on the summer air in Serenades, a programme inspired by the elegant eighteenth-century tradition of Harmoniemusik: the outdoor music once performed by court wind ensembles for dinners, celebrations, and garden parties. Blending operatic charm, dance rhythms, and lyrical warmth, these works were designed to delight, entertain, and drift effortlessly across open spaces.
At the heart of the programme is Antonín Dvořák’s radiant Serenade for Wind Instruments in D minor, an affectionate homage to the Harmoniemusik tradition infused with a distinctly Czech spirit. Classical poise meets the rhythmic vitality and modal colour of Bohemian folk music in music that ranges from noble march and graceful minuet to lyrical andante and a brilliantly exuberant finale.
Alongside Dvořák are selections from The Marriage of Figaro, arranged for wind ensemble by the Czech oboist Johann Wendt, a contemporary of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Filled with the opera’s most familiar melodies, these sparkling arrangements reveal the virtuosity for which Czech wind players were famed in Mozart’s day.
Credits
Antonín Dvořák’s Serenade for wind instruments in D and Harmoniemusik selections from The Marriage of Figaro.
Timings
Performance starts at 2pm. Approx finish 3pm.
Tickets
Tickets start at £26, with a small booking fee.
Under 35s Tickets at £10, Under 16s go free, Benefit Holder/NHS Blue Light Tickets at £10.
Creative Team
Conductor | Bertie Baigent
The Music
Like 2025’s Gran Partita, 2026’s ’Serenades’ concert harks back to the genre of ‘Harmoniemusik’: a style unique to the wind ensemble, which refers to the group of players employed by courts and grand houses to provide entertainment for dinners, garden parties, and other social occasions.
Usually performed outside, these pieces often referenced popular dances and tunes from celebrated operas of the day. Antonín Dvořák’s Serenade for wind instruments in D minor can perhaps be viewed as an homage to the ‘Harmoniemusik' of the late eighteenth century, though singing in a distinctly Czech accent. The piece marries classical poise with the rhythmic vitality and modal inflections of Bohemian folk music: expect a dignified march, graceful minuet, lyrical andante, before a furiously exuberant finale.
We pair this with Harmoniemusik selections from The Marriage of Figaro, arranged by Johann Wendt, a Czech oboist and contemporary of Mozart’s. Indeed, Czech wind players were especially renowned in Mozart’s day, and the virtuosity of this arrangement (which includes all the opera’s most familiar melodies) confirms just how skilful they must have been.
FAQs
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Around 60 minutes, with no interval.
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In the Garden Glade, a peaceful outdoor space within the formal gardens.
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No — these are concert performances designed for an intimate listening experience in nature.
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Step-free access via grass paths (approx. 10-minute walk).
Terrain may be uneven in places.
A limited number of chairs are available for those with mobility needs — please reserve in advance.
Wheelchair users may find the route more challenging in wet weather.
