The Music of Paint

Wednesday 6th March 2019

Peter Medhurst

Some of the finest paintings in Western Art contain references to the world of music – Holbein’s The Ambassadors, Vermeer’s Young Woman at the Virginals, Gainsborough’s portraits of 18th century composers – and often the musical element carries intriguing and complex symbolism.

Peter Medhurst selects a range of masterpieces from the 16th to the 18th centuries and matches them with live music that stems from the exact time the paintings were created.

Peter’s work as singer, pianist and lecturer-recitalist has taken him all over the world. In the last few years he has toured New Zealand, Australia and South Africa and made frequent tours in Europe. Closer to home, he has presented events at the Barbican, St John’s Smith Square, and the Royal Festival Hall. He has also directed presentations at the Wallace Collection, the National Gallery, the National Portrait Gallery and the V&A, linking the visual arts with the world of 17th & 18th century music making.