The Mercers' Company Livery Concert
30th November 2017Mercers' Hall
The Mercers' Company lay claim to being the oldest (and the premier) livery company. The first known written reference to the Mercers' Company is in a lawsuit of 1304. The first royal charter was granted by Richard II in 1393/94. It was my second visit to Mercers' Hall in the space of a couple of weeks. The Mistress and I joined other masters and consorts for a drink before we were ushered into the main hall for a thoroughly entertaining performance by Crispian Steele-Perkins (a virtuoso solo trumpeter who has played with the greats in the classical world and lead trumpet with Led Zeppelin and Kate Bush) and, on piano, was Leslie Pearson (a distinguished keyboard player who played with the Philharmonia for 40 years and composed many TV and film themes).
Crispian collects and restores ancient brass instruments and we were treated to the history of the trumpet, illustrated by a range of performances on a variety of instruments covering Handel to Bacharach. It was a privilege to be there to enjoy two outstanding musicians.
After the music came a delicious supper of beef with a plentiful supply of wine. It was an outstanding evening to be remembered as a highlight of my year.