Studying HIP has taught us that the past always contains the seeds of future musical pathways. Every new idea may manifest not only as a revolutionary opposition to the past, but also as a form of continuity. ‘Luggage in Transit’ is a 3-part concert series hosted by Heath Street Baptist Church in the 10th anniversary year of the Baroquestock festival. The series explores the evolution from the ‘classical’ to the ‘romantic’ style with a selection of repertoire that sheds light on new ideas, surviving forms, and their synthesis. We have chosen two substantial works as cornerstones for the project: Boccherini’s Stabat Mater and Schubert’s Octet. Both composers tend to reveal themselves in a slow unfolding of the musical material.

Similarly, we have been inspired to highlight aspects of the evolutionary process between the two composers' styles.The project will also include new commissions of chamber arrangements of Schubert Fantasy D940 and Beethoven ‘Ah! Perfido’, as well as a selection of lesser known pieces which define the overall cultural context (Mozart transcriptions of Bach fugues, Reicha intellectual explorations, Arriaga’s Beethovenian quartets and Bohemian divertimenti by Druschetzky and Wranitzky).We aim to expand our loyal and diverse audience, built over 10 years of stimulating programming in an informal concert environment. As usual, we will provide a printed musical guide to render the series as accessible as possible.