Music changed the life of British harpsichordist Trevor Pinnock when he was young. And his determination to continue learning about music has kept him young at heart ever since.
It's fascinating to listen to Trevor Pinnock's childhood stories on violinist Michael Seal's podcast. At the age of four, Pinnock enjoyed walking up the road and sitting outside the home of Ronald Smith, and listening to the pianist practising. He said he could have walked down the road where builders would have given him doughnuts, but he always went the other way. Pinnock recalls that once when his family was planning to go away on a caravan holiday, he burst into tears because he would have to miss his favourite piano lessons.
As a teenager, Pinnock says his life was chaotic and he was incapable of concentrating because of learning difficulties. Things took a sharp turn after he entered a choir school in Canterbury. Along with future big names such as pianist Roger Vignoles and conductor Sir Mark Elder, Pinnock was trained in a professional manner.
His talent was cultivated further after he received a scholarship to study the organ at the Royal College of Music (RCM). However, Pinnock became so enraptured by the harpsichord that he requested to switch to that instrument. Clearly, the college was not pleased with the idea and threatened to cancel his scholarship. However, as Pinnock recalls: "I survived."
But he didn't just survive—his determination led to him becoming one of the most respected interpreters of early music. Alongside figures such as David Munrow, Sir John Eliot Gardiner and Christopher Hogwood, Pinnock is credited as being instrumental in reviving the "authentic" style of performances in the 1960s and '70s, and his success can be attributed to his devotion to, and perseverance with, his favourite genre of the arts.
It began with his Galliard Trio, which he founded while studying at the RCM. It was subsequently merged into the iconic English Concert in 1972. With Pinnock as its conductor (quite often from the harpsichord), the English Concert gained critical acclaim in the UK, Europe, North America and Asia.
His travels brought him to Hong Kong on a few occasions, too. In 2007, he received an honourary doctorate from The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and in 2012 he served as Resident Artist at the academy. Oboist Bobby Cheng played under the maestro during his time as an HKAPA student, and remembers that Mozart concert as "inspiring, energetic, lively, very much in style, and in absolute precision".
Pinnock's status as an eminent conductor who has produced an amazing amount of orchestral and choral music has somewhat overshadowed his prowess on the harpsichord. In fact, one of the reasons why he stepped down from his leading role at the English Concert in 2003 was to find time to play his favourite instrument.
Local music lovers, especially those with a keen interest in Historically Informed Practice, have a golden opportunity to admire Pinnock's talent as a harpsichordist at the 2026 Hong Kong Arts Festival, where he will partner with two great maestri: the Principal Flute of the Berliner Philharmoniker, Emanuel Pahud, and a former Principal Cellist of the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, Jonathan Manson. On top of the brilliance and subtlety on show as they exchange musical thoughts, audience members will be treated to three solo items: Telemann's Fantasia No 10 in F-sharp minor (Pahud), and Bach's Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue in D minor (Pinnock) and Cello Suite No 1 in G Major (Manson).
In a Gramophone magazine feature, Pinnock noted that behind Bach's hard-task facade lay a certain friendliness. Bach created an extraordinarily lengthy cadenza for the fifth Brandenburg Concerto—sacrificing the entire architecture of its first movement — perhaps a decision stemming from the pleasure of playing or showing off. Pinnock also shared what Bach wrote in the preface of Book One of The Well-Tempered Clavier: the set was intended for young people who were desirous of learning. In this way, Pinnock said he saw himself a youth as he had always been desirous of learning. In fact, playing (and learning) Bach has been Pinnock's morning routine for many years. He said: "Bach expects hard work to make results, but he allows pleasure and pastime in making music, and so I feel on a good ground for this."
Now we can look forward to the young-at-heart Pinnock having a good time, just as Bach would have wanted.
BACH—Trevor Pinnock, Emmanuel Pahud & Jonathan Manson
Date: 16, Mar 2026
Venue: Concert Hall, Hong Kong City Hall
Details: https://www.hk.artsfestival.org/en/programme/BACH-Trevor-Pinnock-Emmanuel-Pahud-Jonathan-Manson
