Alison Balsom's Gabriel at the Globe

19 February 2013, 10:55 | Updated: 25 February 2013, 14:54

In a spectacular fusion of Baroque trumpet playing and theatre, Alison Balsom shares the inspiration behind her unique project, Gabriel, performed in Shakespeare's Globe - and even treats us to a musical snippet.

After recording an album of Handel and Purcell on a natural trumpet - the type that would have been used when the music was composed - Alison Balsom is now bringing the music to life on stage at the Globe. Speaking to Classic FM's Lucy Coward, she explained just what the trumpet was capable of, and why Shakespeare's theatre of choice is the perfect live music venue.

Her latest project, with writer Samuel Adamson, explores the magic of the valveless trumpet in the context of the era, brought to life with a series of mini plays within a play to demonstrate the importance of the instrument: "If you think about it at the time, the trumpet was an incredibly powerful piece of equipment," she said. "There was nothing that could create a sound that powerful and that terrifying."

Reading this on the Classic FM app? Watch the video on YouTube here