Événement

J. S. Bach's Brandenburg Concertos

La Follia begins its all-Bach concert season with a performance of Brandenburg Concertos 3, 5, and 6, as well as the Orchestral suite no. 2 in B minor. Featured are Bruce Williams and Suzanna Giordano, violas, Eric Smith, cello, Marcus McGuff, flute, and director Keith Womer, harpsichord. Stephen Redfield is concertmaster.

KMFA Classical 89.5 celebrity announcer Sara Schneider will present a free pre-concert lecture on Bach and the Brandenburg Concertos.

Bach composed six orchestral concertos and dedicated them to the Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt in 1721. They are esteemed as the finest orchestral works of the Baroque era. Each concerto features a unique combination of instruments. For this concert, La Follia will perform three of these concertos: concerto 6, which features two violas with cello and two gambas with bass; concerto 5, which features solo violin, flute and an especially elaborate part for solo harpsichord; and ending with concerto 3, which features 3 sets of 3 parts for violins, violas, and cellos.

The four Orchestral suites (called ouvertures by Bach) were probably not conceived as a set, but like the Brandenburg concertos, they offer a variety of instrumentation. La Follia will perform the second Orchestral suite, dating from 1738-1739, which features flute with a string ensemble. It consists of a diverse set of dance movements with some of Bachs most captivating melodies.

La Follia was founded in 1980, making it one of the oldest chamber ensembles of any kind in Austin. Among its numerous awards are three concerts cited as one of ten best classical music events of the year, as well as the 2016 Austin Critics Table award for overall Ensemble Performance.

Redeemer Presbyterian Church is located in the revitalized area of East Austin, not far from the Metrorail MLK station. There is free, ample and safe parking adjacent to the church. The venue offers excellent acoustics and sight lines, and is ADA compliant.