Baroque

Baroque music is a staple of the classical music listener’s diet for a simple reason: the composers who shaped the era laid the groundwork for the ensuing centuries of musical experimentation. This week on Arizona Encore, we’ll explore why composers such as Bach and Telemann were sources of such inspiration to future musicians–as well as why they still have such a prominent place in our concert programs.

First, we’ll discover just how versatile baroque music can be by hearing arrangements of a sonata by Georg Philip Telemann and a keyboard suite by Jean-Philippe Rameau, respectively adapted for bassoon and guitar. Arrangements such as these can breathe new life into music that dates back hundreds of years, and bassoonist and arranger Albie Micklich will share some insights about the challenges of adapting Telemann’s music for his instrument and the creative solutions that he devised.

We’ll then hear an excerpt from one of Johann Sebastian Bach’s masterful cantatas before reaching even further back into musical history to find vocal and instrumental music from baroque masters Claudio Monteverdi and Henry Purcell, learning along the way how these composers drew on their extensive compositional experiences to create the pieces on this episode’s program. From the pure yet intense strains of Monteverdi’s “Beatus vir” to the wit and charm of Rameau’s “Pieces de clavecin” in a brilliant and eclectic arrangement for guitar duo, this week’s program will bring the baroque vividly to life, illuminating the enduring power of one of history’s most vibrant musical eras.