Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment: Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos
What could be more warming on a dark November's evening than a concert of Bach's beloved Brandenburg Concertos?
The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment performs on authentic Baroque instruments - some of them unusual such as the piccolo violin - and brings lots of energy and vitality to these favourites.
Harpsichordist Steven Devine gave an outstanding performance as the soloist in the Concerto number 5 in D major. His intimate rapport with other players was sensitive and the cadenza was virtuoso and exciting.
[ https://stevendevine.com/ ]
As the violin soloist in the Concerto number 4 in G major, Huw Daniel really thrilled. His performance was like a firework display and gained calls of "Bravo!" from the audience.
I would question one thing, the prominent placing given to the hunting horns in the Concerto number 1 in F major. These are powerful instruments and when placed at the front and in the middle, tended to overpower the strings and even the woodwind. The piccolo violin simply could not compete. The acoustics of the Sheldonian are tricky, very resonant, and this perhaps amplified the advantage of the brass.
There is one more stop on this tour, Bradford-on-Avon on 20th November, so if you love Bach, be there!
A nationwide tour by the world-renowned Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (OAE) comes to Oxford on Sunday, 17 November, for a special one-night performance of J.S. Bach’s timeless Brandenburg Concertos.
The performance is a rare opportunity to hear the Brandenburg Concertos as the composer intended: on authentic original instruments, with animal gut strings and valveless brass. OAE will recreate Bach’s stunning sound world, just as the composer envisioned, in the glorious acoustic of Oxford’s historic Sheldonian Theatre.
The concert was directed by Huw Daniel, Margaret Faultless and Rodolfo Richter (violin) and Oliver Wilson (viola), and feature named soloists Lisa Beznosiuk (flute), Rachel Beckett and Catherine Latham (recorders), Leo Duarte (oboe), David Blackadder (trumpet), and Steven Devine (harpsichord).
Double Bassist and Chair of the OAE Players’ Artistic Committee Cecelia Bruggemeyer said: “The Brandenburg Concertos are some of the most beloved works in the repertoire, and we are thrilled to be sharing them with audiences across the UK this autumn, in the concert hall and beyond. They are such jewels, brilliantly showcasing, not just our beloved baroque instruments and players, but Bach’s endless imagination and inventiveness in creating these six unique sound worlds.”
The concert is part of a nationwide tour, including performances in Manchester, Great Malvern, Basingstoke, London, Portsmouth, Saffron Walden, Oxford, and Bradford-on-Avon (5-20 November).
OAE’s ethos of making classical music accessible to everyone is at the heart of this project. The tour sees young people on the orchestra’s Dreamchasing Young Producers programme - a scheme that teaches young people how to produce a show, everything from stage design and lighting to marketing, finances and health and safety - taking part, supporting stage management and front-of-house activities. The programme is supported by Ron Dennis' Dreamchasing Foundation.
The news of OAE’s Brandenburg Concertos tour comes following the announcement that OAE will continue its critically acclaimed The Fairy Queen project into 2025 and beyond. Supported by the Arts Council, the OAE will present a nationwide ‘tour’ of its community opera adaptation of Purcell’s masterpiece, as part of the orchestra’s continued commitment to reaching audiences across the country.
Tickets are available from just £15, and student discount is available. Visit https://oae.co.uk