A rare moment to hear four famous Brandenburg concertos from the Master, JS Bach at the Darwin Entertainment Centre on Wednesday 2 August.
“Bach’s Brandenburg concertos are the supreme jewels of the baroque music, inspiring me to name the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra in their honour,” says Paul Dyer, Artistic Director. “Audiences will be able to hear for themselves why Bach is revered as one of the greatest, most imaginative and most innovative composers of all time.”
This program showcases Bach’s very unusual groupings of instruments and the exquisite musical dialogues that take place between the players. All musicians on stage have a chance to shine and the audience also gets to hear more rarely used instruments such as the viola da gamba and the violino piccolo.
Concerto No 6: a rich, sumptuous piece utilising only low strings, brilliantly woven into velvet textures, restless canons, extended passages of incredible virtuosity and finally, a spirited dance.
Concerto No 5: the first harpsichord concerto, featuring fiendishly difficult, whirlwind passages of cascading sound and gorgeous flute and violin melodies. This is a rare chance to hear Paul Dyer play solo harpsichord.
Concerto No 3: a dazzling dance for strings that brims with exhilaration and zest for life; alive with a rush of sounds and textures.
Concerto No 1: a grand finale rich in tonal colours; the brashness of hunting horns, exquisite solo passages for violin and oboe which leap from the stage, culminating in a jubilant, euphoric third movement.
The orchestra will borrow Charles Darwin University's harpsichord for the concert. The harpsichord was commissioned after the Brandenburg’s first visit to Darwin in 2002 and has been used by them on each of their subsequent visits. It was built by Australian maker, Alastair McAlistair, who also built the orchestra’s own harpsichord.
Do come and enjoy these wonderful pieces. It will be a very special concert and a great occasion in the history of Brandenburg music making.
The Brandenburgs – Darwin Entertainment Centre – Bookings Dec Ticketing: 08 9484 1133.
Visit the Darwin Entertainment Centre website.