Red Deer Symphony Orchestra is gearing up for the extraordinary charms of Bach, with the next concert set for April 25th at the Red Deer College Arts Centre.
Simply put, the performance, which starts at 8 p.m. will be structured as six concertos with two different approaches.
The RDSO will be setting the stage for an epic battle between the antique and the modern, according to a release. “The complete set of Bach’s immortal masterpieces: the Brandenburg concertos will be performed with a twist. Numbers one, two and three will be presented on modern instruments while four, five and six will be played on copies of instruments from Bach’s time.”
An informal vote will take place at the end of the performance as to what the audience’s own preference will be after this ‘war to end all wars between two unstoppable forces.’
“The six Brandenburg Concerti, as they are now known, are masterworks of instrumental music,” explains RDSO music director Claude Lapalme. “They are scored for a wide variety of instruments and composed using an equally wide variety of forms. They match the instrumental forces of the 17 musicians available at the Kothen at the time, except for the first concerto, which was rescored from previous works for a special occasion at which additional musicians were hired.”
According to BaroqueMusic.org, Bach was born on March 21st l685, the son of Johann Ambrosius, court trumpeter for the Duke of Eisenach and director of the musicians of the town of Eisenach in Thuringia.
“For many years, members of the Bach family throughout Thuringia had held positions such as organists, town instrumentalists, or Cantors and the family name enjoyed a wide reputation for musical talent.”
Meanwhile, for this weekend’s concert, the ‘modern instruments’ used will result in a style that will be heavier sounding, more powerful and with a greater use of steel strings and keys and traditionally played with greater use of vibrato.
Period instruments are described as being more delicate, yet nimbler and more agile, made almost exclusively from wood and ‘able of shape-shifting colours’.
Ultimately, organizers say they predict there will be no clear winner except, of course, the audience. Next up for the RDSO is ‘Bold Bolero’, set for June 6th the Arts Centre.
Tickets can be purchased through the Black Knight Ticket Centre by calling 403-755-6626 or by visiting the RDSO online at www.rdso.ca.
-Weber
