Mar 3 at 8pm, Mar 4 at 2pm, Mar 5 at 3pm
“Bravura stuff from a harpsichord magician.”
—Gramophone
Toronto, January 31, 2023 … Making his Tafelmusik debut this season as guest director is harpsichordist Francesco Corti, “a powerhouse of unbridled vivacity, exciting and excitable in equal measure” (BBC Music Magazine). Corti leads the orchestra in Bach’s Library, a fascinating program of music by J. S. Bach and those who inspired him, including Steffani, Hasse, and Zelenka—composers whose manuscripts would have been part of his personal library. The concerts take place at Jeanne Lamon Hall, Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre on Mar 3 at 8pm, Mar 4 at 2pm, and Mar 5 at 3pm. Tickets and information are available at tafelmusik.org. The concert will be filmed for future digital broadcast.
In addition to his recently assumed role as Music Director of the Drottningholm Royal Court Theatre in Stockholm, Corti is principal guest director of Il Pomo d’Oro and regularly directs Les Musiciens du Louvre. Acclaimed for his exhilarating artistry, Corti can “make the harpsichord sing … but he can also make it massive, like an organ or an orchestra. He shows a fantastic brilliance of hand … and he can switch to simple elegance and refinement for French-style allemandes and courantes” (Gramophone).
At the heart of this concert are three works by Bach himself: the elegant Orchestral Suite no 1 in C Major, featuring Tafelmusik’s superb wind players, the imposing Harpsichord Concerto in D Minor, and the brilliant Harpsichord Concerto in D Major. Works by other composers who inspired Bach include the Ouverture to Orlando generoso by Steffani, the Sinfonia in G Minor, op. 5 no. 6 by Hasse, and the Ouverture a 7 in F Major by Zelenka.
LISTING INFORMATION:
Bach’s Library
Francesco Corti, guest director & harpsichord soloist
Mar 3 at 8pm,
Mar 4 at 2pm,
Mar 5 at 3pm
Jeanne Lamon Hall, Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre
Tickets start at $25 and are available at tafelmusik.org
Tafelmusik gratefully acknowledges the support of BMO, Presenting Sponsor of the 2022/23 concert season. We are also grateful to our government partners, Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, Toronto Arts Council, and the Ontario Trillium Foundation, and to our Media Partner The New Classical 96.3 FM.
ABOUT FRANCESCO CORTI
A prizewinner at the International Bach Competition in Leipzig (2006) and the Bruges Harpsichord Competition (2007), Francesco Corti has appeared in recitals and concerts all over the world. He has appeared at festivals such as Mozart Woche, Salzburger Festpiele, BachFest Leipzig, and Festival Radio France Montpellier, and has performed in halls such as Salle Pleyel (Paris), Bozar (Bruxelles), Konzerthaus (Vienna), Tonhalle (Zürich), Mozarteum (Salzburg) and Concertgebouw (Amsterdam). He has performed as a member of Les Musiciens du Louvre (Minkowski), Zefiro (Bernardini), Bach Collegium Japan (Suzuki), Les Talens Lyriques (Rousset), Harmonie Universelle (Deuter) and Le Concert des Nations (Savall). He regularly directs Les Musiciens du Louvre and is principal guest director of Il Pomo d’Oro. He has led concerts with B’Rock, Nederlandse Bachvereniging, and Holland Baroque. Since September 2016, he is professor of harpsichord at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis. Francesco was born in Italy to a musical family. He studied organ in Perugia, and harpsichord in Geneva and Amsterdam. He was appointed harpsichord professor at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis in Switzerland in 2016.
ABOUT TAFELMUSIK
Tafelmusik is an orchestra, choir, and experience that celebrates beauty through music of the past. Founded over 40 years ago on the pillars of passion, learning, and artistic excellence, Tafelmusik continues to bring new energy to baroque music and beyond. Historically informed performances of 17th- to 19th-century instrumental and choral music share the stage with vibrant, insightful multimedia programs, and bold new music written just for the group. Each piece is played on period instruments, underscored and illuminated by scholarship.
Through dynamic performances, international touring, award-winning recordings, and comprehensive education programs, Tafelmusik invites audiences to engage with beauty and experience the breadth of emotion music can inspire.
Website: tafelmusik.org
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Media contact: Luisa Trisi, Big Picture Communications
luisa@luisatrisi.com | 427 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON M5S 1X7