“Bezuidenhout’s playing was hypnotic.”
—Bachtrack
Known for his “mesmerizing” (Ludwig van Toronto) performances, Kristian Bezuidenhout returns as harpsichordist and guest director for Transformations: Bach & Rameau. The concerts take place on May 10 & 11 at 8 PM, and May 12 at 3 PM at Jeanne Lamon Hall, Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre. Tickets are available at tafelmusik.org.
One of today’s most notable and exciting keyboard artists, Kristian Bezuidenhout is Principal Guest Director of the English Concert. He joins Tafelmusik for a program drawing on music that has morphed from one form to another by way of transcriptions, reworkings, and arrangements.
Opening the program are Purcell’s Ayres for the Theatre, works composed for the ultimate palace of transfiguration. “Surely one of the best-equipped baroque orchestras in the world to perform this music” (Gramophone), Tafelmusik recorded four of Purcell’s theatrical suites in 1994 and reissued the album in 2012.
Orchestral arrangements of several of Rameau’s pieces for solo harpsichord are an homage by an admirer of the composer, inspired by others that Rameau himself had arranged for his operas. Handel did the reverse in his Trio Sonata in G Major, adapting movements from five operatic precursors to create a sonata for two violins and continuo. Kristian Bezuidenout has transformed the sonata once more into a suite that reverts back to Handel’s original orchestrations.
A great admirer of Domenico Scarlatti, the English composer Charles Avison transformed a selection of the Italian master’s harpsichord sonatas into an engaging concerto for strings.
No exploration of baroque transformations would be complete without J.S. Bach, the ultimate musical alchemist. Bach transcribed his own A-Minor Violin Concerto for a different instrument in a new key, culminating in the thrilling Harpsichord Concerto in G Minor, with Bezuidenhout taking centre stage.
Tafelmusik’s own John Abberger joins Bezuidenhout as soloist in Bruce Hayne’s reconstruction of Bach’s incomplete Concerto for oboe & harpsichord, in turn adapted from a Bach sinfonia.
“We are so happy to welcome our dear friend Kristian Bezuidenhout back to the Tafelmusik stage. Our previous performances with him featured a special heart-felt musical connection that we are very keen to bring back to our audience. Transformations highlights so many of Tafelmusik’s strengths, from the featured soloists to the beautifully curated repertoire, all drawn together by Kristian’s profound artistic voice,” says Cristina Zacharias, Artistic Co-Director.
LISTING INFORMATION:
Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra presents
Transformations: Bach & Rameauwith Kristian Bezuidenhout, guest director and harpsichord soloist
May 10 & 11 at 8 PM,
May 12 at 3 PM
Jeanne Lamon Hall, Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre
Tickets start at $23.50. Available at tafelmusik.org
Website: tafelmusik.org
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Tafelmusik gratefully acknowledges the support of BMO, Presenting Sponsor of the 2023/24 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.
Thank you to the Azrieli Foundation for their generous support of Passions Revealed US Tour.
ABOUT KRISTIAN BEZUIDENHOUT
Kristian Bezuidenhout is one of today’s most notable and exciting keyboard artists, equally at home on the fortepiano, harpsichord, and modern piano. Kristian is an Artistic Director of the Freiburger Barockorchester and Principal Guest Director with the English Concert. He is a regular guest with leading ensembles, including Les Arts Florissants, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (OAE), Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, and has guest directed numerous period ensembles, including Tafelmusik.
Last season saw Kristian perform with the Auckland Philharmonic, Guerzenich Orchestra, and play/direct projects with the Irish Chamber Orchestra, OAE, Kammerochester Basel, Philharmonia Baroque, and Concerto Copenhagen. He joined Mark Padmore and Sol Gabetta for recitals in Europe and undertook a North American tour with Anne Sofie von Otter. Kristian’s rich and award-winning discography on Harmonia Mundi includes the complete solo keyboard music of Mozart. Recent releases include Schubert Winterreisse with Mark Padmore, Bach sonatas for violin and harpsichord with Isabelle Faust, Haydn piano sonatas, and the complete Beethoven Concerti with Freiburger Barokorchester.
ABOUT TAFELMUSIK
Every now and then a group of musicians comes along and changes the way we think about music. For over four decades, Tafelmusik has been synonymous worldwide with dynamic, engaging, and soulful performances informed by scholarship, passion, and artistic excellence. Performed on instruments and in styles appropriate to the era, 17th- to 19th-century instrumental and choral music share the stage with exciting multimedia programs, bold new commissions, and intriguing cross-cultural collaborations. From a vibrant home season in Toronto, to international tours, award-winning recordings, and inspiring education programs, Tafelmusik is a musical powerhouse with a reputation for thrilling and delighting audiences.
Media contact:
Luisa Trisi, Big Picture Communications
luisa@luisatrisi.com | 427 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON M5S 1X7