Tickets on sale starting April 21
“To my ears, these are Brandenburgs straight from the heart and as such they are performances which invite repeated listening.” — Gramophone
Toronto, April 12, 2022 … Tafelmusik steps into spring in the city with two newly announced live concerts devoted to the music—orchestral and choral—of J. S. Bach. On Saturday, May 28 at 8pm at Koerner Hall, the orchestra revisits four of the six Brandenburg Concertos that helped establish its international reputation as a creative force in baroque music. The following month, Tafelmusik Chamber Choir wraps up its 40th anniversary season with an evening of Bach motets on Saturday, June 18 at 8pm at Eglinton St. George’s United Church. Tickets for both concerts go on sale April 21, 2022 at 11am. Tafelmusik Digital Season Passholders receive a presale window for the live performance two days before the public on-sale date.
BACH BRANDENBURG CONCERTOS
Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra
Saturday, May 28 at 8pm Live concert
Koerner Hall, TELUS Centre for the Arts, 271 Bloor Street West
Single tickets go on sale on April 21, 2022 at 11am. Tafelmusik Digital Season Passholders receive a presale window for the live performance two days in advance of the public on-sale date. Visit tafelmusik.org for details.
“The Brandenburg Concertos have long been part of the repertoire at our city’s Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra. The group’s fine performances—both live and on disc—are one of the reasons they are recognized as one of the world’s top period-performance orchestras.”
— Toronto Star
One of the most recognized and popular works in baroque music, the Brandenburg Concertos encapsulate all of the qualities that affirm Bach’s brilliance as a composer. Creativity, originality, and boldness are on display in these ground-breaking concertos that feature novel combinations of solo instruments and an unprecedented solo cadenza for harpsichord—unheard of at the time. Tafelmusik’s 1995 recording of the Brandenburgs, described as “lucid and refreshingly pure, like water drawn from a cool, clear stream” (NPR), garnered rave reviews and won a JUNO Award. A quarter century later, Tafelmusik invites audiences to revisit four of these seminal works—concertos 3,4,5, and 6—with newfound curiosity. Completing the program is Bach’s Orchestral Suite no. 3 in its original scoring, including the exquisite Air often referred to as the “Air on the G String.”
BACH MOTETS RETURN
Tafelmusik Chamber Choir directed by Ivars Taurins
with members of Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra
Saturday, June 18 at 8pm Live concert
Eglinton St George’s United Church, 35 Lytton Blvd, Toronto
Single tickets go on sale at tafelmusik.org on April 21, 2022 at 11am. Tafelmusik Digital Season Passholders receive a presale window for the live performance two days in advance of the public on-sale date. General admission. Tickets are $40, in honour of the choir’s anniversary
Tafelmusik presents a magical evening of motets and chorales written by members of the Bach family, including such treasures as J.S. Bach’s Jesu, meine Freude and Singet dem Herrn. The choral selections are interwoven with excerpts from Bach’s solo instrumental music, including the sublime Sarabande for cello from the Suite no. 5 in C Minor performed by Keiran Campbell, the Giga from the Partita in D Minor for violin performed by Geneviève Gilardeau, and preludes for organ and harpsichord, performed by Charlotte Nediger.
“This concert concluding the choir’s 40th-anniversary season is a very special one for us, offering a many-hued tapestry of motets by Bach and his forbears. Bach’s motets are among the most challenging yet rewarding works written for singers, and we interweave them with intimate works for solo instruments. We are looking forward to performing this concert before a live audience in the welcoming surroundings of Eglinton St George’s United Church,” says Ivars Taurins.
Tafelmusik gratefully acknowledges the support of BMO, Presenting Sponsor of the 2021/22 concert season, and our government partners, Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, Toronto Arts Council, and the Ontario Trillium Foundation.
ABOUT TAFELMUSIK
Led by Music Director Elisa Citterio and Executive Director Carol Kehoe, 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 (led by Chamber Choir Director Ivars Taurins) 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
Social media: Join the conversation on Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Spotify
Media contact:
Luisa Trisi, Big Picture Communications
luisa@luisatrisi.com | 427 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON M5S 1X7