Like rays of sunlight, delicate yet powerful, the sounds of this program pierce time and open our eyes to an exciting era of musical upheaval. The focus of this programme lies on masterful chamber music works for oboe, cello, and harpsichord from early Enlightenment Germany—composed by J. S. Bach, S. L. Weiss, and G. B. Platti. Each composer uniquely combines the emotional depth and technical complexity of the Baroque with the first impulses of the galant style; a reflection of their personal lives and a foreshadowing of the great changes that the 18th century would bring.
With “Virtuosi!”, the Bremen Baroque Orchestra presents a program that focuses on Baroque woodwind music. Between German elegance and Italian fury, the recorder and oboe take center stage as expressive solo instruments. At times they shine in rapid passages, at others they surprise with warm, intimate timbres. Telemann’s Concerto for Recorder, Oboe, and Violin TWV 43:a3 showcases the full spectrum of the art of dialogue, and his overture suite “La Bizarre” skillfully plays with expectation and form – an invitation for the ensemble to rediscover Baroque conventions. Sammartini’s Flute Concerto, a classic of the Italian Baroque, is on the program, both an audience favorite and a blast for soloists. The finale is Bach’s reconstructed Oboe Concerto in F major, whose profundity rounds out the diverse program.
This concert focuses on the music of composers Biber, Schmelzer, and Muffat, whose works uniquely combine diverse stylistic movements from the regions surrounding the Alps. It is also a musical melting pot of 17th-century Central Europe, characterized by the search for innovation and the joy of experimentation. The crisp string sounds of Carlo Farina’s early Baroque program music are complemented by graceful compositions from Georg Muffat’s “Armonico Tributo” collection and the “Kremsier” archive. Various sonatas for trumpet and strings by H. I. F. Biber set luminous accents and alternate with the impetuous virtuosity of A. Corelli.
Together with virtuoso improvisational genius Alexis Cárdenas on the solo violin and Latin Grammy winners Miguel Siso (cuatro/Venezuela) and Celso Duarte (harp/Mexico), the ensemble offers a fascinating rediscovery of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. In this extraordinary crossover program, the ensemble combines Vivaldi’s baroque sound language with traditional rhythms and forms such as joropo, samba, and son. The result is not just an arrangement, but an artistic playground where baroque rhetoric and improvisations intersect with influences from classical, jazz, and traditional music. At the premiere, the spark was so powerful that the audience spontaneously began to dance during the encore.
This concert format combines baroque music with elements of a lounge concert, focusing on holistic relaxation. With this approach, the ensemble consciously strives to open up the space of the classical concert to a broader audience. A short yoga session to warm up, accompanied live by ensemble musicians, optional professional back massages during the concert, and an open, relaxed atmosphere allow for direct access to the music and a transparent listening experience. Those seeking the greatest possible proximity to the performers even have the chance to sit – or lie – in the middle of the orchestra at this concert. Well-known works by J.S. Bach, A. Vivaldi, and J. Pachelbel will be performed, as well as rarely heard baroque compositions, dramaturgically structured according to different atmospheres, sometimes calmly flowing and meditative, sometimes energetic, dance-like and stimulating. Ideal for this format is a modular space for 50 to 70 people with […]
In addition to the programs presented here, the ensemble’s extensive YouTube channel offers a more detailed look into the diverse repertoire of the Bremen Baroque Orchestra, which ranges from the early Baroque to the present day. Please feel free to contact us directly if you have any special repertoire or individual instrumentation requests.
