Lenten Meditations: Bach & His Predecessors

Ellen Torrie, Soprano - Rachel Duval, Alto - Philippe Gagné, Tenor - William Kraushaar, Bass
Burlington Baroque Festival Singers & Ensemble L'Harmonie des saisons
Eric Milnes, Director

Sunday, March 30th, 4:00 p.m. at The Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Burlington, Vermont

Johann Sebastian Bach is considered one of the greatest composers of all time, his monumental position among European composers of the 18th century influencing all composers to follow. Alongside Handel and Vivaldi, his works represent the pinnacle of Baroque Music to audiences even 300 years later. And yet, Bach did not emerge monolithically from a musical vacuum without forebears and influences. We see from early works like his Cantata, Christ lag in Todesbanden (written when he was 22 years old), the direct impact composers before him had on his style and expressionism. Dietrich Buxtehude was a composer and mentor that Bach walked hundreds of miles to study with. Johann Christoph Bach was an elder cousin among many distinguished related composers and church musicians in the region. The young Bach had numerous works of Buxtehude and J. C. Bach in his library, painstakingly copied out by hand to fully understand and synthesize their work. In presenting this program BURLINGTON BAROQUE offers listeners the rare opportunity to hear extraordinary sacred music from late 17th century Germany and to gain a greater appreciation for how a genius like Johann Sebastian Bach could emerge from his cultural ancestry and attain the extraordinary acclaim the world would accord him. This unique program is presented by vocal soloists of international renown, the Juno Award-winning period-instrument ensemble L'Harmonie des saisons, and the Burlington Baroque Festival Singers. Also on the program: 17th-century organ works by the three composers performed on the Karl Wilhelm German Baroque Organ. The Cathedral Church of St. Paul offers the perfect acoustic and intimacy to share and appreciate this repertoire for the Penitential Season of Lent.

For more information, visit https://burlingtonbaroque.org/.

Tickets are available online at Seven Days.

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