Meet Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra at Westben June 30
Tafelmusik will be just arriving back from touring Australia when they arrive at Westben on Saturday, June 30 for a multi-media and narrated production called Bach & His World. After Westben, Tafelmusik tours to the U.S. and Versaille France. But imagine Tafelmusik in a 400 seat timber-framed Barn on a 50 acre farm near Campbellford, in the rolling hills of Northumberland County with intimate seating and the opportunity to visit on the meadow with the performers after the performance! I agree that sounds wonderful and unique but wait, there is more! Before the performance, Sommelier Christopher Waters from Vines Magazine in Toronto will be integrating a wine tasting with a delicious lunch prepared by celebrated local Chef Tina Moorey from on the side gourmet. Chef, Sommelier and musicians will all be there to bring you into the unique story. Where else do you get a wine tasting-theatre-concert-dining-meet the cast, chef and Sommelier Experience all in one day? It is always a new experience at Westben. For tickets, menu and information visit http://www.westben.ca/calendar/2018/dare-to-pair-june-30 or call the Box Office 1-877-883-5777.
Now on to the music. The Bach & His World production was created by Alison Mackay. Alison is the creator of national and international projects including Tales of Two Cities: The Leipzig-Damascus Coffee House; J.S. Bach: The Circle of Creation; House of Dreams; The Galileo Project: Music of the Spheres; The Four Seasons: A Cycle of the Sun; Metamorphosis; and The Grand Tour. Alison has been performing with the orchestra since 1979.
This special performance is a multidisciplinary project featuring the musicians of Tafelmusik, with narrations by Blair Williams and stunning projected images. The program will take you on a journey. Who are the baroque craftsmen who helped J.S. Bach realize his genius? From the moment that Bach was inspired to create a new orchestral work, he required the talents and labour of dozens of artisans and performers to bring his music to life. Bach and His World is a performance of stunning works by Bach, including Sinfonias from BWV 249a, the Third Brandenburg Concerto and excerpts from the Goldberg Variations. Our performance of instrumental works by Bach explores the fascinating personalities who carved violins, hand pulled brass harpsichord strings and tapped pine trees for the resin that would set gut strings into vibration. The concert is a guide to the craft of baroque performance and a celebration of all those who helped J.S. Bach realize his genius and create the musical legacy which still reverberates in our world today.
About Tafelmusik:
Renowned for its dynamic, engaging, and soulful performances, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra is one of the world’s leading period-instrument ensembles, performing on instruments and in styles appropriate for the era of the music. This season we are excited to welcome new Music Director Elisa Citterio: only the second Music Director in Tafelmusik’s history, she takes over from Music Director Emerita Jeanne Lamon. We are Canada’s most toured orchestra, having performed in over 350 cities in 32 countries, and are proud to call Toronto our home. Here we perform some 80 concerts each year for a loyal and enthusiastic audience in diverse venues across the city. The orchestra is joined in performances by the critically acclaimed Tafelmusik Chamber Choir and its director Ivars Taurins.
Tafelmusik seeks to transport audiences to the baroque and classical periods through adventurous cross-cultural collaborations, on stage with Toronto’s Opera Atelier, and underground at our Haus Musik series. Our musicians share their knowledge and experience through artist-training initiatives such as the Tafelmusik Baroque Summer and Winter Institutes. Tafelmusik’s recordings on the Sony, CBC Records, Analekta, and Tafelmusik Media labels have garnered nine JUNOs and numerous other recording prizes.
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Join us at Westben online or at The Barn, Clock Tower or a theatre near you.
Donna Bennett
Co-Founder of Westben