About

La Follia Austin Baroque performs “Johann Sebastian Bach’s Greatest Chamber Music”.

Saturday, October 14, 2017 at 8pm
Sunday, October 15, 2017 at 3pm

Both performances at Redeemer Presbyterian Church
2111 Alexander Ave, Austin, Texas

Tickets: $30 General / $25 Senior / $10 Student
Tickets available at the door via cash, check, or credit card, or pre-purchase online at www.lafollia.org

In this second concert of its all-Bach season, La Follia performs some of the greatest chamber music of the Master, including the Trio Sonata from The Musical Offering, the flute sonata in A major, and the viola da gamba sonata no. 2 in D major.
Featured are Stephen Redfield, violin; Marcus McGuff, flute; Eric Smith, cello and viola da gamba; and director Keith Womer, harpsichord.
Jeffrey Blair, radio celebrity at KMFA Classical Austin 89.5 FM, will present a free pre-concert lecture 20 minutes before curtain on J.S. Bach and this glorious music.

Musical highlights:
Regarding the Trio Sonata from the Musical Offering: Three years before his death, Bach visited the court of Frederick II, where his son Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach was employed. The King, himself an excellent musician and composer, presented Bach with a theme upon which Bach immediately improvised a three-voice fugue on the fortepiano. Back at home in Leipzig, Bach composed a complete suite of pieces based on the same theme, so-called The Musical Offering, and sent them to Frederick. Of these, the Trio Sonata and the six voice Ricercar are the most significant, in fact they are some of Bach’s greatest music. For the trio sonata, the crafty Bach specified flute (the King’s own instrument) for a prominent role, along with violin, cello and keyboard.

Regarding the viola da gamba sonata no. 2: By the time of Bach’s later years, the viola da gamba was an instrument going out of favor, while the cello was emerging in its stead. Nonetheless, it was still a favorite instrument of the royalty. Bach himself used it for special effect in his St. Matthew and St. John Passions. While we do not know exactly for whom these sonatas were written, we know from the difficulty of the music that the player was extremely accomplished.

Redeemer Presbyterian Church is located in the revitalized area of East Austin, not far from the Metrorail MLK station. There is free, ample and safe parking adjacent to the church. The venue offers excellent acoustics and sight lines, and is ADA compliant.

Event Details

• Date: October 14-15, 2017
• Time: Saturday at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday at 3:00 p.m.
• Venue: Redeemer Presbyterian Church
• Website: http://redeemerpres.org

Ticket Information

• Cost: $30 General / $25 Senior / $10 Student
• Phone: (512) 879-6404

Presenter Details

• Name: La Follia Austin Baroque

Based in Austin, Texas, we perform music from the time of Bach, Vivaldi, and Mozart. We use instruments and performance practices appropriate to the period, so you experience the music exactly as the composers experienced it. We strive to entertain, enlighten, and inspire.

Venue Details