About

La Follia Austin Baroque performs J.S. Bach's "The Art of Fugue"

Saturday, May 9, 2015 at 8pm
Sunday, May 10, 2015 at 3pm

First Presbyterian Church
8001 Mesa Drive, Austin, Texas

Pre-purchase tickets online at lafollia.org or at the door:
$25 general, $20 senior, $10 student.
Information at (512) 879-6404 and lafollia.org


The La Follia 16-piece string ensemble performs perhaps the greatest work in Western music.

This, the very last large work by J. S. Bach, has long been acknowledged for its monumental conception and flawless execution. But what La Follia will particularly demonstrate in this performance is its overwhelming emotional impact.

This is music to be loved, not just admired.

More detail:

In the last decade of his life, Bach undertook the composition of 18 studies based on a single theme, which he collectively titled Die Kunst der Fuge, or The Art of Fugue.  Fourteen of these studies are so-called fugues, a compositional form employing imitative entrances of the theme under strict rules. Bach was (and still is) the undisputed master of fugal composition.

However, the permutations of this theme that Bach conceived stretched even his mighty powers to the limit. The theme is turned upside down. It is played at the same time as the main theme. It is played with shorter and longer note durations simultaneously, and much more. The final fugue (apparently left unfinished at his death) combines three other themes with the main theme, one of those themes being a spelling of his name. Several composers have humbly attempted completions of this fugue, and La Follia will perform one of the most famous.

Indeed, the Art of Fugue is a triumph of musical intellect.  But what is often neglected in the performance of this work is that it, like all music by Bach, possesses a deep spirituality that transcends all the compositional tricks.

Bach believed that his Art was a gift from God that permitted a glimpse into His Divinity.  We believe you will discover that in The Art of Fugue. It exists in a universe quite apart, and more wondrous, than our own.

Event Details

• Date: May 9, 2015 at 8:00 PM / May 10, 2015 at 3:00 PM
• Venue: First Presbyterian Church
• Website: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/793717

Ticket Information

• Cost: Pre-purchase tickets online at lafollia.org or at the door: $25 general, $20 senior, $10 student.
• Phone: (512) 879-6404

Presenter Details

• Name: La Follia Austin Baroque

La Follia Austin Baroque celebrates its 33rd season as part of Austin's lively and diverse musical scene. We perform music from the 16th to 18th centuries: the time of Monteverdi, Bach, Handel, Vivaldi, Mozart and Haydn. We perform this glorious music as these composers performed it, by using instruments and performance practices appropriate to that period. The result is a well blended, rich, spontaneous sound quite different than that produced by brighter modern instruments and 21st century performance practices. In the words of the Austin American- Statesman, La Follia is "Baroque done Right". We blend thorough scholarship with passion and sheer fun. Expect to be entertained, enlightened, and inspired!

Venue Details