Season Five: Auspicious Beginnings
Cambridge Concentus turns five this year, and what a ride it has been! In these past four years, we’ve gained residency at First Church in Cambridge, toured Japan, and established ourselves in greater Boston as an ensemble with something compelling to say. And as we move into our fifth season, there is no better way to celebrate our success than to look back to our beginnings. In the spirit of those most courageous first steps in September 2007, this season we will perform some of JS Bach’s firsts, such as the first Brandenburg Concerto BWV 1046, the first partita for solo harpsichord BWV 1066, and the first Leipzig cantata Du wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn BWV 23. Each represents a well-received effort - to win the favor of a patron, to introduce the public to works for the keyboard, and to make a good impression on the first day at work, respectively.
The whole season is sprinkled with historical firsts, such as Bach’s first orchestral suite (in its original version), his first catalogued work Wie Schön leuchtet der Morgenstern, and an arrangement of the cantata Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen by his first son Wilhelm Friedemann. We will also perform Joseph Haydn’s "Lord Nelson Mass" (in its first version) under our co-artistic adviser Joshua Rifkin and the ensemble’s first-performed Bach cantata Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben BWV147a (in which is its first version). We admit that JS Bach is a hard act to follow, but of course the best way to go far is to set your sights high. So please join us at our concerts at First Church in Cambridge, Congregational as we embody a season of auspicious beginnings.
Marika and David
Artistic Directors
Leap Of Faith
JS Bach
Orchestral Suite No. 1 BWV 1066
Partita No. 1 for Harpsichord BWV 825
Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben BWV 147a
Leon Schelhase, harpsichord
Ulrike Präger, soprano
Thea Lobo, alto
Patrick T Waters, tenor
Jacob Cooper, bass
The creation of Cambridge Concentus was truly a leap of faith, and we will celebrate the audacity of that effort with two of JS Bach’s daring firsts: his Orchestral Suite BWV 1066 (in the original seven-part instrumentation) and Partita BWV 825 for solo harpsichord, performed by Leon Schelhase. The ensemble's first cantata, Herz und Tat und Mund und Leben BWV 147a (in its first version), will follow. If you have not yet attended one of our performances, this is a perfect concert to make your first.
8 PM, September 15, 2011, Elmira College, NY
3 PM, September 18, 2011, First Church in Cambridge, Congregational, MA, Suggested Donation $20
Dawn
JS Bach
Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 BWV 1046
Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major BWV 1007
Cantata Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern BWV 1
Zoe Weiss, cello
Anney Gillotte, soprano
Brad Fugate, alto
Patrick T Waters, tenor
Ulysses Thomas, bass
3PM, November 6, 2011, First Church in Cambridge, Congregational, MA, Suggested Donation $20
Triumph Over Angst
FJ Haydn
Violin Concerto in C Major Hob. VIIa: 1
“Lord Nelson Mass”
Joshua Rifkin, conductor
Marika Holmqvist, violin
3 PM, February 5, 2012, First Church in Cambridge, Congregational, MA, Suggested Donation $20
In His Father's Footsteps
JS Bach
Eb Major Prelude and Fugue “St. Anne” BWV 552:1, 2
Praeludium pro Organo pleno
Fuga a5 con pedale pro Organo pleno
Du wahrer Gott und Davids Sohn BWV 23
Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen (WF Bach version) BWV 51
Peter Sykes, organ
3 PM, May 6, 2012, First Church in Cambridge, Congregational, MA, Suggested Donation $20
(Click here for information on past seasons)