Music of Telemann, Graupner, and Bach
(Shaughn Dowd, flute, and Roger Cline, viola da gamba)
We are turning the clock back 300 years to 1722, the year in which Johann Kuhnau, the famous cantor of St. Thomas’ church in Leipzig, died, leaving the position vacant. Later that year, invitations were extended to leading musicians throughout Germany to apply for the job. On November 3rd, we’ll dig into some of the chamber music of the two top candidates for the position, Georg Philipp Telemann and Christoph Graupner. Both had strong musical ties to the city of Leipzig having studied at the university there. We’ll also feature some music from the third candidate – one Johann Sebastian Bach – who ultimately took the job after the others withdrew their applications.
This is a ‘pay what you can’ event and you do not need a ticket. All donations made at the door directly support the artists and programs of Live Arts Maryland.
Larry Molinaro, harpsichord
On November 17th, we’ll take a look at the legacy of Kuhnau himself through his famous biblical sonatas for keyboard. These six sonatas, published in 1700, were ground-breaking in that they used a wide variety of musical devices to portray action, emotions, and even psychological states. The concert will include selections from The Fight between David and Goliath, Jacob’s Wedding, Hezekiah’s sickness and restoration, and Jacob’s Death and Burial.
This is a ‘pay what you can’ event and you do not need a ticket. All donations made at the door directly support the artists and programs of Live Arts Maryland.
Bach+, a partnership between Live Arts Maryland and St. Anne’s, goes live this month with its 2022-23 season. Get your weekend off to an early start with some fantastic musical entertainment at St. Anne’s church on Thursday at 7:00 PM.
First, as we have done for the past 20 years, on October 27th we’ll offer a screening of Lon Chaney’s immortal silent film classic The Phantom of the Opera with an improvised—and not always serious—score, played on St. Anne’s spectacular Freiburger organ. The movie is a 1925 American silent horror film adaptation of Gaston Leroux’s 1910 novel Le Fantôme de l’Opéra, directed by Rupert Julian and starring Lon Chaney, Sr. in the title role of the deformed Phantom who haunts the Paris Opera House, causing murder and mayhem in an attempt to make the woman he loves a star. The movie remains most famous for Chaney’s ghastly, self-devised make-up, which was kept a studio secret until the film’s premiere.
This is a ‘pay what you can’ event and you do not need a ticket. All donations made at the door directly support the artists and programs of Live Arts Maryland.
Live Arts Maryland’s annual performances of “Messiah” are a beloved Annapolis holiday tradition! World-class soloists, the Chamber Orchestra, and, of course, the Annapolis Chorale, all come together in historic St. Anne’s Church for a powerful presentation of this iconic work. The audience even has the chance to join in for the Hallelujah Chorus and Carols of the Season.
Live Arts Maryland’s annual performances of “Messiah” are a beloved Annapolis holiday tradition! World-class soloists, the Chamber Orchestra, and, of course, the Annapolis Chorale, all come together in historic St. Anne’s Church for a powerful presentation of this iconic work. The audience even has the chance to join in for the Hallelujah Chorus and Carols of the Season.
Our presentation of this timeless work is family friendly and curated for audience members of all ages in mind. Seating for these performances is limited so order your tickets early!
This beautiful work predates Bach’s settings of the passions and, in many ways, is their direct predecessor. Scored for a small vocal ensemble, this Passion performance will feature the Bach+ Vocal Consort and members of the Annapolis Chorale Chamber Chorus. Artistic Director J. Ernest Green and Bach+ Director, Larry Molinaro will lead The “St. Matthew Passion.”
** This is a program change from the Bach “St. Matthew Passion” that was originally programmed for this spring. Bach’s work will be rescheduled for later in the summer as the current COVID restrictions ease.
Bach+ consort, J. Ernest Green, director
The Bach+ consort, under the direction of J. Ernest Green, will celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany with excerpts from both Handel’s Messiah and J. S. Bach’s monumental Christmas Oratorio. Bach’s Christmas Oratorio comprises six cantatas that intersperse the Gospel passages recounting the birth of Jesus, the visitation of the shepherd, and the adoration of the Magi, with poetic reflections on the narrative. It was first performed in 1734, beginning on Christmas Day and ending on Epiphany. It features some of Bach’s most colorful writing for soloists, chorus, and orchestra. Handel’s Messiah, a perennial favorite, recounts the story of salvation across the three sections of the oratorio. Excerpts from both will be combined to create a narrative that will follow a “lessons and carols” or “pageant” structure.
Click here to launch the video and download the program (PDF).
Larry Molinaro, organ
On Sunday, November 28th , the first Sunday of Advent, at 4:30 PM, Bach+ offers an Organ Vespers to celebrate the start of this season of preparation. The program will feature several of J.S. Bach’s large-scale settings of “Savior of the nations, come,” a 16th century Lutheran hymn based upon the ancient plainchant Veni redemptor gentium attributed to St. Ambrose. Organist Larry Molinaro will also present several of Johann Pachelbel’s fugues on the Magnificat and J.S. Bach’s virtuosic “Prelude and Fugue in A minor,” BWV 543.
There is no admission fee or ticket required for this program (donations are welcome) but audience members must be fully masked while inside the church.
Larry Molinaro, organ, and Noah Dion, piano
Members of the Annapolis Chamber Orchestra
J. Ernest Green, conductor
On November 11, 2021 at 6:30 PM, Bach+ returns to its usual Thursday evening time slot with a performance of the keyboard concerto in D minor, BWV 1052, other works for keyboard and strings, and the famous Air from the D Major Orchestral Suite. The D minor concerto, one of Bach’s most famous, was reconstructed by the composer in 1738 from movements of church cantatas written for St. Thomas Church, Leipzig in the late 1720s. The concert will feature Larry Molinaro, organ, Noah Dion, piano, and musicians from the Annapolis Chamber Orchestra.
The concert will last about 60 minutes—perfect timing as a prelude to a lovely dinner in downtown Annapolis!
The program is free and open to the public. However, in accordance with church guidelines, all audience members must be fully masked while inside the church.
