Ars Lyrica Houston Celebrates J.S. Bach With Concert And Book Talk

GRAMMY-nominated early music organization Ars Lyrica Houston presents a quintessentially Baroque program called Fugal Games on Saturday, January 13th at 4pm in Duncan Recital Hall at Rice University.

Five expert early music instrumentalists join for the artful and scholarly program, which features unique orchestrations of J.S. Bach's enigmatic works and tuneful pieces by G.P. Telemann.

Artistic personnel:
Colin St-Martin, traverso & recorder
Elizabeth Blumenstock, violin & viola
Stephen Redfield, violin
Sydney ZumMallen, cello
Matthew Dirst, harpsichord & artistic director

Matthew Dirst speaks to getting to work with this extraordinary group of musicians: “Both Elizabeth and Stephen regularly serve as concertmaster for Ars Lyrica programs, and Sydney is a terrific Baroque cellist, recently relocated to TX from the East Coast. So along with Colin, our principal traverso player and a good friend, it's a grouping that I'm very much looking forward to."

The concert celebrates the release of artistic director Matthew Dirst's latest book release on Bach's Art of Fugue and Musical Offering with significant excerpts from both pieces. The book offers a comprehensive study of the two masterworks, and is attended for readers of all backgrounds, with engaging and accessible commentary by Dirst.

Concertgoers are welcome to join for a book talk and audience Q&A with Dirst in the hall immediately following the performance.

The books will be available for sale at the concert, as well as hard-copy CDs of Dirst's newest recordings of Bach's The Well-Tempered Clavier Book 1 on solo harpsichord.

Fugal Games
When: Saturday, January 13, 2023 at 4 PM
Where: Duncan Recital Hall, The Shepherd School of Music at Rice University (6100 Main St, Houston, TX 77005)

In-person tickets ($45) and student tickets ($15) are available for purchase at the Ars Lyrica website.

Founded in 1998 by harpsichordist and conductor Matthew Dirst, Ars Lyrica Houston presents a diverse array of music in its original context while creating connections to contemporary life. Imaginative programming features neglected gems alongside familiar masterworks, and extracts the dramatic potential, emotional resonance, and expressive power of music. Its local subscription series, according to the Houston Chronicle, “sets the agenda” for early music in Houston. Ars Lyrica appears regularly at international festivals and conferences because of its distinctive focus, and its pioneering efforts in the field of authentic performance have won international acclaim.

This 2023/24 season, Ars Lyrica Houston celebrates 20 Years of Magic with a season dedicated to musical wizardry of various kinds, from wondrous choral works by Carissimi and Charpentier to miraculous chamber pieces by Biber and Bach. The milestone 20th anniversary season closes with a new production of a “magic” opera, Handel's Amadigi di Gaula, in its Houston premiere.

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