Concertmaster Jonathan Carney will lead the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in an evening of music by Baroque Masters tonight, July 11 at 8 p.m. at the Music Center at Strathmore and Friday, July 12 at 7:30 p.m. at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. The program will feature selections from Baroque's "Big Three" composers, including Vivaldi's "Four Seasons," Bach's "Orchestral Suite No. 3," and Handel's "The Royal Fireworks Suite" and "Water Music."
Vivaldi composed more than 500 concertos but his dazzling "Four Seasons" is irrefutably his most famous work. This program will feature "Summer" and "Winter," which may have been inspired by the cruel winter of 1708-1709 in Venice.
Bach's" Orchestral Suite No. 3" will also be featured. The piece is a combination of two forms very popular during the Baroque period: the French overture and the dance suite. The opening movement follows the French-overture form and is perfect for celebrating spectacular and festive occasions. The remainder of the suite is composed of various dance movements, including two Gavottes, a Bourrée, culminating in a boisterous Gigue.
The program will also feature two works by G.F. Handel, including selections from "The Royal Fireworks Suite" and "Water Music." "The Royal Fireworks Suite" is a perfect testament to the brilliance of Baroque music, and was written for George II of Great Britain to be played along with a spectacular fireworks show to celebrate the signing of the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle. "The Royal Fireworks Suite" is still considered the grandest instrumental work that Handel ever wrote, and is played today to celebrate extraordinary occasions.
"Water Music" is also one of Handel's most famous works, and is broken into three instrumental suites that clearly demonstrate Baroque orchestration. The piece was written for King George I of Great Britain in 1717 and was played as an outdoor concert on the River Thames. King George I loved the music so much that he had the orchestra repeat it a total of three times. Unfortunately, Handel's original composition of "Water Music" did not survive, leaving today's interpreters and conductors much room to improvise and rearrange the movements.
BSO Concertmaster Jonathan Carney is in his 11th season with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra after 12 seasons in the same position with London's Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
Born in New Jersey, Jonathan Carney hails from a musical family with all six members having graduated from The Juilliard School in New York. After completing his studies with Ivan Galamian and Christine Dethier, he was awarded a Leverhulme Fellowship to continue his studies at the Royal College of Music in London.
After enjoying critically acclaimed international tours as both concertmaster and soloist with numerous ensembles, Mr. Carney was invited by Vladimir Ashkenazy to become concertmaster of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in 1991. He was also appointed concertmaster of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra in 1994 and the Basque National Orchestra in 1996.
He has made a number of recordings, including concertos by Mozart, Vivaldi and Nielsen, sonatas by Brahms, Beethoven and Franck, and a disc of virtuoso works of by Sarasate and Kreisler with his mother Gloria Carney as pianist. New releases include Beethoven's Archduke and Ghost trios, the cello quintet of Schubert and a Dvo?ák disc with the Terzetto and four Romantic pieces for violin.
His violin is a 1687 Stradivarius, the Mercur-Avery on which he uses "Vision" strings by Thomastik-Infeld. Mr. Carney's string sponsor is Connolly & Co., exclusive U.S. importer of Thomastik-Infeld strings.
Tickets range from $25-$45 and are available through the BSO Ticket Office, 410.783.8000 or
BSOmusic.org.
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