Tafelmusik and Rachel Podger Take The Stage in BACH BRANDENBURGS! in January

Tafelmusik will launch the new year with a euphoric celebration of Bach in Bach Brandenburgs!, featuring Concertos Nos. 1, 2, 3, and 4, running January 29 to February 1 at Jeanne Lamon Hall, Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre. Led by Rachel Podger, the ensemble delivers its interpretation of these iconic works. The program also includes the Toronto premiere of Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in E-flat “St. Anne,” newly arranged for orchestra. 

“Both Tafelmusik and Rachel Podger have earned world-wide accolades for their interpretations of Bach, and this joining of musical minds for the Brandenburg Concertos is sure to dazzle and enchant,” says Artistic Co-Director Cristina Zacharias. “Always eager to find new ways to experience Bach’s music, we are also thrilled to present Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in E-flat in a new orchestral arrangement by Artistic Co-Director Dominic Teresi, which debuted to critical acclaim on our recent West Coast tour." 

Originally titled Six Concertos with Several Instruments, the Brandenburg Concertos are among the most beloved works of the Baroque era, standing as a benchmark of ensemble collaboration and inventive musical design. Each concerto paints its own vivid musical vignette, filled with joy, wonder, and astonishing counterpoint. Tafelmusik’s JUNO Award-winning 1995 recording of the 

“Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos are some of the most innovative pieces to have been written during the Baroque era,” says director and violin soloist Rachel Podger. “Each concerto features a unique combination of solo instruments which in turn dazzle, sparkle, soar, sigh and mesmerise while their roles continuously shift between virtuosic solo displays, dialogues and being part of the ensemble. Bach’s writing is extremely virtuosic, strikingly beautiful and irresistibly joyful, and these pieces still sound fresh and modern, even today.” 

The variety of instrumentation in the Brandenburg Concertos is a trademark feature. The First Concerto is the largest, scored for a generous ensemble of three oboes, bassoon, two horns, a solo violin, and strings. The solo group of the Second Concerto will feature newly appointed Tafelmusik oboist Daniel Ramirez Escudero, alongside Kathryn Montoya (recorder), Todd Williams (horn), and Julia Wedman (violin). The Third Concerto was inspired by Vivaldi’s L’Estro armónico and, like Vivaldi, Bach creates an orchestra out of a group of solo string players, but takes the concept a step further: his concerto features three solo violins, three violas, and three cellos. Rachel Podger takes centre stage in the virtuosic violin solo of the

Fourth Concerto, alongside two recorder soloists. These inventive combinations and Bach’s experimentation offer a vivid window into the composer’s imagination and creative daring. 

Completing the program is Bach’s remarkable Prelude and Fugue in E-Flat, “St. Anne,” newly arranged for orchestra, which received its world premiere on Tafelmusik’s recent West Coast tour to acclaim: "Teresi's arrangement exploited a kaleidoscopic spectrum of colour, with textures and timbres shifting and recombining across the ensemble in thrilling interplay.” (The Strad). The work’s grandeur and expressive depth make it a compelling complement to the concertos, revealing new colours and textures within one of Bach’s towering keyboard masterpieces.