Bach Concerti

SANTA MONICA, Calif. Late music critic Alan Rich once described Musica Angelica as “a Baroque gem…a triumph…the best of its kind in these parts.” Martin Haselböck, Music Director of the Baroque orchestra so highly regarded by Rich, recently used much the same image when asked to share his thoughts about “Bach Concerti,” which Musica Angelica will present at 8 p.m. on Saturday, May 7 at Pasadena Presbyterian Church and 3 p.m. on Sunday, May 8 at First Presbyterian Church in Santa Monica.

“These concerti are a string of pearls from the grand master, Johann Sebastian Bach,” says Haselböck, hailed worldwide as a leading solo organist, orchestral and opera conductor, and composer.

On the program are Bach’s Brandenburg Concerti No. 3, No. 5 and No. 6; Double Concerto for violin and oboe; and Suite No. 2 for flute and orchestra.

Haselböck, whose career has centered on the Baroque and Classical eras of music, summarizes why he selected these particular “pearls” by Bach:

“The program showcases a collection of the most inventive concerti Bach has ever written,” says Haselböck.  “Among them are the first keyboard concerto (Brandenburg No. 5), the first concerto with virtuoso viols (Brandenburg No. 6), a brilliant group concerto with 10 strings (Brandenburg No. 3), a double concerto for violin and oboe, and the grand French overture for flute and strings ending with the famous Badinerie, which is similar to an Italian scherzo.”

Musicologist Christoph Wolff, Professor of Music at Harvard University and Director of the Bach Archive in Leipzig, agrees with Haselböck’s assessment of the Brandenburg concertos.  “Bach used the widest spectrum of orchestral instruments…in daring combinations,” Wolff wrote.  “Every one of the six concertos set a precedent in scoring, and every one was to remain without parallel.”  

Joining members of Musica Angelica Baroque Orchestra for “Bach Concerti” are award-winning oboist Gonzalo Xavier Ruiz, who has appeared both as principal oboist and concerto soloist with most of the leading period instrument groups in America and has performed widely in the U.S. and Europe, flutist Stephen Schultz, deemed “among the most flawless artists on the Baroque flute” by the San Jose Mercury News, and Musica Angelica’s concertmaster Ilia Korol.

Tickets for “Bach Concerti” are available at prices ranging from $15 (student price, with valid ID) to $55/person.  For more information or to order tickets, call 310.458.4504, or visit www.MusicaAngelica.org.

Pasadena Presbyterian Church is located at 585 East Colorado Blvd. in Pasadena, CA  91101; First Presbyterian Church is located at 1220 Second Street in Santa Monica, CA  90402.