Bach: A Four Week Series at Darien Library
Join Gil Harel, musicologist and music theorist, in an exploration of Bach from his early years to his quest for musical perfection. Though underappreciated in his own time, later generations would come to venerate his music in a way that Bach himself surely could never have fathomed.
The Baroque Aesthetic: Soli Deo Gloria
Tuesday, July 9th at 7 p.m.
The name "Bach" is synonymous not only with the apogee of baroque music, but also with the complexity of the art that flourished during that period. During this program, we will look at Bach's early years and attempt to understand the world in which he lived.
The Brandenburg Concerti and other Instrumental Works
Tuesday, July 16th at 7 p.m.
Though he spent most of his career in service to Lutheran churches, Bach spent an eventful 6 years at the court of Anhalt-Köthen. It was in this Calvinist principality that the composer would write some of his most celebrated instrumental works, including a collection of six concerti dedicated to the Margrave of Brandenburg.
Tuesday, July 23rd at 7 p.m.
Though he was not considered a top-tier candidate at the time, Bach was ultimately hired for what would be his longest-tenured job: Kapellmeister of the St. Thomas Church in Leipzig. It was during the early years of this appointment that Bach would write some of his most celebrated church cantatas.
Bach: Transcendent: The Quest for Musical Perfection
Tuesday, July 30th at 7 p.m.
In 1747, Bach would meet with none other than the King of Prussia himself, Frederick the Great. Here we will explore the story of the "Musical Offering" and see how Bach turned the tables on the sanctimonious Prussian monarch.