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Details
St John's Smith Square
Smith Square
City of Westminster
London
SW1P 3HA
England
Programme
Georg Muffat – String Sonata no.2 (Armonico Tributo)
Johann Heinrich Schmelzer – Trio Sonata in E minor, S-Uu 8:5
Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber – Sonata violino solo representativa
Johann Heinrich Schmelzer – String Sonata no.8 G major (Sacroprofanus Conceptus Musicus)
Johann Philipp Krieger – Trio Sonata no.10 in A major
Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber – Sonata no.1 in B minor (Fidicinium Sacro Profanum)
Johann Heinrich Schmelzer – String Sonata no.7 in D major (Sacroprofanus Conceptus Musicus)
Johann Philipp Krieger – Trio Sonata no.9 in D minor
Georg Muffat – Suite no.7 in G major 'Constantia' (Florilegium Primum)
Performers
The Brook Street Band
Other concerts in this Series (+)
Programme Note
The emergence of a new style of violin writing in Germany in the 17th century (under composers including Biber, Muffat and Schmelzer) was to have a profound impact on the rise of the violin as a solo instrument in this region. Sensual music for 1 and 2 violins, 2 violas and continuo written by tonight’s composers, from the South of the country, is typified by its florid and ornate style.
Georg Muffat (1653-1704) lived through a time of immense political and musical change in Europe, influencing future generations of musicians. He studied and worked in France during the early part of Louis XIV’s reign, worked in Rome, encountering Corelli, and then in various parts of central Europe. This was a time of transformation in the musical landscape, with rivalry between old and new factions. Muffat was the first person to bring French musical language and the fashion for dance idiom to Germany. His immense skill in fusing different musical styles, be it German, French or Italian made him a true trendsetter.
Over this weekend The Brook Street Band (plus guests) delves into Muffat’s world, exploring the varied musical styles that informed and shaped him. The Band explores his legacy in the form of chamber and orchestral music by composers including Bach and Handel, with four concerts (plus a dance-music workshop and illustrated pre-concert talks) providing a comprehensive musical survey, as well as a natural ebb and flow in terms of mood and scale, small chamber versus orchestral line-ups, and art music versus dance music.
Concerts include music from Muffat’s Armonico Tributo ‘chamber sonatas suitable for few or many instruments’) in varying church and chamber style, as well a selection from the two volumes of Muffat’s ground-breaking Florilegium.
