Bach in Baltimore Performs Bach Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 This Sunday

Bach in Baltimore performs Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 on Sunday, October 23 at 4 pm at Towson United Methodist Church at 501 Hampton Lane, Towson. Maestro T. Herbert Dimmock will lead the Bach in Baltimore orchestra and featured soloists Theodore Davis, harpsichord; Sara Nichols, flute; and Michael Vaughn trumpet in the work that is regarded as one of the greatest gifts to come out of the Baroque Era. The concert also includes Bach’s Cantata 182: Himmelskönig, sei willkommen (King of Heaven, welcome) with featured soloists Keesun Kwon, soprano; Sylvia Leith, alto; Morgan Mastrangelo, tenor; and Eliam Ramos, bass. Live and Live-Streamed tickets are available at bachinbaltimore.org.

In 1721, J.S. Bach presented the Margrave of Brandenburg with an expensively bound manuscript containing six concertos orchestra modeled on Antonio Vivaldi’s progressive concerto grosso style. Bach’s gift to the wealthy nobleman was a kind of 16th century job applications, as Bach feared he was about to be fired from his position as the Music Director at the Court of Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Cothen—as proved to be the case. Bach never managed to get a hearing from the Margrave, and instead become Thomaskantor (cantor at St. Thomas's) in Leipzig, a post he would hold until his death in 1750. Three centuries later, audiences continue to be moved by the Brandenburg Concertos and they are widely regarded as some of the best orchestral compositions of the Baroque era.

What makes Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 especially remarkable is the extended solo for the harpsichord. Concertos for keyboard instruments were quite untypical in the Baroque period. At the time the harpsichord’s role was simply to support the soloists, here the flute and violin. In this concerto, however, Bach highlights the harpsichord, and gives the keyboard player an opportunity to show off their own virtuosity and demonstrate the capabilities of their instrument.

Individual adult tickets ($33-35), Student tickets ($10 with Student ID), children’s tickets ($5), and live-streaming tickets (starting at $15) are available for purchase at bachinbaltimore.org, by calling 410-941-9262. Tickets will be available for purchase at the door, beginning at 3:30pm.