Musicians of the Old Post Road present: Fit for a King - Frederick the Great at 300

Musicians of the Old Post Road has planned an exuberant program of Baroque music in celebration of the 300^th Birthday of Frederick the Great, King of Prussia. Fit for a King: Frederick the Great at 300 will be performed at First Parish in Wayland on March 9, 2012 at 8:00 PM and again at Old South Church in Boston on March 10 at 3:00 PM.

An accomplished musician, as well as admired monarch, Frederick II (1712-1786) was a man of many contrasts. Der Alte Fritz was a much beloved figure in his country, credited with the modernization of Prussia, making it one of the great powers of the European continent in that era.

As a boy, Frederick showed no natural inclination to his future militaristic endeavors. His bullying father imposed strict limitations on the types of things Frederick was permitted to study, insisting he be educated as a “simple” person. He managed to circumvent this oppressive order by conspiring with his mother and his tutor to accumulate a secret library of over 3,000 volumes. His interests naturally turned to the arts, music, and philosophy. It was during this time that Frederick met the flutist J. J. Quantz and began occasional lessons with him. Quantz was to later become his mentor and his longest-lasting musical influence. When his father died in 1740, Frederick’s musical and artistic respite ended as he ascended to the throne and took on the role of military leader and statesman while immediately revitalizing the arts. He built up the musical establishment at court to the extent that, by 1754, it employed over 50 musicians.

Under the tutelage of Quantz, Frederick developed a respectable technique as a flutist, and was known for playing with great feeling and the lavish embellishment of slow movements. His lasting musical influence, however, is in the high quality of the music that was written by the court composers he patronized over the course of his long reign. Musicians of the Old Post Road’s performance will feature chamber works by the major composers of his court. These include Frederick’s mentor Quantz, who composed hundreds of concertos, solos, and chamber works for him, the virtuoso violinist Franz Benda, Carl Heinrich Graun, Johann Janitsch, and C. P. E. Bach, whose probing, expressive style was never favored by the musically conservative king. In addition to the prolific chamber music enjoyed at court, Frederick also encouraged the performance of opera and commissioned the building of a monumental opera house in Berlin, a replica of which still stands.

Musicians of the Old Post Road will feature guest oboist Sarah Davol for this program. Ms. Davol is a prominent period and modern oboist active in New York City and has performed with American Classical Orchestra, Concert Royal, the Washington Bach Sinfonia, and Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra. She will be joined by ensemble members Suzanne Stumpf, traverso, Sarah Darling, violin, Daniel Ryan, cello, and Michael Bahmann, harpsichord. The concert is co-presented by the Wayland Historical Society. Fittingly, a post-concert reception will include Birthday cake.

Tickets for this concert are $30 general admission, $25 for seniors, students, and Wayland Historical Society members. Children ages 7 to 17 are admitted free when accompanied by an adult. More information about Musicians of the Old Post Road and the upcoming concert is available at www.oldpostroad.org.