Works
for flute, oboe, viola, harpsichord and chamber orchestra performed by Chamber
Music Society of Lincoln Center members Paula Robison, Steven Taylor, Andreas
Brantelid, and John Gibbons, and A Far Cry.Bach: Sonata
in D Major for viola da gamba and harpsichord, BWV 1028Bach: Trio
Sonata in G Major for flute, oboe, and continuo, BWV 1039Purcell:
The Old Bachelor, Z. 607What
better way, in the days before television, iPhones, movies, and all other forms
of electronic distraction, to pass the evening than listening to live music? Bach’s
sonatas for viola da gamba were written at a time when the instrument was
waning—most of the great players were in their final years, or had already
passed on. The sonata we’ll hear requires particularly incredible technical
prowess, and one can’t help but rejoice in the fact that musicians today still
perform these wonderful sonatas. Next is another sonata from that same set, an
arrangement for woodwinds and continuo that allows the delightfully imitative
individual lines to shine. We end with a lovely set of incidental music written
by Purcell for the Restoration comedy The Old Bachelor. Though perhaps less
familiar than the composer’s operas, Purcell’s theatre music is not at all
short on charm or tunefulness; indeed some of his best-loved songs come from
this part of his oeuvre.