Concerto x 4
From Brandenburg Concerto to concerto grosso
Händel – J.S. Bach – Telemann
Marcin Świątkiewicz, harpsichord and leader
Anthony Marini, violin and leader
Pauliina Fred, traverso and recorder
Sunniva Fagerlund, recorder
Finnish Baroque Orchestra
First violin: Anthony Marini (cm), Irina Kim, Juha-Pekka Koivisto, Hanna Pesonen
Second violin: Aira Maria Lehtipuu (prin.), Anna Pohjola, Pia Sundroos
Viola: Tuula Riisalo (prin.), Laura Kajander
Cello: Lea Pekkala (prin.), Tatu Ahola
Double bass: Petri Ainali
Traverso and recorder: Pauliina Fred
Recorder: Sunniva Fagerlund
cm = concertmaster
prin. = principal
Anthony Marini, programme planning
For the composers of the Baroque, the concerto was a less rigid structure than for their colleagues during the Classical period. Corelli consolidated the alternation between the concertino ensemble and the orchestra and Vivaldi the ritornello form based on repetition, but the masters had their own viewpoints. The classic works by Bach, Händel and Telemann performed in this concert paint their own clear picture of their composer’s personalities.
The soloists of the concert are Anthony Marini, Pauliina Fred, Sunniva Fagerlund as well as Marcin Świątkiewicz from Poland. Musicians from the FiBO performed together with the much appreciated Polish harpsichordist last autumn at the Helsinki Early Music Festival as well as in Norway and Poland.
Händel composed his 12 concerto grosso Op. 6 in September and October 1739 while he was working at the Lincoln Inn Fields Theatre. It was an important project despite the intensive work rate. This time, Händel meticulously prepared the material for the concertos in Corelli’s style for the publisher John Walsh. The earlier three concertos (Op. 3) were compiled by Walsh himself. In the fifth concerto in Op. 6, the alternation between the concertino group and the orchestra isn’t particularly important. Händel orchestrates the typical elements in a clever way and finishes the work with a minuet in variation form.
Behind Bach’s potent and restless harpsichord concerto in D minor (BWV 1052) we find two cantatas. The first movements are built upon the cantata Wir müssen durch viele Trübsal, depicting Jesus’ farewell and containing a magnificent organ obligato. The third movement in turn is based on the cantata Ich habe mein Zuversicht. It finds security in the midst of the anxiousness of the world. The beloved Brandenburg concertos bring a unique perspective on the concerto grosso. The soloists of the fourth concerto (BWV 1049) are two recorders and a violin, giving it a memorable timbre. Telemann wasn’t interested in concertos in the beginning of his career, but he later found his approach to the genre. In his concerto for recorder and traverso (TWV 52:e1) the dialogue and the surprising elements are in focus. The slow movement is intimate night music, accompanied by pizzicatos, finishing with a wild polonaise-rondo.
The concerts in Finland are organised in cooperation with the Polish Institute in Helsinki.
Duration: 1 h 45 min (incl. intermission)
FiBO's artistic planner Anthony Marini introduces the concert at the House of Nobility on 4 February from 5 pm to 5.30 pm.