Berkshire Bach Harpsichord Festival - October 19 at Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church, Stockbridge
Great Barrington, October 1, 2024: The Berkshire Bach Society (BBS) concludes its Harpsichord Festival with the second of two concerts at Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church in Stockbridge, MA, on October 19, 4pm, when Elliot Figg and Caitlyn Koester play Skeletons of the Opera, a concert of Baroque opera transcriptions for harpsichord, four hands.
“Berkshire Bach is delighted to present our harpsichord recitalists in this special program of theatrical music,” said Terrill McDade, Executive Director of The Berkshire Bach Society. “It’s an opportunity to hear these wonderful musicians play the music from arguably the most important invention of the Baroque era—opera—with all the drama, contrasts, and different humors that characterize theatre music of the period.”
Berkshire Bach audiences may remember the duo’s two-harpsichord recital last season in which they played music by members of the two great keyboard dynasties of the Baroque era, the Couperin and Bach families. This year they showcase theatre music by Henry Purcell, G.F. Handel, J-B Lully, and the rarely-heard Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre, musician to Louis XIV and one of the few well-known women composers of the time. The program provides the opportunity to hear the distinct national flavors of English and French opera side-by-side before Handel established the international style that reigned for a quarter century and influenced every contemporary composer, including J.S. Bach.
Join us for an afternoon of operatic drama expressed through the unique sonority of the harpsichord, the universal keyboard instrument for professionals and amateurs alike in the Baroque era. October 19 at Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church in Stockbridge, MA. Tickets: $45 Nonmembers | $40 BBS Members | $10 Card to Culture | Children under 18 and Students with valid ID FREE!
Visit www.berkshirebach.org/events for more information on this and all other events.
The Berkshire Bach Society is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization under the U.S. tax code and the oldest, continuously operating, membership-based music organization in the Berkshires. Donations to the Society are deductible to the full extent of the law.