Skip to main content
Enter search terms below…

Member News

BERKSHIRE BACH rings in the New Year with the SIX 'BRANDENBURG' CONCERTOS in Northampton, Great Barrington, and Troy



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 11, 2024

 

Great Barrington, December 11, 2024: The Berkshire Bach Society (BBS) returns with Bach at New Year’s—The Six ‘Brandenburg’ Concertos and Artistic Director Eugene Drucker leading the Berkshire Bach Ensemble on Monday, December 30 at 7pm at the Academy of Music (Northampton, MA), Tuesday, December 31 at 6pm at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center (Great Barrington, MA); and Wednesday, January 1 at 3pm at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall (Troy, NY). The Northampton performance is co-presented by Berkshire Bach and Classical NEPM; the Troy performance is co-presented by Berkshire Bach and WMHT.  Tickets for the performances are available through the box office at each venue. 

 

“Bach at New Year’s is a holiday tradition that began in 1993 as a marathon of Bach's six ‘Brandenburg’ Concertos,” said Terrill McDade, Executive Director of The Berkshire Bach Society. “In our 35th anniversary season we return to these iconic works and delight in showing off their remarkable character to our audiences.  Whenever we play the six concertos back-to-back, we marvel at Bach’s inventiveness, his command of form, and the ingenious way he creates six wonderful and totally distinct orchestral works that run the gamut of artistic expression.  They are quintessential Bach:  joyous, innovative, complex, satisfying—and a darn good musical work out for everyone!”

 

The ’Brandenburgs’ use a full orchestra of strings, winds, and harpsichord, with a touch of brass and were written over a period of years when Bach had highly skilled professional musicians at his disposal.  In fact, although they share a famous dedication to the Margrave of Brandenburg (and hence the moniker), Bach grouped and called the works a set only after the fact to satisfy a commission from the Margrave, probably choosing to recycle rather than create new works because the nobleman’s orchestra was more aspirational than real. In the event, the presentation manuscript was accepted, put in a drawer, and never used at the Margrave’s court.  It was rediscovered--and celebrated--in the 20th century.

 

Berkshire Bach audiences will recognize many of the virtuosi who have performed in Bach at New Year’s over the years (many since the beginning) and will be introduced to dazzling new players who continue to refresh the ensemble.  Our returning soloists include Artistic Director Eugene Drucker, Laura Lutzke, Brunilda Myftaraj, and Joel Pitchon, violin; Kenneth Weiss, harpsichord; Alison Hale and Judith Mendenhall, flute; Jessica Warren and Keve Wilson, oboe; Roberta Cooper, Ronald Feldman, and Alistair MacRae, cello; Ronald Gorevic and Liuh-Wen Ting, viola; Peter Weitzner, bass; and Maximilian Morel, high trumpet, who renders the clarino part in ‘Brandenburg’ No. 2 with thrilling aplomb. Newcomers Yevgeny Kutik, violin, Marka Gustavsson, viola, Charles Huang, oboe, Gina Cuffari, bassoon, and Karl Kramer Johansen and Zohar Schondorf, horn, round out the ensemble for their first ever Bach at New Year’s.

 

Join us in Northampton, Great Barrington, or Troy (NY) to celebrate the New Year with Berkshire Bach and hear the power, the beauty, and the triumph of Bach at New Year’s—The Six ‘Brandenburg’ Concertos.

 

Tickets for children under 18 and students with valid ID are always free. Visit www.berkshirebach.org for more information and follow us on Facebook.  Berkshire Bach is a 501(c)(3) non-profit membership organization that brings world-class performances of Baroque Music to the Berkshires and beyond.  

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Nicole Frisbee, VP/Chief Administrative Officer National Bank of Coxsackie [email protected] | (518) 731-6161                                                                                                      National Bank of Coxsackie Announces…
“City of Rensselaer is 1 of 10 Communities in New York State to Receive US EPA Grant”   RENSSELAER, N.Y. (March 19, 2025) – The City of Rensselaer recently learned it is one of ten communities in New York State to receive a Brownfield Assessment and Clean Up Grant from the US Environmental Protection Agency. "The brownfield grants are essential…
-Commencement Broll: https://tinyurl.com/3rry38n2 -Additional Commencement Photos: https://tinyurl.com/352drb55   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Edward Parham VP of Public Relations  Rueckert Advertising & Public Relations, Inc.  (518) 446-1091   MARIA COLLEGE MONARCHS SPREAD THEIR WINGS AT 63RD ANNUAL COMMENCEMENT AT SPAC   Albany, N.Y. (May…
Jun
05
The Rensselaer County Regional Chamber of Commerce is teaming up with the Alzheimer's Association to host an educational program for Understanding…
Thursday, June 5th, 8:30-9:30am
Jun
11
The 1 Million Cups Monthly Meetings are happening throughout 2025 in the Chamber's 1st Floor Conference Room! Held every second Wednesday of the month,…
9:00am-10:00am
Jun
12
Join us for a special combined anniversary celebration as the Rensselaer County Regional Chamber of Commerce marks 125 years and the Colonie Chamber of…
Boarding: 5PM | Ride: 5:30PM-8:30PM