Music of the Baroque to offer Schubert as well as Bach and Handel in 2013-14

Thu Mar 07, 2013 at 11:56 am

By Lawrence A. Johnson

Tenor Paul Agnew will conduct Music of the Baroque’s brass and choral holiday concerts in December.

Music of the Baroque will take to the road as well as reach further into the 19th century  than ever before next season with music of Schubert as well as Beethoven.

Jane Glover, whose contract as music director was recently extended for five years, will split podium duties evenly in the ensemble’s 2013-14 season with principal guest conductor Nicholas Kraemer, with each leading three of the seven programs. Also, except for the holiday concerts, none of the other programs will be performed in a church with MOB dates divided between the Harris Theater downtown and the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie.

Kraemer will open MOB’s season October 6 in Skokie with an all-Bach program that will feature the Magnificat and Cantatas 159 and 197. He will also lead a March program of Bach and Handel featuring the former’s Cantata No. 209 and Violin Concerto in A minor (soloist TBA) as well as Handel’s Concerto Grosso in B flat (Op. 3, no. 2) and vocal excerpts from Handel’s cantata, Apollo e Dafne with soloists Katherine Watson and Philip Cutlip. Kraemer will close the season in May with Handel’s Music for the Royal Fireworks on a program that will also feature William Buchman as soloist in a Vivaldi bassoon concerto and music of Purcell, Rameau and C.P.E. Bach.

Glover’s three programs will concentrate almost entirely on Classical and Romantic repertory next season. The British conductor will lead a November program featuring Schubert’s Symphony No. 5, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2 and Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 17 with soloist Artur Pizarro.

Next January, she will lead performances of Mozart’s Coronation Mass (soloists TBA) with Haydn’s Symphony No. 85 (La reine) and two popular Handel Coronation Anthems, “The King shall rejoice” and “My heart is inditing.”

In March, Glover will conduct Haydn’s oratorio, The Creation, with soloists Elizabeth Futral, tenor Nicholas Phan and bass-baritone Christophoren Nomura, a program they will take on the road to California, performing at the La Jolla Music Society on April 5.

Paul Agnew, a frequent MOB guest as tenor soloist, will make his American conducting debut, leading the holiday brass and choral concerts in December.

For subscription information, call 312-551-1414 or go to baroque.org.

Posted in News


3 Responses to “Music of the Baroque to offer Schubert as well as Bach and Handel in 2013-14”

  1. Posted Mar 07, 2013 at 10:53 pm by Roland Buck

    So now not only is Beethoven music from the Baroque, but Schubert is. THIS IS REDICULOUS, GIVE US A BREAK! Either they should change the name of the organization, or they should replace Glover with someone who actually wants to conduct Baroque music. It is clear that she would rather conduct classical and romantic works. Or, as a third alternative, they should divide the Organization into two separate orchestras: A genuined Music from the Baroqe and an orchestra specializing in classical and early romantic works.

  2. Posted Mar 07, 2013 at 10:58 pm by Roland Buck

    Lovers of Baroque music should be grateful for the presence of the Baroque Band, which actually lives up to its name and performs baroque music.

  3. Posted Mar 12, 2013 at 10:16 am by Roland Buck

    There is only one concert (not counting the Christmas Brass and Choral concert) that includes Baroque composers in addition to Bach and Handel. They used to do a significant amount of Telemann in the past, but their coverage of the Baroque repitoire has become very restricted.

Leave a Comment