The next "Carnegie Hall Live!" series being presented on Classical Showcase Friday evening at 7, features an all-Bach program. The Academy of Ancient Music, one of the premier period-instrument group from England, will play all four of the Orchestral Suites of Johann Sebastian Bach.
The Academy of Ancient Music was founded in 1973 by Christopher Hogwood to perform music of the Baroque and Classical eras in authentic style on the kinds of instruments that would have been used at the time. The orchestra was named after a group founded in London in 1726 to play "old" music. Since 2006, Richard Egarr has been the music director and conductor of the Academy and will lead Friday evening's performance at Carnegie Hall.
J.S. Bach's Orchestral Suites were not conceived as a set in the way the Brandenburg Concertos were but were written over a period of years (1724-1739) with many changes along the way. Bach's genius for invention and contrapuntal writing is as evident in the four suites as in the Brandenburgs, and they are a delight all the way through. They'll be performed out of numerical order, saving Suite No. 3, with its famous "Air," for last.
Tune in to Classical 101 Friday evening at 7 for a "Bach Bonanza" on Classical Showcase.
