Another Concert

Photos: March 27, 2016

Every day is a good day to listen to (or play) Bach. His music is so uplifting, so complex, so spiritual, so inspiring... There are so many adjectives I could add to describe his many works. Salle Bourgie is featuring all his cantatas, by many different groups over eight years. Read more here. These strings were ready for two cantatas written for Easter.



This performance was given by Ensemble Caprice, one of Montreal's many wonderful early music ensembles. I have followed this group since they first started performing in Montreal and have known many of the musicians both through their time at CAMMAC and through their Montreal musical offerings, both on the teaching side and performing. One of the artistic directors, Sophie Larivière is also the director of Flutissimo (the recorder orchestra I play in).  I loved her solo yesterday on baroque flute. Yesterday's performance was glorious. How can you go wrong with Bach?

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Bonus



A surprise on my way home. While this may look like a lovely pond for ducks - it is actually a drainage area - a catchment to help avoid flooding in a very urban surrounding area. These ducks seem to think it is a great place to stop. I hope they don't decide that it is a great place for a nest.

Musical Window

Musical Window, originally uploaded by susanvg.

I often go to concerts in Redpath Hall at McGill, but usually at night. An afternoon concert allowed me to admire the stained glass windows. This is the top part of one of three long windows. Music has had a place in universities since the Middle Ages when music theory was taught as one of the liberal arts. The men under the musician are composers - the names that can be seen are Pergolesi, Purcell, Palestrina and Monteverdi. I suspect, the white wigged gentleman is none other than Bach.

Should that be true, he was looking down on a concert of music by his son, C.P.E. Bach whose music has echoes of his father's, but in a very different style. A young harpsichordist, Mahan Esfahanis directed the orchestra from the harpsichord and then played incredibly.
Learn about him here.