In this concert, the Luthers Bach Ensemble presents a sparkling and versatile program in which vocal and instrumental Baroque music constantly mirror and reinforce one another. Central to the performance is the exceptional musicality of recorder player Lucie Horsch, who shines not only as an instrumentalist but also adds a surprising dimension as a singer.

The concert opens with the famous Violin Concerto in A by Johann Sebastian Bach, this time in an arrangement for recorder. In this version, the work takes on a unique character: the transparent sound of the recorder reveals new lines in Bach’s virtuosic writing style.

This is followed by the compact yet rich Missa Brevis by Buxtehude. With this work for choir and orchestra, we find ourselves in the North German tradition so admired by Bach. Legendary is the journey of over four hundred kilometers on foot that he undertook as a twenty-year-old to hear Buxtehude play in Lübeck. The first part of the concert concludes with a special moment: the aria Sovente il sole from Vivaldi’s opera Andromeda Liberata, with Lucie Horsch in the role of singer.

After the intermission, Vivaldi takes center stage with the Kyrie, Christe, Kyrie, a lively and contrasting choral work in which drama and devotion go hand in hand. Next, Lucie Horsch returns as soloist in the sparkling Concerto for Recorder in C. The concert concludes with the Kyrie and Gloria from Bach’s Lutheran Mass in A. In this music, all the lines of the program come together: the Italian influence, the German tradition, and the close intertwining of vocal and instrumental styles. With choir, orchestra, and solo contributions, it forms a festive and compelling conclusion to the concert.

Program

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Concerto in A minor, BWV 1041 (arr. for recorder)
Dietrich Buxtehude (ca. 1637-1707)
Missa Brevis, BuxWV 114
Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767)
Trio sonata in D minor, TWV 42:d7
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Sovente il sole from Andromeda Liberata

— pause —

Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Kyrie, Christe, Kyrie, RV 587
Concerto per Flautino in C, RV 444 (arr. for recorder)
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Kyrie and Gloria from Lutheran Mass in A, BWV 234