Klerksdorp Midweek Potchefstroom - As part of the first instalment of the South African Strings Foundation’s ‘Buckle Up for Baroque Strings’ touring series, members of the Cape Town Baroque Orchestra will present a concert of music from the Baroque era, on period-appropriate instruments, in the 2024 NWU Concert Series.
The “Battle of the Styles” will be on stage at 18:30 on Tuesday March 5. From the end of the 17th century, two prominent styles emerged in European music: the Italian style, with Corelli as one of the model composers, and the French style, with Lully’s music as a template.
Contemporary sources often debate the virtues and weaknesses of either of the styles. Towards the middle of the 18th century, as the styles of France and Italy overlapped, a new mixed style emerged, which was especially popular amongst German composers.
Annien Shaw (baroque violin), Rosamund Ender (viola da gamba/baroque cello), Uwe Grosser (baroque quitar, theorbo), and Erik Dippenaar (harpsichord) will showcase various Baroque stringed instruments in a varied concert programme of expressive repertoire from both distinct national styles, as well as examples of the merging of the two into a new integrated idiom.
It includes excerpts from François Couperin’s Nouveaux concerts, ou les Goûts réunis from 1724, referencing the unification of the two styles, as well as music by an Italian composer in the French style and music by a French composer in the Italian style!
The ‘Buckle up for Baroque Strings’ series is organised by the South African Strings Foundation and focuses on the promotion of Baroque music and Baroque stringed instruments.
They facilitate tours for Cape Town Baroque Orchestra members to present workshops, school demonstrations and concerts in various regions. Season tickets for the entire semester are available at R900 and will give you access to TEN School of Music Concert Series events. Book your tickets today at https://qkt.io/TheBattleOfTheStyles
