Since its founding in Toronto in 1979, Tafelmusik has won international acclaim as “one of the world’s top Baroque orchestras” (Gramophone magazine).
On March 3, Tafelmusik, led by “perpetually fabulous” (Boston Globe) violinist Aisslinn Nosky, will present “Passions Revealed,” a program exploring Baroque music’s potential to stir the soul, as part of the Great Artists Series at Washington University in St. Louis.
“Passions Revealed” will begin with Johann Friedrich Fasch’s thundering Overture in D minor. A contemporary of Johann Sebastian Bach, Fasch was celebrated in his own lifetime but fell into obscurity during the 19th century. Today, he is considered an important innovator whose works bridge the Baroque and classical periods.
The program will continue with Pietro Locatelli’s wistful Concerto Grosso in C minor, Op. 1, No. 11, followed by “La Notte,” Antonio Vivaldi’s dreamlike Concerto for bassoon in B-flat Major. Tafelmusik’s Dominic Teresi will serve as soloist.
Next up will be the graceful “Chaconne” from Marin Marais’s tragic opera “Alcyone,” followed by Georg Philipp Telemann’s cheerful Orchestral Suite in B-flat Major and Bach’s explosive Concerto for 2 violins in D minor, with Nosky and Tafelmusik violinist Johanna Novom as soloists on the latter.
Concluding the evening will be Jean-Joseph de Mondonville’s crisply energetic Sonate en symphonies, No. 1 in G minor.
Tafelmusik
Grounded in scholarship and playing on period instruments, Tafelmusik (literally “table music” or “music for feasting”) is Canada’s most toured orchestra, having performed in more than 350 cities in 32 countries.
The group’s extensive discography includes more than 85 recordings for Sony Classical, BMG, CBC Records and their own on Tafelmusik Media. Their numerous honors include nine Juno Awards as well as the Canadian Music Council’s Grand prix du disque, the German Phonographic Academy’s Echo Klassik Award for best orchestra and the Healey Willan Prize in choral music.
Aisslinn Nosky
Hailed as “superb” by The New York Times and “a fearsomely powerful musician” by The Toronto Star, Nosky was a member of Tafelmusik from 2005 to 2016.
In 2011, Nosky was appointed concertmaster of the Handel and Haydn Society of Boston and also has appeared as guest director and soloist with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Holland Baroque, Portland Baroque Orchestra, and Juilliard 415. She served as principal guest conductor of the Niagara Symphony from 2016-19.
Great Artists Series
Sponsored by the Department of Music in Arts & Sciences, the Great Artists Series hosts intimate recitals with some of the brightest stars on the contemporary concert stage. Following Tafelmusik, the series will continue March 24 with pianist Joyce Yang, who will perform works by Rachmaninoff, Tchaikovsky and Stravinsky. The series will conclude April 28 with legendary soprano Christine Goerke, accompanied by pianist Craig Terry, in a “Celebration of the American Diva.”
Tickets and related events
The performance will begin at 7 p.m. Sunday, March 3, in WashU’s E. Desmond Lee Concert Hall. Tickets are $40, or $37 for WashU faculty and staff, and $15 for students and children. The E. Desmond Lee Concert Hall is located in the 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity Ave., at the intersection with Delmar Boulevard. Tickets are available through the Washington University Box Office, 314-935-6543. For more information, visit music.wustl.edu.
The Great Artists Series is made possible with support from the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency.
