Bach Akademie Australia are bringing musical masterpieces to The Joan on November 14, presenting four of the six Brandenburg Concertos in one concert.
Artistic Director and Founder of Bach Akademie Australia Madeleine Easton explained it’s rare to hear the Brandenburg Concertos performed as a set.
“This is a great chance to hear these complete masterpieces in one go in one place,” Easton declared.
“You’re going to hear some of the most famous pieces of music ever written by the one and only J. S. Bach.”
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period, and he wrote the Brandenburg Concertos as a job application.
“In the early 1720s in the town of Kothen, Bach was working for Duke Leopold Anhalt of Kothen and he wanted to get out of there. His wife had recently passed away, and he wanted to find more secure employment because he had ten children to support,” Easton explained.
“He wrote these concertos and sent them to the margrave of Brandenburg up the road. The margrave of Brandenburg didn’t even open the package; it just went into a cupboard and was forgotten about.
“The Brandenburg Concertos were discovered almost a century later and the minute they were opened, people realised they were masterpieces.”
The music has gone on to inspire film and television soundtracks and was even sent into space on the Voyager probe in 1977 to represent the pinnacle of classical music.
“It’s extremely important music for humanity. It represents some of the most incredible examples of chamber music anyone ever wrote,” Easton stated.
“I could tell you from a technical point of view how fantastic this music is, but it’s so full of joy and makes you want to dance.
“What you can expect to hear at The Joan is really great, fun, joyous music and some pretty whizbang virtuosity because they’re not easy, they fly all over the instruments they’re written for.”
Easton is one of Australia’s most respected violinists, and her passion for Bach’s music is fueling her mission to bring his genius to stages across the country.
“I looked around the world, and I realised that lots of other countries have dedicated Bach orchestras, but Australia didn’t have one. So, I took everything I’d learnt throughout my 20 years of studying and working in Europe and around the world, and I brought that back here and gathered a bunch of musicians that love Bach as much as I do,” Easton explained.
“I aim to do what the other Bach ensembles are doing and put this music at the forefront of classical stages around the country.
“If people don’t get to experience this music – particularly live – they may never discover it and they may never fall in love with it. If we get out there to the regions, and to Penrith, people get to hear this music and connect with it in the way that people have for centuries.”
Book a ticket at: www.thejoan.com.au.
