Concerto

Interpreters

Richard Egarr . Direction and harpsichord
Stuttgarter Kammerorchester

Programme

Arcangelo Corelli
Concerto grosso in D major, Op. 6 No. 1

Georg Friedrich Handel
Concerto grosso in A minor, Op. 6 No. 4
Concerto grosso in G minor, Op. 6 No. 6

Johann Sebastian Bach
Harpsichord Concerto in G minor, BWV 1058

Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy
Symphony No. 9 in C major, ‘Swiss’

“It is often said that Schubert was something of the first ‘Romantic’. To be honest, I find the label ‘Romantic’ rather dangerous. For me, Monteverdi, Bach and Handel (…) are just as ‘Romantic’ as Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky. (…) Their music is simply more direct. Baroque music is like a precise mirror image of our emotions.” (Richard Egarr)

When the British virtuoso Richard Egarr briefly rises from the harpsichord whilst conducting an orchestra, continuing to play with his left hand, it is as though he were floating above the floor. A magician, enchanted by the music itself! Opening with Corelli’s Opus 6 (which made a profound impression not only on Handel but also inspired him to compose his own Opus 6), Bach’s Harpsichord Concerto BWV 1058 and Mendelssohn’s 9th String Symphony, Egarr and the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra transform familiar milestones of the repertoire into something vibrant and alive, as if we were hearing them for the very first time. Egarr’s concerts are acclaimed worldwide for their vitality and joy of playing, their attention to detail and their overwhelming beauty. “Egarr brought a sense of joy to every note from beginning to end”. (Cincinnati Business Courier)