Chamber Music from the Baroque Era and the Classical Era

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About this Concert:

In this concert, we contrast how the Baroque Era and Classical Era approached music written for 2-3 players. It is a mistake to think of it as some kind of ascendant evolution culminating in Beethoven, any more than it is to think of a Picasso as “better” than a Boticelli. Rather, think of it as music composed based on the norms of the time, but seeking new ways to excite the passions of contemporary listeners.

For the first half of the program, featuring Baroque chamber music, Keith Womer will perform on the harpsichord, the preferred ensemble keyboard instrument of the Baroque era, and Eric Smith will perform on the viola da gamba. Although it looks like a cello, the gamba is the bass instrument of a entirely distinct family of strings. Its sound is more supple and nuanced than the cello, and its range is much greater. Both the gamba and the harpsichord lack the power and projection of the cello and fortepiano respectively, but that is by design. The aesthetic of the time was for a rounder sound which allowed the instruments to blend rather than stand out individually.

In the second half of the program, featuring Classical chamber music, Anton Nel will perform on the fortepiano, which became the premier keyboard instrument of the Classical era. Eric will switch to a cello. However, both instruments, as well as Stephen Redfield’s violin, are still quite different from modern instruments. They produce a more rounded, responsive sound that Mozart and Beethoven wrote music for.

We hope you are inspired by this music. We also hope you enjoy learning how beauty is created in different eras.

The Performers: