For their debut at the Castlemaine State Festival, Harken Well present a programme of 17th Century Germanic music, including works by Schmelzer, Buxtehude, Erlebach and Capricornus. Joined by continuo dream team Donald Nicolson (harpsichord) and Nick Pollock (theorbo), this is not to be missed.
Instigated by Franz Tunder, the father-in-law of Dieterich Buxtehude, in the mid-17th Century, the Abendmusik concert series was originally staged in the Marienkirche in Lübeck, Northern Germany. This series of evening concerts were patronised by local businesses and open to the public for free. The Abendmusik setting gave composers an opportunity to explore chamber music not usually performed in the church, such as the trio sonatas presented in this concert.
Embracing the aspects of improvisation, virtuosity and free form, which evolved from Stylus Fantasticus, Abendmusik had an enormous impact on the aesthetics of late 17th Century Germanic chamber music.
In this programme, Harken Well present glorious works for baroque violin and viola da gamba by famous composer/violinists, Samuel Friedrich Capricornus (1628-1665), and Johann Heinrich Schmelzer (1620/3-1680), alongside works by composer Philipp Heinrich Erlebach (1657-1714), and viola da gamba player and composer Dieterich Buxtehude (1637/9-1707).
See the Castlemaine State Festival website for details and tickets!