St Marylebone Summer Concert

J.S. Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos stand as some of the finest works in the Baroque repertoire. This special evening offers a rare opportunity to hear four of these masterpieces performed on period instruments, capturing the authentic vibrancy and brilliance of Bach’s sound world.

The programme features the beloved Third Concerto for strings, alongside the Fifth Concerto, a groundbreaking work showcasing the first-ever keyboard concerto with a dazzling harpsichord cadenza. The lesser heard Sixth Concerto brings a rich, archaic sonority with its unique scoring for two violas and viola da gambas.

The second half begins with Bach’s grand and French-influenced Second Orchestral Suite, with its majestic overture gradually evolving into what is essentially a flute concerto, culminating in the famous, exuberant Badinerie. The programme concludes with the Fourth Brandenburg Concerto, which initially presents itself as a work for strings and two recorders but ultimately transforms into one of the most thrilling and virtuosic violin solos in Bach’s oeuvre.

Programme

• Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D major
• Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 in B-flat major
• Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G major

(Interval – 20 minutes)

• Orchestral Suite No. 2 in B minor
• Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 in F major

Time: 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM (including a 20-minute interval)

Please take a moment to explore the music on Spotify before the concert!