Baroque Series - The Night

Vesa-Matti Leppänen, Director/Violin
Bridget Douglas, Flute

Corelli - Concerto Grosso in D major, Op. 6 No.1
Telemann - Overture-Suite in D, TWV 55:D21
Vivaldi - Flute Concerto in G minor, Op. 10 No. 2 La Notte
Fux - Overture in D minor, E109
Telemann - Overture-Suite in D, TWV 55:D22

As a violinist and composer, Corelli played a major role in the establishment of the Concerto Grosso, where a small group of soloists perform within a larger ensemble. Corelli’s Concerto Grosso in D major uses this style to great effect, as melodies are passed between small and large ensembles within the work.

Telemann’s family preferred for him to study law and forbade him from playing or learning music. He composed in secret and by age 12 had created the opera from which Overture-Suite D21 was derived, including, in Vesa-Matti Leppänen’s opinion “one of the most beautiful movements ever written.”

La Notte (The Night) is the second of Vivaldi’s six flute concertos from his Opus. 10. Performed in several short movements, it has a sense of the supernatural about it. NZSO Section Principal Flute Bridget Douglas features, taking on what she considers a rewarding, but technically challenging workout.

Johann Joseph Fux could be considered a forgotten genius of the Baroque period. As a theorist, his ideas explored harmony and intervals in music through mathematics. As a composer, his Overture in D minor lets you hear the beauty in its mathematical pureness.

Telemann’s Overture-Suite D22 is a fitting ending to the programme. Again, Telemann shows his skills in describing feelings and emotions in a work that showcases his brilliance.

Concert run time is approx. 86min