A whispered "Wow!" for the Festival of Bach

A whispered "Wow!"  That was my initial reaction.

Suggested to me earlier in the day in a telephone conversation with the inimitable, irrefutable queen of what Pittsburgh events are happening, Joanne Quinn-Smith of Eventsburgh, I met up with a friend and we entered the free concert "Festival of Bach" at about 7:30 PM.  Within moments we were swept up in the music, with excellent acoustics provided by Calvary Episcopal Church in Shadyside in their elegant sanctuary.  The ornamentation, inscriptions on stained glass windows, and carved woodwork were such that this church might belong on every list of 'places to visit in Pittsburgh',even without the music.

Since I had mentioned to Joanne earlier of dabbling in music earlier in life, she asked me to 'review' the performance.  In a nutshell and considering this free concert was in a church, I'm giving it a "Wow!" in mezzo forte.  Anything as grand as what we heard should be given respect.

The audience reaction at the end of the performance?  A standing ovation plus applause at triple forte if not more.

A brief glimpse of what we missed and what we didn't miss...

Missed between 10am and early afternoon:

• "Toccata and Fugue" in D Minor
• "Concerto for 4 harpsichords" followed by two concertos for 3 harpsichords
• "Fantasie and Fugue" in G Minor
• "Selections from Lute Suite" in G Minor
• Chorale Prelude
• "Prelude and Fugue" in C Major

and 4 1/2 more hours' worth before my friend and I arrived

What we enjoyed, in progress at approximately 7:25 pm:

• Prelude and Fugue in E minor (underway when we arrived, nicely done)
• Flights of Fancy:  A Flurry of Fugues (by the Zephyr Recorder Consort)
• Chorale and Contata
• Cello Suite in E-flat Major (by soloist Hannah Whitehead)
• Magnificat! (punctuation added, separate review follows)

The Magnificat was a blending of voices from five separate Pittsburgh musical groups including:

• The Bach Choir of Pittsburgh,
  
• Chamber Music Pittsburgh,
  
• Chatham Baroque,
  
• the Pittsburgh Camerata, and
  
• Renaissance and Baroque

Bach Choir, couresty http://bachchoirpittsburgh.org

12 hours of THIS music for free?  In a word, magnificent!
Credits:  Coordination by and through the Pittsburgh Music Alliance, Andrew Swenson, General Manager.  Additional information can be found at www.pittsburghmusicalliance.org
And, from the printed program:  The Festival of Bach has been made possible through the generosity of the Fine Foundation, an anonymous donor, and individual donors.  The members of the Pittsburgh Music Alliance would also like to thank the Allegheny Regional Asset District and Heinz Endowments for their sustaining support of PMA over the last three years.  This commitment has made it possible for us to collaborate on many things, and has supported our work throughout the planning phases for the Festival of Bach.  We thank Calvary Episcopal Church and all their staff, for their help and hospitality, and our meda sponsor WQED-FM for helping to spread the word about great music in Pittsburgh.

Carl Bromley,  Networker, Publcist, Community Activist
Founder and Co-Owner Local4All
"The PlaceMat Guy"
Idea Guy for Hire for Small Businesses Who Want to Grow
WEBSITE
CONTACT
724-822-4249