Be inspired, transported and uplifted in this, a journey through no less than 600 years of music celebrating Christmas. From Pachelbel’s beloved Canon, heard afresh on our period instruments, through to the rich, melting harmonies of Tchaikovsky and John Taverner’s spare, haunting, The Lamb, plus a brand new piece by Roderick Williams, written especially for the occasion. Music that will resonate with you for long after the concert, and a perfect start to the Holiday season.

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Six Centuries Of Christmas

First Congregational Church

First Congregational Church of Berkeley

War Memorial and Performing Arts Center

Stanford University

Acronym

Central Park

It’s easy to forget now, when the music seems so familiar, that composers throughout history have been innovators, producing music that startled, confounded and even shocked audiences of their day. So it’s entirely natural that one of the “disruptors” of 21st century classical music, Mason Bates, rubs shoulders with Franz Biber, Georg Muffat, and Johann Heinrich Schmelzer in this program. Known for his compositions which bring together the worlds of orchestral music and electronics, Mason’s new work for us is sure to be an unmissable opener to these concerts.
Muffat shared Mason’s love of combining unlikely bedfellows, known for combining contrasted national musical styles. In these season-closing concerts we hear his celebratory Mass, together with a selection of rich and multi-layered Sonatas by Biber and a wrenching lament for strings and continuo by Schmelzer.

From Muffat to Mason

Artistic Partner Richard Egarr brings both dramatic flair and tenderness to works from the Baroque era. Johann Heinrich Schmelzer and Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber were pioneers of the violin and their groundbreaking music uses new techniques to depict the sounds of battle, rowdy soldiers singing at a pub and the song of a nightwatchman. Johann Sebastian Bach’s beloved Orchestral Suite No. 3 is filled with flashy brass fanfares and vigorous dances, and includes “Air on the G String,” one of his most famous melodies

Bach’s Orchestral Suite No. 3 with Richard Egarr

St. Andrew's Lutheran Church

Temple Israel

Ordway Center for the Performing Arts

A wide-ranging instrumental concert of dances from the British Isles, the New World, Italy, Spain, France, Germany and Austria, showcasing the variety and richness in Baroque-era dance music. Perhaps you remember the joyous “Dancing in the Isles” program in 2016? Come for more toe-tapping traditional medleys and artful suites on Friday night, making the most of the excellent acoustics at St. Michael and All Angels in Corona del Mar. A Friday night like no other!

The Joy of the Dance

Saint Michael & All Angels Episcopal Church

Valencia Baryton Project

Ann E. Pitzer Center

Join Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and baroque master Monica Huggett for music by Biber, Muffat, Rittler and more.

Monica Hugget & Bohemian Trumpets

First Presbyterian Church of Santa Monica

Colburn School

Johann Heinrich Schmelzer

Events

7 - 9 Dec, 2023

Six Centuries Of Christmas · Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & Chorale

Jun 13, 2023

Acronym · Naumburg Orchestral Concerts

27 - 30 Apr, 2023

From Muffat to Mason · Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & Chorale

12 - 15 Jan, 2023

Bach’s Orchestral Suite No. 3 with Richard Egarr · Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra

Jun 24, 2022

The Joy of the Dance · Baroque Music Festival Corona del Mar

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