Just a handful of works from the baroque era have achieved widespread popularity, and high on that list are Johann Sebastian Bach’s beloved Brandenburg Concertos for a mix of of solo instruments.
The 18th-century works are usually peformed one or two at a time along with other repertoire, but a concert Thursday evening in Gates Concert Hall offered a rare treat — all six of the concertos on one program.
It would have been nearly impossible to find more suitable performers. The offering was part of a 14-concert North American tour featuring harpsichordist and director Richard Egarr and the Academy of Ancient Music from England.
Presenting this standard-setting early-instrument ensemble in such an unorthodox program was a commendably ambitious undertaking for the University of Denver’s Newman Center Presents series.
It proved an enormous success both artistically and at the box office, with the Newman Center selling 14 half-price standing-room tickets to the sold-out concert — something that virtually never happens in Denver.
A presentation of all six of these pieces might seem like too much of one thing, especially considering the concert ran more than 2-1/2 hours, but the constant variety of sound and texture and the Academy’s zestful, all-out performance style made the evening speed by.
Hearing these familiar works performed with instruments from Bach’s time suddenly makes them sound unfamiliar and even a little exotic.
Instead of the manicured, refined sonorities we have come to expect of modern instruments, their early equivalents produce a lighter, earthier and more transparent sound that is just as alluring in its own way.
By adhering to the spare instrumentation that Bach specified, these concertos come off more as intimate chamber works than orchestral compositions, making it even more important that each player be a strong performer.
That was certainly the case Thursday, as many of the musicians took turns as soloists. Among the standouts were recorder player Robert Ehrlich, violists Trevor Jones and Bill Thorp and trumpeter David Blackadder, with his high-flying solo in the Concerto No. 2.
Egarr showed off his dazzling agility at the keyboard during an enthralling cadenza in the Concerto No. 5.
Kyle MacMillan: 303-954-1675 or kmacmillan@denverpost.com
