The life of 18th century aristocrats was, of necessity, one of artifice and show. A small German princedom might not have the funds for a huge army, but could certainly give a strong impression of wealth and sophistication to visiting heads of states by a stunning array of art and music.
While, in some courts, the music was simply an aural backdrop to the cluttering of cutlery, in other places, sophisticated banqueting music was played between the different courses or after the meal, and the diners listened with as much attention as in an actual concert. The latter would take place in the more illustrious courts - in Fredrick the Great's Berlin, or Louis XIV Versailles, and this is the format we have chosen to present to you tonight.
Penelope Spencer - violin
Catherine Rimer - cello
Silas Standage - harpsichord
Programme
Jacques Duphly
b Rouen, 1715; d Paris, 1789
La de Redemond
Tomaso Antonio Vitali
b Bologna, 1663; d Modena, 1745
Chaccone
Antonio Vivaldi
b Venice, 1678; d Vienna, 1741
Cello Sonata in Bb major RV 47 (1716-17)
Johann Sebastian Bach
b Eisenach, 1685; d Leipzig, 1750
Sonata in G for violin and continuo, BWV 1021
Listening Guides Sample
