Sound Spaces: A Prima Vista

Musical life in London during the 18th century was dynamic, internationally influenced, and commercialized; Italian opera played a central role, while at the same time public concert series such as the Bach-Abel concerts became established. At the same time, Amsterdam developed into a center for music publishing and bourgeois musical culture, while in Paris the transition from the courtly splendor of the French Baroque style to private music-making and an Italian-influenced Galant style was taking place.

Shall it be Pietro dell’Antoni or Johann Joachim Quantz? Leila Schayegh and harpsichordist Martin Zimmermann are bringing no fewer than 45 manuscripts and prints, which they have previously checked only visually for completeness but have never played.

The audience has the freedom to shape the program themselves and is thus spoiled for choice: Only once they arrive will the listeners decide which works will be performed.

This results in a spontaneous, one-of-a-kind program that offers both fascinating insights and entertainment regarding the selected pieces and their source material. The focus is on the impressive art of a-prima-vista performance—playing a score for the first time off the cuff.

Program

2:00 p.m.

Flash Talk

2:30 p.m.

Concert

3:30 p.m.

Coffee with the Artists

• Leila Schayegh, violin
• Martin Zimmermann, harpsichord