Pair of Programs to Celebrate Anniversary
This fall marks 40 years of continuous music making for the Albany Consort. First formed in October 1974 at Christ Church, Albany Street, London, the name moved to the Bay Area along with founder Jonathan Salzedo in 1981. It is really a big umbrella for co-directors Jonathan and his wife Marion Rubinstein—their place to explore repertoire with friends. Since 1981 it has become a fixture of Bay Area music making, especially important on the Peninsula and in the South Bay, where the couple reside and do most of their performances.
To celebrate its anniversary, the consort will present a pair of concert the weekend of October 18–19, featuring two different programs. The first concert takes place Saturday, October 18, 7:00 p.m., at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Los Altos. A “micro-orchestra” program for recorder, oboe, violin, bassoon, cello and harpsichord, it will feature “Winter” from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, as well as concertos by Telemann and Fasch.
The second takes place Sunday, October 19, 4:00 p.m., at St. Bede’s Episcopal Church in Menlo Park. This one will be a Big Band Bash, involving over 30 musicians. The program will include Vivaldi’s “Autumn” from the Four Seasons, J.S. Bach’s “Birthday Cantata” BWV 214, and Bach’s Harpsichord Concerto in F.
A relaxed and informal atmosphere is one of the key things about an Albany Consort event. Although Jonathan lets you know that he is in charge, frequently introducing the music to be performed, and seating himself at the harpsichord in the middle of the group, he explains that the music works best when everyone shares the responsibility. A conductor holding the central focus is not really needed for their repertoire, which is almost exclusively from the 17th and 18th centuries. “There are risks,” Jonathan admits, “particularly when the group gets quite big. But the result has a quality that makes the risks worth taking. We are also not too concerned with getting things right. We like the freedom to try something out, even an idea that comes spontaneously in a performance, and our audiences really get this.”
The next 40 years? Jonathan claims that while he can still move a harpsichord he will continue to launch more forays into the past. But he has no specific long-term plans, just a general wish to continue to rediscover the past and confirm its relevance today.
For more information on these concerts, see this week’s calendar. For tickets, visit www.albanyconsort.com/tickets.
