Infusion Baroque Digs the Dirt
Admit it. Everybody loves a good scandal, and one of celebrity’s perks is having your life held up not just for scrutiny, but often for gossip, ridicule, and the schadenfreude of lesser mortals. But why settle for the backbiting, wretched excesses, or even the violent deaths of today’s rock and hip-hop stars when we can go back a few centuries and revel in the shame of our true culture heroes, Bach, Telemann, and Leclair?
That’s the question asked by Infusion Baroque, winners of EMA’s 2014 Baroque Performance competition, who will be making their SFEMS debut the weekend of March 11–13, with a program titled “Rebels and Rivalries.” Evoking the spirit of Spinal Tap’s Intravenus de Milo, Infusion’s program offers a new perspective on the old, infusing some wit into a repertory we often conceive a bit too reverently. Their program juxtaposes works by superstars of the late baroque with scandalous tales of their personal lives, featuring family shame, professional shame, national rivalry, sibling rivalry, face-offs between dueling virtuosi, and even some extra-musical dueling that landed one famous musician in the slammer.
The cast of castigated characters includes Jean-Marie Leclair, Francesco Geminiani, Georg Philipp Telemann, and no fewer than three members of the Bach family, as well as a few less familiar names who were equally renowned contenders in their day.
The cast of Infusion Baroque includes Alexa Raine-Wright, baroque flute and recorder; Sallynee Amawat, baroque violin; Camille Paquette-Roy, baroque cello; and Rona Nadler, harpsichord. Winners of the Grand Prize and Audience Prize at the 2014 Early Music America Baroque Performance Competition, this young, Montreal-based ensemble is drawing a new audience to early music with their innovative programming and performances described as “dynamic and alive.” Don’t miss hearing them infuse some spring air and fresh energy to the music we love.
SFEMS presents Infusion Baroque on Friday, March 11, 8:00 p.m., at First Presbyterian Church of Palo Alto; March 12, 7:30 p.m., at St. John’s Presbyterian Church in Berkeley; and Sunday, March 13, 4:00 p.m. at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in San Francisco. Order tickets online or call the SFEMS box office at 510-528-1725.
Read Sallynee Anawat’s program notes on their concert.
