COFFEE WITH MR BACH

AGE OF DISCOVERY (AOTEAROA/NEW ZEALAND)

Programme

Cantata 'Schweight stille' BWV 211 - JS Bach

Concerto in D minor BWV 1063 for 3 harpsichords and strings - JS Bach

Sunday 17 March, 2013

Concert Chamber, Auckland Town Hall

Auckland Arts Festival 2013 beckons one and all to take a load off and perk themselves up with a shot of java and Johann at Coffee with Mr Bach, a delightful Early Music performance from New Zealand's Age of Discovery. With a programme comprising Bach's Coffee Cantata and Concerto in D Minor, Coffee with Mr Bach is an opportunity to hear two pieces rarely performed together in New Zealand reverberate through the Concert Chamber, nearly three hundred years after their creation.

Coffee with Mr Bach will immerse audiences in the atmosphere of an eighteenth-century Leipzig coffee-house. The Coffee Cantata is also called Schwegt stille, plaudert nicht, which translates as 'Be still and stop chattering'. Composed in 1732 by a java-loving Johann, this satirical cantata was written during a time when coffee was a restricted substance in Germany. With a libretto based on a poem by Christian Friedrich Henrici, the story centres around a father named Schlendrian, translated as 'stick in the mud', who begins a protracted debate with his stubborn young daughter Lieschen about her coffee addiction. Hilarious results ensue, revealing Bach's comic side.

Following the Coffee Cantata is Bach's expressive Concerto in D Minor for three harpsichords and strings, composed in 1733. Considered one of Bach's finest harpsichord concertos, it has been said to have been created for playing at home with his two eldest sons.

Age of Discovery was formed in 2006 and promotes Early Music from the Renaissance to the early Romantic period. The Ensemble seeks to draw new audiences to Early Music with the belief that historically informed shows such as the Coffee Cantata can help audiences to better appreciate the Early Music genre. The group's instrumental and vocal ensembles include leading players of historic instruments and New Zealand's most experienced ensemble singers.

James Tibbles is Artistic Director and Trust Board Chair of Age of Discovery. One of New Zealand's leading players of historic keyboards (harpsichord, fortepiano and organ), Tibbles is internationally recognised for his creative leadership, commitment to excellence, and for his energetic promotion of Early Music in the community. He has an active performing career as a soloist, director, recording artist and conductor, and is Head of the Early Music Department at The University of Auckland. Tibbles is also appearing in Auckland Arts Festival's Little Britten.

www.aaf.co.nz

Ah, how sweet coffee tastes - lovelier than a thousand kisses, sweeter far than muscatel - Lieschen

SEASON DETAILS

Show Coffee with Mr Bach

Where Concert Chamber, Auckland Town Hall

When Sunday 17 March, 3pm

Duration 1hr

Price Coffee-house style tables

GA $45 / Friend/Conc/Group $41

Bookings Book at THE EDGE: www.buytickets.co.nz / 09 357 3355 / 0800 289 842

Group bookings: groups@the-edge.co.nz / 09 357 3354

Information www.aaf.co.nz

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Twitter: @Aklfestival

Media enquiries Siobhan Waterhouse, Publicist  P: +64 (0)9 374 0317 | M: +64 (0) 22 126  4149 | E: siobhan.waterhouse@aucklandfestival.co.nz

With support from Creative New Zealand