PUBLICK MUSICK - BACH IN LONDON Concert to be Presented First Church of Christ, Scientist

In 1765, Johann Christian Bach and Carl Friedrich Abel, as partners, established the format of "Publick Concerts" for London audiences in order to showcase their compositions. During the course of nearly two decades of "Bach-Abel Concerts," they also introduced several Haydn symphonies prior to his coming to England years later.

Frederick Renz, Founder and Director of Early Music New York, has chosen representative works by these three composers that discerning subscribers to this exclusive concert series were privileged to hear before anybody else in London.

"Just as Italian opera dominated London stages earlier in the 18th century, concert works by German composers became the music of choice for English audiences later on, culminating in Joseph Haydn's two triumphant residencies in the 1790s," says Maestro Renz. "Johann Christian Bach, the youngest son of Johann Sebastian, and Carl Friedrich Abel - whose tercentary is this year - paved Haydn's way by programming his works alongside their own, establishing a hegemony whose influence lasted long into the next century."

Performance Details:

PUBLICK MUSICK

BACH IN LONDON

Saturday, March 4, 2023 at 7:30 pm

First Church of Christ, Scientist • Central Park West at 68th Street

~ Early Music New York, Frederick Renz, Director ~

Program to include

Carl Friedrich Abel (1723 - 1787)

Symphony in E-flat major, Op. 7:6, 1767 (attributed to Mozart as Symphony No. 3, K.18)

Johann Christian Bach (1735 - 1782)

Flute Quartet in C major, W.B 58, pub. 1776

Symphony in G minor, Opus 6:6, before 1769

Joseph Haydn (1732 - 1809)

Symphony in D major, Hob.I:53 "L'Impériale," ca. 1777-9

Symphony in D major, Hob. 1:70, 1779

(program subject to change)

Tickets

$40.00 reserved seats; $20.00 student (w/valid ID, available at door, day of, when available)

Tickets available by phone (212-280-0330), on-line (www.EarlyMusicNY.org)

and at the door, half an hour prior to performance.

Group discounts available by telephone. All major credit cards accepted.

This performance is supported in part by the

E. Nakamichi Foundation

About the Artists

FREDERICK RENZ - DIRECTOR

Frederick Renz, Founder/Director of the Early Music Foundation, is internationally acclaimed for his work as a conductor, producer, director, performer and scholar, presenting music and music drama from the eleventh through the eighteenth centuries. He has received commissions from the Spoleto Festival, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, individual grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Ingram Merrill Foundation, and awarded a doctorate honoris causa by the State University of New York, Fredonia. Detailed bio available on request.

EARLY MUSIC NEW YORK / EARLY MUSIC FOUNDATION

Early Music Foundation (EMF), a not-for-profit organization founded in 1974, is Artist-in-Residence at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in New York City. Under the leadership of Frederick Renz, EMF's mission is to foster public understanding and appreciation of music and music drama from the eleventh through the eighteenth centuries.

EMF presents the historical performance ensemble and orchestra EARLY MUSIC NEW YORK - FREDERICK RENZ, DIRECTOR; operates the recording label Ex cathedra Records; and a administers a service-to-the-field project, "New York Early Music Central" (NYEMC), sponsoring/managing city-wide festivals serving the NYC historically-informed artist community.

Now in its forty-eighth season, Early Music New York reaps international acclaim for vibrant and provocative performances of historically informed repertoire from the medieval through the classical eras.

About the Venue

The First Church of Christ, Scientist is located in the heart of the Lincoln Square neighborhood, within the landmark Central Park West Historic District. Designed by Frederick R. Comstock, the copper-domed Beaux-Arts-style edifice dates from the turn of the 20th century, when it was built and originally dedicated as the Second Church of Christ, Scientist.

About its square-proportioned auditorium, NYC-Arts says, "With raked seating, First Church of Christ, Scientist's ambient and acoustical clarity is an ideal venue for chamber and orchestra performance."