Tallahassee Bach Parley Opens Concert Season with Zodiac Suites & Vivaldi Concertos

The Tallahassee Bach Parley regular season opens September 22 with “Zodiac Suites & Vivaldi Concertos,” a concert of music with calendar themes. The Bach Parley will perform two Vivaldi concertos for flute, violin, and bassoon, two suites (Aries and Gemini) from “Zodiaci musici” by Johann Abraham Schmierer, a “September” suite by Gregor Joseph Werner (Haydn’s predecessor), and a piece written specifically for a “Bean Feast” by Heinrich Schmeltzer for a comic ending to the concert.

The performers are violinists Valerie Arsenault and Carrie Holden, violists Melissa Brewer and Brian Arsenault, cellist Kim Jones, bassist Melanie Punter, bassoonist Nina Scheibe, and Eva Amsler on traverso flute.

This is music director Valerie Arsenault’s 12th year leading the Bach Parley. The Bach Parley performs primarily on period instruments – harpsichord and baroque style stringed instruments with gut strings, and on this concert, the flute is called a traverso, which is an early wooden version of the flute without keys to press down. The French word “parley” means discussion, and a key element of Bach Parley concerts is the commentary provided by Arsenault who gives historical context about the composers and the instruments, and offers suggestions about what to listen for in the music.

“Vivaldi is a perennial favorite, and our calendar theme also includes two pieces written for different signs of the Zodiac (Aries and Gemini), a piece written to represent the month of September (including students returning from vacation), along with a “Bean Feast” by Schmeltzer,” says Arsenault. “I’m definitely going to have our Bach Parley musicologist Charles Brewer explain the joke in that one!”

The Tallahassee Bach Parley is also the umbrella organization for a non-profit music school, The Bach Parley String Academy, now in its fifth year offering violin, viola, and cello lessons at St. John’s Episcopal Church. The concert will be at 3 PM on Sunday, September 22 at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 211 North Monroe Street in Tallahassee. At all Sunday Tallahassee Bach Parley concerts this season, patrons will receive an insert in their programs with a discount coupon to use after the concert at participating downtown area restaurants. A $10 donation is suggested, and free childcare will be available.

For additional information about the Tallahassee Bach Parley, including the Bach Parley String Academy music school, visit www.bachparley.org.

Enjoy the music, the venue, and the magic of Baroque instruments with the Tallahassee Bach Parley!