Heinrich Schütz: Orpheus of the 17th Century November 16 at 3PM & November 17 at 3PM bachgrounder lecture 35 minutes before each concert Circa 1600 · The Barefoot All-Stars Viol Consort Schroeder Hall, Green Music Center
Next up is the great Heinrich Schütz (1585-1672), called in his time the ‘Orpheus of the 17th century’. Schütz has long been a Sonoma Bach mainstay – we first dipped into his works in 1993 – but this will be our first set focusing entirely upon his music. Assisted by the fabulous viols of the Barefoot All-Stars, we’ll feature sacred works both grand and intimate, exploring his Cantiones Sacrae, Geistliche Chormusic and Psalms of David, among other volumes. We’ll also take a dip into an entirely different thread of Schütz’s genius, his First Book of Madrigals, demonstrating the composer’s utter mastery of the early 17th-century part-song
Circa 1600 is a chamber choir, focused upon the nexus between the Renaissance and the Baroque. The group’s primary repertoire is drawn from the 16th and 17th centuries, with occasional forays backward to the 15th century and forward up to and including the music of JS Bach. Guiding lights include Josquin Desprez, Claudio Monteverdi, and Heinrich Schütz.