Together
with the Dutch Women and Music Foundation, the Bach Festival will present a
concert highlighting women composers in age of Johan Sebastian Bach. The
Academy of Vocal Musick under violinist and conductor Elizabeth Wallfisch will
perform works by, among others, two sisters of Frederick the Great: Wilhelmina
of Prussia (later Markgravine of Bayreuth), and Anna Amalia of Prussia.
Wilhelmina, Frederick’s favorite sister, moved to Bayreuth in 1731, where
she had a beautiful opera theater built that a century later attracted the
attention of Richard Wagner. Her compositions incude a recently recovered
harpsichord concerto and the opera Argenore,
in which contrary to the conventions of her time, all the protagonists die
during the course of the opera. Another woman composer active at
Wilhelmina’s court was Anna Bon di Venezia. Frederick the Great’s circles
included another talented composer: his niece Anna Amalia, Duchess of
Saxe-Weimar, who stimulated contact between poets and composers at her court
in Weimar. The younger sister of Frederick, Anna Amalia of Prussia, also
composed, but is especially known for her extensive music library, which
included many manuscripts and published music by J.S. Bach, such as the six Brandenburg
Concertos.
Saturday,
13 September 2003, Waalse
Kerk, Amsterdam,
8
pm.
Academy
of Vocal Musick, conducted by violinist Elizabeth Wallfisch
Johann
Sebastian Bach:
Brandenburg Concerto nr. 5 (BWV 1050
Wilhelmina,
Markgravine of Bayreuth:
Harpsichord Concerto in g minor & Argenore
(aria‚s)
(1709-1750)
(1739-1807)
Anna
Bon di Venezia: Sonata for flute and basso continuo (opus 1)
(1738-
after 1767)