Events

Akademie — Bach’s 'Musical Offering'

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Virtual Event

Bach Week Co-Director David Arrivée will present an Akademie lecture titled “Bach’s ‘Musical Offering.’” May 7, 1747, is the most documented date in J.S. Bach’s musical life. Provided with a complex, 21-note theme by Frederick the Great, Bach improvised a three-voice fugue, astounding the gathered audience of notable musicians, according to historians. He later wrote out this fugue and added several other compositions as a suitably submissive “offering” to the monarch. In his talk, Arrivée will outline the opposite world views of these two great men and explore the details of the music that provide insight into the nature of Bach’s gift. Stay for the following chamber concert.

Free admission.

Chamber Concert: Bach’s 'Musical Offering,' Trio Sonata

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Virtual Event

Cal Poly’s own Suzanne Duffy on flute; Emily Lanzone, violin; Laura Gaynon, cello; and Paul Woodring, harpsichord; will perform the sonata from Bach’s “Musical Offering,” a collection of works dedicated to Frederick the Great. This sonata features not only the flute — the monarch’s instrument — but also the theme that Frederick the Great gave to Bach as a challenge during his visit. That theme is interwoven with the inexhaustible invention that distinguishes Bach’s music.

Free admission.

Here is a link to the evening's program (PDF).