The Sebastians: Brandenburg Concertos

The Sebastians are a period instrument ensemble that perform music of the classical and baroque eras, recognized by The New York Times as “sharp edged and engaging” and praised by I Care If You Listen for their “beautifully-nuanced playing and thoughtful expressivity”. Their self-directed performances are as engaging as they are pristine, performing works such as St. Matthew Passion with expertise. Headlining Bach’s Birthday Bash, the group performs the six Brandenburg Concertos (or as they were originally named, Concerts avec plusieurs Instruments), among the most well known concertos that survive from the Baroque Era. They were dedicated to the Margrave of Brandenburg, and it is thought that these works were requested because of Bach’s compositional talent, his attention to individualising each instrument’s place within the work.

Each Concerto has a different personality. For example, Concerto no. 4 is extremely delicate in both instrumentation and scoring; Concerto no. 1 has a different form and highlights contrast in both thematic material and the nods to humor(!) in the writing for certain instruments. These works feature an array of historical instruments, allowing the listener to hear how Bach expected these works to be presented to audiences.