Timeless works, boundless passion, superb artistry & high-energy concerts characterize
“One of Chicago’s musical glories.”
Opera News
One of the few groups of its stature in the country devoted to the performance of eighteenth-century works, Music of the Baroque is consistently positioned among Chicago’s leading classical music groups. Under the direction of internationally acclaimed British conductor Dame Jane Glover, Music of the Baroque has presented Chicago audiences with premier and revival presentations of early masterpieces, drawing particular praise for its performances of the major choral works of J. S. Bach and Handel.
An age of innovation and invention, the Baroque era sparked the creation of history’s great musical genres – opera concertos, cantatas, oratorios, and even the symphony. Join Music of the Baroque and Music Director Dame Jane Glover as well as the Music of the Baroque Chorus and Orchestra for their 2023-24 season, full of inspiration.
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The Mozart Requiem
Sunday, September 17, 7:30 pm
Dame Jane Glover leads the Music of the Baroque Chorus, Orchestra, and international opera stars Susanna Phillips, Paula Murrihy, Manase Latu, and Michael Sumuel in an incredible evening of musical drama that soars to the heavens. Bach brings to life Mary’s passionate words in his vivid setting of the hymn, “My soul magnifies the Lord.” Standing at the other end is the heartrending work Mozart was still writing on his deathbed—the monumental Requiem.
Viva Vivaldi
Sunday, October 15, 7:30 pm
Guest conductor Patrick Dupre Quigley explores the concept of “hero” in an energetic, whimsical program. The soloist is the hero of C. P. E. Bach’s Cello Concerto. From the ridiculous to the sublime, Telemann and Rameau offer rich musical depictions of literary heroes. And J. S. Bach was his son’s hero. As C. P. E. wrote in his father’s obituary, “Our Bach was the greatest organist and clavier player that we have ever had.”
Windy City
Sunday, November 19, 7:30 pm
Viva Vivaldi! Baroque favorite Antonio Vivaldi takes center stage in a celebration of the 345th anniversary of his birth. The chorus brings “intensity and brilliance” (Chicago Classical Review) to the dramatic Kyrie, fiery Credo, and exhilarating Gloria. The orchestra shows off Vivaldi’s inventive instrumental music with concertos for violins and lute and the stunningly affecting Sinfonia al Santo Sepolcro.
Mullova Plays Bach
Sunday, January 28, 3:00 pm
Baroque riches abound as internationally acclaimed violinist Viktoria Mullova joins forces with guest conductor Jonathan Cohen, the newly appointed music director of Boston’s Handel & Haydn Society. Mullova’s unparalleled affinity for Bach shines in his Violin Concertos in A Minor and E Major. Wildly colorful suites by French Baroque composers Jean-Baptiste Lully and Jean-Philippe Rameau add a dash of French flair.
The St. John Passion
Sunday, March 10, 3:00 pm
An intimate and deeply human account of Christ’s betrayal, suffering, and death, Bach’s Passion According to St. John sets scripture and poetry in emotionally moving, expressively beautiful music. Dame Jane Glover leads the chorus, orchestra, and a roster of internationally renowned soloists in one of the greatest sacred works of all time.
The St. Matthew Passion
Sunday, April 14, 3:00 pm
The animal kingdom comes alive through charming works for orchestra under the direction of Principal Guest Conductor Nicholas Kraemer. Dogs bark in Vivaldi’s “Spring” Concerto from the famous Four Seasons. Crickets chirp in Telemann’s unusually scored Cricket Symphony, while frogs ribbit in his virtuosic concerto for violin. Delight in the “clucking” and “scratching” in Haydn’s Hen Symphony, which closes the program on a wonderfully humorous note.
