Bach, Bach, Bach, & Bach

Featuring: Steven Devine, Renaud Lapierre The musical legacy of the Bach dynasty. Step into the extraordinary musical dynasty of the Bach family, where genius spanned generations and styles evolved before your ears. From the radiant brilliance of Johann Sebastian Bach to the bold, expressive voices of Johann Bernhard Bach and Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, this concert traces the shift from high Baroque splendour to the dawn of the Classical era. With lively sinfonias, virtuosic concertos, and exuberant orchestral suites, it’s a vibrant celebration of family legacy and the Bach name. About the Artists: Steve Devine, leader & harpsichord solo Steven Devine combines a career as a conductor and director of orchestral, choral and opera repertoire with that of a solo harpsichordist and fortepianist. He is Conductor and Artistic Advisor of The English Haydn Festival; Music Director of New Chamber Opera, Oxford and Director of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment’s “Bach the Universe & Everything” series. Devine’s opera repertoire includes works by Purcell, Cavalli, Handel, Haydn and Mozart as well as rarities by Galuppi, Salieri and Cimarosa. His recordings include Dido & Aeneas with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and Sarah Connolly in the title role. As a keyboard player, he is the Principal Keyboard Player with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and also the principal keyboard player for The Gonzaga Band, The Mozartists and performs regularly with many other groups around Europe. He has recorded over thirty discs with other artists and ensembles and made many solo recordings. His recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations (Chandos Records) has received critical acclaim – including Gramophone magazine describing it as “among the best”. The complete harpsichord works of Rameau (Resonus) has received five-star reviews from BBC Music Magazine. Steven has recently released Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier (“it’s the one of all I’ve heard in the past ten years that I am happiest to live with.” Early Music Review). He is currently engaged in recording the complete harpsichord works of Johann Ludwig Krebs, Bach’s favourite student. Steven Devine was educated at Chetham’s School of Music before reading Music at St Peter’s College, Oxford. He was Director of Opera Restor’d from 2002-2010 and Kurator and Conductor of the Norwegian Wind Ensemble from 2016-2018. Renaud Lapierre, violin Born in Montreal, Renaud grew up in Saint-Lambert, Quebec in a musical family. He first began playing the violin at age five, and spent nearly 10 years studying music at the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal with Raymond Dessaints. He went on to receive his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Performance under Anne Robert at l’Université de Montréal. Renaud has performed and toured with Orchestre symphonique de Montréal throughout Canada, Japan, Korea, and Europe, where he visited 12 cities in two weeks. He has also toured in the U.S. with Les Violons du Roy, playing in Los Angeles at the Walt Disney Centre and in New York at Carnegie Hall. In 2005, Renaud was winner of the Trois-Rivières Symphonic Orchestra Competition. Previous appointments as Concertmaster include the Orchestre de la Francophonie canadienne and Orchestre de l’Université de Montréal. He also held the position of Principal Second Violin for Symphony Nova Scotia in 2011/12. In his spare time, Renaud enjoys reading, cooking, hiking, camping, getting together with friends, and spending time with his two children. Renaud plays on a Vuillaume from 1855, graciously provided by Canimex Inc. from Drummondville, Québec. Step into the extraordinary musical dynasty of the Bach family, where genius spanned generations and styles evolved before your ears. From the radiant brilliance of Johann Sebastian Bach to the bold, expressive voices of Johann Bernhard Bach and Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, this concert traces the shift from high Baroque splendour to the dawn of the Classical era. With lively sinfonias, virtuosic concertos, and exuberant orchestral suites, it’s a vibrant celebration of family legacy and the Bach name. Steven Devine combines a career as a conductor and director of orchestral, choral and opera repertoire with that of a solo harpsichordist and fortepianist. He is Conductor and Artistic Advisor of The English Haydn Festival; Music Director of New Chamber Opera, Oxford and Director of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment’s “Bach the Universe & Everything” series. Devine’s opera repertoire includes works by Purcell, Cavalli, Handel, Haydn and Mozart as well as rarities by Galuppi, Salieri and Cimarosa. His recordings include Dido & Aeneas with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and Sarah Connolly in the title role. As a keyboard player, he is the Principal Keyboard Player with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and also the principal keyboard player for The Gonzaga Band, The Mozartists and performs regularly with many other groups around Europe. He has recorded over thirty discs with other artists and ensembles and made many solo recordings. His recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations (Chandos Records) has received critical acclaim – including Gramophone magazine describing it as “among the best”. The complete harpsichord works of Rameau (Resonus) has received five-star reviews from BBC Music Magazine. Steven has recently released Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier (“it’s the one of all I’ve heard in the past ten years that I am happiest to live with.” Early Music Review). He is currently engaged in recording the complete harpsichord works of Johann Ludwig Krebs, Bach’s favourite student.