Music

“Baroque Decadence” with Enrico Onofri at the Jerusalem Baroque Orchestra

November 3, 2016

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A leader of the Israeli baroque scene, the Jerusalem Baroque Orchestra will open its 28^th season with a concert dedicated to the High Baroque period – Handel, Telemann, Vivaldi and more. The concert will explore the various styles and influences of the period: the concerto grosso form, from its founder Arcangelo Corelli to works by Handel and Geminiani, Telemann’s multicultural influences in his “Ouverture des nations anciennes et modernes”, Vivaldi’s mostly-lost cantata, “Il coro delle muse”, and his “Grosso Mogul” concerto, commemorating the Venetian defeat of the Ottoman Empire.

The concert’s guest of honor is Enrico Onofri, described by the Telegraph as a “wizard” both for his technique and his interpretation of the music. Onofri began his career as a violinist, serving for over twenty years as concertmaster and soloist for Il Giardino Armonico, an ensemble dedicated to performing baroque on period instruments. He then turned to conducting, and has since led several internationally-acclaimed baroque ensembles at top concerts halls worldwide. He is only one of the esteemed musicians who visit Israel to perform with the Jerusalem Baroque Orchestra – other guests include famed baroque ensemble Profeti della Quinta, now based in Basel, conductor Andrew Parrott, and violinist Luis Otávio Santos.

Later events in the Jerusalem Baroque Orchestra’s season will include composer-in-residence Elam Rotem’s musical drama “Joseph and his Brothers”, a concert dedicated to mythical and Biblical female characters, Buxtehude’s 1680 cantata cycle “Membra Jesu Nostri”, Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and more. Concluding the season, for the second year running, will be the Orchestra’s “Bach in Jerusalem” festival.