Christ Church Cathedral, Vancouver
Goldberg Variations
Artists: The Pacific Baroque Orchestra directed by Alexander Weimann
An iconic monument in Western music, J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations have delighted and intrigued listeners for centuries. Pushing the boundaries of keyboard music of the time, the Goldberg Variations demonstrate Bach’s technical development, virtuosic finesse, and compositional sophistication.
In this performance, Alexander Weimann leads the Pacific Baroque Orchestra in an arrangement of the Goldberg Variations for chamber ensemble of winds and strings. The Variations will be paired with the Trio Sonata in C Major by Johann Gottlieb Goldberg, long attributed to Bach.
Generously sponsored by Mark De Silva.
PROGRAMME
Johann Gottleib Goldberg (1727-1756)
Trio Sonata No. 4 in C Major
Adagio
Alla breve
Largo
Gigue
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Goldberg Variations, BWV 988
Alexander Weimann, keyboards & direction
Alexander Weimann is one of the most sought-after ensemble directors, soloists, and chamber music partners of his generation. After travelling the world with ensembles such as Tragicomedia, Cantus Cölln, the Freiburger Barockorchester, Gesualdo Consort and Tafelmusik, he now focuses on his activities as Music Director of the Pacific Baroque Orchestra in Vancouver, Music Director of the Seattle Baroque Orchestra, and regular guest conductor of ensembles including the Victoria Symphony, Symphony Nova Scotia, Arion Baroque Orchestra in Montreal and the Portland Baroque Orchestra.
Alex was born in Munich, where he studied the organ, church music, musicology (with a summa con laude thesis on Bach’s secco recitatives), theatre, mediæval Latin, and jazz piano, supported by a variety of federal scholarships. From 1990 to 1995, he taught music theory, improvisation, and Jazz at the Munich Musikhochschule. Since 1998, he has been giving master classes in harpsichord and historical performance practice at institutions such as Lunds University in Malmö, the Bremen Musikhochschule, the University of California (Berkeley), Dartmouth College (New Hampshire), McGill University, Université de Montréal, and Mount Allison (New Brunswick). He now teaches at the University of British Columbia and directs the Baroque Orchestra Mentorship Programme there. He has received several JUNO and GRAMMY Award nominations – most recently, for the album Nuit Blanches with the Pacific Baroque Orchestra and Karina Gauvin.
Pacific Baroque Orchestra
The ‘house band’ of Early Music Vancouver, The Pacific Baroque Orchestra (PBO) is recognized as one of Canada’s most exciting and innovative ensembles performing “early music for modern ears.” Formed in 1990, the orchestra quickly established itself as a force in Vancouver’s burgeoning music scene with the ongoing support of Early Music Vancouver. In 2009, PBO welcomed Alexander Weimann as Director. His imaginative programming, creativity and engaging musicianship have carved out a unique and vital place in the cultural landscape of Vancouver.
PBO regularly joins forces with internationally-celebrated Canadian guest artists, providing performance opportunities for Canadian musicians while exposing West Coast audiences to a spectacular variety of talent. The Orchestra has also toured throughout BC, the northern United States, and across Canada. Their 2019 East Coast Canadian tour with Canadian soprano Karina Gauvin culminated in a critically acclaimed album, Nuit Blanches, released by Atma Classique.