(story to be published in tomorrow’s issue, March 14)
Great baroque music will be presented tonight, at the Romanian Athenaeum, starting at 7 p.m. The soloists Georgeta Stoleriu, Anca Iarosevici, Verona Maier and Robert Dumitrescu will perform instrumental works by Dietrich Buxtehude, Georg Caspar Shurmann, Johann Joachim Quantz and Georg Friedrich Handel. Dietrich Buxtehude was a Danish-German composer and organist. Upon Frantz Tunder’s death in 1668, Buxtehude succeeded him to become organist at St. Mary’s Church in LA1beck and married his predecessor’s younger daughter-a condition of his employment, which he was to extend to his successor. He remained in service at the church for nearly 40 years and in 1706,Johann Sebastian Bach made his famous journey on foot from Arnstadt to hear him play. Buxtehude left a considerable body of music, both vocal and instrumental, though a sizable number were lost. Of his 128 complete surviving vocal works (“Benedicam Dominus,” “Domine Salvum fac Regem,” “Magnificat,” “Nimm von uns, Herr,” for example) all but eight have sacred texts. Tonight, at the Romanian Athenaeum “Cantata Singet dem Herm” will be presented. Another part of tonight’s concert will be “Aria Pastotrelle vagha bella,” composed by Georg Friedrich Handel. He was the consummate, 18th-century traveler, artiste, and entrepreneur, an independent and strong-willed individual, and although he was approached several times by royal patrons to become their court composer, Handel was hesitant to professionally “settle down” until he was offered a position commensurate with the status he felt he deserved. Handel lived a full and productive life. Yet, life wasn’t easy for him. At various times, he was severely criticised by the English social establishment for his artistic output – some considered it profane. For example, Handel’s most famous work, “Messiah,” was enthusiastically received following its premiere in Dublin while it became the subject of great controversy following its London début. Furthermore, he suffered bouts of anxiety and depression and possibly strokes – some have theorized that he suffered central nervous system lead poisoning associated with his imbibing of cheap port! During the later years of his life, he experienced progressively debilitating cataracts – the ensuing operations to restore his vision left him completely blind. “Handel is the greatest composer who ever lived. I would bare my head and kneel at his grave,” Ludwig van Beethoven said in 1824.