Concerto Copenhagen
Armonico tributo
Performers
Concerto Copenhagen
Lars Ulrik Mortensen, Artistic Director and Harpsichord
Program
MUFFAT Sonata for Strings and Basso Continuo No. 1 in D Major from Armonico tributo
HANDEL Selections from Concerto in G Major, HWV 399
J. S. BACH Orchestral Suite No. 1
MUFFAT Sonata for Strings and Basso Continuo No. 2 in G Minor from Armonico tributo
MUFFAT Sonata for Strings and Basso Continuo No. 5 in G Major from Armonico tributo
Encore:
MUFFAT Rondeau from Sonata for Strings and Basso Continuo No. 3 in A Major from Armonico tributo
Event Duration
The printed program will last approximately 100 minutes, including one 20-minute intermission.Listen to Selected Works
At a Glance
Concerto Copenhagen’s concert pays tribute to German composer Georg Muffat, a leading figure in the development of Baroque instrumental music. Although often overshadowed today by his contemporary Arcangelo Corelli, Muffat’s publications of sonatas and concerti grossi (ensemble concertos) influenced many 18th-century composers, including Handel and J. S. Bach. That influence can be heard throughout this concert, which presents three of Muffat’s sonatas from his earliest publication, Armonico tributo. These works demonstrate his facility across European styles, blending together elements of Italian, French, and German compositional traditions and genres.
The program showcases Muffat’s compositional cosmopolitanism alongside that of the next generation, represented most famously by Bach and Handel. German composers quickly learned the commercial and musical merits of stylistic synthesis, especially in instrumental music, which could be published and sold around Europe. Within Handel’s Concerto in G Major, HWV 399, and Bach’s Overture No. 1, BWV 1066, one can hear the depth of orchestral virtuosity that characterized Muffat’s sonatas blended with the increasingly cosmopolitan palette of 18th-century music.