Music of WF and CPE Bach– Because of its dynamic sensitivities, the clavichord was one of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach’s preferred instruments. In this program, we present the highly emotional and expressive music of CPE and also his brother Wilhelm Friedemann. You will hear the clavichord in many roles – as a soloist, as an obbligato partner, and as basso continuo.
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Le clavicorde en France – The lush keyboard music of 18th century French composers works particularly well for the clavichord. We perform music by Boismortier, Le Roux, Rameau, and also two of Marie Antoinette’s music teachers: Gretry and Dussek.
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Whispered Mastery: Music of Haydn and Mozart – Both of these masters of the classical era owned clavichords: the Mozart family traveled with a clavichord made by Johann Andreas Stein, and Haydn used a clavichord at the Esterházy court. The music of each composer is given new life when performed on this instrument. This program presents solo keyboard works by each composer, as well as arrangements of Mozart’s violin sonatas for traverso.
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‘Le tic douloureux’ – Exceptional Music for an Unusual Combination – Music by CPE Bach, WF Bach, JG Müthel, and R Manthey. In addition to playing all sorts of crazy music by the unique minds of the 18th century, Il Sussurro collaborates with composer Rob Manthey in a new piece written just for us – traverso and clavichord… and computer.
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Napoleon’s Playlist – If Napoleon had used an iPod, which music would he have downloaded? In connection with the Napoleon exhibition at the Honig Breethuis in 2011, we have created a program with music of composers that Napoleon really liked. We have included music that he probably heard at the opera houses in Paris, in the salons of Malmaison, and maybe even at the Royal Palace in Amsterdam.
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Il Sussurro plays primarily music of the late 18th century, but we are interested in exploring the music of the entire Baroque and Classical periods. We are also intrigued by the potential of the clavichord to partner with other instruments. The combination of traverso and clavichord is ideal, yet historical treatises also reference clavichords playing with viola d’amore and voice. We are also planning experiments with lute and viola da gamba. Please check back soon for the resulting programming ideas!
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“The clavichord provides the best accompaniments in performances that require the most elegant taste.” CPE Bach
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