This concert features music by the two giants of Baroque music, Bach and Handel.
NZ Barok opens the performance with elegant and spirited instrumental music for strings by Handel, including his Concerto Grosso Op.6 no. 1 in G and incidental music from his opera Il pastor fido (‘the faithful shepherd’). The orchestra will then be joined by violin soloist Lara Hall who will perform Bach’s soulful violin concerto in A minor.
The second half of the concert moves from the world of court instrumental music to the cathedral with Bach’s vibrant Mass in A major BWV 234. The orchestra is joined again by eight superb singers as they were for Vivaldi’s’ Gloria in May 2021: Jsopranos Jayne Tankersley and Elizabeth Mandeno, altos Jessica Wells and Helen Acheson, tenors Jack Timings and Sid Chand, and basses Chalium Poppy and James Harrison.
NZ Barok thanks Auckland Council – Te Kaunihera o Tāmaki Makaurau, Perpetual Guardian, Pub Charity, Four Winds Foundation, Dame Jenny Gibbs, Dragon Community Trust, and NZ Barok supporters for their generous support.
Comprising leading baroque specialists from all over New Zealand, NZ Barok performs using instruments and playing styles of the period, breathing fresh life and vitality into baroque and classical masterpieces and lesser-known musical treasures from the 18th century.
Recent Reviews:
“…authentic, classy and spirited performances… I certainly look forward to any future opportunities to hear NZ Barok.” – Tony Ryan, RNZ Concert
“NZ Barok are a revelation… the distinctive sound of their authentic instruments in perfect balance.” – Theatre Review
Introducing Greta Claringbould, soprano soloist for NZ Barok's Midwinter Christmas Concert by Candlight, Saturday 28 June, 7.30pm, St Luke’s Church, Remuera, Auckland.
Greta Claringbould (nee Mark) is a Baroque soprano who performs with purity, warmth and precision. Born in New Zealand but now based near Canberra, Australia, she has carved a niche into the world of Baroque music, beguiling audiences with her natural execution of florid coloratura and expressive vocal timbre.
Growing up on a sheep and cattle farm near Cambridge, Greta’s cherished memories of her first musical experiences, shared nigh on three decades ago, are with Helen and Catherine Polglase at the Waikato Secondary School's Orchestra. Despite an initial focus on playing strings, Catherine vividly remembers Greta "always singing"!
A late bloomer in voice, before evolving into a celebrated soprano, Greta first gained a BMUS (Hons) in performance Viola and was a professional orchestral violist, also leading the Violas in the New Zealand National Youth Orchestra. At the same time she sang with the Wellington Cathedral Choir and later took on the noble task of shaping young voices as Director of Canberra Children's Choir. However eventually Greta's lifelong enduring love of singing saw her retrain as a soprano and pursue a career in Baroque voice. Greta attributes her string background as advantageous to mastering phrasing, coloratura and a sense of holistic, cohesive ensemble as a vocalist.
Passion and aptitude for Baroque music has guided Greta to the position of principal Soprano Soloist with Canberra Bach Ensemble and a founding member of Ad hoc Baroque, a trio dedicated to performing esoteric Baroque chamber works. In 2017 the trio gave the antipodean premiere of Brunetti's 1764 Stabat Mater reviving a once forgotten masterpiece.
Greta’s performances have also taken her to prestigious local and international festivals including Europe where she has sung works by Bach, Handel and Pergolesi et al. Whether she’s soaring through the pages of Bach’s Magnificat or rendering Handel’s Messiah to life, she does so with a unique pure tone.
When not enchanting audiences, Greta shares her expertise as a private vocal coach, helping aspiring singers develop their own voice and style. With a career that blends virtuosity, passion, and a deep love for Baroque music, Greta Claringbould continues to be a shining and rising vocal artist in the baroque music world.
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