2024/25 Season
- Handel & Vivaldi: Autumn Light
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Julian Perkins
Portland Baroque Orchestra kicks off this Season of Seasons by exploring the breathtaking forces of nature! Vivaldi’s “Autumn” and “Winter” from The Four Seasons bring to life the vibrant colors of fall and the icy chill of winter.
The concert continues with Handel’s powerful Silete venti, featuring soprano Maya Kherani, guiding us from the wild storms of autumn into the cozy calm of winter nights.Join us for this Italian-inspired musical journey, where the beauty of nature and music entwine. You won’t want to miss this magical start to our 41st season!
Our “Season of Seasons” is inspired by the publication of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons in 1725. This seminal work challenges performers to explore extreme soundscapes through the imitation of nature, be it a barking dog, the song of the turtledove, or the buzz of flies and gnats. It also challenges us to address our relationship with nature through our art. How can we draw inspiration from the natural world around us? In doing so, we can harness the elemental power of music so that we can share the timeless joys of re-creation, renewal, and rebirth.
We open with Grimani’s upbeat Sinfonia in G Major. Three repeated chords initiate a series of cascading scales within a rising sequence that bubbles over into fast repeated notes before this pattern is repeated twice in minor keys.
Unusually, each of the concertos in The Four Seasons is paired with a sonnet (probably by Vivaldi himself) that, together with annotations in the score, describes what is happening in the music. Dance prevails in the opening of “Autumn,” where harvest celebrations descend into a Bacchanalian revel. Our challenge here is to depict “the drunkard” through short, fast figures. A headlong rush is needed, but anything too wayward becomes distracting, especially as one (apparently) tries to act sober when drunk. Non-waywardness is needed when showing these revelers dozing in the Larghetto section before they slide into a deep slumber in the Adagio molto.
Hardships return with the opening of Vivaldi’s “Winter” where thin, raspy tones and fast, stabbing trills depict being “Stuck trembling among the heavy snows.” The soloist’s opening explosion of fast notes evokes the “horrid winds.” Everybody tries to warm up by “foot stamping” together on sixteenth notes before desperation descends with the “Chattering of teeth.” Relief comes in the second movement, where a convivial theme conveys the warmth of huddling up beside the fire whilst “pizzicato” raindrops are heard pattering against the windows. We venture outdoors again in the final movement. Our soloist sets out “walking on ice” supported by just one note in the bass. Inevitably the ice cracks when everybody reluctantly joins them, and we are only saved by the soloist’s “running” virtuosity. A Lento section sees us hallucinate over “hot desert winds” before “all the winds” return in fury to see out the season with a blast.
Turbulent winds are silenced when the singer interrupts the bustling orchestral overture in Handel’s Silete venti. This lavish Latin motet is a hymn of reverential joy that demands operatic prowess. Unlike an opera, though, there are no dark corners to this singer’s unbridled happiness. The first aria counterbalances the text’s overt sensuality with a dignified part-time walking bass. Frequent falling two/three-note figures express Jesus’ sweet “strokes” while a chromatically creamy passage captures the moment when the believer is first transfixed. In the second aria, a continuous walking bass serves as a bed of thornless roses upon which the singer can happily strew “garlands” and “flowers” in a pastoral reverie. A tempestuous middle section attests to their faith, for whilst the music alludes to the opening, the words are steadfastly upbeat. We conclude with a shamelessly joyful “Alleluia,” in which the oboist and singer join virtual hands in a gigue.
Join us one hour before the performance for a pre-concert talk about the program. Learn more here.
Concert Sponsor:
Martha Dibblee
Featured Performers:
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Antonio Vivaldi
“Autumn” from The Four Seasons, Opus 8, No. 3, RV 293 (pbd. 1725) -
Antonio Vivaldi
“Winter” from The Four Seasons, Op. 8, No. 4, RV 297 (pbd. 1725) -
George Frideric Handel
Silete venti, HWV 242 (1721) -
Johan Helmich Roman
Little Drottningholm Music, BeRI 2.5 (1744)
Music Performed
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- Bach & Telemann: French Finesse
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Julian Perkins
An intimate evening of French-inspired chamber music for gamba, violin, flute, and harpsichord.
Telemann and Bach, two esteemed German composers and friends, draw inspiration from the sonic richness and rhythmic nuance of the French style, infusing this program with a unique vibrancy. From the graceful elegance of Telemann’s Paris Quartet to the counterpoint of Bach’s Trio Sonata, we embark on a journey through an exotic musical landscape.
Join us one hour before the performance for a pre-concert talk about the program. Learn more here.
Featured Performers:
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Johann Sebastian Bach
Trio sonata in G Major, BWV 1038 -
Georg Philipp Telemann
Paris Quartet No. 1 in D Major, TWV 43:D3 -
Jean-Philippe Rameau
Concerto No. 5 in D Minor from Pièces de clavecin en concerts (1741) -
Élisabeth Claude Jacquet de la Guerre
Trio sonata No. 1 in G Minor
Music Performed
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- The Royal Trumpeter: Kris' Podium
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Julian Perkins
Trace the fascinating evolution of the trumpet from its utilitarian roots on the battlefield to its emergence as a refined instrument of expressive virtuosity. Curated by Principal Trumpet Kris Kwapis, this program delves into the vibrant soundscape of late seventeenth-century London, where the trumpet takes center stage alongside strings, winds, and voices in England’s regal courts. Celebrate the brilliance of composers such as Purcell, Croft, and Eccles, whose works epitomize splendor and sophistication in an era defined by royal patronage.
Join us one hour before the performance for a pre-concert talk about the program. Learn more here.
Concert Sponsor:
Dr. Natasha Kassam
Featured Performers:
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Henry Purcell
Act II Symphony from The Indian Queen -
William Croft
Overture from Ode for the Peace of Utrecht -
John Eccles
Suite Made for the Queen’s Coronation
Music Performed
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- Handel's Messiah
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Julian Perkins
John Butt, guest director and harpsichord
Rejoice! The beloved holiday tradition returns featuring Handel’s complete oratorio. Discover why the Messiah is one of the most-performed works in history and experience it as it was meant to be heard and performed on period instruments. Directed by illustrious guest artist John Butt, this year’s concert features professional chorus Cappella Romana and world-class soloists soprano Camille Ortiz, mezzo-soprano Hannah Penn, tenor James Reese, and bass-baritone Enrico Lagasca.
RUN TIME: Handel’s Messiah runs approximately 3 hours including 1 intermission.
The Box Office opens onsite at First Baptist Church one hour prior to the performance and the seating area can be accessed beginning 1/2 hour prior to the concert start time.
*** A limited number of returned tickets will be for sale starting 30 minutes prior to each concert and will be sold first come first served. ***
There is no pre-concert talk for Handel’s Messiah.
Featured Performers
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George Frideric Handel
Messiah
Music Performed
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- D'amore
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Debra Nagy
An artist of “consummate taste and expressivity” (Cleveland Plain Dealer), guest director and oboist Debra Nagy leads a program of captivating beauty featuring Bach, Telemann, and Vivaldi. This program celebrates the fusion of the oboe d’amore and viola d’amore - an alluring sound Leopold Mozart described as “especially charming in the stillness of the evening.” The ethereal tones of the oboe d’amore will enchant your senses while the rich resonance of the viola d’amore evokes profound emotion.
PBO Brochure 2024-25!
Spring Program BookJoin us one hour before the performance for a pre-concert talk about the program. Learn more here.
Concert Sponsor:
Lilian Goff and Howard B. Zasloff
Featured Performers:
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Georg Philipp Telemann
Selections from Ouverture in D Major -
Antonio Vivaldi
Concerto for viola d’amore in A Major -
Johann Sebastian Bach
Concerto for oboe d’amore in A Major, BWV 1055R -
Johann Gottfried Jänichen
Quadro in G Major -
Christoph Graupner
Selections from Ouverture in E Major -
Georg Philipp Telemann
Concerto for viola d’amore, oboe d’amore, and flute in E Major, TWV 53:E1
Music Performed
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- The Hunting Horn: Handel, Couperin & Bach
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Julian Perkins
Featuring horn, oboe, violin, and harpsichord, this musical ride through the European countryside echoes with the thundering hooves and spirited chase of the hunt. Stölzel’s Sonata sets the scene with its evocative simplicity, capturing the essence of the outdoors. The complexity of the music then intensifies with works by Telemann and Fasch, mirroring the excitement and intensity of the hunt, while paying homage to the horn’s crucial role in signaling and guiding the pursuit.
PBO Brochure 2024-25!
Spring Program BookJoin us one hour before the performance for a pre-concert talk about the program. Learn more here.
Concert Sponsor:
Featured Performers:
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Gottfried Heinrich Stölzel
Sonata in F Major -
Georg Philipp Telemann
Trio for violin, horn and harpsichord in F Major, TWV 43: F6 -
François Couperin
Premier concert in G Major from Concerts royaux -
Johann Friedrich Fasch
Sonata in F Major -
Johann David Heinichen
Trio sonata in B-flat Major -
Johann Sebastian Bach
Sonata for violin and continuo in E Minor -
George Frideric Handel
Suite in D Major, HWV 341, arr. Andrew Clark
Music Performed
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- Spring: Vivaldi, Guido & Samuel
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Julian Perkins
A celebration of rebirth and renewal, from the much-loved “Spring” from Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, to the world premiere of Rhian Samuel’s Gwanwyn (the Welsh word for spring), commissioned by PBO in response to Vivaldi’s interpretation of the season. We also explore Bach’s Harpsichord Concerto in G Minor, a ‘rebirth’ of one of his earlier works where the organic interplay of soloist and orchestra captures the nature of springtime.
PBO Brochure 2024-25!
Spring Program BookJoin us one hour before the performance for a pre-concert talk about the program. Learn more here.
Concert Sponsor:
Featured Performers:
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Johann Fischer
The Spring Diary Suite in C Major, Opus 1, No. 1 from Musicalische -
Johann Sebastian Bach
Concerto for Harpsichord and Strings in G Minor -
Giovanni Antonio Guido
“Spring” from The Four Seasons (c. 1725) -
Rhian Samuel
Gwanwyn - A Portland Baroque Orchestra commission and world premiere 2025. -
Francesco Geminiani
Concerto Grosso “La Follia” -
Antonio Vivaldi
“Spring” from The Four Seasons (c. 1725)
Music Performed
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- Pergolesi: Stabat Mater
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Julian Perkins
The season of seasons closes by honoring the themes of light, love, and rebirth through acclaimed works by Pergolesi, Scarlatti, Bach, and Vivaldi. In Vivaldi’s “Summer,” the cuckoo, dove, and goldfinch sing in the blazing sun before the winds begin to blow. Following an homage to Scarlatti, including his Salve Regina in G Minor, we conclude with a work that he inspired; Pergolessi’s final masterpiece, Stabat Mater. Its dancing rhythms and decorative trills contrast effectively with the tender, passionate text sung by soprano Anna Dennis, rounding out the season with a sense of joy and hope.
PBO Brochure 2024-25!
Spring Program BookJoin us one hour before the performance for a pre-concert talk about the program. Learn more here.
Concert Sponsors:
Jas. Adams and Diane Rosenbaum
Martha Dibblee
Toby Graff & Katherine O’Neil
Thomas Mock
Featured Performers:
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Alessandro Scarlatti
Sinfonia from Il Dolore di Maria Vergine -
Alessandro Scarlatti
Salve Regina in G Minor -
Johann Sebastian Bach
Bekennen will ich seinen Namen, BWV 200 -
Antonio Vivaldi
“Summer” from The Four Seasons, Opus 8, No. 2, RV 315 (pbd. Amsterdam, 1725) -
Giovanni Battista Pergolesi
Stabat Mater, P. 77 (1736)
Music Performed
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