Can there ever be too much Bach? The UI sure doesn’t think so. The semester of Bach continues tonight as his famous music make yet another appearance with the performance of the Brandenburg Concertos.
Hancher brings the Academy of Ancient Music to West High today at 7:30 to perform the Concertos. Because of the Academy of Ancient Music’s popularity — and Iowa City’s apparent lust for Bach — the concert has already sold out.
The English-based orchestra tours frequently. The Academy has spread its sound to six different continents since its founding in 1973, with its current tour not only taking the group around the United Kingdom, but through North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.
The Brandenburg Concertos are part of a Masterworks series, said Camilla Shotton, an administrator with the Academy of Ancient Music. That is why the Concertos were chosen to be part of the Academy’s touring season, she said.
“[The orchestra’s members] recorded the Brandenburgs last year, and spent a few days practicing them again prior to this tour,” she said.
The musicians were selected through an audition process and were ultimately chosen by director Richard Egarr. Shotton said that while players in the orchestra shift around, the core remains the same.
Egarr recently began directing the orchestra, and he has received copious amounts of praise for his work with the Academy of Ancient Music.
“The immediacy and joy of Egarr’s performances with the orchestra has thrilled concertgoers around the world,” Shotton said.
The Academy of Ancient Music has made appearances in Iowa City only twice before, once in 1991 and again in 2002.