Concert Series Aurelius: "Light and Shadow" - Arias and Sonatas of the European Baroque

The ensemble RAISONANT, featuring tenor Philipp Polhardt, will perform arias and sonatas from the European Baroque period on the theme of Darkness and Light. The concert series "Light and Shadow" at St. Aurelius will continue on October 5th with a very special Baroque concert.

On Sunday, October 5th, the current season of the St. Aurelius concert series will continue with an extraordinary concert, which is quite large for Hirsau's standards. The ensemble RAISONANT, making its debut in Hirsau, will take its audience on a journey into a world of contrasts and Baroque extremes with its program "Light and Shadow," featuring arias and sonatas from the European Baroque period. These contrasts are not unusual for this era; one only has to think of the representations on the ceilings of Baroque churches.

The ensemble's lineup promises a unique concert experience: tenor Philipp Polhardt will be performing in Hirsau after a long time, accompanied by Judith von der Goltz on violin, Marie Deller on cello and recorder, Leonhard Schelb, who will be featured on both the recorder and, primarily, the traverso flute as the ensemble's director, and Wiebke Weidanz on harpsichord. They will not only accompany the singer but also enrich the evening with instrumental works that fit the theme.

The first half of the concert is dedicated to darkness, initially colored "English" with songs by Dowland and Purcell and a trio sonata by the same master. Here, true depths of the soul are addressed, as themes of loneliness, darkness, and soul torment are explored. Handel's trio sonata in B minor introduces a new aspect of darkness, which is no longer one of blackness, heaviness, and hopelessness, but appears brighter and lighter, thanks to radiant timbres and more buoyant movements.

With the night scene from Purcell's famous opera "Fairy Queen," the perspective shifts, as the subjective view of darkness, loneliness, and pain gives way to a light, cheerful, and fairy-tale-like realm. At the same time, the night spirits whispering of night and secrets pave the way for the light, which is the focus of the second half of the concert.

Dramaturgically fitting, this second half begins with a sunrise that becomes vividly audible in the first notes of Fontana's Sonata seconda, before Monteverdi's "Tempro la cetra" from his seventh book of madrigals makes the light gleam in the space. The following bright and vibrant trio sonata by Johann Sebastian Bach is a transposed arrangement in C major for recorder, traverso flute, and continuo of the sonata for traverso and obbligato harpsichord in A major, which reminds us in its middle movement that even in light there are distinct gradations and shades.

Thus, the music makes it clear that nothing in the world and in life is simply light or darkness—something that is a blessing for us humans, as anything else would likely be unbearable. This realization leads both performers and listeners to further applause and cheers at the end of the highly varied concert, which will be experienced and celebrated in many colors, facets, and crescendos, including Handel's famous aria "Every Valley" from the Messiah.

For your information: The concert on October 5th will begin, like all concerts in the St. Aurelius concert series, at 7:00 PM. Tickets priced at €20 (students and pupils pay €10 each) will be available from 6 PM at the box office.