Morning brew: NMPhil ready to serve up the first Coffee Concert of the season
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Sep. 19—The first New Mexico Philharmonic Coffee Concert of the season pairs a 21st century masterwork with the works of Bach and Vivaldi.
Opening at 10:45 a.m. Friday, Sept. 22, at St. John's United Methodist Church, the concert will feature Michael McLean's "Elements" with violinist Sarah Tasker, the orchestra's assistant concertmaster.
The program also features music by the Baroque-era master Antonio Vivaldi, as well as J.S. Bach's Organ Concerto in d minor (inspired by Vivaldi) with organist Nancy Granert.
Known popularly during his lifetime as "The Red Priest," Vivaldi left the clergy to pursue a career as a musician. His Violin Concerto in E Major has more popularly been identified as his "Christmas Concerto." The work features two quick movements.
Bach's duties as organist at the Court of Weimar established and solidified his reputation as a performer and composer for the instrument. A feature of Vivaldi's concerto that likely appealed to Bach was the inclusion of an elaborate fugue in the first movement. The second movement offers an Italian dance movement.
The concert will close with "Elements," based on the four Greek elements of earth, fire, air and water with their deep spiritual symbolism. Listeners can hear the elements on the surface or explore their symbolic undercurrents. McLean is an internationally-known violinist and composer. He has produced more than 20 albums of original music, selling more than 1 million copies since his 1983 debut.
Violinist Tasker has performed with the Santa Fe Symphony, Santa Fe Opera, Santa Fe Pro Musica, Opera Southwest, San Juan Symphony, Albuquerque Chamber Soloists, Chatter, and The Figueroa Music and Arts Project. She has also served for many years as concertmaster for Festival Ballet Albuquerque.
Granert is the organist at Albuquerque's St. Luke Lutheran Church. She plays occasionally at Temple B'Nai Israel and Temple Albert, and is serving as dean of the local chapter of the American Guild of Organists.
