Name: The Well-Tempered Clavier at Rienzi
Start: 2021-10-16T00:00:00.000Z
End: 2022-06-04T00:00:00.000Z
Location: Museum of Fine Arts

Organization

Singer

Matthew Dirst

Soloist

Ars Lyrica Houston

The Well-Tempered Clavier at Rienzi

Houston

United States

Museum of Fine Arts

Rienzi

Prelude and Fugue in B-Flat Major, BWV 866

from The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1 (1722) by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
Matthew Dirst, harpsichord

Single-manual harpsichord by John Phillips with decoration by Janine Johnson (Berkeley, 2021) after the work of the Gräbner family (Dresden, c1720) 

Rienzi, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

PROGRAM 1: Videotaped on May 3, 2021 | Concert broadcast premiere on Sunday, October 24 at 6 pm
PROGRAM 2: In-person performance on Saturday, October 16, 2021 at 6 and 7:30 pm
PROGRAM 3: In-person performance on Saturday, June 4, 2022 at 6 pm

Rienzi is a jewel in the crown of the Museum of Fine Arts Houston. Its dramatic setting, focused on the European decorative arts, is the perfect pairing for our historically informed performances. Be transported to another time and place through these immersive musical experiences. 

Ars Lyrica Artistic Director Matthew Dirst surveys Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier with three performances of eight preludes and fugues each. Over the course of one year (May 2021, October 2021, and June 2022), Dirst will perform and record the entirety of Book 1 in the sumptuous surroundings of Rienzi, the house museum for European decorative arts of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. The featured instrument, inspired by the work of the Gräbner family in Dresden in the early eighteenth century, is visually and acoustically stunning, a perfect complement to the Baroque-era décor at Rienzi.

The Well-Tempered Clavier at Rienzi: The Well-Tempered Clavier Bach,JS

Public

The Well-Tempered Clavier

Approved

Biweekly Bach is Ars Lyrica Houston’s newest virtual series, traversing the 24 preludes and fugues of Johann Sebastian Bach’s The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1.  Every other week, a new episode features two prelude and fugue pairs, recorded in the beautiful surroundings of Rienzi, the house museum for European decorative arts of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. With inspired playing and enlightening commentary by Matthew Dirst, this series brings audiences closer than ever to the masterful music of J.S. Bach.

This is the first video recording of the entire volume to feature a single performer on an instrument inspired by those from Bach’s own environment, with commentary from the performer, who is also a leading scholar of this music. The harpsichord, with its elaborate marquetry and decoration in the style of Baroque Dresden, is an ideal match for the sumptuous interiors of Rienzi. Each recording session features different parts of the museum, giving visual variety to the entire project.

The first four episodes of Biweekly Bach will air on January 11, January 28, February 8, and February 22. They will include preludes & fugues in C Major and A Minor, F Major and D Minor, B-flat Major and G Minor, and E-Flat Major and C Minor.

This season, Ars Lyrica Houston celebrates the 300th anniversary of Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1 (1722) with a series of three intimate in-person performances with commentary at Rienzi, the MFAH house museum for European decorative arts. In addition, Ars Lyrica will present virtual broadcasts of those concerts. 

To experience The Well-Tempered Clavier in person, you may purchase tickets for the final concert of the season. Only a few seats are available!

Biweekly Bach | Episode 4: E-Flat Major and C Minor

Rienzi is a jewel in the crown of the Museum of Fine Arts Houston. Its dramatic setting, focused on the European decorative arts, is the perfect pairing for our historically informed performances. Be transported to another time and place through these immersive musical experiences. 

Ars Lyrica Artistic Director Matthew Dirst continues his survey of Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier with two performances of excerpts from Book 1 in the sumptuous surroundings of Rienzi, the house museum for European decorative arts of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. The featured instrument, inspired by the work of the Gräbner family in Dresden in the early eighteenth century, is visually and acoustically stunning, a perfect complement to the Baroque-era décor at Rienzi.

The Well-Tempered Clavier at Rienzi concert series is presented to our six-concert subscribers only. A limited number of in-person single tickets are available for the June 4 performance.

English

The Well-Tempered Clavier at Rienzi by Bach, J. S., From (2021/2022), Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, United States

Performance credits (Cast & Crew )

Cast

Programme, About & Synopsis

Videos

Photos

Further reading

Performance Dates & Venues

Venues