The inauguration of the fifteenth anniversary season of the Wrocław Baroque Orchestra will be a meeting with the works of George Frideric Handel. The English harpsichordist and conductor Laurence Cummings will present three concertos written by the Baroque genius.

The programme features two compositions linked by the title Concerto a due cori, which in Italian means “a concerto for two choirs”. Yet these are purely instrumental works, so there are no singers in their line-ups. Here, the term “choir” refers to two groups of wind instruments, each consisting of one bassoon, two oboes and two French horns. They dialogue with each other, creating intriguing sound combinations. The music is very lively too, full of energy and spirit.

We will also listen to the Concerto grosso in A major op. 6 no. 11 – a work considered by researchers to be one of the most outstanding concertos in Handel’s oeuvre. It is a reworking of the slightly earlier Organ Concerto in A major HWV 296. The first two movements are very fast-paced and styled as a French overture – the music is solemn here, and the presence of a dotted rhythm was typical of a royal march in the Baroque era. The extensive third movement, Andante, is the emotional culmination of the entire concerto, which ends with an Allegro as dynamic as it is laconic. This work combines structural mastery, an extraordinary richness of melodic invention and the virtuosity of solo parts. Enjoy!