
Once Upon a Time
Direction, Viola and Violin Further date Sun, 11 Jan 2026 17:00
Purcell, Veress, Henze and others
Vivaldi, J.S. Bach, Telemann and others
Antonio Vivaldi (1678–1741)
Concerto for two cellos, strings and basso continuo in G minor RV 531
– Thomas Kaufmann and Martin Merker
Grażyna Bacewicz (1909–1969)
Concerto for string orchestra
– Michael Brooks Reid
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
Concerto for two violins, strings and basso continuo in D minor BWV 1043
– Claudia Ajmone-Marsan and Meesun Hong Coleman
—
Henryk Górecki (1933–2010)
Three pieces in Old Style for string orchestra
– Michael Brooks Reid
Georg Philipp Telemann (1681–1767)
Concerto for viola, strings and basso continuo in G major TWV 51:G9
– Anna Puig Torné
Georg Anton Benda (1722–1795)
Concerto for harpsichord and orchestra in G major
– Vital Julian Frey
Antonio Vivaldi
Concerto for two violins, strings and basso continuo RV 524
– Hyunjong Reents-Kang und Sonja Starke
Programme with interval
Running time: approx. 2 hours
In the “old style” – numerous compositions in the first half of the 20th century went by this name. Grażyna Bacewicz's Concerto for String Orchestra from 1948 is certainly neoclassical and – as the title suggests – pays homage to the recently deceased composer Béla Bartók. Like Bacewicz, Henryk Górecki came from Poland. He wrote Three Pieces in Old Style as late as 1963. Melodious, tonal music by a former neo-tonalist. It testifies to his newly awakened interest in the liturgical chants of the Middle Ages.
Concertos for one or two solo instruments by composers such as Antonio Vivaldi, J.S. Bach and Telemann through to a harpsichord concerto by the Bohemian Georg Friedrich Benda take us on a journey through Baroque Europe. This music shows just how much fantastical imagination went into the concerto form so popular at the time.
The programme was created by the musicians of CAMERATA BERN. They take turns leading and playing the solo parts in these beloved pieces.
This concert is also available as part of a subscription
Ticket pricing:
CHF 45.–/ 65.–/ 85.–
CHF 5.– for children and teenagers 18 and under
Discounts (for all categories):
20% for members of the Friends of CAMERATA BERN
50% for young adults aged 19 to 30
30% for KulturLegi cardholders
Kultur-GA: free admission for remaining same-day seats
Refugees (with ID): free admission for remaining same-day seats
In-depth insights into the concert programme, with detailed descriptions of the works and biographies of participating artists. The evening programme booklet is available (in German only) as a PDF download starting approximately one week before the concert and is distributed free of charge at the concert.
The texts are produced in collaboration with the Institute for Musicology at the University of Bern.
Background information and context for the programmes, with musical sneak peeks and sound bites from the performers.
The podcast is available (in German only) from approximately 10 days before the concert.