Tempesta di Mare, the Philadelphia Baroque Orchestra, presents its second orchestral program of the 2014-15 season with Tempesta plays 2 Bachs & Telemann, performing works by Johann Sebastian Bach, his son Carl Philip Emmanuel, and the son’s godfather and namesake, Georg Philip Telemann. Performances take place on December 5 at the American Philosophical Society in Center City, and on December 6 at the Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill.

J. S. Bach, C. P. E. Bach and Georg Philipp Telemann - father, son and godfather, respectively - shared in lifelong personal and musical exchanges. This program showcases the musical relationships as reflected in the father's high baroque traditionalism, the son's early classical modernity and the godfather's embrace of it all.

The “godfather” Telemann, who was born four years before J. S. Bach and outlived him by 17 years, is represented by the earliest and the latest pieces which bookend Tempesta’s program: Concerto in G, TWV 51:G2, which features Tempesta’s co-director Gwyn Roberts on recorder; and Divertimento for Strings in B-flat, TWV 50:23, a late work written when the composer was in his 80s.

Bach “pere’s” Triple Concerto in A minor, BWV 1044 features harpsichordist Adam Pearl alongside Roberts and concertmaster Emlyn Ngai.

Taught by his father and mentored by Telemann, C. P. E. Bach’s compositional style often reflects their two approaches, combining demanding technique with a gift for melody and drama. These qualities infuse his Symphony in C, Wq 174, which Tempesta performs in its original version for string orchestra. A movement from his earlier Flute Concerto in D, Wq 13, the manuscript of which was recently recovered in an archive in Kiev, once again features Gwyn Roberts.

TEMPESTA DI MARE PHILADELPHIA BAROQUE ORCHESTRA & CHAMBER PLAYERS
Fanfare magazine has hailed Tempesta di Mare for its "abundant energy, immaculate ensemble, impeccable intonation, and an undeniable sense of purpose." Led by directors Gwyn Roberts and Richard Stone with concertmaster Emlyn Ngai, Tempesta performs baroque music on baroque instruments with a repertoire that ranges from staged opera to chamber music. The group performs all orchestral repertoire without a conductor, as was the practice when this music was new. Tempesta's Philadelphia Concert Series, noted by the Philadelphia Inquirer for its "off-the-grid chic factor," emphasizes creating a sense of discovery for artists and audiences alike. Launched in 2002, the series has included 31 modern world premieres of lost or forgotten baroque masterpieces, leading the Inquirer to describe Tempesta as "an old-music group that acts like a new-music group, by pushing the cutting edge back rather than forward." Its supporters include the Pew Charitable Trusts, the William Penn Foundation, the Presser Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.? ?In a marketplace dominated by European ensembles, Tempesta is the only American baroque music group to record for the prestigious British-based Chandos label. Releases include Weiss: Lute Concerti (2004), Handel: Flaming Rose (2007), Scarlatti: Cantatas and Chamber Music (2010), Fasch: Orchestral Music, vol.1 (2008), vol.2 (2011) and vol.3 (2012), Mancini: Solos for a Flute (2014), and Bach Trio Sonatas (2014). Live performances have been broadcast nationally on SymphonyCast, Performance Today, Sunday Baroque and Harmonia. Tempesta di Mare's concert recordings are distributed worldwide via the European Broadcasting Union, the world's foremost alliance of public service media organizations, with members in 56 countries in Europe and beyond.

Tempesta di Mare has toured from Oregon to Prague. Notable recent appearances have included the International Handel Festival in Göttingen, Germany; the group's New York debut at the Frick Collection; the orchestra's first European tour to the International Fasch Festival in Zerbst and a sold-out appearance on the Richard P. Garmany Chamber Music Series in Hartford, Connecticut. 

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For further information, image or interview requests please contact Melanne Mueller, MusicCo International, 917 907 2785, melanne@musiccointernational.com

For further details about Tempesta di Mare, please visit http://tempestadimare.org

PERFORMANCE DETAILS
Tempesta plays 2 Bachs & Telemann
Friday, December 5, 2014, 8:00 pm ?American Philosophical Society, 427 Chestnut Street
Saturday, December 6, 2014, 8:00 pm ?The Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill, 8855 Germantown Avenue
Telemann Concerto in G, TWV 51:G2
J. S. Bach Triple Concerto in A minor, BWV 1044
C. P. E. Bach Symphony in C, Wq 174 / Flute Concerto in D, Wq 13
Telemann Divertimento for Strings in B-flat, TWV 50:23

Single tickets $24, $34; students free at the door; also available as part of a Season Pass