At the Crossroads: Music of the French and German Baroque

History is full of turbulent change, and music history is no exception. In this program, Trio Speranza highlights the musical visionaries who lived through periods of transition in musical styles and aesthetics in the Baroque era. We explore the Stylus Phantasticus, or ‘fantastical style’, of the 17th century German composer, Dieterich Buxtehude, and its evolution through the music of Buxtehude’s greatest admirer, Johann Sebastian Bach. A world away and a century later in France, we experience the works of Jean-Baptiste Barrière and François Francoeur, whose daringly innovative use of the cello as a solo instrument amounted to nothing short of a ‘French Revolution’ in music. By boldly embracing the new, these forward thinkers forever changed the musical landscape around them, and influenced countless generations of composers that followed.

Trio Speranza

Anna Griffis, baroque violin

Cora Swenson Lee, baroque cello
Jason J. Moy, harpsichord

Trio Speranza is a dynamic new ensemble dedicated to presenting engaging and thought-provoking performances of both familiar and lesser-known repertoire from the Baroque era. The group, comprising violinist Anna Griffis, cellist Cora Swenson Lee, and harpsichordist Jason Moy, made their debut in a Boston Early Music Festival Fringe Concert at the historic Trinity Church on Copley Square in the summer of 2013, and won the Presentation Prize at the 2014 Early Music America Baroque Performance Competition in Chicago. Collectively, they are alums of the Oberlin Baroque Performance Institute and Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Institute, and frequently perform with such respected ensembles as Boston Baroque, La Follia, Music of the Baroque, Tempesta di Mare, the Newberry Consort, and New Trinity Baroque, among others. 

Take a break with free professional lunchtime performances at the School of Theatre & Music. Concerts take place from 1:00 to 1:50 pm in Recital Hall L060 on the lower level of 1040 W. Harrison St.