Sunday Baroque

When you think of baroque era musicians, you may well think of composers from Italy, Germany, France, England, or Spain. Well … this weekend we'll feature music by two Guatemalan musicians from the baroque era. It’s a recording from the Grammy-nominated group El Mundo and you’ll hear some of it on Sunday Baroque.

Gonzalo Ruiz is an oboe expert. The Grammy-nominated musician has performed and recorded with ensembles internationally. He also teaches at The Juilliard School in New York, so he is training and nurturing the next generation of top-tier instrumentalists. You’ll hear Gonzalo Ruiz playing a Sonata by Georg Philipp Telemann on Sunday Baroque this week.

Born the same year as Antonio Vivaldi, Manuel de Zumaya worked as Chapel Master of the Cathedral in Mexico City, and later at Oaxaca Cathedral. In recent years there have been more and more recordings of his music. Thanks to support from listeners like you, we can keep adding these terrific performances to our music mix, and this weekend you can hear one of them. Chanticleer sings an upbeat and joyful sacred work by Manuel de Zumaya on Sunday Baroque.

The Autumnal Equinox is this weekend, and Sunday Baroque will celebrate with a fresh and vibrant performance of Antonio Vivaldi’s AUTUMN concerto from the Four Seasons. Violinist Rachel Podger is the soloist and leader with her group Brecon Baroque on Sunday Baroque this weekend.

Cuba has long had a rich and varied musical life that includes European classical music. The Conservatory of Music in Cuba is named for an outstanding Cuban composer of the baroque era. You’ll hear one of his compositions, along with a performance by a brilliant contemporary Cuban guitarist, on Sunday Baroque this weekend.

When pianist Simone Dinnerstein learned she was expecting her first child, she dedicated herself to learning Johann Sebastian Bach’s Goldberg Variations. Her self-funded recording of them received huge critical acclaim and gave well deserved attention to her beautiful and sensitive artistry. You’ll hear Simone Dinnerstein playing the aria from the Goldberg Variations on Sunday Baroque this week.

Although the Autumnal Equinox isn’t until late September, Labor Day weekend is considered the unofficial end of summer. You’ll hear a few musical impressions of summer, including Scottish musician James Oswald’s SUMMER SUITE … and Englishman Christopher Simpson’s SUMMER SUITE … on Sunday Baroque this week.

One of the must-see landmarks in Venice, Italy is Piazza San Marco - the city's political, religious and social hub. It is home to a palace, a bell tower, and St. Mark's Basilica, where generations of extraordinary musicians have worked. You’ll hear music by some of those talented composers who practiced their craft at St. Mark's on Sunday Baroque this week.

August is National Water Quality Month - an annual reminder of the need to protect our most precious and vital natural resource. Antonio Vivaldi did HIS part to pay respect to water – he composed SEVERAL Concertos with the subtitle “The Storm at Sea.” … you’ll hear one of them along with some of George Frideric Handel’s Water Music on Sunday Baroque this weekend.

Rochelle Sennet is a pianist, teacher, and music scholar who plays a wide variety of music. She’s working on a recording series called BACH TO BLACK, which showcases performances of compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach as well as Black composers.