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(Blog post by Chris Maskell)

The McGill Baroque Orchestra will feature guest conductor Barthold Kuijken in concert this Friday, February 10, 2017 at 7:30 p.m. in Redpath Hall.听

In the world of early music, there are few bigger names than Barthold Kuijken. The Belgian flautist and recorder player is universally lauded for his interpretations of baroque music on period instruments, and has been described as 鈥渙ne of the world鈥檚 experts鈥� on baroque flute.听

Kuijken is also an active educator, and currently teaches at the Royal Conservatories of Brussels and The Hague. Luckily for Schulich students, he will be making a rare appearance at our school as the guest conductor for the Baroque Orchestra鈥檚 performance this Friday, February 10. To get a better idea of what to expect during Kuijken鈥檚 visit, we spoke to the ensemble鈥檚 director Hank Knox about his link to the master musician and the upcoming concert鈥檚 program.

What prompted you to invite Barthold Kuijken as the guest conductor for this concert? Do you have any personal connection with him?

Barthold Kuijken is one of the great pioneers in the revival of early repertoire on original instruments. My ensemble, Ensemble Arion, spent a number of weeks coaching with Mr. Kuijken back when we were just starting out in the early 鈥�80s. He is a wonderful coach, knowledgeable, patient and insightful. Arion also invited the Kuijken ensemble to perform in Montreal in the late 鈥�80s; memorable concerts they were! He has also conducted Arion Orchestre Baroque on a number of occasions, and directed a CD (Suites concertantes) that Arion recorded in 2001 that included works by Bach, Telemann and Handel.

What unique elements do you think Kuijken will bring to the ensemble as guest conductor? Is this his first time as a guest at Schulich?

We have invited him to conduct a programme of French repertoire by Rameau (suite from Dardanus), Marin Marais (suite from Ariane et Bacchus), Jean-Baptise Lully (pieces from Armide), and G. Muffat (suite, Nobilis Juventus). This repertoire is much less well-known than other Baroque works by Bach or Handel and Mr. Kuijken has a particular flair for works like this. I expect him to help the Baroque Orchestra gain familiarity with the style, especially the rich language of ornaments and dance rhythms. 听And yes, this will be his first visit to Schulich as an invited director, although he was here before for a masterclass back in the early 2000s.听

While having a guest conductor such as Kuijken is an obvious benefit to the students, what sort of things do you expect you might take away from the performance?听

He will be giving a number of chamber music and instrumental masterclasses. He is a font of knowledge about sources and styles for 18^th century repertoire. I expect him to open up everyone鈥檚 ears and give them a greater understanding of the kinds of opportunities and responsibilities a performer has in performing this repertoire.

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