The Muffat Collective bring the historical sounds of Baroque Passions to Southern NSW
The Muffat Collective will delight audiences in southern NSW with classical music from the Baroque era.
Cooma and the NSW South Coast are in for a classical music treat when eccentric ensemble The Muffat Collective take audiences on an historic musical journey through 18th Century Europe, presented by Music in the Regions (MitR) and local partners from 24 September to 2 October.
Featuring music by Antonio Vivaldi and his contemporaries performed on original Baroque instruments, Baroque Passions is a beautiful music program that is influenced by Italian cathedrals, French salons and German coffee houses. The Muffat Collective will perform Baroque Passions at Cooma, Wolumla and Nowra, and in Moruya and Narooma as part of the River of Art festival.
Music in the Regions Executive Director, Janine Collins, said: “It’s wonderful to have the opportunity to share so many styles of classical music across New South Wales. This tour will even involve a fragile, exquisite harpsichord travelling along the coast.”
The Muffat Collective’s Baroque violinist, Matthew Greco, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to be working with MitR and for the opportunity to take our classical music to regional centres outside Sydney.
“We specialise in historical performance, recreating music from the 17th and 18th Centuries on instruments such as the Baroque violin, harpsichord and fascinating viola da gamba. To say we are passionate about this style would be an understatement, and being able to share this with as many audiences and communities as possible is extremely important to us.”
At its core, Baroque music is a shared experience where the pieces played are designed to dazzle the senses and impact audiences with the full range of emotional states, called affects in the 17th and 18th century. Flirting with the limits of human desire, these rarely performed works frenetically exchange hate for love or despair for joy.
“The intimate venues along the NSW South Coast and in Cooma are the perfect settings to get up close and personal with not only this special form of music making, but also us as performers. We are looking forward to talking with audiences and getting to know members of the community so we can return for years to come,” Matthew said.
The Muffat Collective will perform Baroque Passions at:
MORUYA - St John’s Anglican Church, Saturday 24 September at 2pm (River of Art Festival)
NAROOMA - St Paul’s Church, Sunday 25 September at 2pm (River of Art Festival)
WOLUMLA - Wolumla Memorial Hall, Thursday 29 September at 6pm
COOMA - St Paul's Anglican Church Hall, Friday 30 September at 7pm
NOWRA - Nowra School of the Arts, Sunday 2 October at 2pm
To purchase tickets please visit www.musicintheregions.com