Bend concert revisits Bach’s suites with PBO

April 26, 2010

Monica Huggett

Bach based his four orchestral suites on popular French dance rhythms of his time. While the suites have been widely performed for more than 250 years, it wasn’t until recently that researchers found convincing evidence that Bach likely used different instruments than what has popularly been practiced.

Portland Baroque’s pioneering director, violinist Monica Huggett, teamed with oboist Gonzalo X. Ruiz to impress Grammy judges and wow listeners with a 2009 recording of the suites arranged in what many believe to be their original versions.

Gramophone called the recording “generously, beautifully judged” and “classy”. It made Fanfare magazine’s Best of 2009 list, and was CD of the Week on classical station KDFC in San Francisco.

Huggett is one of the world’s leading artists in historically informed performance practice and is currently director of The Juilliard School’s historical practice program. For the Bend concert, she’ll lead Portland Baroque’s orchestra of fourteen strings and winds, featuring Ruiz as soloist.

Portland Baroque Orchestra made their Oregon Bach Festival debut in 2009. “Bach Suites Rediscovered” is repeated July 8 in Beall Concert Hall on the UO campus in Eugene. Tickets for the Bend performance are $35-$24 through the Tower Theatre box office. Call 541-317-0700 or order online www.towertheatre.org.