Classical music lovers are in for a treat next week when the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra returns to Invercargill with a performance showcasing the music of baroque genius Johann Sebastian Bach and two of his gifted sons.

The brainchild of NZSO Concertmaster and violinist Vesa-Matti Leppänen, Bach Extended features four beloved works by JS Bach and two exceptional pieces by his sons Carl Philipp Emanuel and Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, and is the latest instalment of the NZSO’s hit Baroque Series. Earlier this year, a tour of JS Bach’s masterpiece Goldberg Variations played to packed venues in the North Island.

Leppänen said one of the highlights of Bach Extended for audiences would be hearing the similarities and differences between JS Bach and his offspring.

“The combination is really interesting. For example, CPE Bach’s work is quite humorous at times and is clearly much more positive and earthlier than his father’s. But you can still hear the influence of his father.”

While Bach’s sons were heavily influenced by their father, they also pushed the boundaries of what baroque music could achieve. WF Bach's virtuosic Duet for Two Flutes is a unique example of his exceptional range of expression and personal compositional voice. 

Bach Extended also features Contrapunctus XIV Unfinished, one of the best of JS Bach’s 14 fugues from The Art of Fugue, and the evocative Chorale Vor deinen Thron, reputedly written on JS Bach’s deathbed.

Bach Extended includes one of JS Bach’s and baroque music’s best-known works, his Orchestral Suite No. 3, featuring the beautiful second movement Air on the G String. The concert also boasts two superb soloists: acclaimed pianist Diedre Irons and the NZSO’s renowned Section Principal Cello Andrew Joyce. Irons will perform on fortepiano for CPE Bach’s expressive Concerto No. 4. Joyce features on JS Bach’s eloquent Selections for Cello Suite No. 6.

One of the New Zealand's most distinguised performing musicians, Diedre Irons has performed extensively in many countries as a soloist in concerti, as a recitalist, and as a member of renowned chamber music ensembles. In New Zealand she has collaborated with Jan Tawroszewics, Alexander Ivashkin, Michael Houston, and the New Zealand String Quartet. Irons’ overseas collaborations include the Kodaly, the Kocian and the Latin American String Quartets. Between 1984 and 1991 she toured in 25 countries with the Slovenian violinist Miha Pogacnik, giving concerts and piano master classes, and representing New Zealand in intercultural festivals through the Institute for the Development of Intercultural Relations through the Arts. In 1989 she was awarded an MBE for services to music.

Before joining the NZSO in September 2010, Andrew Joyce spent five years freelancing in London, during which time he worked regularly with the London Symphony and London Philharmonic Orchestras, touring and performing in the world's great concert halls. He also played as Guest Principal with Northern Sinfonia, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. A dedicated chamber musician, Joyce co-founded the Puertas Quartet who have performed in both the UK and New Zealand to great critical acclaim, and recorded two CDs for Atoll Records.

The Invercargill performance of Bach Extended takes place at the Civic Theatre at 7.30pm on Tuesday, November 3. Tickets can be purchased HERE.

• The Southland App has TWO double passes to give away to the Invercargill performance of Bach Extended. To enter, simply click the WIN button on your app.