Baroque concert in Thomasville to recall Germany’s coffeehouse culture

THOMASVILLE — The German coffeehouse culture of the 18th century will be paid tribute to as the Thomasville Entertainment Foundation presents Apollo’s Fire, the Cleveland Baroque Orchestra, in an all-Bach concert of Baroque masterpieces Tuesday evening at the Thomasville Center for the Arts, 600 E. Washington St.

Titled “A Night at Bach’s Coffeehouse,” the performance will include Johann Sebastian Bach’s Concerto in D minor for Two Violins, the Allemande from Cello Suite No. 6 and three of his Brandenburg Concertos — No. 3, 4 and 5 — all pieces that were undoubtedly performed under Bach’s direction at Zimmerman’s Coffeehouse in Leipzig in the 1720s-30s, according to Apollo’s Fire harpsichordist-music director Jeannette Sorrell.

In keeping with the theme, TEF is also inviting audience members to gather for a coffee and dessert reception following the performance.

“In his coffeehouse concerts, Bach showed a warm sense of collegiality,” Sorrell writes in the program notes. “His generous spirit and the sense of communal gathering at these informal concerts make Zimmerman’s Coffeehouse an inspiring model for music-making today.”

Considered one of the world’s foremost period-instrument ensembles, Apollo’s Fire was founded by Sorrell in 1992 with a focus on the idea that their music should evoke passions – or Affekts, as Baroque audiences would have called them – in the listener.

The 7:30 p.m. concert, which will feature 17 acclaimed musicians, is the fifth event on TEF’s 79th annual performance season calendar.

Tickets, which are $38 for adults and $15 for students, are available by calling (229) 226-7404 or online at www.TEFconcerts.com. The post-concert reception is free to audience members.