Harpsichord duo Ton Koopman and Tini Mathot to perform on the East Coast

Fri, Mar 11 - Sun, Mar 13  2016

On March 11 and 13, the renowned Dutch harpsichord duo of Ton Koopman and Tini Mathot makes a rare visit to Cambridge and New York City. The Boston Early Music Festival presents their magnificent recital featuring dynamic music for four hands and two keyboards. 

The works present a range of styles from the lush French chaconne to the cosmopolitan Spanish concerto, some originally for keyboards, with others adapted by the performers. Koopman and Mathot will perform François Couperin’s “Sonata L’Imperiale” and Mozart’s “Sonata” in D major, but also the pinnacle of baroque counterpoint; Bach’s “Art of Fugue.” While most of it lies within the grasp of a single keyboard and one pair of hands, Koopman contends that dividing the parts between four hands clarifies the texture.

This extraordinary repertoire demands the close collaboration of two players of the highest caliber, and as husband and wife and long-time musical partners Koopman and Mathot deliver sheer beauty and unparalleled artistry.

About Ton Koopman

As organist and harpsichordist, Ton Koopman has appeared in the most prestigious concert halls of the world and played the most beautiful historical instruments of Europe. In 1979 he founded the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, which soon gained worldwide fame as one of the best ensembles on period instruments. Koopman has a very wide repertoire: as harpsichordist and organist he has performed music from the Renaissance to the Classical period, with the ABO he has explored intensely the Baroque and Classical period, and as a conductor with modern orchestras he also approaches the early Romantics. Mr. Koopman is Professor at the University of Leiden, Honorary Member of the Royal Academy of Music in London and artistic director of the Festival Itinéraire Baroque.

About Tini Mathot

Tini Mathot was born in Amsterdam, where she studied piano and harpsichord at the Sweelinck Conservatory. She works in tight collaboration with her husband (and former teacher) Ton Koopman, with whom she regularly performs in concert halls all over the world. Their repertoire for two keyboards ranges from well-known to rediscovered unknown works. Ms. Mathot plays regularly as a soloist, continuo player and accompanist, and is a founding member of the Corelli Ensemble. On her most recent CD she plays both organ and harpsichord, performing J.S. Bach’s trio sonatas together with Reine-Marie Verhagen (recorder). Tini Mathot is professor of harpsichord at the Royal Conservatory The Hague.

About The Boston Early Music Festival

Recognized as the preeminent early music presenter and Baroque opera producer in North America, the Boston Early Music Festival (BEMF) has been credited with securing Boston’s reputation as “America’s early music capital.” Founded in 1981, BEMF offers diverse programs and activities, including one GRAMMY Award-winning and four GRAMMY Award-nominated opera recordings, an annual concert series that brings early music’s brightest stars to the Boston and New York concert stages, and a biennial week-long Festival and Exhibition recognized as the “world’s leading festival of early music.” 

Dates

• Friday, March 11 – 8pm:  First Church, Cambridge, 
• Sunday, March 13 – 4pm: Gilder Lehrman Hall at The Morgan Library & Museum, New York, NY.