Toronto's Tafelmusik performs Bach by memory
On stage for a rehearsal at the Bloor Street church they call home, the members of Toronto’s Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra start up a Bach sinfonia. The musicians are standing, without chairs, music stands or sheet music; liberated from this architecture, their bodies sway and their eyes sparkle, infusing the old music with an impressive new energy. It’s as though the complex 18th-century composition were being played by a band of East Coast fiddlers. In these hands, Bach’s music feels more alive than ever.
Stage director Marshall Pynkoski, right and blurred, checks the script while Richard Greenblatt (facing camera) stands centre stage narrating The Circle of Creation concert.Glenn Lowson/The Globe and Mail
Violinist Geneviéve Gilardeau practices prior to the start of The Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra rehearsal at Trinity St Paul Centre.Glenn Lowson/The Globe and Mail
The Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra rehearse the music of J.S. Bach at Trinity St Paul Centre.Glenn Lowson/The Globe and Mail
Stage director Marshall Pynkoski, centre at bottom, of J.S. Bach The Circle of Creation concert directs The Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra.Glenn Lowson/The Globe and Mail
Violinist Cristina Zacharias of the Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra looks at the music during rehearsal of J.S. Bach The Circle of Creation at Trinity St Paul Centre.Glenn Lowson/The Globe and Mail
Bassoon player Dominic Teresi of The Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra rehearses the music of J.S. Bach at Trinity St Paul Centre.Glenn Lowson/The Globe and Mail
The Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra rehearse the music of J.S. Bach at Trinity St Paul CentreGlenn Lowson/The Globe and Mail
Harpsichordist Charlotte Nediger of The Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra rehearses the music of J.S. Bach at Trinity St Paul Centre.Glenn Lowson/The Globe and Mail
Stage director Marshall Pynkoski, centre at bottom, of J.S. Bach The Circle of Creation concert directs The Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra during rehearsal at Trinity St Paul Centre.Glenn Lowson/The Globe and Mail
The Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra rehearse the music of J.S. Bach at Trinity St Paul Centre.Glenn Lowson/The Globe and Mail