Over the years, I’ve been fortunate enough to attend dozens of Trevor Stephenson and the Madison Bach Musicians’ concerts – including concerts open to the public and private concerts in Trevor’s home, where he has several harpsichords and pianos lined up in his living room. This year, the sisters are pleased to welcome back Trevor and the other Madison Bach Musicians for the Prairie Rhapsody concert on Thursday, July 14 at 6:30 pm.
Trevor’s running commentary and amusing antidotes make these concerts humorous, entertaining and fun. During every concert, Trevor tells stories about Bach and other composers from that era in a way that resonates with even casual music listeners. Once he described part of a Beethoven piano sonata as sounding “like a wild horseback ride through a dark woods at midnight.” This kind of commentary helps you hear more in the music. Another time, he told us that Bach received some of his compensation in beer; not unlike some musicians of today. What’s even more astonishing is that early musicians composed all of their music by hand including drawing the lines on the paper to create the staff and they had to copy out the music by hand for dozens of accompanying instruments and vocalists for weekly performances.
Trevor Stephenson, Madison’s Classical Musician of the Year in 2009, has many more stories to tell about Bach, Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, and Schubert. You’re in for a treat on July 14 in attending this concert, which benefits the land restoration activities at Holy Wisdom Monastery.