In Friendship
Tabea Wink, Marie Wunder, Verena Spies, Dominik Heidl
The multi-award-winning ensemble Barock_Plus presents a musical portrait of deep friendships and close connections between the most important composers of the Baroque era. At the centre are the personal and artistic networks of Bach, Telemann, Handel, Corelli and Geminiani — and how their exchange shaped the music of their time.
Ensemble Barock_Plus captivates with energetic presence and virtuosity. Its own arrangements, colourful instrumentation and a Baroque repertoire enriched with works from antiquity and modern times form the distinctive “plus” of this highly acclaimed ensemble.
In 2023, Barock_Plus celebrated a sensational debut at the Göttingen Handel Competition, winning first prize, and also received second prize at the International Biagio Marini Competition as well as third prize and the audience award at the Saarländischer Rundfunk Förderpreis. This was followed by invitations to renowned festivals including the Potsdam Sanssouci Music Festival, the FEL!X Originalklang Festival of the Cologne Philharmonie, and the International Handel Festival Göttingen.
The following year, Barock_Plus received a scholarship from the German Music Competition and was accepted into the concert promotion programme of the German Music Council. In addition, the ensemble regularly appears in radio and television productions.
The four musicians received musical inspiration from renowned figures such as Maurice Steger, Kristin von der Goltz, Alfredo Bernardini, Jeremias Schwarzer and Wiebke Weidanz.
The “perfectly coordinated ensemble” (Donaukurier) presents itself with great virtuosity to a broad audience. Through innovative concert formats, interdisciplinary projects and children’s concerts, Barock_Plus aims to overcome boundaries and tell the story of early music in a contemporary way.
For the courage to reinterpret tradition in a lively and compelling way, the ensemble was awarded the Bavarian Arts Promotion Prize in 2025.
“The perfectly coordinated ensemble skilfully showcased the widest range of expressive facets — from graceful charm and delicate melancholy to fiercely ignited, powerful, confident and unbridled fury.” (Donaukurier)
| Tabea Wink | recorders |
| Marie Wunder | recorders |
| Verena Spies | Baroque cello |
| Dominik Heidl | harpsichord |
IN FRIENDSHIP
European Baroque music as reflected in personal relationships
The post of Thomaskantor in Leipzig, for which Johann Sebastian Bach is so well known today, was at the time a highly sought-after position, which Bach only obtained through his good friend Georg Philipp Telemann. Telemann remained a close adviser to the Bach family until his death and was godfather to Carl Philipp Emanuel.
In addition to musical matters, Telemann also exchanged views with George Frideric Handel on gardening topics, while Francesco Geminiani — whom Handel later met in London — was receiving violin lessons from Arcangelo Corelli in Rome. Their mutual admiration and exchange are also reflected in the music of their contemporaries. For example, J. S. Bach studied the music of Antonio Vivaldi in depth and incorporated his compositional techniques, among other things, into vocal passages of his St John and St Matthew Passions.
This concert is a musical portrait of deep friendships and intricate networks of acquaintance among the most famous composers of the Baroque era.
TWV 42:F7
BWV 1007
H. 573
TWV 55:4
HWV 386
op. 4 No. 9
FR, 15.5.26 | 16:00 | » Erlöserkirche | Duration approx. 65 minutes | Concert without interval with moderation
[shariff]
