Hmmmm... it appears that I'm the default organiser for a concert that I was asked to lead the ensemble for... It is a harpsichord concert that will feature concerti for 4 and 2 harpsichords by JS Bach, with strings as well. Now, this type of concert is a bit of a rarity here... pretty much never done... but when I was in Europe, I would find myself doing this exact same programming at least a couple of times a year! Ah well, the density of Early Music groups in Europe is significantly higher than here...

... anyway, there is always the question of how to arrange the four harpsichords on stage... along with the backing band of strings.

And every solution always has its own advantages and disadvantages... sight-lines (over-rated)... ability to hear across the stage (handy..)... harpsichords being able to project over the strings (crucial)... the ability to see the faces and hands of everyone (seriously... what a joke...)...

... and for this particular concert, the harpsichord instruments are not matched or particularly powerful either... so, there is additional trouble from that. So, in the lead up to the event, I've floated about 5 different solutions that also harness the two different levels we have for the "stage" in the church...

In the end, my wife and I will probably be the ones that will choose... but it had got me brainstorming different non-standard setups... well, non-standard by modern standards... back in the Baroque, people just did what they had to do and weren't precious about it!

And that is just one of our projects for this March.... we are kicking off with a very busy season... 2 education workshops, 4 outreach type concerts, and the main chamber and children's concert to finish the month... plus this harpsichord concert... and some other external engagements for my wife and I! EEEEP... we are trying to get most of the music work done earlier... so that we can ease into each program as they come. But at some point, it will be sheer survival! What a way to start the year...

And both of us have piles and stacks of music everywhere... each stack representing a different concert and program... and with some small overlaps when we could do that with clever programming and non-overlapping audiences! Our living room is a bit of a mess...

... on the plus side, my wife is slowly coming around to some pieces that I had originally programmed but that she had vetoed... I can't imagine why she didn't like her part in the first place!

She hates having to improvise on ground bass dances... sure, you can just do the minimum and get away with it... but she does spend the time to make sure that the improvisations are really interesting and supporting my line... and that takes quite a bit of time and imagination to get right!

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