Patrick Dupre Quigley
SHARES HIS PASSION FOR BACH By Beth Braswell “Bach is the bedrock of music and Seraphic Fire.” As Quigley describes the music of Bach, it’s like watching a teenager wax passionately about their first love. There are pensive moments where he is remembering the exhilaration of past Seraphic Fire performances, and as he describes each composition, there is sincere adulation for the genius present in the music.
Seraphic Fire’s first performance of Bach’s Mass in B Minor – a ‘onenight only’ show in front of 1,000 people – was one of its greatest early accomplishments. Only a year earlier, Seraphic Fire did not exist. Being able to embrace the music of Bach wholeheartedly and with such success paved the efficacious path of Seraphic Fire. Similarly, collaborating with The Cleveland Orchestra on Cantata 34 at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts was a defining triumph. The members of Seraphic Fire stood on stage with one of America’s greatest orchestras and were equals in their performance. It was exhilarating for everyone involved. After almost 20 years of sharing Bach with South Florida audiences, Seraphic Fire will present three of Johann Sebastian Bach’s works during the ensemble’s annual Enlightenment Festival in February 2022. Cantata 147, Hertz und Mund und Tat und Leben, contains one of the most memorable melodies in all of music, “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring.” Cantata 62, based on Martin Luther’s Advent hymn, Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, features arresting choruses and luxurious arias. Bach’s Mass in G Minor is, effectively, a jewel box for his most favorite cantata pieces and not to be missed.
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III, ISSUE II
“When I listen to Bach. It’s an intense, personal musical experience. The music demands attention. Everything else disappears. It’s a meditation – a way to have peace. It’s my solace, it’s where I go for stillness. I think that I am not alone in this.” – Patrick Dupre Quigley Seraphic Fire’s members are recognized as stellar Bach singers. In fact, they are required to audition with Bach repertoire. As just one example, Seraphic Fire soprano Nola Richardson has the distinction of having won first place in the three major Bach competitions in the US. Likewise, Seraphic Fire’s period orchestra is supremely talented. The violins, violas, and cellos use gut strings as they would have in the Baroque period, in contrast with modern metal strings. The earthy quality, the warmth and overtones in historical instruments are readily audible and completely different from today’s instruments. Seraphic Fire audiences, listening to Bach played on copies of original
