FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Dec. 30, 2008

Mercury Baroque presents Birds, Bees, and Brandenburg
First movement of Concerto No. 2 is out of this world

HOUSTON¨DJust in time for Valentine¡¯s Day, Mercury Baroque romances audiences with Birds, Bees, and Brandenburg on Feb. 14, 2009 at 8 p.m., at the Wortham Center¡¯s Cullen Theater.

Widely regarded as a high point in Baroque music, the Brandenburg concertos are beloved by classical music fans and casual listeners alike.

The first movement of Concerto No. 2 was chosen by NASA for Voyager's Golden Record, a time capsule placed on the Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft in the 1970s. The Golden Record is a gold-plated copper disk containing sounds and images selected to portray the diversity of life and culture on Earth. This time capsule was intended to communicate a story of our world to extraterrestrials.

Mercury Baroque lends its sweet sound to all six concertos, presenting the complete work on period instruments for the first time in Houston. Escape the usual Valentine's fare and be transported to the Baroque era and the brilliance of Johann Sebastian Bach.

The ensemble will be joined by oboist Kathryn Montoya, who was featured in last year¡¯s A Vivaldi Valentine concert, and flute player Michael Lynn, who has performed in venues around the world. Mercury Baroque artistic director Antoine Plante will conduct as well as join the ensemble on the viola da gamba.

This year, Plante was named the Houston Chronicle¡¯s Ultimate Viola Da Gamba Player and hailed for ¡°making the old-fashioned fashionable.¡± Praised by audiences and musicians for his conducting verve and innovative programming, Plante is a young conductor who has garnered accolades for bringing Baroque music to life. He is a founder of Mercury Baroque and has become known for his deftness in balancing a repertoire of great works with lesser-known and reconstructed pieces.

Mercury Baroque¡¯s highly imaginative programming brings music to a variety of audiences and venues, including the Wortham Center, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and The University of Houston at Clear Lake. The ensemble does not limit itself to concerts¡ªit also presents a fully staged opera each season.

Tickets for Birds, Bees, and Brandenburg are $20 - $47. For more information, or to purchase tickets, call 832-251-0706 or visit www.mercurybaroque.org.

Also in concert Sunday, February 15 at 2 p.m. at The University of Houston, Clear Lake, 2700 Bay Area Blvd., Houston, Texas 77058. For tickets to Sunday¡¯s performance, call 281-283-2560.

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Pictured: Conductor Antoine Plante (center)
and violinists Jonathan Godfrey (left) and Noel Martin (right)
Photo Credit: George Hixson