Baroque lovers, rejoice! This morning’s 9 a.m. hour on Classic 107 is basically a sonic pre-party for one of the most exciting concerts of the Winnipeg Baroque Festival: La Folia, performed by local period dream team In Fidem in Fidibus. If you’ve got tickets for this afternoon’s show at St. Margaret’s Anglican Church, consider this your musical appetizer. And if you don’t have tickets yet—well, we can’t make decisions for you, but we can blast some Falconieri at you until you do.
Here’s a breakdown of how today’s playlist is perfectly in tune with the concert’s repertoire (gut strings and all):
🎶 9:00 a.m. – Vivaldi’s Gloria, RV 589 (Tafelmusik, led by Ivars Taurins)
We kick off with a glorious (sorry, not sorry) wall of Baroque joy courtesy of Vivaldi—who also happens to close In Fidem in Fidibus’s program with his own dazzling take on La Folia. This Gloria sets the tone for the kind of theatrical, bold, and expressive Baroque sound world the ensemble thrives in. Tafelmusik, one of Canada’s great period groups, also helped inspire guitarist John Himes on his early music journey. Full circle vibes, anyone?
🎶 9:30 a.m. – Corrente & Gagliarda by Andrea Falconieri (performed by Sylvain Bergeron, archlute)
Ah yes, the bad boy of the Baroque convent scene. If you’ve read the program notes (or the gossip), you’ll know Falconieri’s music was so charming it distracted nuns from their practice. Today’s Falconieri selection—while solo—gives us a taste of his irresistible rhythmic flair. This morning’s concert features not one but two of his works, including his take on La Folia. Word on the street? Matsumura and Friesen are cooking up a playful, violin-fuelled duet that promises surprises at every turn.
🎶 9:36 a.m. – Corelli’s Violin Sonata in D minor, Op. 5 No. 12 La Folia
The folia theme is the musical skeleton key of the day, and Corelli’s take is an OG. With its dramatic mood swings and rapid-fire variations, it laid the groundwork for composers like Vivaldi—and today’s performers—to explore the full emotional spectrum of this famous progression. For violist Tatiana Friesen, it’s also a nostalgic nod to her time at the Tafelmusik Summer Institute, where she had to write her own divisions on the theme. Expect fireworks (and fond memories).
🎶 9:47 a.m. – Biber’s Benedictus from Missa Salisburgensis (Musica Antiqua Köln & Gabrieli Consort, led by Reinhard Goebel)
We couldn’t do a Biber-free playlist on La Folia day. The Austrian master gets two pieces on the In Fidem in Fidibus program, including his dazzling Mystery Sonata No. 2 “The Visitation”. The Benedictus here showcases his grandeur in choral writing, but you’ll hear a different side of him at the concert—one filled with wild alternate tunings and intimate string textures. Yes, we’re talking scordatura: the Baroque version of putting your violin through a funhouse mirror.
🎶 9:55 a.m. – Tarquinio Merula’s Canzon No. 2 (performed by the Sienna Recorder Quartet)
To close out the hour, we turn to Merula—another composer on today’s concert lineup—whose ciaccona will add hypnotic, swirling momentum to the show. This Canzon is light on its feet, but the vibes are unmistakable: dance-like, slightly unpredictable, and thoroughly Baroque. Merula's music embodies that peculiar 17th-century blend of structure and freedom, which this ensemble relishes.
📍 Concert Info Reminder:
🎻 “La Folia” – In Fidem in Fidibus
🗓 Saturday, 2 p.m.
📍 St. Margaret’s Anglican Church
🎟 Featuring works by Vivaldi, Biber, Ariosti, Merula, Falconieri, and more
💡 Come for the gut strings, stay for the musical chaos (the good kind)
Whether you tuned in for the violins, the variations, or just to vibe with some vintage virtuosity, this morning’s 9 a.m. playlist was your gateway into the lush world of La Folia. With rich textures, gut-string goodness, and a local ensemble that clearly has faith in fiddles, this is Baroque done right.
See you at the concert—you’ll recognize us by the glow of musical enlightenment and maybe a coffee in hand.