Eugene Drucker, Irena Momchilova, Ani Kavafian, Joseph Silverstein (photo Paul Johansen)

(GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass.) – Berkshire Bach will offer a triple-play of Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos as well as works by Vivaldi and Handel in concerts in Northampton, Great Barrington and Troy, N.Y., on December 30 and 31, 2012, and January 1, 2013, respectively. On the program will be Antonio Vivaldi’s Concerto for two horns, two oboes and solo violin; the ever-popular Bach Double Concerto for Violin and Oboe in a new reconstruction by Kenneth Cooper, and the Harpsichord Concerto No. 15 in D minor by Handel (stolen largely from Telemann) with a special cadenza by harpsichordist Cooper. The program will be rounded out by Bach’s Brandenburg Concerti Nos. 2 and 3, the latter in Berkshire Bach’s own version with lots of winds, an idea that originated with Bach himself. Guest artist will be violinist Joseph Silverstein, and among the many soloists will be Eugene Drucker.

This year marks Berkshire Bach’s first appearance at the Academy of Music in Northampton, on Sunday, December 30, 2012 at 3pm, followed by the traditional New Year’s concerts at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington on Monday, December 31, 2012 at 6pm and at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall in Troy, N.Y., on Tuesday, January 1, 2013 at 4pm.

The Berkshire Bach Society is dedicated to sharing the vast repertoire of music by Johann Sebastian Bach, his contemporaries, the composers who influenced his work and those he inspired to achieve musical timelessness. Berkshire Bach seeks to reach the broadest possible audience for the works of J.S. Bach and his musical peers, mentors and followers, engaging the finest musicians available. As the oldest continuing member-based non-profit music organization in Berkshire County, Berkshire Bach focuses on enriching audiences with concerts that range from solo instrumental recitals to large choral works with full orchestra.