06 Aug Press Release: Bach’s Musical Offering

LES DÉLICES EXPLORES THE INVENTIVE GENIUS OF J.S. BACH, OCTOBER 1-4, 2026 

Acclaimed early chamber music ensemble, Les Délices, opens its 2026–2027 subscription series with three Northeast Ohio performances of Bach’s Musical Offering, a brilliant new program that balances the ingenious puzzle canons of J.S. Bach’s Musical Offering with the expressive, melody-driven music of his son, C.P.E. Bach. Les Délices presents three performances, Oct 1, 3 and 4 in Akron, Berea, and Cleveland, with additional tour stops at Kenyon College and Michigan State University.

Les Délices will host three performances of Bach’s Musical Offering this fall. Thursday, Oct. 1st at 7:30 pm at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Akron; Saturday, Oct. 3rd at 7:30 pm at Gamble Auditorium, Baldwin Wallace University in Berea (this performance is presented in tandem with the Baldwin Wallace Bach Festival, supported by the Kulas Foundation), and on Sunday, Oct. 4th at 3:00 pm at the Cleveland Museum of Art’s Gartner Auditorium. Pre-concert remarks by harpsichordist Mark Edwards will begin 30 minutes prior to each performance. A filmed version of this concert will be available to watch on-demand via Les Délices’ VHX platform November 1 – 30, 2026.

Led by Debra Nagy (oboe), the performances feature core Les Délices musicians Shelby Yamin (violin), Rebecca Landell (cello), and Mark Edwards (harpsichordist) alongside guest artists Allison Monroe (violin and viola), Stephanie Corwin (bassoon), and flutist Emi Ferguson.

At A Glance:
What: Bach’s Musical Offering (music by J.S. and C.P.E. Bach)
When: Oct 1-4, 2026
Where: Performances in Akron, Berea, and Cleveland
Who: Les Délices, Cleveland’s early chamber music ensemble

THIS EVENT IS TICKETED. Single tickets ($10-$28-$45) and season subscriptions will be available for purchase on the Les Délices ticketing platform beginning August 15, 2026. Additional touring engagements of Bach’s Musical Offering will take place at Kenyon College (Friday, Oct. 2nd) and Michigan State University (Oct. 6th). Ticketing for those performances will be handled by the host institutions.

Inspired by a Historic Musical Meeting

 The program centers on one of music history’s most famous encounters: J.S. Bach’s May 1747 visit to the court of King Frederick the Great in Potsdam. Challenged by the King to improvise on an extraordinarily complex “Royal Theme” designed to resist contrapuntal invention, Bach responded with an on-the-spot harpsichord improvisation on the theme and later published a towering collection of puzzle canons, fugues, and a masterly Trio Sonata under the title Das Musikalische Opfer or “The Musical Offering”. Though it has become fashionable in modern times to present the entirety of The Musical Offering as a concert program, there is no evidence that Bach intended his publication to be used in this way. For these concerts, Les Délices eschews a completist approach to the Offering, instead crafting an imaginative program that begins with the 3-voice Ricercar on harpsichord, journeys through selected canons played by a varied chamber ensemble, closing with the full-ensemble 6-voice Ricercar.

Says Debra Nagy, “In fact, Bach’s Musical Offering is open to a fair amount of interpretation and I’m happy to take some artistic license with these performances. For instance, there are no indications about instrumentation for most of the canons so I’m excited to put bring some technicolor to Bach’s counterpoint by using an ensemble of violin, viola, flute, oboe da caccia, bassoon, cello, and harpsichord. Bach’s canons are the sonic equivalent of an M.C. Escher drawing: he manipulates melodies so that they move not only forwards but backwards, upside down, half speed, and more. The varied instrumentation will make for truly fascinating listening that enables audiences to follow some of the amazing moves that Bach’s is pulling off! At the heart of the program, we’ll hear the famous Trio Sonata based on the King’s Theme in the instrumentation Bach specified (flute, violin, and continuo).”

A Family Affair

Les Délices contrasts J.S. Bach’s inventive and somewhat esoteric counterpoint with the expressive, melody-driven Sonata for Oboe and Continuo (Wq 135) by his son, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, (pictured right) who served as court musician to Frederick the Great. C.P.E. Bach self-consciously styled himself in opposition to his father’s aesthetic priorities. The inclusion of C.P.E. Bach’s sonata offers an opportunity to hear Artistic Director Debra Nagy as a soloist and also pays tribute to the remarkable legacy of Dr. Mary Oleskiewicz, who edited the complete solo sonatas of CPE Bach, among her many other scholarly works. Dr. Oleskiewicz passed away in 2025 and these concerts are dedicated to her memory.

Special Pre-Concert Remarks by Mark Edwards

The program begins with the original 3-voice Ricercar Bach is thought to have improvised during his first meeting with Frederick the Great performed by harpsichordist Mark Edwards. In addition to lending his exquisite musicianship to these concerts, Mark will give pre-concert remarks 30 minutes prior to each live performance. A core member of Les Délices, Edwards is especially renowned for his interpretation of Bach’s works and his commentary is sure to provide insights and important context for listeners. He recently launched an initiative to release free video recordings of the complete keyboard works of J.S. Bach over the course of 500 weeks. The videos can be found on the YouTube channel Via Bach.

EVENT DETAILS:
Bach’s Musical Offering: his ultimate pursuit of possibility

Live performances:

Thursday, October 1, 2026 at 7:30 pm
Pre-concert remarks at 7 pm
Westminster Presbyterian Church
1250 W Exchange St, Akron, OH 44313

Saturday, October 3, 2026 at 7:30 pm
Presented in tandem with the Baldwin Wallace Bach Festival, supported by the Kulas Foundation
Pre-concert remarks at 7 pm
Gamble Auditorium at Baldwin Wallace University
49 Seminary St, Berea, OH 44017

Sunday, October 4, 2026 at 3:00 pm
Pre-concert remarks at 2:30 pm
Gartner Auditorium at the Cleveland Museum of Art
11150 East Blvd, Cleveland, OH 44106

Light on the Horizon: Join us on the Journey

Les Délices’ 2026-2027 Season Light on the Horizon promises a transformational experience of musical artistry. Visit https://lesdelices.org/events/ for detailed information on each program, performance dates and times, and ticketing options. Subscriptions (including Virtual Subscriptions) and single tickets go on sale August 15, 2026.

Les Délices has a full calendar of subscription concerts, free shows, and educational programs planned for the 2026-2027 season. In addition, Les Délices is proud to work within NEO Ohio schools, supporting and enriching the musical development of students. More community events will be announced during the season.