Our 2011/2012 classical season begins with a scintillating collaboration between two of the most acclaimed ensembles in the nation. The Orion is prized for its command of the classical repertory and its curation of contemporary music by composers as diverse as Lowell Liebermann and Wynton Marsalis. Likewise, the five distinguished woodwind soloists who perform together as Windscape — the ensemble-in-residence at the Manhattan School of Music — draw insightful connections across the musical map, from European classical to American jazz.

In Durham, the Orion and Windscape combine their forces in the landmark Art of the Fugue, where Bach elaborates a deceptively simple subject toward profound complexity without specifying any particular instrumentation. Samuel Baron provided a brilliant solution with his 1960 arrangement for string quartet, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, and horn, supplying a continuous 80 minutes of ravishing ensemble color to the intensely logical score.

BACH: The Art of the Fugue for String Quartet and Wind Quintet, BWV 1080 (arr. Samuel Baron, 1960)