Bach at Barrister features guitarist, cellist in intimate setting

This year’s Bach at Barrister concert, an evening of chamber music at the downtown Barrister Winery, proved to be so popular that a second night had to be added. Seats for evening two are probably selling fast, says cellist Zuill Bailey, artistic director for the Northwest Bach Festival.

“People are loving it,” Bailey said. “It’s the place to be. … People are at tables, people are in chairs, people are standing to the sides at the wine bar. We’re putting on shows that are events, and there’s always something very special or unique that goes on at the Barrister Winery.”

Both concerts will feature Bailey and guitarist David Leisner performing material from an album of chamber music they recently recorded. In the week leading up to the Barrister concerts, Bailey says the CD is still untitled and may not be released come show time, but anyone who attends either of the evenings will eventually receive a copy.

“The moment they come off the presses, even if they come off the presses that day, they’ll get their copies first,” Bailey said.

Bailey and Leisner will perform that album in its entirety, with a program built around a celebrated Franz Schubert sonata written for the arpeggione, a stringed instrument that’s tuned like a guitar but played with a bow. Also on the bill is a meditative composition Leisner wrote titled “Twilight Streams,” and Manuel de Falla’s Spanish-flavored “Suite Populaire.”

But what makes the Barrister concerts special, Bailey says, is the intimacy of the venue and the close proximity between the listeners and the performers.

“There’s really no separation between the stage and the audience,” he said. “Right after the concert, people just stand up and we start mingling. It’s really wonderful because it breaks down the wall between the performer and audience, which is usually there in a traditional concert venue.”

And when the performances are over, Barrister transforms from a makeshift concert hall into an intimate after-party.

“It’s the perfect location for what we’re trying to do as our mission with the Bach Festival,” Bailey said. “It’s what everyone loves. They love to socialize and eat and drink and listen to great music. … We really have to revel in these situations where we can get together and celebrate together.”