Baroque the Casbah

Set the time machine to 1512, and you'll find people were stressed back then too, but over food and disease. Their solace: classical music. "The music brought heaven to the earth, helping them get away from it all," says the Miami Bach Society's executive director, Kathy Gaubatz. The organization is hosting its Eighth Tropical Baroque Music Festival, starting today through March 10, with events throughout Coral Gables. Classical music from Europe, the Caribbean, and Central and South America written before 1800 will be featured.

"People are afraid it will be above and beyond them," says Gaubatz, so the festival has been given a popular bent. Handel's "Royal Fireworks Music" will be set to real fireworks at the Biltmore Hotel (this Sunday at 7:00 p.m.); and the classically trained group Lydian Steel from Trinidad will perform Baroque favorites on steel drums (on Saturday, March 10, at 8:00 p.m.). "The music is very calming, soothing, very beautiful," says Gaubatz. "It's like a narcotic without side effects." Sounds awesome to us. Tickets range from $30 to $75; festival passes cost $200 to $500. Students up to age 21 are free, and graduate students pay five dollars.
Sat., March 3