The best of week three of the Bach Festival.

As Carmel heads into the Bachstretch, some concertgoers, after dozens of concerts, talks and special performances, may be feeling just a little peaked. Fortunately, plenty of inspiring music awaits, ready to bring on that second wind.

THURSDAY, JULY 26

Two Italian Tenors

2:30pm, Church of the Wayfarer

Tenors Alan Bennett and Benjamin Butterfield, accompanied by violins and a cello, join for this four-part recital. Bennett, in his ninth season in Carmel, is known for his lyrical performances of Bach, Handel, and Mozart. Butterfield is a master of Bach literature and a Juno award recipient.

Bach Family Flute

5:30pm, All Saints Church

This evening presents music for flute by Bach and Bach’s sons. J.S. Bach loved the flute and wrote more solo pieces for it than any other wind instrument. This love carried over to his sons, especially his second son, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach. In 1747, J.S. Bach visited Frederick II, King of Prussia (Frederick the Great), who played the transverse flute. That meeting resulted in The Musical Offering, a collection of music by J.S. Bach based on a musical theme by King Frederick II that Bach dedicated to the king. C.P.E. Bach also wrote music for the flute and was one of King Frederick II’s court musician’s.

Bach Festival’s “Big Band”

7pm, Oldemeyer Center

Take a journey from 1720 to 2006 with musicians from the Festival Ensemble led by festival managing director and principal bassoonist Jesse Read. The party goes international with a tango and African drums.

FRIDAY, JULY 27

Neither Sighs, Nor Tears, Nor Mourning

1pm, Sunset Theater Foyer

Inhale the rich tone of Australian mezzo-soprano Sally-Anne Russell joined by Richard Kolb on archlute and theorbo, two uncommon European plucked-string instruments. The theorbo is larger and has more power in the tenor and bass. The archlute is a smaller instrument that can hit higher notes. This afternoon’s three-part recital features the music of Nicholas Lanier.

Hadyn, Beethoven and the Celtic Muse

2:30pm, Church of the Wayfarer

Tenor Benjamin Butterfield is joined by violin, viola, cello and fortepiano for a string quartet by Haydn, an allegretto by Beethoven, and a series of Scottish and Irish songs by Beethoven for tenor and piano trio. This show has two rare elements to add to the excitement: the Scottish and Irish songs by Beethoven are not often heard in concert, and the fortepiano, played by Dongsok Shin, is rarely played at festivals. Shin, from New York, is a specialist in early keyboard instruments and makes his first appearance in Carmel.

SATURDAY, JULY 28

Young Artist Showcase

4pm, Sunset Theater

David Gordon leads an impressive group of middle and high school students from around the Central Coast in an hour-long performance of Baroque classics. Free admission and open seating make this a popular family event.

SUNDAY, JULY 29

Candlelight Concert, Bach and Buxtehude: Master and Mentor

9pm, Church of the Wayfarer

Dieterich Buxtehude, a German organist and composer who heavily influenced Bach, is believed to be the most prominent German composer of the mid-Baroque time. Two Bach sonatas, a Bach partita, and a Buxtehude trio are performed by Elizabeth Wallfisch on violin, Joanna Blendulf on viola da gamba and Andrew Arthur on organ.

St. Matthew Passion

2:30pm, Sunset Cultural Center

The St. Matthew Passion is one of the more powerful pieces from the Baroque era and is one of only two surviving settings of the Passion that Bach wrote. Scholars consider this one of Bach’s most important works; it was written for a double orchestra and double choir. This performance showcases the solo voices of Colton, Russell, Butterfield, and Sylvan.

MONDAY, JULY 30

Inspirations, Intimates & Rivals

8pm, Sunset Cultural Center

Tonight is focused on composers who inspired Bach, as well as his rivals and heirs: Vivaldi, Telemann and Johann Christian Bach. Elizabeth Wallfisch, a world-renowned interpreter of violin repertoire from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, leads the Festival Strings with her violin in this compilation made up primarily of concertos. The rich tone of Sally-Anne Russell, the Australian mezzo-soprano diva, accompanies Wallfisch in a cantata by Telemann.

Organ Recital

11am, Carmel Mission Basilica,

J.S. Bach was an organist and this morning’s recital presents a fascinating look at the master in his own domain.

TUESDAY, JULY 31

Musickes Delight

11am, Sunset Theater Foyer

Enjoy a six-part performance featuring three works by Tobias Hume, an English composer and viola player. Though seating is limited in the foyer, concertgoers benefit by sitting near the action. This recital is also interactive, as Richard Kolb, who plays the archlute and the theorbo, discusses the instruments and the music with the audience.

From Anna Magdalena Bach’s Notebook

2:30pm, All Saints Church

Bach gave two manuscript notebooks to his second wife, Anna Magdalena. The first, dated 1722, was made up of works by Bach alone. The second, dated 1725, was a collection of music by Bach and his peers that reflects his family’s musical taste. Sample the music of the era with this eight-piece set from the second manuscript and get a sense of the Bach family’s particular fancy.

Wednesday, August 1

Spirit and Soul: Bach’s Solo Cantatas

2:30pm, Church of the Wayfarer

Three years ago the Festival introduced a performance that includes Bach’s cantatas, paired with a complementary piece. This year marks the third in a series. Oboe, horn, violin, viola, bass, and organ are featured in two Bach cantatas and a sonata by Johann Heinrich Schmelzer, an Austrian composer and violinist of the Baroque period. The tight ensemble has played together previously and they play off of each other with remarkable skill. The combination of Bach’s extraordinary, infrequently-played cantatas performed with ideal acoustics in the Church of the Wayfarer, and Andrew Arthur on organ make for a memorable afternoon of great music.

style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 204);">The Bach Festival runs through Saturday, Aug. 4. For a full schedule, visit bachfestival.org