Go for Baroque?

Period-instrument performances of Baroque music are still rare around Sacramento. But this week UC Davis is easing things by bringing three groups from the Bay Area (a hotbed of early music) for a “Mini-Festival of Baroque Music.” Period-instrument performances feature ornamented melodies and perky tempos; also harpsichords and old-style, gut-strung violins, making for an earthier, “less-tightly-wound” sound. Soloists include violinist Elizabeth Wallfisch (Carmel Bach Festival, Hyperion recording artist). The concerts: 8 p.m. Friday, Archangeli Baroque Strings and UCD Baroque Ensemble perform Bach’s Orchestral Suite No. 1 and excerpts from Handel’s Water Music, St. Martin’s Episcopal Church, 640 Hawthorne Lane, Davis. Tickets $12/$6. 8 p.m. Sunday, Archangeli Baroque Trio performs music for violin, harpsichord and cello by 17th-century Italian composers, Wyatt Pavilion, UC Davis. Tickets $12/$6. 8 p.m. Monday, American Bach Soloists, Jeffrey Thomas (conductor), with soloists Dan Lauren (recorder), Simos Papanos and Elizabeth Wallfisch (violin), perform music by Bach, Vivaldi and Corelli, Davis Community Church, 412 C St., Davis. Tickets $25/$12.50. For information, call (530) 752-1915.