EarlyMusicNews.Org

“Commedia dell'arte is a popular comical theatrical form born in the 15th century. Mirthful, gay, even hilarious, these shows always used the same stock characters to weave its narrative, characters that we still know and love: Harlequin, Pierrot, Colombine, Pantaloon, among others. 

Fast-forward a few hundreds of years later: Arion Baroque Orchestra is getting inspired by the same characters to create a flamboyant concert!
  

“This latest instalment of Ian Bostridge’s ‘Ancient and Modern’ series juxtaposed the tender melancholy of the Elizabethan age with the modernist anxieties of the early twentieth century, revealing both a sensitivity to textual nuance and profound human sensibilities which transcend temporal epochs.
    

“The Società di Danza organizes balls and tea dance to practice dances learned in classes.
Tea dances are informal meetings, usually organized on Saturday or Sunday afternoon every month.
Balls are formal reconstruction of historical balls of the XIX Century, where dancers with appropriate costume dance in historical buildings or theaters.
            

Le Poème Harmonique reminds us of their upcoming concerts for the month of March 2012.
  

Sacred concertos for the Christmas and Easter seasons

22 feb 2012 Palais du Tau-Reims (51)
23 feb 2012 Salle des Fêtes de l'Hôtel de Ville-Troyes (10)
24 feb 2012 Notre-Dame du Rosaire-Chaumont (52)

“The pieces of this programme come from the Düben collection at Uppsala University in Sweden. This library holds most of his Geistliche Konzerte (sacred concertos), composed to cover the entire liturgical year. They are situated midway between the works of Heinrich Schütz and the cantatas of Dietrich Buxtehude. Their form as dialogues between named protagonists gives some of these compositions a highly expressive, dramatic aspect. The recitatives are in the vein of Carissimi while the arias are frequently sung by two voices. The instrumental sinfonias are for strings only. 

“On 14-19 August 2012, Chalemie will hold its 14th Summer School in Early Music, Dance, Period Costume Making and Commedia. Leading performers from the group will direct a series of workshops on 17th/18th century music, song, dance, commedia and costume making, with a particular emphasis on the English repertoire of this period.
         

“In Wilhelm Weitsch’s well-known painting of Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, the eldest son of Johann Sebastian seems far distant from the cantorial world of his father.
  

(Re-posted with additional information – editor)

This master class is aimed at experienced singers and musicians and existing ensembles who wish to improve their knowledge and practice of Western Medieval music. The individual classes and group workshops have been designed to extend the scope of their research and preparation in order to enhance their future artistic achievements. Participants will have free access to a talk on the history of music from the period. Each participant will be given a kit including an introduction to the theme, sheet music and facsimiles of the selected works, copies of articles and a bibliography.
             

(Re-posted with additional information – editor)

16th International Medieval Music and Dance Course
(based on the “the Sea” and medieval and traditional
dances and music about the Seas and Oceans)

Aims
The course will set out to stage a musical and theatrical adaptation of medieval and traditionnal music and dances about Seas and Oceans. Each participant will receive a kit including an outline of the story, sheet music and facsimiles of the selected compositions, articles and a bibliography.

The educational purpose of the course is to make present-day musicians more aware of the various forms and functions of the religious, popular and courtly music of the Middle Ages, helping them to bring their own musical contribution to a group endeavour.

Participants will be encouraged to discover or develop their vocal, instrumental and dance skills, on the basis of their personal knowledge and interests, in the various workshops on offer. Modern as well as traditional instruments are welcome.
            

“I didn’t really know that much about Mrs Mary Potts when she was my harpsichord teacher in Cambridge, so I googled her name (in 2005) expecting to find a complete biography. She had, after all, been a student of Arnold Dolmetsch, in Haslemere, back in the 1920s, and had bought an eighteenth-century harpsichord by Burkat Shudi from him in 1929.
       

(From a recent email ad from Tafelmusik -- Editor)

Valentine's Day offer! / Virtuoso Vivaldi with Marion Verbruggen

“Treat a loved one and/or close friends to a special outing this year with this Valentine's Day offer.  Spring comes early with brilliant music by the world's favourite Italian baroque composer, featuring Marion Verbruggen - the high-spirited Dutch recorder virtuoso beloved by audiences around the world. 50% off regular priced tickets!“
      

First public performance in 450 years of Renaissance music, by award winning musicians in King’s College Chapel, 20th May 2012

The highlight of a weekend ‘Festival of the Voice’ (18-20 may 2012 -- Editor) promoted by Cambridge Early Music will be a concert in which Alessandro Striggio’s ground-breaking Mass in Forty Parts will be given its first public performance in modern times. Composed in about 1565 or 1566, this Renaissance masterpiece is scored for five 8-part choirs, a feat never attempted before, but highly influential on other composers including England’s own Thomas Tallis. Surpassing even his own ambition, Striggio’s final movement is actually in sixty parts.
             

There seems to be a lot on special this weekend at ArkivMusic. You may want to take a look at their early music offerings from Tune thy Musicke to thy Hart / Stile Antico; Air - The Bach Album / Anne Akiko Meyers; Air - The Bach Album / Anne Akiko Meyers.

Additionally, ArkivMusic is also running Hungaroton which has a proud tradition of promoting Hungarian music and artists.

“GEMS and many of New York's early music vocal ensembles are featured on WQXR's program "The Choral Mix with Kent Tritle" broadcast on Sunday, September 25.  Click below to listen to the entire program, including performances by Anonymous4, EM/NY, ARTEK, Green Mountain Project, Pomerium, Lionheart, My Lord Chamberlain's Consort, and an interview with GEMS Executive Director Gene Murrow.”
     

“Welcome to an open weekend workshop with Karin Modigh! The course is divided in two levels and will include technique training and a repertory dance. Beginners/intermediate level aims at students with some slight experience of Feuillet notated dances, and intermediate/advanced level aims at students with a fair experience of the Feuillet repertory.
       

Cambridge Early Music celebrates the voice with three marvelous early music groups and accompanying concert programmes.

THE EARTH RESOUNDS - Choral Pilgrimage 2012
The Sixteen
Friday 18 May, 2012
Concert featuring arguably the three most celebrated composers from the Franco-Flemish school of the Renaissance,...

---

     

“When we think of the ‘English oratorio’, the composer whose name most readily comes to mind is George Frideric Handel, the ‘adopted’ Englishman who in the first half of the eighteenth-century both anticipated and dictated English musical and theatrical taste.
    

A reminder from the latest GEMS newsletter of its upcoming concert listings. Once again, if you are planning on being in the New York city area, consider one of the scheduled concerts. You may want to check on ticket availability as the concerts are well-attended. 

Concert listings below:
       

(Available in FLAC 24, FLAC16 and MP3)

“BIS's Boss Robert von Bahr:
It is hard to sit and write texts about certain SACD:s without succumbing to ridiculous boasting, and this is one case in point. The very fact that we have asked Ronald Brautigan to record Complete Mozart (10 CD:s), Complete Haydn (16) and the Mozart Concerti (ongoing), 
      

Location: University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Cincinnati OH, USA

Semi-final and final rounds held at the Historical Keyboard Society joint conclave at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati, Ohio. A maximum of twelve players from the preliminary round will be admitted to the semi-final round. 

(news from the latest newsletter -- ed.)

ELIZABETH WALLFISCH CANCELS DUE TO ILLNESS
Arion Baroque Orchestra, February 16 2012

Due to illness, Elizabeth Wallfisch will not perform at the Ottawa Chamberfest Concert Series presentation of “Commedia Dell-arte” with Arion Baroque Orchestra. Ms. Wallfisch has withdrawn from the remainder of the Orchestra’s concert season. Award-winning violinist Dmitry Sinkovsky will take to the stage in her place.
     

Location: Bechyně, Czech Republic

Course description:

• For: singers (soloists and highly experienced choral singers), instrumentalists (baroque strings, recorder, flute, baroque oboe and bassoon, harpsichord / organ, theorbo, period instruments only, tuning pitch 415 Hz)
• With Enrique Gómez-Cabrero Fernandez, Dirkjan Horringa, Mitchell Sandler, Marco Vitale and others (a teacher for the wind section!)
• Also for Baroque dancers, taught by Dorothée Wortelboer
• Central work: Rameau's Indes Galantes
• This year's central theme is French Baroque, an inexhaustible collection of incredibly beautiful music
• In Bechyně, with semi-staged final performance of Rameau's Indes Galantes at the castle (Vokův sál)
      
  

Location: Bechyně, Czech Republic

Course Description:

• For: (choral) singers, strings, winds and pianists; also open to existing ensembles
• With Martina Bernášková, Petr Bernášek, Václav Bernášek, Martina Hájková, Dirkjan Horringa, Josef Kekula, Mitchell Sandler and others
• Chamber music / chamber choir and large symphony orchestra and choir conducted by Dirkjan Horringa
• Central works: Beethoven's Mass in C op. 86 and a symphony by his contemporary Pavel Vranický
• In Bechyně
• New With musical programme for children of all ages
         
  

From the latest Handel House news letter, you will find the concert listing for February-March 2012. Buy early as many of these concerts sell quickly. In fact, some of these are already sold-out.
            

Opera Lafayette are off to Marseilles to play. In the meantime, the reviews are in from the performance of Monsigny's “Le Roi et le fermier” at the Kennedy Center and Lincoln Center. The interesting part of their move to the venue in Marseilles is their use of the original backdrops from Marie Antoinette’s 1780 staging for its performances in Versailles.