Upcoming Early Music Concerts in NYC
The Blood of the Rose
Relic’s newly-curated program, “The Blood of the Rose,” celebrates the rich tradition of Baroque music in 1700s Latin America through an instrumental adaptation of the Venus and Adonis myth.
Children of Orpheus
Arcangelo Corelli stands among the most revered figures of the Baroque era. Praised by contemporaries as Orpheus of his age, his legacy shines through this program, which traces his profound influence across Europe.
De la Vida Deste Mundo
Musica Antiqua Latina, based in Rome, makes its American debut in this concert celebrating the so-called Renaissance quartier in Rome inspired by naturalized Italo-Hispanic artists in Renaissance and Baroque Italy.
La Santísima Virgen Maria
Led by Dr. Jacqueline Horner-Kwiatek (formerly of the world-renowned Anonymous 4) ModernMedieval Voices offers this program which features settings of Latin Marian texts as well as selections from the Cantigas de Santa Maria.
Baroque Song of Latin America
Música Temprana makes their long-awaited return to Music Before 1800 in an evening celebrating the diversity of Baroque song throughout Latin America.
CANTIGAS: Songs of Mystic Spain
Using King Alfonso's magnificent collection of songs to the Virgin Mary as its central element, the Camerata weaves Jewish and Islamic elements around the Christian songs.
Invention of the Orchestra
The orchestra as we know it was an invention of the Baroque. The effect of a large group of instrumentalists doing precisely the same thing at the same time was so striking that many contemporaries commented on its sumptuous and dramatic sound.
The Knights of the Lute
Our season closes with music from the sensational, late Renaissance manuscripts recently discovered in Pesaro.
Levantine Rhapsody
To celebrate the Muslim festival Eid al-Adha, Turkish kanun virtuoso Didem Basar intertwines two influences: Turkish and Western classical music.
Edinburgh Rollick: A Robert Burns Celebration
Corelli and Neil Gow
Ruckus featuring Keir GoGwilt and Fiona Gillespie
Sláinte Mhath! January 25 is the birthday of Scottish poet Robert Burns, and each year since 1801 the event is celebrated with poetry and song. Ruckus and violin virtuoso Keir GoGwilt celebrate the legacy of Niel Gow (b. Perthshire, 1727-1807), known as ‘the Scottish Corelli’ alongside sonatas of his namesake, in this dynamic folk-Baroque feast. Weaving together Corelli’s sonatas with the jubilant, hard-driving and nostalgic tunes of Niel Gow, Ruckus and GoGwilt bring the 18th-century tradition of blending folk and art music to the present day.
“GoGwilt has…utter command of the wild rhythmic energy needed to make this repertoire sparkle, not to mention being unafraid to crunch his bow against the strings”
—Early Music America
Holiday
Burns Night
On the Radio
Date to be determined (original date altered due to winter storm)
WKCR 89.9FM & online
Musicians:
Keir GoGwilt, Fiona Gillespie, Doug Balliett, Elliot Figg, Paul Holmes Morton, Jonny Allen and Clay Zeller-Townson
Concert generously sponsored by Drew Minter, Kathleen Roberts, and Howard Clyman
O JERUSALEM! — Crossroads of Three Faiths
Apollo’s Fire
Jeannette Sorrell, conductor, harpsichord
Ringing with urgency in our time, this acclaimed program created by Jeannette Sorrell honors the peoples whose music and faith brought such vibrancy to the Middle East. In this musical tour of the four quarters of Old Jerusalem (Jewish, Christian, Arab, and Armenian), surprising cross-influences emerge. A Sephardic ballad leads to a classical Arabic love song; selections from Monteverdi’s great Vespers of 1610 echo the rapturous singing of the Jewish cantors in the temples. Twenty-six artists from Jewish, Palestinian, Muslim, and Christian backgrounds perform on oud, theorbo, medieval harp, zither, strings, and exotic percussion. The rhythms of daily life – love, singing, dancing and prayer – culminate in a joyous celebration of shared humanity.
“Brims with energy and imagination… Programmed with real vision and beautifully performed, a mesmerising portrait of Old Jerusalem reimagined through sound.”
—BBC Music Magazine
Holiday
Easter and Passover
Concert Stream
April 27-May 11
Conceived and Directed by
Jeannette Sorrell
Featured Artists
Sophia Burgos & Sonnya Headlam, soprano | Aryssa Leigh Burrs, mezzo | Jacob Perry, tenor | Jeffrey Strauss & Edward Vogel, baritones
*Daphna Mor, recorder, shawm, ney (Middle Eastern flute), vocals (*Jewish musical & cultural consultant)
**Ronnie Malley, oud & accordion (**Arab musical & cultural consultant)
and Vocalists of Apollo’s Fire
Virtual concert generously sponsored by Roger and Whitney Bagnall
The Trials of Tenducci
A Castrato in Ireland
Irish Baroque Orchestra with Hugh Cutting, countertenor
A rare New York performance by Ireland’s flagship period music ensemble adorns St. Patrick’s Day weekend with the story of Giusto Tenducci, superstar castrato of 1760s Dublin. Artistic Director Peter Whelan and countertenor Hugh Cutting explore the musical context of Ireland against the scandalous details of Tenducci’s story.
Featuring music by Mozart, Gluck, J.C. Bach, Fischer, Arne and Giordani, Tenducci’s titillating travails uncover a salacious chapter in Dublin’s history never before exhumed by Music Before 1800.
“The excellent Irish Baroque Orchestra play wonderfully for Whelan, who conducts with great elegance and elan.”
—The Guardian
Holiday
St. Patrick’s Day
Director:
Peter Whelan
Concert generously sponsored by Gerald and Eleanor McGee
Co-presented by The American Irish Historical Society
The Irish Baroque Orchestra’s performance is supported by Culture Ireland.
Death of Gesualdo: US Premiere
The Gesualdo Six and Concert Theatre Works
Following the huge international success of Secret Byrd, creator/director Bill Barclay teams up for a second collaboration with The Gesualdo Six to celebrate their namesake composer, Carlo Gesualdo (1566-1613).
Infamous for murdering his wife and her lover, Gesualdo’s tortured chromaticism anticipated musical romanticism by 200 years. His madrigals and Tenebrae – the mass he wrote for his own death – form the backbone of a new theatrical concert that superimposes his life over his music.
Haunting, vexing, and wildly fascinating, this anti-Valentine’s Day program may best befit a Friday the 13th.
Commissioned by The Church of St Martin-in-the-Fields for its 300th birthday, The National Centre for Early Music in York, and Music Before 1800.
“Effortless Perfection.”
—The Observer, of Secret Byrd
Holiday
Friday the 13th
Concert Stream
March 2-16
Bill Barclay artistic director
Will Tuckett choreographer
Owain Park music director
Dancers:
Doria Bramante, Thomas Brazzle, Kristin Wold, Kat Humes, Ryan Winkles, Markus Weinfurter
Virtual concert generously sponsored by Bruce Garetz