Harmonious Blacksmith with tenor Aaron Sheehan: The Cult of Melancholy NOVEMBER 9, 2008, 3:30 PM, St. Martin's Church, Providence, RI
Aaron Sheehan, tenor; Justin Godoy & Héloïse Degrugillier, recorder; Catherine Liddell, lute

When English Renaissance artists wrote about the "ghastly fumes of melancholy," they weren't complaining about high gas prices, but rather the depressing state of sadness that covered much of England in the 16th century. Ironically, this sadness inspired some of the most beautiful music ever composed by England's prince of melancholy, John Dowland. Acclaimed tenor Aaron Sheehan joins the ensemble for an afternoon of delightful melancholy. (“Tenor Aaron Sheehan stood quietly as he poured out poetic texts with lovely tone and sensitive nuance.”—Cleveland Plain Dealer)

Blue Heron Renaissance Choir: Christmas at Notre Dame de Paris, c. 1200 
Scott Metcalfe, director
DECEMBER 21, 2008, 3:30 PM
Grace Church, 175 Mathewson St, Providence, RI (PLEASE NOTE new location)

Museum Concerts is happy to welcome back Scott Metcalfe with this highly-regarded Renaissance choir in a Christmas program of some of the finest music of the period. It will be two programs in one:  Christmas motets by Josquin Desprez and his contemporaries followed by the mind-expanding music from the very early years of Western polyphony by the great master Perotinus and others at the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris. Mellifluous and perfectly crafted for the voice, Josquin's music is always a pleasure to sing and rises to a level comparable to the greatest works of any century. Perotin’s music may come as a revelation to listeners hearing it for the first time. He is able to take control of the audience’s sense of the passage of time and hold one’s rapt attention for long periods. (“Blue Heron's signature purity of intonation and clarity of line … expressive immediacy … the choir sang with the accuracy and immediacy required for this music to address a modern listener with an intensity undimmed by the centuries.”—The Boston Globe)

This concert is dedicated to the memory of Alison Fowle, co-founder of the Museum Concerts series.

Lipzodes: Music from 16th-Century Guatemala
JANUARY 18, 2009, 3:30 PM, St. Martin's Church, Providence, RI
Juan Carlos Arango, shawms; Yonit Kosovske, organ; Sung Lee, shawms; Anna Marsh, dulcian & shawms; Wolodymyr Smishkewych, voice & percussion
Just back from a South American tour, Ensemble Lipzodes transports us to the magical world of Guatemala more than four centuries ago. Most the music they will present is from the state of Huehuetenango, Guatemala, where the great peaks of the Cuchumatán mountain range dominate the rugged terrain. The native peoples left us a great variety of distinct and imaginative music--Latin masses and motets, psalm settings, striking fabordones, Spanish and vernacular villancicos, pabanillas, and other more unusual forms. The majority of the texts are in Latin or Spanish but also include works in Nahuatl and Jacaltec-Chuj languages. A wonderful performance of a rarely-heard repertory full of delightful rhythms and sparkling harmonies.
In 2004, Lipzodes was a finalist in Early Music America's Renaissance and Medieval Performance Competition, and in 2006 the ensemble was selected as a winner in the Ninth Competition in Performance of Music from Spain and Latin America. (“…managing like conjurers to take a listener back to that other time in another place…” Herald-Times, Indiana)

Très: "Hark How the Songsters" Baroque Music of England in praise of Song, celebrating Love
FEBRUARY 22, 2009, 3:30 PM, St. Martin's Church, Providence, RI
Jayne West, soprano; Deborah Rentz-Moore, mezzo-soprano; Lisa Brooke, Baroque violin; Daniel Rowe, Baroque cello; Michael Beattie, harpsichord
Très features vocal solos and duos from the rich repertoire of Baroque England. The ensemble will perform instrumental interludes and collaborations in just the way they might have been heard in the salons and theatres of London; music from the Masques completes this program of pure entertainment, both light and serious. (“The radiant soprano Jayne West…”—The New York Times; Paula Murrihy is “confident, technically-assured and clear-voiced…”—The Irish Times)

 

 

 

WINDHOVER: The Jewish Baroque & Beyond
APRIL 26, 2009, 3:30 PM. Lecture at 2:30 (see below)
Heidi Powell & Richard Hsu, baroque violins; Loretta O'Sullivan, baroque cello; Dongsok Shin, harpsichord
Michael P. Metcalf Auditorium, The Chace Center, Rhode Island School of Design, 20 North Main St, Providence, RI (PLEASE NOTE new location)

The works of famed 17th-century Jewish composer Salamone Rossi and his colleagues, Biagio Marini and Dario Castello, are unique and revolutionary in the violin repertoire because of their virtuosity and dramatic qualities. Rossi and Marini were both successful concert violinists, and both pushed the envelope in the development of solo violin playing. Rossi was one of the first composers to apply to instrumental music the principles of monodic song, in which one melody dominates over the accompanying parts—before this, the violin was used in dance bands or for religious music. Without these ingenious works, the violin may not have become the solo instrument of great repute that we know today. Windhover will present a selection of sonatas and trio sonatas from these astonishing composers.
In conjunction with this concert Andrew Raftery, well-known Providence engraver and RISD Associate Professor of Printmaking, will present a special lecture and exhibition of the prints of 18th-century Venetian life in the Museum’s Minskoff Center for Prints, Drawings, and Photographs. The talk will be at 2:30 in the Danforth Room, 2nd floor, just upstairs from the Auditorium in the new Chace Center. Please enter from the new entrance on Main Street.