BEMF presents Vox Luminis with Director Lionel Meunier in a dynamic program of sacred music by Monteverdi—November 4 in Boston
| ARTIST: | Vox LuminisLionel Meunier, director
Zsuzsi Tóth, Perrine Devillers, Tessa Roos & Victoria Cassano, soprano; Jan Kullmann & Barnabas Hégyi, alto; Jacob Lawrence & João Moreira, tenor; Sebastian Myrus & Lionel Meunier, bass Tuomo Suni & Johannes Frisch, violin; Benoît vanden Bemden, violone; Simon Linné, theorbo; Anthony Romaniuk, organ |
| WHEN: | Friday, November 4, 2022 at 8pm ETNew England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall, 30 Gainsborough Street, Boston, MA
Virtual Premiere: Friday, November 18, 2022 at 8pm ETAvailable until Friday, December 2, 2022 at 11:59pm ET |
| PROGRAM: | Monteverdi: The Moral and Spiritual Forest
Claudio Monteverdi: Gloria, SV 258Monteverdi: Dixit Dominus II, SV 264Monteverdi: Beatus vir I, SV 268Monteverdi: O bone Jesu o piissime Jesu, SV 313Giulio Bianchi: Adoramus te Christe, SV 289Monteverdi: Crucifixus, SV 259Bianchi: Laetaniae della Beata Vergine, SV 204Monteverdi: Magnificat I, SV 281 |
| TICKETS: | Tickets are priced at $90, $60, $45, and $25 for the in-person performance, and $25 for the virtual event. All in-person tickets include a complimentary ticket for the virtual performance. To purchase tickets, visit BEMF.org or call the BEMF Box Office at 617-661-1812. Discounts are available for students and seniors. |
ABOUT THE PROGRAMLed by founder and bass Lionel Meunier, the Gramophone Award–winning Vox Luminis has garnered international acclaim for impeccable performances illuminating the emotional heart of their repertoire. They return to BEMF with an ensemble of 10 singers and 5 instrumentalists for a dynamic program of sacred music by Claudio Monteverdi drawn from his Selva morale e spirituale (The Moral and Spiritual Forest), including a 7-voice setting of the Gloria thought to be from a mass to commemorate the 1631 end to the Italian Plague. Published late in the composer’s life, this collection is a stylistically varied showcase of Monteverdi’s unequaled liturgical writing from his time at the ducal court in Mantua and as maestro di cappella of San Marco in Venice.
COVID-19 SAFETY PROTOCOLSAs we return to in-person performances with our 2022–2023 Season, the health and safety of our audience, employees, and artists is our highest priority. BEMF is requiring patrons to provide proof that they are fully vaccinated. Patrons may use either paper or electronic documentation. All staff and musicians will also be required to be vaccinated. In addition, we will require patrons to wear a well-fitted mask covering their nose and mouth at ALL times at the concert venue, including throughout the performance. Visit BEMF.org/safety to review our current safety policies.
ASSOCIATED EVENTSA pre-concert video featuring Lionel Meunier will be shared on social media and at BEMF.org on Monday, October 24.
ABOUT THE ARTISTSSince its founding in 2004, the vocal ensemble Vox Luminis–led by bass Lionel Meunier–has been internationally praised for its unique sound, both with a cast of soloists and in larger productions. Vox Luminis specializes in English, Italian, and German repertoire from the 17th and early 18th centuries, bringing to life not only well-known masterpieces, but also rare gems. A core of vocal soloists is supplemented with an extensive continuo ensemble, solo instruments, or a complete orchestra depending on the repertoire. Every year Vox Luminis gives around 70 concerts at major concert halls and festivals worldwide, including Bozar Brussels, deSingel Antwerp, Auditorio Nacional Madrid, L’Auditori Barcelona, Wigmore Hall London, Philharmonie Berlin, Lincoln Center New York, Zaryadye Hall Moscow, Festival Oude Muziek Utrecht, Musikfest Bremen, Bachfest Leipzig, Aldeburgh Festival, and the Boston Early Music Festival. In 2012, Vox Luminis won the Recording of the Year at the prestigious Gramophone Awards. Since then, the group has made sixteen recordings and has won numerous international prizes including ‘Klara Ensemble of the Year 2018’, BBC Music Magazine ‘Choral Award Winner 2018’, 3 Diapasons d’Or and several Preis der Deutschen Schalplattenkritik. Last year, the ensemble received another Gramophone Music Award in the ‘Choral’ category for its recording Buxtehude: Abendmusiken (2019).
Internationally renowned as the founder and artistic director of the award-winning Belgian vocal ensemble Vox Luminis, French conductor and bass Lionel Meunier is widely regarded as one of the most dynamic and highly acclaimed artistic leaders in the fields of historical performance and choral music active today. Praised for his detailed yet spirited interpretative approach, he is now increasingly in demand as a guest conductor and artistic director with choirs, ensembles, and orchestras worldwide. Under his leadership, Vox Luminis has embarked on extensive concert tours throughout Europe, North America, and Asia; established multi-season artistic residencies at Wigmore Hall, Aldeburgh Festival, Utrecht Early Music Festival, and Concertgebouw Bruges; and recorded over a dozen critically acclaimed albums. As a guest conductor, Lionel has worked with Netherlands Bach Society, Danish National Vocal Ensemble, Netherlands Chamber Choir, and the Boston Early Music Festival Collegium, and has led projects with Vox Luminis in collaboration with Juilliard 415, Orchestra B’Rock, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, and L’Achéron, among many others. Lionel maintains a close relationship with the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra and Consort, returning regularly to lead collaborative projects with Vox Luminis that cover a wide repertoire. Their first recording together appeared in 2021.
ABOUT THE BOSTON EARLY MUSIC FESTIVALRecognized as the preeminent early music presenter and Baroque opera producer in North America, the Boston Early Music Festival has been credited with securing Boston’s reputation as “America’s early music capital” (The Boston Globe). Founded in 1981, BEMF offers diverse programs and activities, including one GRAMMY Award–winning and five GRAMMY Award–nominated opera recordings, an annual concert series that brings early music’s brightest stars to the Boston and New York concert stages, and a biennial weeklong Festival and Exhibition recognized as the “world’s leading festival of early music” (The Times, London). The 22nd Boston Early Music Festival, A Celebration of Women, will take place from June 4-11, 2023, and will feature the North American premiere of Henry Demarest’s Circé. BEMF’s Artistic Leadership includes Artistic Directors Paul O’Dette and Stephen Stubbs, Opera Director Gilbert Blin, Orchestra Director Robert Mealy, and Dance Director Melinda Sullivan.
The Boston Early Music Festival is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, National Endowment for the Arts, Constellation Charitable Foundation, and WCRB Classical Radio Boston, as well as a number of generous foundations and individuals from around the world.
