(Vancouver, BC) – Let’s face it – winter in Vancouver can be dreary. The grey skies and endless rain can dampen the spirits of even the most positive people. Early Music Vancouver (EMV) is coming to the rescue with four bright and lively concerts (two live and two digital) over the next six weeks that will surely provide the perfect antidote. “Music stimulates our intellect, fosters our imagination and enhances your immune system.” says Suzie LeBlanc, C.M., Early Music Vancouver’s Artistic and Executive Director.
These musical offerings are particularly spirit-lifting and feature a distinguished roster of international artists plus Vancouver’s own Pacific Baroque Orchestra.
First up on January 20 is the digital version of The Odyssey of Kryštof Harant, an EMV concert that was originally presented live this past December in Vancouver with the highly recognised Ensemble Cappella Mariana from the Czech Republic along with Montreal’s Constantinople and Vancouver’s own Bill Richardson as writer and narrator. Time travel to eastern Europe and the Middle East of the 16th century as we follow in the footsteps of Kryštof Harant, a Czech nobleman, diplomat, traveller, author and composer, who travelled on pilgrimage to the Middle East and documented what he saw and heard in his 1608 book Journey from Bohemia to the Holy Land, by way of Venice and the Sea. The bright colour of this concert’s other-worldly music, exotic rhythms, and glorious singing are a marvellous counterbalance to the winter gloom. Have a look at the trailer for the digital concert.
On February 3, just in time for Black History Month, 2023 Grammy Awards and 2023 Classical Music Awards Nominee, acclaimed countertenor Reginald Mobley returns to Vancouver to share his incomparable artistry with Alexander Weimann and the Pacific Baroque Orchestra in Raise, Raise the Voice – in a live concert featuring works by Purcell, Bach and Duke Ellington that is bookended by Purcell’s O Solitude and Ellington’s In My Solitude. “Baroque music and jazz are spiritual siblings,” says Mobley in an Intimate Conversation interview with Bill Richardson and Alexander Weimann.
A wonderful way to celebrate Valentine’s Day on February 14 is by sharing an evening of beautiful music with those you love. Concerto d’Amore is the digital version of an EMV concert that was first performed live for an invited audience in February last year. As the concert title suggests, the programme is all about love featuring works by Baroque masters such as Handel, Telemann and Bononcini to name three. The wonderful thing about EMV’s digital concerts is that they can be enjoyed from the comfort of your couch, snuggled up with your special someone and sipping on a suitable libation.
The next live concert, on February 17, is with England’s Consone Quartet, the first period instrument string quartet to be selected as BBC’s ‘New Generation Artists,’ and who are attracting a lot of attention in the music world for their honest and expressive interpretations of classical and romantic repertoire. The Vancouver appearance is part of the ensemble’s North American debut. Since launching their professional career in 2015, Consone Quartet have received several awards and prizes including two at the 2015 York Early Music International Young Artists Competition, the 2016 Royal Over-Seas League Ensemble Prize, and in 2022, a prestigious Borletti-Buitoni Trust fellowship. Linn Records have just signed them on to record Felix Mendelssohn’s complete string quartets. The evening’s programme includes works by Mozart, Haydn, the Chevalier de Saint-Georges, and Fanny Mendelssohn’s incomparable and unique string quartet.
Live Concerts:
Raise, Raise the Voice
February 3, 7:30 p.m., Christ Church Cathedral
Artists: Reginald Mobley countertenor, The Pacific Baroque Orchestra directed by Alexander Weimann
Tickets: $36-$75 with discounts for people ages 35 and under / $10 rush student tickets at the door based on availability
Concert details and tickets: https://www.earlymusic.bc.ca/events/raise-raise-the-voice/
Consone Quartet: BBC New Generation Artists
February 17, 7:30 p.m., Christ Church Cathedral
Artists: The Consone Quartet
Tickets: $36-$75 with discounts for people ages 35 and under / $10 rush student tickets at the door based on availability
Concert details and tickets: https://www.earlymusic.bc.ca/events/consone-quartet/
Opening in the Digital Concert Hall (DCH):
The Odyssey of of Kryštof Harant
Opens January 20, 7:30 p.m.
Artists: Constantinople directed by Kiya Tabassian, Ensemble Cappella Mariana directed by Vojtech Semerad
Concerto d’Amore: Overcoming Rivalry
Opens February 14, 7:30 p.m.
Artists: The Pacific Baroque Orchestra directed by Alexander Weimann
DCH Tickets: Tickets for digital concerts are $20 each or $90 for a seven-concert Digital Subscription. Digital concerts can be viewed as many times as you want from the opening date through May 31,2023. Information and tickets for all Digital Concert Hall concerts: https://www.earlymusic.bc.ca/tickets/digital-concert-hall/
Join EMV to lift your spirits and transport you out of your everyday.
