BEMF concludes its 2023/24 Season with two brilliant returning ensembles in April: Jordi Savall with Hespèrion XXI on April 5 and Stile Antico on April 19
| ARTIST: | Hespèrion XXIJordi Savall, DirectorXavier Díaz-Latorre, theorbo & guitar; Andrew Lawrence-King, arpa doppia; Philippe Pierlot, treble and bass viols; Xavier Puertas, violone; David Mayoral, percussion; Jordi Savall, Director & treble and bass viols |
| WHEN: | Friday, April 5, 2024 at 8pm ETNew England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall, 30 Gainsborough St, Boston, MAVirtual Premiere: Saturday, April 20, 2024 at 8pm ETAvailable until May 4, 2024 at 11:59pm ET |
| PROGRAM: | Le Nuove Musiche: The Baroque Revolution in Europe (1560–1660)Music by Ruffo, Cavalieri, Hume, Scheidt, Frescobaldi, Falconiero, Zéspedes, Kapsberger, Marini, Merula, Valente, and more |
| TICKETS: | Tickets are priced at $125, $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 PROGRAMFor more than a half century, Jordi Savall has established himself as one of the most engaging musical personalities of his generation, in performances that marry meticulous research with virtuosic musicianship. A favorite of BEMF audiences since appearing on our very first concert series in 1989, he returns to Boston alongside his legendary ensemble Hespèrion XXI to bring to life the “new music” that took Europe by storm at the start of the Baroque period, featuring selections by Cavalieri, Frescobaldi, Falconieri, Kapsberger, and others.
ASSOCIATED EVENTSA pre-concert video featuring Jordi Savall will be shared on BEMF.org and social media the week of the performance.
ABOUT THE ARTISTSJordi Savall is one of the most versatile musical personalities of his generation. For more than 50 years, he has rescued musical gems from the obscurity of neglect and oblivion and given them back for all to enjoy. A tireless researcher into early music, he interprets and performs the repertory both as a gambist and a conductor. His activities as a concert performer, teacher, researcher, and creator of new musical and cultural projects have made him a leading figure in the reappraisal of historical music. Together with Montserrat Figueras, he founded the ensembles Hespèrion XXI (1974), La Capella Reial de Catalunya (1987), and Le Concert des Nations (1989), with whom he explores and creates a world of emotion and beauty shared with millions of early music enthusiasts around the world. Savall has recorded and released more than 230 albums covering the Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, and Classical music repertories, with a special focus on the Hispanic and Mediterranean musical heritage, receiving many awards and distinctions such as the Midem Classical Award, the International Classical Music Award, and a GRAMMY Award. His concert programs have made music an instrument of mediation to achieve understanding and peace between different and sometimes warring peoples and cultures. Accordingly, guest artists appearing with his ensembles include Arab, Israeli, Turkish, Greek, Armenian, Afghan, Mexican, and North American musicians. In 2008, Jordi Savall was appointed European Union Ambassador for intercultural dialogue and, together with Montserrat Figueras, was named “Artist for Peace” under the UNESCO Goodwill Ambassadors program.
With a repertoire that encompasses the period between the 10th and 18th centuries, Hespèrion XXI searches continuously for new points of union between the East and West, with a clear desire for integration and for the recovery of international musical heritage, especially that of the Mediterranean basin and with links to the New World. In 1974 Jordi Savall and Montserrat Figueras, together with Lorenzo Alpert and Hopkinson Smith, founded the ancient music ensemble Hespèrion XX in Basel as a way of recovering and disseminating the rich and fascinating musical repertoire prior to the 19th century on the basis of historical criteria and the use of original instruments. The name Hespèrion means “an inhabitant of Hesperia”, which in ancient Greek referred to the two most westerly peninsulas in Europe: the Iberian and the Italian. It was also the name given to the planet Venus as it appeared in the west. At the turn of the 21st century Hespèrion XX became known as Hespèrion XXI. Today Hespèrion XXI is central to the understanding of the music of the period between the Middle Ages and the Baroque. Their labours to recover works, scores, instruments and unpublished documents have a double and incalculable value. On one hand, their rigorous research provides new information and understanding about the historical knowledge of the period, and on the other hand, the exquisite performances enable people to freely enjoy the aesthetic and spiritual delicacy of the works of this period.
| ARTIST: | Stile Antico |
| WHEN: | Friday, April 19, 2024 at 8pm ETSt. Paul Church, Bow & Arrow Streets, CambridgeVirtual Premiere: Friday, May 3, 2023 at 8pm ETAvailable until Friday, May 17, 2023 at 11:59pm ET |
| PROGRAM: | A Divine Hope: Dante’s journey from inferno to paradiseGombert: Media vita in morte sumusPalestrina: Peccantem me quotidieLuzzaschi: Quivi sospiri pianit ed alti guaiGuerrero: Vexilla regisVictoria: Te lucis ante terminumPalestrina: Salve regina a 5Merulo: Salvum fac populum tuum a 12Morales: Agnus Dei, Missa Mille RegretzLassus: Beati pauperes spirituMorales: Asperges meAnonymous: Venite a laudereMerulo: Vergine, madre, figlia del tuoLusitano: Regina cæli a 5Victoria: Magnificat a 12 |
| 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 PROGRAMDante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy is considered one of the greatest works of literature ever written. Its enduring imagery has shaped Western culture’s views of the afterlife for more than 700 years and has inspired a large body of philosophy, art, and—of course—music. The intensely collaborative singers of Stile Antico, one of the world’s vibrant and expressive vocal ensembles, return to BEMF to tell the story of Dante’s descent into Hell, journey through Purgatory, and final arrival at the gates of Heaven. Renaissance music by composers such as Palestrina, Guerrero, and Morales illuminate the path, while texts by Dante himself—set to music by Luzzaschi and Merulo—narrate the story. At the pinnacle of Heaven we meet the Virgin Mary in Victoria’s glorious 12-part Magnificat.
ASSOCIATED EVENTSA pre-concert video featuring members of Stile Antico will be shared on BEMF.org and social media the week of the performance.
ABOUT THE ARTISTSStile Antico is firmly established as one of the world’s most accomplished and innovative vocal ensembles. Working without a conductor, its twelve members have thrilled audiences on four continents with their fresh, vibrant and moving performances of Renaissance polyphony. Its bestselling recordings have earned accolades including the Gramophone Award for Early Music, Diapason d’or de l’année, Edison Klassiek Award, and Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik. The group has received three GRAMMY nominations, and performed live at the 60th GRAMMY Awards at Madison Square Garden. Based in London, Stile Antico has appeared at many of the world’s most prestigious venues and festivals. The group enjoys a particularly close association with Wigmore Hall, and has performed at the BBC Proms, Buckingham Palace, Amsterdam Concertgebouw, the Palais des Beaux-Arts, Cité de la Musique, Luxembourg Philharmonie, and Leipzig Gewandhaus. Stile Antico is frequently invited to appear at Europe’s leading festivals: highlights include the Antwerp, Bruges, Utrecht and York Early Music Festivals, the Lucerne Easter Festival and the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival.
ABOUT THE BOSTON EARLY MUSIC FESTIVAL:Recognized as the preeminent early music presenter and Baroque opera producer in North America, the Boston Early Music Festival (BEMF) 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 week-long Festival and Exhibition recognized as the “world’s leading festival of early music” (The Times, London). The 23rd Boston Early Music Festival will take place from June 8 to 15, 2025, and will feature a fully staged production of Reinhard Keiser’s Octavia. 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.
For more information, press tickets, or to schedule an interview, please contact Kathleen Fay at kathy@bemf.org.
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