| ARTIST: | Ensemble CastorSherezade Panthaki, sopranoRodolfo Richter, leader
Rodolfo Richter, Petra Samhaber-Eckhardt & Irma Niskanen, violin; Peter Aigner, viola; Keiran Campbell, violoncello; Barbara Fischer, violone; Erich Traxler, harpsichord |
| WHEN: | Saturday, April 22, 2023 at 8pm ETFirst Church Cambridge, Congregational, 11 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA
Sunday, April 23, 2023 at 3pm ETThe Morgan Library & Museum, 225 Madison Avenue, New York, NY Virtual Premiere: Saturday, May 6, 2023 at 8pm ETAvailable until Saturday, May 20, 2023 at 11:59pm ET |
| PROGRAM: | Vivaldi: Forces of Nature—Love of Nature
Antonio Vivaldi: Concerto in B major, RV 164 for strings and b.c.Vivaldi: “Gelido in ogni vena” from FarnaceVivaldi: Concerto in f minor, Op.VIII n.4, L´inverno for violin, strings and b.c.Vivaldi `La Follia´ for two violins and b.c.Vivaldi Canta in prato, ride in monte, RV 623Vivaldi Concerto for violin and strings, RV 271 L´AmorosoVivaldi In Furore iustissimae irae, RV 626 |
| TICKETS: | Boston 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. New York tickets are priced at $50, or $40 for Morgan Members; visit www.themorgan.org/programs/ or call (212) 685-0008 ext. 560 for more information. |
ABOUT THE PROGRAMDon’t miss stunning soprano Sherezade Panthaki in an exciting collaboration with esteemed violin virtuoso Rodolfo Richter and the outstanding Austrian chamber orchestra Ensemble Castor, both making their BEMF début. Enjoy a program exploring concertos and vocal works by Antonio Vivaldi that vividly evoke the natural world through music, with themes from bird song to violent tempests to the pastoral countryside winding through both genres. Known today primarily for his instrumental music, Vivaldi was also a master of the vocal idiom. Hear familiar ideas – including direct quotes from the Four Seasons’ Winter concerto – in a new light as they are presented in the rich voice of Sherezade Panthaki.
ASSOCIATED EVENTSAn Ensemble Castor pre-concert video featuring members of Ensemble Castor will be shared on BEMF.org and social media the week of April 17.
ABOUT THE ARTISTSEnsemble Castor, which was founded in 2010 by internationally successfully Austrian musicians specializing in early music, is devoted to string chamber music of the period between 1600 and 1750. The main focus is on the Italian seicento and settecento as well as on pre-classical music in Austria and Germany. The ensemble takes its name from the twin stars Castor and Pollux in the zodiac constellation of Gemini. The musical director of Castor is the Austrian violinist Petra Samhaber-Eckhardt, who studied with Enrico Onofri and Andrew Manze in Italy and London. Ensemble Castor collaborates with labels including SONY and Note 1; its recordings have received fantastic international reviews. Castor works closely together with Enrico Onofri, Rodolfo Richter, Dorothee Oberlinger, Silvia Frigato, Mireille Lebel, Christina Gansch, Alois Mühlbacher, and other famous singers and instrumentalists, and performs at many international festivals. In 2015, Castor won the culture prize of the city of Linz. Many excellent concert reviews give evidence of the high quality of their work: “The young ensemble offered fulminant interpretations,” “Castor awakes early music to completely new life,” and Gramophone’s “These players never fail to find something to say…lovely, imaginative performances on some sweet sounding instruments.”
Sherezade Panthaki, soprano, enjoys ongoing international collaborations with conductors Nicholas McGegan, Masaaki Suzuki, Mark Morris and more. Recent engagements include early music and oratorio performances with the New York Philharmonic, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, Bach Collegium Japan, Wiener Akademie (Austria), NDR Hannover Radiophilharmonie (Germany), the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Boston Early Music Festival, and the Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra (Canada). Born and raised in India, Ms. Panthaki holds graduate degrees from the Yale School of Music and the University of Illinois. She is a founding member of the Kaleidoscope Vocal Ensemble, celebrating racial and ethnic diversity in performances and educational programs of early and new music. Ms. Panthaki is a renowned clinician, has taught voice at Yale University, and currently heads the Vocal program at Mount Holyoke College.
British/Brazilian violinist Rodolfo Richter is a frequent guest director and soloist around the world, including engagements with Tafelmusik (Toronto), Arion (Montréal), Portland Baroque Orchestra, Tesserae (Los Angeles), Seville Baroque Orchestra, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, the Academy of Ancient Music, and B’Rock. He has been praised by the international press as ‘one of the most inspirational baroque violinists of his generation’ and performs and collaborates regularly with artists like Sonia Prina, Kristian Bezuidenhout, Roel Dieltens, Bernarda Fink, Giuliano Carmignola, Karina Gauvin, Alexander Melnikov, and Richard Egarr. For 10 years he held the position of leader of both the Academy of Ancient Music and B’Rock as well as professor of Baroque violin at the Royal College of Music in London. Currently he tours around the globe with his Richter Ensemble and is the musical director of the Early Music Course and Festival at the Oficina de Música de Curitiba in Brazil.
| ARTIST: | Stile Antico
Helen Ashby, Kate Ashby, Rebecca Hickey, sopranoEmma Ashby, Cara Curran, Rosie Parker, altoAndrew Griffiths, Jonathan Hanley, Benedict Hymas, tenorJames Arthur, Will Dawes, Nathan Harrison, bass |
| WHEN: | Friday, April 28, 2023 at 8pm ETSt. Paul Church, Bow & Arrow Streets, CambridgeVirtual Premiere: Friday, May 12, 2023 at 8pm ETAvailable until Friday, May 26, 2023 at 11:59pm ET |
| PROGRAM: | England’s Nightingale: Music of William Byrd
William Byrd: Emendemus in MeliusByrd: O Lord, make thy servant ElizabethByrd: Sing joyfullyByrd: Nunc Dimittis from ‘Great Service’Byrd: Vide Domine afflictionemByrd: Haec dies quam fecit DominumByrd: Ne irascaris, DomineByrd: Retire my soulByrd: Ave verum corpusByrd: Laudate Dominum, omnes gentesByrd: Optimam partem elegitByrd: Factus est repenteByrd: Agnus Dei from 4-part massThomas Morley: Domine Dominus nosterPeter Phillips: Ecce vicit LeoThomas Tomkins: Too much I once lamentedByrd: Laudibus in sanctis |
| 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 PROGRAMA favorite of BEMF audiences for more than a decade, the intensely collaborative singers of Stile Antico have established themselves as one of the world’s most vibrant and expressive vocal ensembles. They return for a season finale honoring the 400th anniversary of the death of William Byrd, one of the most extraordinary composers England has ever produced. Weaving together the strands of Byrd’s complex life as both pillar of the Protestant musical establishment and faithful servant of the Catholic underground, their program includes some of the composer’s most beloved works, as well as lesser-known gems by his pupils Thomas Morley, Peter Philips, and Thomas Tomkins.
ASSOCIATED EVENTSA pre-concert video featuring members of Stile Antico will be shared on BEMF.org and social media the week of April 24.
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.
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. When attending an in-person BEMF performance, all attendees will be required to wear a well-fitted facemask – for the protection of BEMF artists who can’t be masked while performing. You can always visit BEMF.org/safety to review our current safety policies.
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.
For more information, please contact Kathleen Fay at kathy@bemf.org.
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