BEMF presents Quicksilver in a program of virtuosic instrumental music from the 17th Century—March 10 in Cambridge
| ARTIST: | QuicksilverRobert Mealy & Julie Andrijeski, directors
Robert Mealy & Julie Andrijeski, violin; Dominic Teresi, dulcian; Greg Ingles, sackbut; David Morris, viola da gamba; Charles Weaver, theorbo; Avi Stein, harpsichord & organ |
| WHEN: | Friday, March 10, 2023 at 8pm ETFirst Church in Cambridge, Congregational, 11 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA
Virtual Premiere: Friday, March 24, 2023 at 8pm ETAvailable until Friday, April 7, 2023 at 11:59pm ET |
| PROGRAM: | Early Moderns: The (very) First Viennese School
Johann Schmeltzer: Sonata 7 à 5 from Sacro–profanus concentus musicusGiovanni Legrenzi: Sonata terza à 2 from La cetra, sonate a 2–4, Libro TerzoAndreas Oswald: Sonata à 3 from the Ludwig PartiturbuchJohann Caspar Kerll: Sonata à tre in G minorAntonio Bertali: Sonata à 3 in A minorSchmeltzer: Sonata à 4 “La Carolietta,”Kerll: Passagaglia variata from Toccate, Canzoni, et altre SonateJohann Joseph Fux: Sonata à 4 in g minorKerll: Sonata à 2 in F majorJohann Rosenmüller: Sonata X à 5 from Sonate à 2, 3, 4, e 5 |
| 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 PROGRAMQuicksilver brings together some of North America’s most acclaimed Early Music instrumentalists to explore the rich chamber music repertoire of the 17th-century. Join them as they immerse themselves in the vibrant culture of Vienna. Known for two main periods of great musical prominence – Mozart and Haydn in the 1780s and the “Second Viennese School” of Schoenberg, Berg, and Webern in the 1900s – Vienna had another, earlier period of flourishing musical invention. Home to the court of the Holy Roman Empire and the only serious rival to the splendor of Versailles, musicians were brought in from across Germany, Austria, and Italy to create sumptuous sonatas and ingenious ballets for the imperial festivities. Enjoy early Baroque masterworks by Bertali, Kerll, Legrenzi, Oswald, Fux, Rosenmüller, and Schmeltzer.
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 must certify to the following: 1.) That you are fully vaccinated (meaning that you have received at least the original series of the COVID-19 vaccination). 2.) That you will wear a well-fitted mask covering your nose and mouth at all times at the concert venue. You can always visit BEMF.org/safety to review our current safety policies.
ASSOCIATED EVENTSA pre-concert video featuring Quicksilver directors Robert Mealy – also BEMF’s Orchestra Director – and Julie Andrijeski – a regular member of the BEMF Orchestra – will be shared on social media and at BEMF.org the week of the concert.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS“Revered like rock stars within the early music scene” (New York Times), Quicksilver brings together today’s top North American historically-informed performers. Described as “drop dead gorgeous with a wonderful interplay of timbres” (Early Music America) and “irresistible” (Fanfare Magazine), Quicksilver vibrantly explores the rich chamber music repertoire from the early modern period to the High Baroque. The ensemble has been featured at numerous music series and prestigious festivals, receiving critical acclaim, standing ovations and repeat invitations. Recent and upcoming appearances include Carnegie Hall, Mostly Mozart Festival at Lincoln Center, The Library of Congress, Toronto Consort Series, San Diego Early Music Society, Boston Early Music Festival, Vancouver Early Music Festival, Berkeley Festival and Exhibition, San Francisco Early Music Society, Miami Bach Society, Madison Early Music Festival, Houston Early Music, Early Music Hawaii and Music Before 1800 (NYC). Quicksilver’s debut recording, Stile Moderno, was described as “Breakthrough of the Year” (Huffington Post) and “convincing…terrific” (Early Music-Oxford Journal). Their second recording, Fantasticus, was named one of The New Yorker’s Ten Notable Recordings of 2014. Quicksilver’s latest recording, Early Moderns: The (very) First Viennese School, has been described as “highly addictive…utterly captivating” (Limelight Magazine, Editor’s Choice).
One of America’s most prominent historical string players, Robert Mealy (co-director, violin) has been praised for his “imagination, taste, subtlety, and daring” (Boston Globe). A frequent soloist and orchestral leader, Mr. Mealy is principal concertmaster at Trinity Wall Street and the Orchestra Director of the Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra; he recently received a Grammy for his work with BEMF. He has also led the Mark Morris Dance Group Music Ensemble in performances here and in Moscow, accompanied Renée Fleming on the David Letterman Show, and recorded and toured a wide variety of repertoire with many distinguished ensembles both here and in Europe. Committed to education as well as performing, he directs Juilliard’s distinguished Historical Performance Program. From 2003 to 2015, he taught at Yale, directing the postgraduate Yale Baroque Ensemble and the Yale Collegium Musicum. Prior to that, he taught at Harvard for over a decade, where he founded the Harvard Baroque Chamber Orchestra. In 2004, he received EMA’s Binkley Award for outstanding teaching and scholarship. He has recorded over 80 CDs on most major labels.
Lauded for her “invigorating verve and imagination” (Washington Post), Julie Andrijeski, co-director & violin, is among the leading baroque violinists and early music pedagogues in the U.S. In addition to co-directing Quicksilver, she maintains an active performance schedule, playing with many diverse early music groups across the nation including the Atlanta Baroque Orchestra as Artistic Director, New York State Baroque as Concertmaster, Apollo’s Fire as Principal Player, and Les Délices. As a full-time Senior Instructor at Case Western Reserve University and Teacher of Baroque Violin at the Cleveland Institute of Music, Ms. Andrijeski leads classes in historical performance practices, teaches lessons in baroque violin, and directs the baroque music and dance ensembles. Her combined skills in music and dance often culminate in workshops and special teaching engagements at schools such as the Oberlin Conservatory, Indiana University, Juilliard, the University of Colorado – Boulder, and at several summer workshops as well. Her recordings can be found on Acis Productions, Dorian Recordings, Centaur, Koch, CPO, Avie, and Musica Omnia.
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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