Gathering for an English country dance is like taking a walk through the history of social dance and music, much of it based on Playford’s ‘The English Dancing Master.’ Always a popular and fun night out, the art form today attracts a broad range of participants and is sometimes backed by an early-music band.
English Country Dance, an American Pastime Read More »
The latest recording from conductor Charles Bruffy and his Kansas City Chorale celebrates Marco Polo by connecting East with West. A recent reconstruction of music from Renaissance Spain pairs with Asian folk and art songs from China, India, and Mongolia.
A Shimmering Mirage from Kansas City Chorale Read More »
Shakespeare’s plays are rich in song, with productions at the Globe Theatre featuring musically trained actors and a small instrumental band. We have the texts, but there is no surviving music from any of the Bard’s plays. A new recording from the ensemble Theatro finds ‘lost’ songs from a range of sources, including popular Elizabethan songs.
Play, Music! Songs from Shakespeare Read More »
Norwegian conductor Grete Pedersen is in demand everywhere just now. A finalist for the Bay Area’s Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, she’ll become principal conductor of the Yale Schola Cantorum starting in 2026 and has been at the helm of the idyllic Carmel Bach Festival for the past three seasons. In a conversation along Carmel Beach, she talked about her organic approaches to early music.
‘Soul’ Between the Notes: Grete Pedersen on Historical Performance Read More »
The premise of these essays on the beginnings of French opera isn’t so much about the expected topics — composers and repertoire — but about the Académie royale de musique, the complicated, personality-rich institution that managed and shaped how the burgeoning art form evolved. It’s a rewarding approach when viewed as “an almost ideal example of tradition building.”
The Hothouse Origins of French Opera Read More »
