A new, complete recording of Alessandro Stradella’s 1673 biblical oratorio ‘Ester’ looks deeper than its Italian Counter-Reformation inspiration and goes back to the story’s Jewish roots, centered on themes of resistance and survival owing to one woman’s courage. Camerata Grimani and its strong Italian and American cast perform with rhetorical flair and, refreshingly, a Mediterranean sense of expression.
Jewish Heroism, Italian Oratorio Read More »
Italian composer and Franciscan friar Lodovico Viadana, born c. 1560 near Mantua, was a pioneer in the new expressive monody in church music. The Viadana Collective makes its stunning recording debut with music from their namesake’s ‘Centum sacri concentus ab una voce sola,’ codifying the sound of solo voices with instrumental accompaniment.
Going Solo with Viadana Read More »
Chicago’s Bella Voce opens its season with choral music exploring the cultural links between the Americas and the colonial powers of Spain and Portugal. Some of the composers on this enriching program were born in the New World, some were European-born travelers, and a few never crossed the Atlantic but their music did.
Musical Riches from Iberia and the Americas Read More »
Earlier this year, Peruvian violinist Jimena Burga Lopera, a student in Juilliard’s Historical Performance program, went on tour with the J415 ensemble to Bolivia’s International Festival of Renaissance and American Baroque Music known as “Misiones de Chiquitos.” In this essay, she writes about the festival and her eye- and ear-opening experiences.
Juilliard415 en Bolivia: música barroca de la vida diaria (en español) Read More »
On tour with Juilliard 415 at a festival in Bolivia, keyboardist Nathan Mondry got himself into trouble late one night, leading to yet another fresh insight into music. Surrounded by wild dogs, ‘the danger became real,’ he writes. ‘Years of conservatory training and knowledge of obscure treatises and 4-5 finger trills would not help me in this moment…’
Juilliard415 in Bolivia: A Dog Date with Destiny Read More »
