Houston Early Music

NEWS RELEASE

Houston Early Music              
Who:   LUCIDARIUM

When:   4:00 p.m.
Sunday, May 4, 2008

MUSIC AND POETRY OF THE JEWS OF RENAISSANCE ITALY

Houston Early Music will present the acclaimed Italian ensemble Lucidarium in a performance of La Istoria de Purim: Music and Poetry of the Jews of Renaissance Italy on Sunday, May 4.  The program, which won the European Association for Jewish Culture award for musical creation in 2004, is a reconstruction of the soundscape that would have accompanied a typical Northern Jewish Italian family through the liturgical year and life cycle. It combines sung poetry in Giudeo-Italian, Yiddish and Hebrew, traditional liturgical and paraliturgical music, and the lively songs and dances that would have been used to celebrate life’s transitions. The performance will be at First Unitarian Universalist Church, 5200 Fannin, at 4:00 p.m.

Founded in 1991, Lucidarium specializes in medieval and early Renaissance music with a special emphasis on unknown or little-known repertoires. The combination of meticulous preparation and creativity, which has opened up new perspectives in historical performance practice, has brought both popular and critical acclaim to the ensemble.  Lucidarium has toured extensively throughout Europe and North America and has performed in most of the important European early music festivals, including: Festival van Oude Muziek (Utrecht,) Festival Divina Musica Musica e Poesia a San Maurizio (Milan) and Freunde alter Musik Basel. Recently the ensemble won an unprecedented second EAJC award, as well as a grant from the Rothschild Foundation, for the creation and recording of Ain neues Lid, a project dedicated to the music of the German-speaking Jews from the 16^th century.

There will be a preconcert talk at 3:00 p.m. by Avery Gosfield, Co-director of Lucidarium.

Tickets are $30 for general admission, $25 for seniors, $10 for students, under 15 free. Tickets may be purchased at the door or by calling 713-432-1744. 

Houston Early Music is funded in part by grants from the City of Houston

through Houston Arts Alliance.

Gloria Moretti: voice

Viva Biancaluna Biffi: voice, viola d’arco

Enrico Fink: voice, narrator

Avery Gosfield: recorder, pipe and tabor

Marco Ferrari: recorder, dulcian, shawm, double flute

Francis Biggi: viola da mano, viola da penna, cetra, colascione

Massimiliano Dragoni: hammer dulcimer, percussion

PROGRAM

Prayer for the Removal of the Torah from the Ark (En Kamokha/Shema Israel)

Les Caterines / La Cara Cossa (La Folia)

Dos lid fun der sreyfe in Venedig

Anello

All Creatures in Heaven and on Earth (Kol Berue)

Bofo-Bukh

Buovo d’Antona

Moresca (sull’ Aria d’ottava)

Ishena at ani geor venodad

Tu dormi, io veglio e vo perdendo i passi

Tu dormi, io veglio a la tempesta e vento

Pass’e mezo a la bolognesa    

Saltarello a la bolognesa

Songs for the Celebration of Purim

   La Cansonetta di Purim

   La Istoria de Purim io ve racconto Moresca (sull’ Aria d’ottava)

   Meghillat Esther                 

Songs for the Celebration of Passover

    Ma Nishtana/Avadim Hainu

    Fuggi, fuggi, fuggi (Il Ballo di Mantova)               

    Khad Gadya / Un Caprett

    Khad Gadya, Khad Gadya                           

LUCIDARIUM LA ISTORIA DE PURIM

Music and Poetry of the Jews in Renaissance Italy.”

In its first visit to Houston, this noted Italian ensemble presents a reconstruction of the soundscape that would have accompanied a typical Northern Jewish Italian family through the liturgical year and the life cycle. It combines sung poetry in Giudeo-Italian, Yiddish and Hebrew, traditional liturgical and paraliturgical music, and the lively songs and dances that would have been used to celebrate life’s transitions. www.lucidarium.com

Tickets are $30 for general admission, $25 for seniors, $10 for students, under 15 free. Tickets may be purchased at the door or by calling 713-432-1744.