Houston Early Music – Music from the Middle Ages through the 18th Century

World-class concerts performed with historical instruments and with styles true to the period.

Sat., Oct. 2, 2010

DA CAMERA OF HOUSTON and HOUSTON EARLY MUSIC present

The Route of the New World, Jordi Savall, Dir.

7:30PM, Cullen Theater of the Wortham Center

The renowned Catalan ensembles Hespèrion XXI and La Capella Reial de Catalunya and Ensemble Tembembe of Mexico under the direction of the incomparable Jordi Savall, perform a musical dialogue from the Old Spain, the Mexican baroque and the living “Husteca” and “Jarocho” traditions. www.aaronconcert.com/savall.html

Mon. Dec.13, 2010

CIARAMELA

A Piper’s Noel

7:30PM, Christ Church Cathedral

For our Christmas offering, we present the exciting young American ensemble in a concert of carols, hymns, lullabies and instrumental pieces from Renaissance England, France, Spain, Italy and Germany. Featuring the talents some of the foremost early musicians performing works from humble pipers’ tunes to grand Renaissance polyphony with voices, shawms, sackbut, recorders, and bagpipes.

www.ciaramella.org

Mon., Mar. 28, 2011

TRIO SONNERIE, Monica Huggett, Dir.

The Harmony of Nations

7:30PM, Venue – TBA

Trio Sonnerie, Monica Huggett’s longest running and smallest group, comes from the UK to present the choicest pick of Europe’s chamber music from the Baroque period. Biber’s astonishing “Mystery Sonatas” for virtuoso violin contrast with exquisitely refined French music for viola da gamba and sprightly tunes from Jacobean England. Of course, the Harmony of Nations wouldn’t be complete without JS Bach, here represented by a magnificent sonata for violin and harpsichord.  www.sonnerie.org.uk

Mon., May 2, 2011

FLANDERS RECORDER QUARTET,

with SOPRANO CECILE KEMPENAERS

The Six Wives of Henry VIII

7:30PM, Venue – TBA

In a return trip to town, the dazzling ensemble presents a fascinating entertainment for recorder quartet, singer and narrator.  The story of the king and his six wives is told with music and words joined artfully together – Music from the 16^th and 17^th centuries, contemporary pieces, a scene from Shakespeare, letters from King Henry and Anne Boleyn, and original verse.  www.flanders-recorder-quartet.be

FULL SUBSCRIPTION RATES

Our season subscription gives you tickets to all four concerts, including the specially priced Jordi Savall concert co-produced with Da Camera of Houston.  For Ciaramela, Trio Sonnerie and Flanders Recorder Quartet the prices at the door are $35 for general admission, $30 for seniors and $10 for students (with student ID).  Free admission for children under 15.  For information about individual tickets and student prices for the Jordi Savall concert contact Da Camera.  www.dacamera.org.

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Houston Early Music presenting the world’s finest period ensembles and soloists … bringing to life music from the Middle Ages through the Renaissance to the Baroque and Classical periods. Experience with us early music played on original instruments, by musicians reviving performances of the past.

Our Next Concert will be: Fri., Apr. 16, 2010, 8:00PM TAPESTRY Faces of a Woman Trinity Episcopal Church 1015 Holman (at Main) (There will be no pre-concert lecture) The three women of Tapestry, joined by Shira Kammen, vielle and harp return to Houston with a program crisscrossing borders and centuries to tell tales of remarkable women who inspired nations and generations. These women captured the imaginations of artists, composers, and writers throughout the ages. www.tapestryboston05.com “An ensemble that plants haunting vibrations, old and new, in our ears.”  Cleveland Plain Dealer See more about the concert See Program, notes, and biographies. Boston’s outstanding vocal ensemble Tapestry returns to Houston Houston Early Music concludes our season with the all-female vocal ensemble Tapestry on April 16, 8:00 p.m. at Trinity Episcopal Church. The program, titled Faces of a Woman, features music by and about women and includes Medieval songs to Appalachian folk tunes. “As we are an all-woman ensemble, we wanted to celebrate both women composers and the roles women have played, from wives to daughters,” says Daniela Tosic, a Tapestry co-founder and member. Faces of a Woman includes the music of nun Hildegard von Bingen, a 12th-century composer key to Tapestry’s repertoire. Tapestry is famous for spicing up their concerts with a little drama. They will perform Raihna Santa Isabel, a mini opera about Portugal’s famous Queen Isabel, who performed various miracles. “We each take a role and actually act out the opera. Queen Isabel fed the poor, cared for lepers, and drove her husband quite crazy with all of her antics,” says Tosic. Anonymous motets that describe some of the options women had during Medieval times, along with music attributed to Comtessa Beatrice de Dia and Appalachian folk songs, round out the program. Medieval fiddle player Shira Kammen, who is familiar to Houston audiences, will join Tapestry on the program. Tickets Tickets are available online at and at the door: $35 for general admission, $30 for seniors, and $10 for students (with student ID.) Free admission for children under 15.

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Presents

TAPESTRY

FACES OF A WOMAN

Laurie Monahan, mezzo-soprano and harp

Cristi Catt, soprano

Daniela Toši?, alto

Shira Kammen, harp, and vielle

PROGRAM

A window for her eyes      Serbian epic poem, The Building of Skadar

(exerpt set to a Serbian traditional melody, freely adapted by Daniela Toši? )

Lyulyala, lyulyala (ancient Montenegran lullaby)   Marcos Krieger, arr.

Non sei como me salv’a                                                     Dom Dinis (1261-1325)

Natchez                                                                              Shira Kammen

Raihna Santa Isabel                                                            Traditional romanceiro, Alentejo Portugal

• • • • • • (set to  Cantiga de Santa Maria #7 and a traditional ballad from Tras os Montes, freely adapted by Cristi Catt).

Quia ergo Femina (instrumental arr. Shira Kammen) Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179)

Karitas habundat, Antiphon for Divine Love

Slova: Anna Akhmatova and Orthodox liturgy  Ivan Moody (b. 1964)

Hebrew Cantillation (Hishbati Etchem)                          Song of Songs 2:7, 3:6-8

Rex Salomon                                                                  Worcester Antiphonaire (13th c.)

Erev shel shoshanim                                                      Traditional Israeli song

INTERMISSION

A chanter      Comtessa Beatrice de Dia, 12th c.

Nonne sui, nonne/Amour vaint tout fors cuer de felon      Bamberg Manuscript, 13th c.

Nouvelle amour                                                                   Trouvere/Troubadour melodies

• • • • • • (arr. by S. Kammen)

Trois Sereus                                                                          La Clayette Manuscript, 13th c.

Careless Love                                                                       Appalachian Folk song (arr. by C. Catt)

John Riley                                                                  Traditional American tune

If you love me                                                               Malvina Reynolds (1900-1978)

Swallowtail/Red-Haired Boy                             Tunes from Scottish, Irish and American traditions

I’m going away to Marbletown                                      Appalachian Folk song

Óró ‘Sé Do Bheatha ‘Bhaile                                                 Irish folk song

Julia Delaney (reel named for the wife of uilleann piper Barney Delaney)

Óró ‘Sé Do Bheatha ‘Bhaile

NOTES ON THE PROGRAM

Drawn from our individual and shared passions, this program crisscrosses borders and centuries to tell tales of remarkable women who inspired nations and generations. These women captured the imaginations of artists, composers, and writers throughout the ages.

Mother and Child

I remember The Building of Skadar from my school days when it was forever etched into my memory. It haunted me then and it haunted me even more when I became a mother. This medieval epic poem takes place in present day Montenegro, near the Albanian border, at the dawn of the Ottoman invasion. Three brothers – a king, a duke and a fictitious youngest brother – are charged with building a fortress at an important crossroad. For three years, the fortress was built by day and destroyed at night by the Vila, a female mountain spirit. Finally, the Vila summons the king and demands a human sacrifice. The bride of the youngest brother is the unfortunate victim. She pleads for her life for the sake of her baby. Nevertheless, she is built into the tower. A miracle occurs and through a window around her breasts she is able to feed her son for one year. I selected three verses from the poem and set them to a somewhat altered traditional Serbian melody. To introduce this tale, we sing a Montenegran lullaby by Marcos Krieger.  A citizen of Germany, Dr. Krieger was raised in the Brazilian Amazon region, where his parents are missionaries to the Xerente tribe. He is an active conductor, vocal coach, singer, and keyboard artist. – Daniela Toši?

“The Knight, the King, his Wife and her Leper”

Isabel of Portugal (1271-1336)

Born in Saragossa Spain, Isabel left her home to assume the throne of Portugal as a young teenager. The queen quickly won the love of her subjects and was referred to as “The Peacemaker” due to her skillful mediation between various warring factions. She also possessed a remarkable understanding of architecture and engineering. The convent of Santa Clara in Coimbra as well as other hospitals and churches in Portugal were built under her direct supervision. After the death of her husband, she became a nun, dedicating her life to good works. Her popularity increased over time as numerous tales of her “miracles” spread throughout Portugal via song and storytelling. Cannonized in 1625, she was also a central figure of the Crypto-Jewish cult in Portugal, as many drew parallels between her and Queen Ester.

Our realization of fragments of a cantiga de amor by Isabel’s husband, Dom Dinis, reveals their marriage as far from perfect. Hints of this are also reflected in Portugal’s popular tradition with tales of Isabel outwitting her husband. For our version of the tale, I adapted melodies from Cantiga de Santa Maria #7 and an ancient ballad from Tras os Montes and set them to a traditional romanceiro text. –Cristi Catt

Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179)

Composer, abbess and mystic Hildegard von Bingen was an extraordinary woman, a powerhouse whose life and work transcended all the social, cultural and gender barriers of her time. She wrote prolifically on subjects spanning her prophetic visions and Church doctrine to politics and herbal medicine, and corresponded with popes, archbishops and quite notably with her patron, the emperor Frederick Barbarossa. She wrote the texts and soaring melodies to 77 unique compositions as well as one liturgical drama. Karitas (Love) is a central figure in Hildegard’s visionary world and her antiphon, Karitas habundat reveals Divine Love as a supremely feminine force rising beyond the stars. –Toši?

Anna Akhmatova (1889-1966)

Condemned for her poetry’s “preoccupation” with love and God, Akhmatova was harshly denounced as a “harlot-nun” and “alien to the Soviet people.” In 1923, she entered a period of poetic silence and literary ostracism, living in exile without fleeing her country. Following the German invasion in 1941, Akhmatova gave an inspiring radio address to the women of Leningrad [St. Petersburg]. She was lovingly called “Anna Chrysostom of all the Russians” by her contemporary, Marina Tsvetayeva. Only later in her life did she receive recognition for her work. –Toši?

“Then I’m the Queen of Sheba”

One of the ancient world’s greatest romances was between Solomon, King of the Jews and Makeda, Queen of Sheba, a sacred land abundant in Frankincense and Myrrh. This powerful Queen heard of the great wisdom of King Solomon and set on a journey up the Red, or Erythrean Sea, bearing gifts of spices, gold, precious stones and beautiful wood, to test the King with questions. Her arrival with her large retinue across the desert was an impressive site (3:6 Who is that rising from the desert…). Solomon presented her with many gifts and “everything she desired.” He was quite taken by her beauty, power, and virtue, and he desired her greatly. She bore him a son, said to be the first Emperor of Ethiopia. We finish the set with Erev Shel Shoshanim, a beautiful song that is widely used by belly dancers for veil work. The song is popular throughout the Middle East. – Toši?

La Comtessa de Dia (second half of the 12^th century)

VIDA: The countess of Dia was the wife of En Guillem de Poitiers, a lady beautiful and good. And she  fell in love with En Raimbaut d’Orange, and wrote many good chansons in his honor.

The clues from this brief medieval biography are difficult to trace as certain facts about the Comtessa’s life, however, she remains the most famous of the some twenty named women poet-composers, trobaritz, from the Southern French musical tradition, and her song A Chantar is the one song from these composers to survive with text and music intact. The language for the performance is Old Provencal and is the fruit of a challenging opportunity to work with language scholar Dr. Margaret Switten as she headed up the remarkable “Medieval Lyric” project at Mt. Holyoke College. Her scholarship and insight into the details of the language held an important key to unlocking the sentiments of the song’s expression.  We have paired A Chantar with Bamberg motets expressing the humorous protestations of young nuns doing battle with the cloistered life, the song of an unhappy wife and Three Sisters by the Sea, a lighthearted look at love. – Laurie Monahan

Malvina Reynolds (1900-1978)

Malvina Reynolds is remembered as an influential social activist and song writer. Denied her high school diploma because of her parents’ opposition to World War I, she went on to receive a Ph.D. in 1936. A Jewish socialist woman in the midst of the Depression, she was unable to find a teaching position so she became a social worker and columnist for the People’s World. In her 40’s she discovered her true calling: music. Her song What have they done with the rain? helped end nuclear testing under the Kennedy administration and her songs have been recorded by Joan Baez, Harry Belafonte and countless others. If You Love Me is one of my favorite songs. I sang it with a good friend as we traveled cross country singing for our supper and later with my daughter. I am happy to have the chance to include it here. Larry Polansky, former chairman of Dartmouth’s music department, captured its essence: an almost mystical love song… with a slight twist that is at times a deceptively simple suggestion about how to really communicate with a loved one. I wanted to pair this song with another favorite, the Appalachian folk song, Careless Love, which I’ve known as long as I can remember. According to ethnomusicologist Alan Lomax, it is the earliest American blues tune. – Catt

Grace O’Malley aka Gráinne Mhaol (1530-1603)

Grace O’Malley was a famed chieftain, trader, and (depending on your point of view) a pirate or a noble woman. History remembers Grace for her correspondence and meeting with Queen Elizabeth I. Over time, Grace entered the realm of legend and is often seen as a symbol of Mother Ireland. She is celebrated in the folk song Óró ‘Sé Do Bheatha ‘Bhaile. You may recognize the tune which is also a famous English/American folk song. – Catt

TRANSLATIONS

A window for her eyes (Building of Skadar, excerpt)
And when this slender bride saw
that her plea is all in vain
she turns to Rade the mason:
“My brother in God, Master Rade,
leave a window for my breasts,
and draw them out, my two white breasts,
so when my darling little Jovo comes,
when he comes, he can nurse!”

Again the wretched girl calls out to Rade:
“My brother in God, Master Rade,
leave a window for my eyes,
so that I can look toward the white hall
when they bring my Jovo to me,
and when they take him away.”

And so they’ve built her into the tower.
They bring her dear infant son in his cradle,
and she nurses him for a whole week.
After a week she falls silent,
but her milk still flows for her baby:
she nurses him for a whole year.

Ljuljala, ljuljala
Lully, lully, a mother rocked her son to sleep:

“Ninana, my son

let the dream trick you into sleep, my baby,

let it trick you before it tricks your father,

here comes a sleepy granny.

Non sei como me salv’a

How can I defend myself to my lady

if God should bring me before her eyes again.

By God, I cannot defend myself

so that she won’t judge me a traitor.

For a long time has passed

with no word from her, and I have not gone to see her.

I know in my heart

what my beautiful lady will do

when I stand before her.

She’ll judge me a traitor with good reason

For a long time has passed

with no word from her and I have not gone to see her.

If her judgment goes against me.

Ay! I am desperate!

What will become of me?

A Rainha Santa Isabel

Chorus: Queen Saint Isabel,

wife of King Dinis,

alms were given to no one

unless they were given

by her sainted hands.

Narrator: One day it happened

that her lap was full

when the king found her

and he asked her:

King: My lady, what are you

carrying in your lap?

Queen: Carnations and roses

for your enjoyment.

King: Carnations in January!

That would be an amazing discovery!

Chorus: Humbly, the Saint

showed him her lap:

revealing a chapel of roses,

another of carnations.

Narrator: One day it happened

that a poor leper arrived

at the palace

with five open wounds.

Queen: Tell me my brother,

if your wounds can be cured?

Leper: My wounds cannot be healed

nor can they be remedied;

I ask, lady,

not to be brought before

your sainted hands.

Narrator: When she heard this, the saint

took him to her room

and from a silver bowl

washed his body

When she was finished,

She took his clean body

to where the King slept

and there he lay down.

A knight happened to see this

and was scandalized:

Knight: Did you know your majesty.

Did you know that your lady,

the queen, my lady

has placed a poor leper

in your bed.

Narrator: When the king heard this,

he was out of patience.

King: Enough my lady.

Your mercy goes too far!

She placed a leper in our bed!

Chorus: When she heard this,

the Saint, lowered her eyes

and then raised her eyes heavenward.

The King drew back the curtain

and saw the Lord there.

King: Now, I say to you my lady.

What is mine, you can give away.

You can give my treasures to the pilgrims

as you wish.

Chorus: In Saragossa, she was born.

In Estremoz, she died.

In the convent of Santa Clara she is buried.

Karitas Habundant

Charity rises

from the depths

past the stars

Embracing all

she gives the supreme king the kiss of peace

Words by Anna Akmatova (1889-1966)

Oh, there are unique words,
those who say them – spend far too much.
Only Heaven’s blue is inexhaustible,
and the mercy of God.

Hebrew Cantillation (Hishbati Etchem)

2:7 Daughters of Jerusalem, swear to me

by the gazelles, by the dear in the field,

that you will never awaken love

until its ripe.

3:6 Who is that rising from the desert

like a pillar of smoke,

more fragrant with myrrh and frankincense

than all the spices of the merchant!

3:7 Oh the splendors of King Solomon!

The bravest of Israel surround his bed,

threescore warriors,

3:8 each of them skilled in the battle,

each with his sword on his thigh

against the terror of night.

2:7 Daughters of Jerusalem, swear to me…

Rex Salomon

3:9 King Solomon made a bed for himself

from the woods of Lebanon;

3:10 its columns he made of silver,

the pillow of gold,

its stairs of purple,

the middle he has built of love

for the daughters of Jerusalem.

6:7 Sixty are the queens and eighty the concubines

and the young girls are beyond number;

6:8 unique is my dove, my perfect one,

her mother’s only one,

the elect of her who bore her.

5:2 Open for me, my sister, my love,

my dove, my spotless one,

for my head is full of dew

and my hair of the drops of the night.

1:1 Let him kiss me with the kiss of his mouth,

for your breasts are better than wine,

1:2 fragrant with the best ointments,

4:10 and the smell of your ointments

is above all spices.

7:11 Come, my beloved, let us go out into the field,

let us linger in the country houses,

7:12 Let us go early to the vineyards,

and let us see if the vines have flowered,

if the flowers have borne their fruit,

if the pomegranates have flowered;

there I will give you my breasts.

Erev shel shoshanim

Evening of roses

let’s go out to the grove

myrrh, spices, and incense

are a carpet to walk on.

The night comes slowly

a breeze of roses blows

let me whisper a song to you quietly

a song of love.

At dawn, a dove is cooing

your hair is filled with dew

your lips to the morning are like a rose

I’ll pick it for myself.

The night comes slowly…

A Chantar

I am obliged to sing of that which I would not,

so bitter am I over the one whose love I am,

for I love him more than anything;

With him mercy and courtliness are of no avail

not my beauty, not my merit nor my good sense,

for I am deceived and betrayed

exactly as I should be, if I were ungracious.

I comfort myself because never was I at fault,

friend, towards you on account of any behavior,

rather I love you more than Seguin loved Valensa

and it pleases me greatly that I vanquish you in love,

my friend, because you are the most valiant;

You are haughty to me in words and appearance,

and yet you are so affable towards all others.

I am astonished at how you became haughty,

friend, towards me, and I have reason to grieve;

It is not right that another love takes you from me

on account of anything said or granted to you.

I recall to you how it was at the beginning

of our love! May God never wish

that my guilt be the cause of separation.

My worth and my nobility

my beauty and my faithful heart should help me;

That is why I send there where is your dwelling

this song, that it may be my messenger.

I want to know, my fine and noble friend,

why you are so cruel and harsh with me;

I don’t know if it is haughtiness or ill will.

But I especially want the messenger to tell you

that many people are harmed by excess pride.

Translation by Dr. Margaret Switten

Nonne sui, nonne #71
Motetus: I am a nun. Set me free!

I can’t stay here any more.

I can’t bear to sound your matins,

which make me suffer pain and ill.

Shivering from the cold, I must stay up late,

and awake early, which torments me greatly.

Nothing about this life pleases me.

The Hours I must memorize
cause me so much frustration,

and when I ought to be sleeping, they ring matins.
Quant voi la flourette #49
Triplum: My heart flutters with happiness!

I have found the love I desire!

It will not last long.
Quant voi la flourete/Je sui joliete/Aptatur #49
Triplum: When I see the flowers

blooming in the meadow and hear

the lark’s morning song,

I am happy and sing this little song:

Love has wounded me.

In the name of God! My heart flutters with happiness.

I have found the love I desire.

Gently, kindly, secretly,

it has stolen my heart and made me fall in love so sweetly.

In vain does this burning desire hold me,

wasting away my youth in painful torment.

It will not last for long.
Motetus: I am pretty, gentle and pleasing;

I am a young maid,

not yet fifteen years old. My breasts
are budding and I should be learning about love,

but I am imprisoned.

May the one who put me here be cursed by God!

Evil, base and sinful is he who put me in a convent.

He was very wrong, indeed!

In the convent is much sorrow, for God!

I am too young.

I feel gentle pains of love beneath my habit.

A curse upon the man who put me here!
Nonne sui, none #71
Motetus: I am a nun. Set me free!

I can’t stay here any more.

Trop est mes maris jalos

My husband is jealous,

proud, ruthless and cruel

but he will soon be a cuckhold

once I find a way to meet my lover

a man of grace and charm.

I don’t care one bit for husbands

they are useless.

I tell you – do your best to avoid a husband!

When I go to the window

he’s always spying on me

I wish he were gone, I tell you

He gets in my way when I

try to meet with my lover

He knows I love another.

He can go crazy for all I care.

I tell you – do your best to avoid a husband!

I will boldly face him:

You cruel and foolish villain

I must meet my love without delay

and I’m not talking about you!

Go ahead and be jealous

I’m leaving you for another man

I tell you – do your best to avoid a husband!

Trois Sereus

Three sisters, by the seas-shore, sing in a clear tone.

The youngest, a brunette thinks on her dark haired lover:

I am dark so shall I have a dark lover.

Three sisters, by the sea-shore, sing in a clear tone.

The middle one calls Robin, her lover:

You took me in the leafy wood, take me back there.”

Three sisters, by the sea-shore, sing in a clear tone.

The eldest says: “One should love a young lady well,

and he who has her love should keep it.

Careless love

Love, oh love oh careless love

can’t you see what careless love can do

Once I wore my apron low

you followed me through rain and snow

Now I wear my apron high

you see my door and now you pass me by

Love, oh love oh careless love

can’t you see what careless love can do

I’m going away to Marbletown

Every night when the sun goes down
I hang down my head and mournful cry

True love don’t weep, true love don’t mourn,
True love don’t weep, nor mourn for me
I’m going away to Marbletown

I wish to the Lord that train would come
to take me back to where I come from..

True love don’t weep……

If you love me

If you love me, if you love, love, love me
plant a rose for me
and if you think you’ll love me for a long, long time
plant an apple tree

The sun will shine, the wind will blow
the rain will fall and the tree will grow
and whether you comes or whether you goes
I’ll have an apple and I’ll have a rose

Lovely to bite and nice to my nose
and every juicy nibble will be
a sweet reminder of the time you loved me
and planted a rose for me
and an apple tree.

Orò sé do bheatha

Welcome home Graine Mhaol!

Now at the coming of summer.

BIOGRAPHY

Tapestry, a Boston based ensemble of women’s voices, made its debut in 1995 with the performance of Steve Reich’s Tehillim at Jordan Hall in Boston which The Boston Globe deemed “a knockout”. The trademark of the ensemble is combining medieval repertory and contemporary compositions in bold, conceptual programming. Critics hail their rich distinctive voices, their “technically spot-on singing” and their emotionally charged performances. The LA Times writes of their performance of Hildegard’s O Vos Angeli: “… as radiant and exciting as any singing I’ve heard all season” and The Cleveland Plain Dealer describes Tapestry as “an ensemble that plants haunting vibrations, old and new, in our ears.

Today, their concert appearances include the Utrecht Early Music and the Maastricht Musica Sacra Festivals, Regensburg’s Tage Alter Musik, the Flanders Festivals of Gent and Brussels, Le Donne in Musica, Rome; Jordan Hall, Boston; Hildegard von Bingen Symposium at the, University of Oregon, Eugene; Kalamazoo Medieval Conference, MI; Frick Collection and Rockefeller University, NY; Harvard U., Da Camera of Houston; Early Music Concert Series, Boulder; Denver’s Newman Performing Arts Center; Da Camera Society LA; Stanford U., Museum Concert, Cleveland, festivals in Ottawa and Montreal, and many others.  In the fall of 2008, the ensemble toured Latvia and also performed at the Moscow Conservatory.  Among recent appearances were concerts at e.g. the Library of Congress and New York City’s Frick Collection  with their new program “American Dreams”, at the Bucerius Foundation in Hamburg with works from the 13th to the 15th centuries that will be broadcast by the Norddeutscher Radio,  visits to Mexico, Bogota and Brazil.  Among the upcoming engagements will be the unveiling of a mini-opera, written for Tapestry, which is based on Tibetan folklore and which will coincide with an exhibition of Tibetan art at the Freer and Sackler Gallery of the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC and which will have its world premiere at the new Ottawa festival Music and Beyond.

Tapestry has made 4 recordings with Telarc International: Angeli, Music of Angels; Hildegard von Bingen: Celestial Light; Song of Songs – Come into my Garden; and The Fourth River. Sapphire Night, their first recording with German label, MDG, won the 2005 Echo Prize. Tapestry released Faces of a Woman on the MDG label in 2007.

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Houston Early Music presenting the world’s finest period ensembles and soloists … bringing to life music from the Middle Ages through the Renaissance to the Baroque and Classical periods. Experience with us early music played on original instruments, by musicians reviving performances of the past.

Our Next Concert will be: Fri., Apr. 16, 2010, 8:00PM TAPESTRY Faces of a Woman Trinity Episcopal Church 1015 Holman (at Main) (There will be no pre-concert lecture) The three women of Tapestry, joined by Shira Kammen, vielle and harp return to Houston with a program crisscrossing borders and centuries to tell tales of remarkable women who inspired nations and generations. These women captured the imaginations of artists, composers, and writers throughout the ages. www.tapestryboston05.com “An ensemble that plants haunting vibrations, old and new, in our ears.”  Cleveland Plain Dealer See more about the concert See Program, notes, and biographies . Boston’s outstanding vocal ensemble Tapestry returns to Houston Houston Early Music concludes our season with the all-female vocal ensemble Tapestry on April 16, 8:00 p.m. at Trinity Episcopal Church. The program, titled Faces of a Woman, features music by and about women and includes Medieval songs to Appalachian folk tunes. “As we are an all-woman ensemble, we wanted to celebrate both women composers and the roles women have played, from wives to daughters,” says Daniela Tosic, a Tapestry co-founder and member. Faces of a Woman includes the music of nun Hildegard von Bingen, a 12th-century composer key to Tapestry’s repertoire. Tapestry is famous for spicing up their concerts with a little drama. They will perform Raihna Santa Isabel, a mini opera about Portugal’s famous Queen Isabel, who performed various miracles. “We each take a role and actually act out the opera. Queen Isabel fed the poor, cared for lepers, and drove her husband quite crazy with all of her antics,” says Tosic. Anonymous motets that describe some of the options women had during Medieval times, along with music attributed to Comtessa Beatrice de Dia and Appalachian folk songs, round out the program. Medieval fiddle player Shira Kammen, who is familiar to Houston audiences, will join Tapestry on the program. Tickets Tickets are available online at  and at the door: $35 for general admission, $30 for seniors, and $10 for students (with student ID.) Free admission for children under 15.

NOTE NOTE NOTE We now send our concert reminders via email only. We will not be mailing postcards. Please be sure your current email address is on our list. Click to subscribe to our email list If you have friends interested in our programs, please ask them to join the list. If you don’t use email, please let us know by phone 713-432-1744 or mail at Houston Early Music, P.O. Box 271193, Houston, TX 77277-1193. We will accommodate your needs.

Houston Early Music Online Ticket Service Houston Early Music is pleased to announce that you can now purchase tickets to our performances online, using major credit cards. Click to purchase tickets to future concerts

Contact Houston Early Music P.O. Box 271193 Houston TX 77277-1193 Phone 713-432-1744 email info@HoustonEarlyMusic.org Web http://www.HoustonEarlyMusic.org

Houston Early Music is funded in part by grants from the City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance, the Texas Commission on the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Please make sure that info@HoustonEarlyMusic.org is registered in your contacts list or with your spam filter to ensure that delivery will not be blocked. If you wish to modify or cancel your email subscription, please see the links at the bottom of this email. For new subscriptions visit http://www.houstonearlymusic.org/lists/

Please share this email with friends who may be interested in our programs.

Houston Early Music presenting the world’s finest period ensembles and soloists … bringing to life music from the Middle Ages through the Renaissance to the Baroque and Classical periods. Experience with us early music played on original instruments, by musicians reviving performances of the past.

In this Newsletter: Concert Reminder:  Ensemble Caprice Complete program notes

This Friday: Fri., Mar. 5, 2010, 8:00PM Pre-concert talk at 7:15 p.m ENSEMBLE CAPRICE Music of Paradise and Hell Christ the King Lutheran Church 2353 Rice Blvd “Such dazzling virtuosity on the recorder leaves you in staggering daze! We wonder by which diabolical trick the flautists manage to articulate at such speed, with so much breath and energy.” Le Devoir – Canada See videos of Ensemble Caprice Houston Early Music presents Ensemble Caprice in Music of Paradise and Hell on March 5th at 8pm at Christ the King Lutheran Church, featuring a dazzling selection of 17th century works on recorders, viola da gamba, Baroque guitar and percussion. The performance coincides with the Society of Seventeenth-Century Music annual conference at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music. Matthias Maute will give a pre-concert talk at 7:15 p.m. See complete Program Notes and Artist Biographies on our web site See information about the Society of Seventeenth-Century Music annual conference Venue Christ the King Lutheran Church, 2353 Rice Blvd., Houston, TX 77005 Limited free parking is available on the lot west of Christ the King Lutheran Church. Ample parking is available for $1.00 (credit card only) across the street at Rice University’s stadium parking lot on the southeast corner of Rice & Greenbriar. (Be sure to use the same credit card to enter and leave the parking lot.) Tickets Tickets are available online at and at the door: $35 for general admission, $30 for seniors, and $10 for students (with student ID.) Free admission for children under 15.

Contact Houston Early Music P.O. Box 271193 Houston TX 77277-1193 Phone 713-432-1744 email info@HoustonEarlyMusic.org Web http://www.HoustonEarlyMusic.org

Houston Early Music is funded in part by grants from the City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance, the Texas Commission on the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Please make sure that info@HoustonEarlyMusic.org is registered in your contacts list or with your spam filter to ensure that delivery will not be blocked. If you wish to modify or cancel your email subscription, please see the links at the bottom of this email. For new subscriptions visit http://www.houstonearlymusic.org/lists/

ENSEMBLE CAPRICE

Music of Paradise and Hell

Christ the King Lutheran Church
2353 Rice Blvd

Houston Early Music presents Ensemble Caprice in Music of Paradise and Hell on March 5^th at 8pm at Christ the King Lutheran Church, featuring a dazzling selection of 17^th century works on recorders, viola da gamba, Baroque guitar and percussion. The performance coincides with the Society of Seventeenth-Century Music annual conference at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music.

“The co-artistic directors, Matthias Maute and Sophie Larivièreare, are simply phenomenal players, among the best in the world,” says Nancy Ellis, Houston Early Music artistic director. “Their virtuosity, along with that of the other ensemble musicians, has earned Caprice a much-deserved reputation as one of the top early music groups on the international scene.” The ensemble also includes such outstanding musicians as Susie Napper on viola da gamba, David Jacques on Baroque guitar, and percussionist Ziya Tabassian.

Originally founded in Germany, the now Montreal-based Ensemble Caprice aims for innovation as they head into their 20^th anniversary season. “We try to find Baroque music that does not sound Baroque,” says Maute, who plays the recorder and Baroque flute, and composes. “There is so much music in the 17^th and 18^th century that is off the beaten tracks, that it gives us great pleasure to throw these unusual styles – like Baroque gypsy music – into our program.”

Music of Paradise and Hell features music by such 17^th century legends as Andrea Falconieri, Francesco Turini, Marco Uccellini, Francesco Corbetta and Johann Heinrich Schmelzer. “We are all somewhere in between heaven and hell, and we like to present programs that relate to us as contemporaries,” says Maute. “Needless to say, the composers of the 17^th century had a lot to say on this subject.” Contrasts abound as well in considering the pairing of Andrea Falconieri and Johann Heinrich Schmelzer. “They never worked together, but when you witness the meeting of their music, it is as if John Lennon and Paul McCartney started joint song writing again,” says Maute. “It is ‘reality music,’ full of joy, conflict, dissonances, arguments, entertainment and sadness.”

Matthias Maute will give a pre-concert talk at 7:15 p.m.

Venue

Christ the King Lutheran Church, 2353 Rice Blvd., Houston, TX 77005

Limited free parking is available on the lot west of Christ the King Lutheran Church. Ample parking is available for $1.00 (credit card only) across the street at Rice University’s stadium parking lot on the southeast corner of Rice & Greenbriar.

Tickets

Purchase online

and at the door: $35 for general admission, $30 for seniors, and $10 for students (with student ID.) Free admission for children under 15.

PROGRAM NOTES AND ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES

Program

La Suave Melodia (1650)    Andrea Falconieri (1585-1656)

L’Eroica (1650)

E tanto tempo hormai (1624)    Francesco Turini (ca. 1589-1656)

La Suave Melodia (1650)    Andrea Falconieri

Rinen, y pelean entre Berzebillo    Andrea Falconieri

con Satanasillo, y Caruf, y Pantul (1650)

Bayle de los dichos Diabolos (1650)

Battalla de Barabaso yerno de Satanas (1650)

Ciaccona di Paradiso, e dell’inferno (1657)  Anonymous (17th century)

Prélude et Passacaille                                           Francesco Corbetta (1615-1681)

Passacalli della vita (1657)    Anonymous (17th century)

Passaccalle (1650)      Andrea Falconieri

Folias echa para mi Senora Dona Tarolilla

de Carallenos (1650)

INTERMISSION

Balletto La Pastorella Johann Heinrich Schmelzer (ca.1623-1680)

Intrada-Pastorella-Hötzer seu Amener-Gavotta tedesca-

Gavotta styriaca-Gavotta anglica-Gavotta bavarica-Gavotta gallica

Sonata XIII (1659)      Johann Heinrich Schmelzer

Sonatina III (1662)

Aria sopra la Bergamasca (1642)    Marco Uccellini (ca.1603-1680)

Sonata seconda (1664)      Johann Heinrich Schmelzer

Serenata con altre arie (1661)     Johann Heinrich Schmelzer

Serenata-Arlecchino-Adagio-Allegro-Ciacona-Campanella e Lamento

PROGRAM NOTES

If art holds up a mirror to life, music too reflects the society that gave it birth. Since the daily life of people in the seventeenth century was drenched in religion, the belief in eternal life in paradise as opposed to painful torture in hell was ubiquitous. Everyone hoped to be gloriously resurrected in heaven but, at the same time, every sinner was afraid of being doomed to the dark caverns of hell. And who wouldn’t sin, at least from time to time?

Many paintings reflect this sharp juxtaposition between celestial bliss and the underworld. Therefore, it does not come as a surprise to us that music was meant to express the same dichotomy.

The Ciaccona di Paradiso, e dell’inferno, taken from an anonymous collection in Milan (1657) could not be more be clear on the issue. Both paradise and the inferno are depicted in a drastic naturalism that was designed to keep the flock of believers on the right path:

Paradise

O che bel star è star in Paradiso  O how fine it is to be in Paradise

Dove si vive sempr’in fest’e riso  Where one lives always in celebrating and laughter,

Vedendosi die Dio svelat’il viso  Seeing God with his face unveiled:

O chel bel star è star in Paradiso.  Oh how fine it is to be in Paradise.

Inferno

Ohimè ch’orribil star star, nell’inferno Alas, it is terrible to be in the Inferno

Ove si viv’in piant’e foco eterno           Where one lives in eternal weeping and fire

Senza veder mai Dio in sempiterno Without seeing God for all eternity :

Ahi,ahi,ch’orribil star giù nell’inferno. Ah, ah, it is terrible to be below in the inferno.

The composers of our program excel in bringing these extreme dimensions of life closer to us. The composer and lutenist Andrea Falconiero’s Battalla de Barabaso yerno de Satanas (Battle of Barrabas, Son-in-law of Satan)takes us into the heart of the conflict between good and evil. It is however surprising that, through the religious implications of the title of this piece, Falconiero was also making a political statement. During the Spanish reign in Naples, which was accompanied by upheavals and fierce resistance by the Italians, the Spanish invaders enjoyed operatic pieces which ridiculed the oppressed people of Naples. Falconiero, despite being of Italian descent, supported the Spanish and the devils were symbols of the insurgent Italians who despised their invaders. We can easily assume that battle pieces like his Battalla de Barabaso didn’ t help to ease the political tensions during his time.

Born in Naples, Falconiero’s itinerant life took him him to Parma, Mantua, Florence and then to Modena, where he appears to have been married around 1620-21. However, he had already departed for Spain by the summer of 1621, leaving behind his wife, one song and some copies of his (lost) book on the Spanish guitar. After years of travelling in Spain and France, he was appointed lutenist at the royal chapel at Naples in 1639 and finally, in 1647, maestro di capella. Falconiero’s variations Folias echa para mi Senora Dona Tarolilla de Carallenos are a reference to the Spanish origin of the famous Follia bass.

Regardless of any political implications, the feeling of being part of a war between the good and evil, between God and the devil, prevailed in Falconiero’s compositions. Pieces like Rinen, y pelean entre Berzebillo con Satanasillo, y Caruf, y Pantul (Beelzebub and Satan bicker and fight, as well as Caruf and Pantul) and Baile de los dichos Diabolos (Dance of the aforesaid devils– Beelzebub, Satan, Caruf and Pantul) indicate how much the imagination of people in the mid-seventeenth century was caught by a belief in dimensions beyond our modern understanding of reality.

Contrary to his strong awareness of war in life (Falconiero dedicated his important collection of 1650 Il Primo Libro di Canzone to the Commander of the Navy!) the concept of love counterbalanced the fierce battle of demonic powers. Love, both in its religious and worldly form, contained a taste of paradise and was therefore considered divine.

When people in the seventeenth century listened to an instrumental version of a vocal piece, the usually well-known text served as an invisible subtitle. This principle can be found in Francesco Turini’s collection Libro primo di Francesco Turini, published in Venice in 1624, which indicates a remarkable sense of three-part writing, including a highly ornamented bass line for the cello competing in virtuosity with the two upper parts.

The piece E tanto tempo hormai is based on the famous story of La Monica, about a young woman who is fated to spend her life cloistered in a convent despite her longing for sensual love. We might conclude that being forced to live close to spiritual paradise didn’t necessarily provide a guarantee of happiness, which is another aspect of the eternal and complicated struggle between God and the devil….

Johann Heinrich Schmelzer (ca.1623-1680) was one of the most important composers of the German-speaking countries of the seventeeth century. Documents reveal that he performed as a violinist at the Viennese Court as early as 1649 and was promoted to become the Musical Director of the court orchestra in 1679. While Schmelzer had outstanding abilities as a violinist, this elevation to the most important musical position in the Hapsburg Empire was due mostly to his compositions, which were recognized to be the leading examples of their genre. Schmelzer’s collection of solo sonatas, Sonatae Unarum Fidium published in 1664, is considered to be among the most advanced because of its technical demands on the performer. Rising above fixed harmonic bass figures is a composition of variations of increasing virtuosity in the upper part, which could be described as a real “tour de force”.

Schmelzer’s balletti reveal his wit and ingenuity in implanting a message into music. The balletto La Pastorella takes us to the idyll of the countryside, which was believed to be a rustic model of the refined harmony to be found in paradise. After a musically depicted procession of the nobility to the countryside, the gavottes which follow contain a folkloristic spirit of various influences: Bavarian, English, Austrian and French.

The Serenata con altre arie concludes on a sad note: after the joys of the carnival and the wild dances of Arlecchino, the death bell tolls, interrupted twice by a lament. The Carnival must end because it is Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. The struggle between good and evil will linger for ever…

We might say, that the text of the Passacalli della vita (Milan 1657), which we present in an instrumental version, resumes drastically this feeling of being caught in a difficult situation:

O, come t’inganni    O, how you deceive yourself

Se pensi che gl’anni   if you believe that the years

Non debban finire   must never end:

Bisogna morire.    you must die.

È un sogno la vita   Life is a dream

Che par si gradita    which appears so welcome,

È breve il gioire :    and joy is brief:

Bisogna morire.    you must die.

Matthias Maute

Ensemble Caprice is represented by Amanda Pond, Milford, CT

BIOGRAPHIES

Ensemble Caprice is renowned for its innovative interpretations of baroque music. Originally formed in Germany in 1989 and now based in Montreal, the ensemble continues to give concerts in Europe and has appeared at the Vlaanderen Festival in Bruges, Belgium, the Netwerk-Reihe of the Organisatie voor Oude Muziek in The Netherlands, the International Recorder Symposium in Stuttgart, the Recorder Festival in Stockstadt, and, more recently, the Internationale Händel-Festspiele in Göttingen. In 2005, Ensemble Caprice made its U.S. debut in the Boston Early Music Festival’s concert series and has subsequently appeared in many parts of the United States, with additional tours of Israel and Taiwan. In Canada, the ensemble has appeared at the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival, the Elora Festival, the Domaine Forget’s International Festival and has its own concert series at Redpath Hall in Montreal. Ensemble Caprice’s most recent CD, Gloria! Vivaldi’s Angels (Analekta) won Canada’s 2009 JUNO award in the category of Classical Album of the Year: Vocal or Choral Performance. The ensemble was also nominated for 2009 Echo Klassik awards in Germany for its CD Vivaldi and the Baroque Gypsies (Analekta) in two categories: Ensemble/Orchestra of the Year and Classics Without Borders.

Matthias Maute has achieved an international reputation as one of the finest recorder and baroque flute players of his generation and as a composer. In 1990, he won First Prize in the soloist category at the prestigious Early Music Competition in Bruges, Belgium. Matthias is also esteemed for his artistic direction of Ensemble Caprice, for whom he produces ingenious and fascinating programs. The ensemble has appeared at several important venues in Europe, North America, Taiwan and Israel. In addition to his work with Ensemble Caprice, Matthias is invited to appear as a soloist at important festivals in Europe and the United States, as well as being a member of the baroque ensemble Rebel. In 2003 and 2005, he was the featured recorder virtuoso at the Boston Early Music Festival and he made his debut at New York City’s Lincoln Center in December 2008. His compositions hold an important place in the world of contemporary recorder music and are published by Breitkopf & Härtel, Amadeus, Moeck and Carus. Matthias has made twenty recordings on the Analekta, Vanguard Classics, Bella Musica, Dorian, Bridge and Atma Classique labels. He is a professor at McGill University in Montreal.

Sophie Larivière has been a member of Ensemble Caprice since 1997 and is the Artistic Co-Director. In this capacity, she helps to enrich the creative direction of the ensemble in its quest for musical discoveries that blend virtuosity with expressivity. With Ensemble Caprice, Sophie has appeared in numerous concerts, in particular in Israel (Tel Aviv and the Mediterranean Arts Festival), Europe (Vienna, Berlin, and Stuttgart), the United States (Los Angeles and the Boston Early Music Festival) and throughout Canada. An eloquent performer, Sophie is invited regularly to appear with such early music ensembles as the Arion Ensemble, the Opéra de Montréal, Le Studio de musique ancienne de Montréal, La Nouvele Sinfonie, the Theatre of Early Music, Rebel (New York), Les Violons du Roy (Quebec) the New York Collegium Musicum and Le Concert Spirituel (Paris). She has made recordings on the Analekta, Virgin Classics, Atma Classique, Antes Edition and Interdisc labels.

Susie Napper was awarded Quebec’s “Personality of the Year” Prix Opus in 2002. She is the founder and Artistic Director of the Montreal Baroque Festival. Having grown up in an artistic milieu in London, she then studied at the Juilliard School in New York and later at the Paris Conservatory. Since then, Susie has appeared with several internationally-known early music ensembles, such as the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, Stradivaria in France, the Studio de musique ancienne de Montréal, the Trinity Consort of Portland, Tafelmusik, Ensemble Caprice and the viola da gamba duo Les Voix Humaines. Her concert tours have taken her as far afield as China, Japan, New Zealand, India, the Middle East, Europe and North America. Susie’s recordings, which include most of the known repertoire for two viols, can be heard on the Harmonia Mundi, EMI, Erato, ADDA, CBC Records, Naxos, Analekta and ATMA Classique labels.

David Jacques was born in Saint-Georges de Beauce, Quebec in 1978 and has a  Doctorate in the interpretation of early music from the Université de Montréal.  He began his studies of classical guitar at the Cégep de Sainte-Foy, continuing at the Université Laval and later at the Quebec Conservatory. He has recorded more than 15 CDs on the XXI-21, ATMA and Analekta labels and collaborated on numerous other productions. His Pièces de guitarre de Mr Rémy Médard (Productions XX-21) won the Conseil Québécois de la Musique’s 2008 Prix Opus Disc of the Year award in the early music category. David has also published several arrangements for guitar for Les Productions d’OZ. Active both in Canada and internationally, he has performed over 2000 concerts in 30 countries on all five continents. He is currently Professor of Classical Guitar at the Université Laval and the Cégep de Sainte-Foy and is frequently invited to give master classes and workshops by other musical organizations.

Ziya Tabassian Ziya began playing the tombak at the age of eleven. He began his formal training in Iran, pursuing his studies with Master Tehrani’s method. In Canada, he studied classical percussion with Julien Grégoire  at the University of Montreal and later returned to Iran to continue his training with M. Bahman Rajabi. Ziya is an active member of Constantinople, which he co-founded with his brother Kiya Tabassian.In addition to Ensemble Caprice he has collaborated with the Kronos Quartet, the Nouvel Ensemble Moderne, En Chordais, and the Studio de musique ancienne de Montreal. His solo CD, entitled Tombak was recently released on the Ambiances Magnétiques label.

Please share this email with friends who may be interested in our programs.

Houston Early Music presenting the world’s finest period ensembles and soloists … bringing to life music from the Middle Ages through the Renaissance to the Baroque and Classical periods. Experience with us early music played on original instruments, by musicians reviving performances of the past.

In this Newsletter: Next concert:  Ensemble Caprice Concert reminders via email only Purchase tickets for remainder of season online

Next Concert: Fri., Mar. 5, 2010, 8:00PM Pre-concert talk at 7:15 p.m ENSEMBLE CAPRICE Music of Paradise and Hell Christ the King Lutheran Church 2353 Rice Blvd “Such dazzling virtuosity on the recorder leaves you in staggering daze! We wonder by which diabolical trick the flautists manage to articulate at such speed, with so much breath and energy.” Le Devoir – Canada See videos of Ensemble Caprice Houston Early Music presents Ensemble Caprice in Music of Paradise and Hell on March 5th at 8pm at Christ the King Lutheran Church, featuring a dazzling selection of 17th century works on recorders, viola da gamba, Baroque guitar and percussion. The performance coincides with the Society of Seventeenth-Century Music annual conference at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music. “The co-artistic directors, Matthias Maute and Sophie Larivièreare, are simply phenomenal players, among the best in the world,” says Nancy Ellis, Houston Early Music artistic director. “Their virtuosity, along with that of the other ensemble musicians, has earned Caprice a much-deserved reputation as one of the top early music groups on the international scene.” The ensemble also includes such outstanding musicians as Susie Napper on viola da gamba, David Jacques on Baroque guitar, and percussionist Ziya Tabassian. Originally founded in Germany, the now Montreal-based Ensemble Caprice aims for innovation as they head into their 20th anniversary season. “We try to find Baroque music that does not sound Baroque,” says Maute, who plays the recorder and Baroque flute, and composes. “There is so much music in the 17th and 18th century that is off the beaten tracks, that it gives us great pleasure to throw these unusual styles – like Baroque gypsy music – into our program.” Music of Paradise and Hell features music by such 17th century legends as Andrea Falconieri, Francesco Turini, Marco Uccellini, Francesco Corbetta and Johann Heinrich Schmelzer. “We are all somewhere in between heaven and hell, and we like to present programs that relate to us as contemporaries,” says Maute. “Needless to say, the composers of the 17th century had a lot to say on this subject.” Contrasts abound as well in considering the pairing of Andrea Falconieri and Johann Heinrich Schmelzer. “They never worked together, but when you witness the meeting of their music, it is as if John Lennon and Paul McCartney started joint song writing again,” says Maute. “It is ‘reality music,’ full of joy, conflict, dissonances, arguments, entertainment and sadness.” Caprice’s most recent CD, Gloria! Vivaldi’s Angels, (Analekta) has won Canada’s prestigious 2009 JUNO award in the category of Classical Album of the Year: Vocal or Choral Performance. “It’s been an honor to win the JUNO,” says Maute. “We can definitely book the year 2009 as our most successful year.” Matthias Maute will give a pre-concert talk at 7:15 p.m. Venue Christ the King Lutheran Church, 2353 Rice Blvd., Houston, TX 77005 Limited free parking is available on the lot west of Christ the King Lutheran Church. Ample parking is available for $1.00 (credit card only) across the street at Rice University’s stadium parking lot on the southeast corner of Rice & Greenbriar. Tickets Tickets are available online at www.HoustonEarlyMusic.org and at the door: $35 for general admission, $30 for seniors, and $10 for students (with student ID.) Free admission for children under 15. Click to purchase tickets online

NOTE NOTE NOTE This season we will send our concert reminders via email only. We will not be mailing postcards. Please be sure your current email address is on our list. Click to subscribe to our email list If you have friends interested in our programs, please be sure they also know of this change and ask them to join the list. If you don’t use email, please let us know by phone 713-432-1744 or mail at Houston Early Music, P.O. Box 271193, Houston, TX 77277-1193. We will accommodate your needs.

Houston Early Music Online Ticket Service Houston Early Music is pleased to announce that you can now purchase tickets to our performances online, using major credit cards. Click to purchase tickets to future concerts

Contact Houston Early Music P.O. Box 271193 Houston TX 77277-1193 Phone 713-432-1744 email info@HoustonEarlyMusic.org Web http://www.HoustonEarlyMusic.org

Houston Early Music is funded in part by grants from the City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance, the Texas Commission on the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Please make sure that info@HoustonEarlyMusic.org is registered in your contacts list or with your spam filter to ensure that delivery will not be blocked. If you wish to modify or cancel your email subscription, please see the links at the bottom of this email. For new subscriptions visit http://www.houstonearlymusic.org/lists/

HOUSTON EARLY MUSIC

P. O. Box 271193

Houston, TX 77277-1193

HoustonEarlyMusic.org

Media contact:

Susan Love Fitts, 936-597-8825

susanlovefitts@consolidated.net

Houston Early Music presents Baroque innovators, Ensemble Caprice

Music of Paradise and Hell, March 5, 2010

HOUSTON, TX— January 12, 2010 – Houston Early Music presents Ensemble Caprice in Music of Paradise and Hell on March 5^th at 8pm at Christ the King Lutheran Church, featuring a dazzling selection of 17^th century works on recorders, viola da gamba, Baroque guitar and percussion. The performance coincides with the Society of Seventeenth-Century Music annual conference at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music.

“The co-artistic directors, Matthias Maute and Sophie Larivièreare, are simply phenomenal players, among the best in the world,” says Nancy Ellis, Houston Early Music artistic director. “Their virtuosity, along with that of the other ensemble musicians, has earned Caprice a much-deserved reputation as one of the top early music groups on the international scene.” The ensemble also includes such outstanding musicians as Susie Napper on viola da gamba, David Jacques on Baroque guitar, and percussionist Ziya Tabassian.

Originally founded in Germany, the now Montreal-based Ensemble Caprice aims for innovation as they head into their 20^th anniversary season. “We try to find Baroque music that does not sound Baroque,” says Maute, who plays the recorder and Baroque flute, and composes. “There is so much music in the 17^th and 18^th century that is off the beaten tracks, that it gives us great pleasure to throw these unusual styles – like Baroque gypsy music – into our program.”

Music of Paradise and Hell features music by such 17^th century legends as Andrea Falconieri, Francesco Turini, Marco Uccellini, Francesco Corbetta and Johann Heinrich Schmelzer. “We are all somewhere in between heaven and hell, and we like to present programs that relate to us as contemporaries,” says Maute. “Needless to say, the composers of the 17^th century had a lot to say on this subject.” Contrasts abound as well in considering the pairing of Andrea Falconieri and Johann Heinrich Schmelzer. “They never worked together, but when you witness the meeting of their music, it is as if John Lennon and Paul McCartney started joint song writing again,” says Maute. “It is ‘reality music,’ full of joy, conflict, dissonances, arguments, entertainment and sadness.”

Caprice’s most recent CD, Gloria! Vivaldi’s Angels, (Analekta) has won Canada’s prestigious 2009 JUNO award in the category of Classical Album of the Year: Vocal or Choral Performance. “It’s been an honor to win the JUNO,” says Maute. “We can definitely book the year 2009 as our most successful year.”

Matthias Maute will give a pre-concert talk at 7:15 p.m.

Venue

Christ the King Lutheran Church, 2353 Rice Blvd., Houston, TX 77005

Limited free parking is available on the lot west of Christ the King Lutheran Church. Ample parking is available for $1.00 (credit card only) across the street at Rice University’s stadium parking lot on the southeast corner of Rice & Greenbriar.

Tickets

Tickets are available online at www.HoustonEarlyMusic.org and at the door: $35 for general admission, $30 for seniors, and $10 for students (with student ID.) Free admission for children under 15.

For season subscription information and to learn more about Houston Early Music, visit www.HoustonEarlyMusic.org, e-mail info@HoustonEarlyMusic.org or call 713-432-1744.

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What: Houston Early Music Presents Ensemble Caprice in Music of Paradise and Hell

When: Friday, March 5^th, 2010, at 8 pm

Where: Christ the King Lutheran Church, 2353 Rice Blvd, Houston, TX 77005

Tickets: 713-432-1744 or www.houstonearlymusic.org

ABOUT HOUSTON EARLY MUSIC

One of the nation’s oldest early music organizations, and as the city’s only presenting organization dedicated to covering the large historical span of early music in all of its forms, Houston Early Music epitomizes a movement that has swept the world of classical music. Officially incorporated in 1969, the nonprofit provides performance opportunities for up-and-coming and major early music artists from around the world in an annual concert series. A successful and growing educational outreach program introduces a future generation to a broad range of music. Houston Early Music is funded in part by grants from the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance and by Texas Commission on the Arts and The National Endowment for the Arts.

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ATTACHED PHOTO:

Houston Early Music presents the Ensemble Caprice in Music of Paradise and Hell on Friday, March 5, 2010, at 8:00 pm, at Christ the King Lutheran Church, 2353 Rice Blvd in Houston. For more information, call 713-432-1744 or visit www.HoustonEarlyMusic.org.

Photo credit: Tobias Haynes

Media contact:

Susan Love Fitts, 936-597-8825

susanlovefitts@consolidated.net

From: richter@haus.org
Subj: Early Music workshops and concerts in Austin, coming up!

January and February can feel like a quiet time after all the holiday pandemonium has died down, but there are some musical events coming up in Austin to take note of!

Friday, January 29 – Harmonia Ariosa, a concert of Baroque music featuring Laurie Young Stevens, Manfredo Kraemer, Paul Leenhouts, Phoebe Carrai and a galaxy of other early music stars;  8pm, St Mary’s Cathedral in downtown Austin; more details at the Texas Early Music Project Website, http://www.early-music.org/ .

Saturday, February 6 – MidWinter Recorder Workshop by Paul Leenhouts;  9am-5pm at Triumphant Love Lutheran Church in Austin, $35 fee;  more details at the Austin ARS chapter Website, http://main.org/austinars .    (Download a flyer for this event.)

Saturday, February 13 – World Music Recorder and Percussion Workshops by Nina Stern and Peter Maund;  10am-3pm at First Presbyterian Church in Austin, $35 for entire workshop or $20 for one session; more details athttp://main.org/austinars .  (Download a flyer for these events.)

Same evening (Feb 13) – Wanderings, a concert by Nina Stern and Peter Maund;  8pm, First Presbyterian Church in Austin; more details at http://main.org/austinars .

To register for either workshop, reply to this email, or follow the directions on the ARS Website.

Please share this email with friends who may be interested in our programs.

Houston Early Music presenting the world’s finest period ensembles and soloists … bringing to life music from the Middle Ages through the Renaissance to the Baroque and Classical periods. Experience with us early music played on original instruments, by musicians reviving performances of the past.

Coming up on Sunday, Dec. 13 Houston Early Music and The Religion and the Arts Council, Christ Church Cathedral, present: THE ROSE ENSEMBLE Celebremos el Niño – A Mexican Baroque Christmas See program, notes, and song text See more information

Sun., Dec. 13, 2009, 5:00PM THE ROSE ENSEMBLE Celebremos el Niño – A Mexican Baroque Christmas Christ Church Cathedral 1117 Texas Ave. Pre-concert talk at 4:15PM Presented in association with the Arts Council, Christ Church Cathedral. Ample free parking is available in the Cathedral Parking Garage across San Jacinto Street (northbound) opposite the Cathedral. Houston Early Music presents The Rose Ensemble in Celebremos el Niño – A Mexican Baroque Christmas on Sunday, December 13 at 5:00 p.m., at Christ Church Cathedral as part an annual tradition, the Hispanic Heritage Series. The internationally known group brings a rare collection of early Mexican music, featuring over two centuries of festive Christmas dances, ballads and villancicos from the great cathedrals of Puebla and Mexico City. Celebremos el Niño – A Mexican Baroque Christmas provides a perfect example of the kind of far reaching programming that characterizes the Ensemble’s approach. “On a historical level, things can get really exciting. These composers saw Mexico as an open playing field. With fewer restrictions from the Catholic church, we see more compositional experimentation. We see the use of native dance rhythms in the liturgy to entice people to come to church. Seventeenth-century street and dance music became fashionable, even in high mass, during the Mexican Baroque era. Spanish composers used the vivid rhythms and energy of the xácara to drive forward the plots of operas and to introduce theatrical excitement into church music,” says Sramek. “Villancicos even depict the song and dance of African slaves in the Spanish colonies.” The group of ten singers and three instrumentalists tour nationally and internationally. “We are excited to bring this joyous program to Texas,” says Sramek. “We are always delighted to perform in a city such as Houston that has such a substantial early music scene.” Artistic director Jordan Sramek will present a pre-concert talk at 4:15 p.m. Tickets Tickets may be purchased through our new online ticket service. Click to Purchase Tickets Online Prices at the door are $35 for general admission, $30 for seniors, and $10 for students (with student ID.) Free admission for children under 15.

NOTE NOTE NOTE This season we will send our concert reminders via email only. We will not be mailing postcards. Please be sure your current email address is on our list. Click to subscribe to our email list If you have friends interested in our programs, please be sure they also know of this change and ask them to join the list. If you don’t use email, please let us know by phone 713-432-1744 or mail at Houston Early Music, P.O. Box 271193, Houston, TX 77277-1193. We will accommodate your needs.

Houston Early Music Online Ticket Service Houston Early Music is pleased to announce that you can now purchase tickets to our performances online, using major credit cards. Click to purchase tickets to future concerts

Contact Houston Early Music P.O. Box 271193 Houston TX 77277-1193 Phone 713-432-1744 email info@HoustonEarlyMusic.org Web http://www.HoustonEarlyMusic.org

Houston Early Music is funded in part by grants from the City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance, the Texas Commission on the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Please make sure that info@HoustonEarlyMusic.org is registered in your contacts list or with your spam filter to ensure that delivery will not be blocked. If you wish to modify or cancel your email subscription, please see the links at the bottom of this email. For new subscriptions visit http://www.houstonearlymusic.org/lists/

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