In the spirit of collaboration, the Cleveland based ensemble, Les Délices , directed by oboist Debra Nagy, has created an exciting subscription package exclusively for Houston Early Music as a co-presenter. Beginning December 10, four full length concerts and Les Délice’s SalonEra live broadcast episodes will be offered, each with limited viewing, through April 2021. As part of our Discovery Presentations your exclusive subscription package is available for purchase only through December 27, 2020. All the events included in this exclusive package will be accessed through the Houston Early Music website.
Bonus opportunity: You might find this an excellent gift idea for your early music-loving friends and family members, as well!
ABOUT
CONCERT SERIES
Acclaimed Cleveland-based early music ensemble Les Délices has crafted a visionary 2020-21 virtual season with repertoire spanning the Medieval through Baroque performed by world-class artists. Each 60-minute program was creatively conceived especially for the digital concert hall. Filmed in high-definition with CD-quality audio, you’ll be close to the action from wherever you choose to watch. On-screen titles, artist interviews, behind-the-scenes footage, and special premiere and closing reception events enhance the experience.
The Concert Series’ 60-minute performances will premiere on Thursday nights and include a live post-concert Q&A session with select artists. Each concert program will be available to stream on-demand for approximately 10 days following the premiere. Audiences can also join the artists for a celebratory online “closing reception” complete with additional live performances the following Sunday.
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NOEL, NOEL
December 10-27, 2020
Noel, Noel will blend heartfelt Carols with both classic and contemporary poetry read by longtime Cleveland radio and TV host Dee Perry to create an alternative Lessons and Carols experience. Les Délices’ original arrangements of carols from French, English, and German traditions will be interleaved with poems by Christina Rossetti, e.e. Cummings, and Thomas Campion, plus wonderful recent work by Northeast Ohio poets Dave Lucas, Diane Kendig, and Julie Warther.
February 18-March 1, 2021
There’s no shortage of fun in this program that features musical versions of Aesop’s timeless fables interspersed with virtuosic ground bass variations by Jean-Féry Rebel, Marin Marais, Jean-Philippe Rameau, and others. Featuring tenor Jason McStoots and soprano Elena Mullins, who presents a new choreography for Rebel’s brilliant showpiece Caractères de la danse.
WOMEN OF GENIUS
March 18-29, 2021
Les Délices honors Women’s History Month by celebrating the contributions of remarkably accomplished, creative women in 17th and 18th century France. Challenging the notion of the isolated “genius,” we’ll reveal the histories of female poets, performers, and composers who not only made their voices heard but exerted a stronger cultural influence than many realize. Soprano Clara Rottsolk joins Les Délices for this program highlighting women composers and strong female characters. Join us for songs by Julie Pinel, instrumental works and cantatas by Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre, and more.
April 8-19, 2021
Guillaume de Machaut’s flowing melodies become brilliant rainbows when refracted into three-voice canons in his Lai of the Fountain. Works by Johannes Ciconia and others aid our exploration of the Medieval garden’s subtle beauty in this collaboration with Blue Heron.
SALONERA
A salon experience for the 21st century, SalonEra introduces local and national audiences to a wide range of artists and performing traditions while deepening understanding and appreciation for the early music art form. Host Debra Nagy and a select roster of guest artists share remote musical collaborations and insights into early music performance and research. Episodes remain viewable for 48 hours following their premiere. Upcoming dates include Dec 14, Dec 23 (Noel Closing Reception), Feb 1, Feb 15, Mar 1, Mar 15, Mar 29, Apr 19, and May 3, 2021 at 7:30pm ET.
LES DÉLICES
Les Délices (pronounced Lay day-lease) explores the dramatic potential and emotional resonance of long-forgotten music. Founded by baroque oboist Debra Nagy in 2009, Les Délices has established a reputation for their unique programs that are “thematically concise, richly expressive, and featuring composers few people have heard of.” The New York Times added, “Concerts and recordings by Les Délices are journeys of discovery.” The group’s debut CD was named one of the “Top Ten Early Music Discoveries of 2009” (NPR’s Harmonia), and their performances have been called “a beguiling experience” (Cleveland Plain Dealer), “astonishing” (ClevelandClassical.com), and “first class” (Early Music America Magazine).
Les Délices made its New York debut before a sold-out audience at the Frick Collection in May 2010. Recent and upcoming performances for the ensemble include Music Before 1800 (New York City), Da Camera Society (Los Angeles), Houston Early Music Society, Early Music Hawaii, Morrison Chamber Music Center at San Francisco State University, Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, San Francisco Early Music Society, the Yale Collection of Musical Instruments, and Columbia University’s Miller Theatre. In addition to touring engagements, Les Délices presents its own annual four-concert series in Northeast Ohio. Les Délices has been featured on WCPN, WCLV and WKSU in Ohio, WQXR in New York, NPR’s syndicated Harmonia and Sunday Baroque, and had their debut CD featured as part of the Audio-guide for a special exhibit at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art (Watteau, Music, and Theater). Les Délices’ fourth CD, Songs Without Words, was released on the Navona label in November 2018 to critical acclaim.