The Irish Baroque Orchestra and their conductor Peter Whelan bring Messiah back to Dublin, the city of its 1742 premiere, attempting to recreate the version heard at its first performance.
Tropes were additions inserted into established Gregorian chants. They could include new words, new melodies, or a combination of both, expanding the original liturgical piece and sometimes offering additional theological or rhetorical commentary. In many cases, tropes circulated long before they were recorded in writing. Their melodies and texts were transmitted orally for centuries before being preserved in medieval manuscripts, creating a complex web of regional variants across Europe.
Music and England's royal coronations are inextricable. Since the mid-eighteenth century, the coronations of the nation's monarchs have been elevated by the works of prominent composers, most notably the opulent coronation anthem, "Zadok the Priest." This piece, with its regal instrumentation that consists of orchestra-including timpani and brass-and choir, was one of four anthems written by the prolific and celebrated eighteenth-century composer George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) for King George II's coronation on October 11, 1727.
Carlo Gesualdo wrote some of the most darkly sublime music of the late Renaissance. He also savagely murdered his wife and her lover in their bed. Now be honest: which would you like to discuss first? It is a provocation that sets the atmosphere for an evening that resists easy resolution. Presented at St Martin-in-the-Fields as the launch of the church's 300th anniversary celebrations,
In three January weekends you all showed up for a one-composer concert presented by A Notion, A Scream; a preview of In Medio's ACDA performance ahead in March; Resonance Ensemble on stage with Sweet Honey in the Rock®; Oregon Chorale's journey to The Planets with the Beaverton Symphony; and Evenstar Ensemble taking us all back to the days of Duchies.