The Philadelphia Baroque trio Filament has always been attracted to the fantastical sonatas of Dietrich Buxtehude. They performed the composer’s music at EMA’s 2021 Emerging Artists Showcase, and revisit his work now with their rewarding debut album, ‘Alchemy of Another.’
Buxtehude and that Stylus Phantasticus Read More »
An Ockeghem marathon, coming next week to the Met Cloisters in New York, is the latest event celebrating the composer’s 600th. New recordings and new approaches to ‘the hardest composer’ of the 15th century is helping lift his reputation from mystical and complex to something more universal: ‘it’s just fabulous music.’
Party on for Ockeghem’s 600th Read More »
‘We’re all keenly aware of the stigma in classical music about people with hearing loss,’ writes tenor Thomas Cooley. ‘The doctor asked why I was crying. I responded: I just don’t know other singers who use hearing aids.’
Canto: Ending the Stigma of Singers and Hearing Loss Read More »
Jean-Joseph Mouret’s comic ‘Les fêtes de Thalie,’ an opera-ballet, was a hit in early 18th-c. Paris. Now the period-instrument Opera Lafayette, conducted by Christophe Rousset, is set to give its modern premiere, with a production that’s contemporary (and maybe a little zany) in look and choreography.
A Modern Mouret from Opera Lafayette Read More »
Starring Sidney Outlaw in the title role alongside Susanna Phillips, Patrick Carfizzi, and Michelle Bradley BOSTON, MA—Boston Baroque presents a new production of Mozart’s seminal opera, Don Giovanni, with a contemporary take on the classic story of seduction and betrayal. Performances will take place on Thursday, April 25 at 7:30pm, Friday, April 26 at 7:30pm,
Boston Baroque presents Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” Read More »
The modern historical-performance movement now has its own traditions, habits, standard repertoire, and ancestors. For Early Music Month we look into EMA’s online series ‘Trailblazers in Historical Performance.’ As Thomas Forrest Kelly writes, ‘to hear their various stories and learn of their attitudes and experiences was revelatory.’
Learning from Trailblazers in Historical Performance Read More »
The definition of early music is always expanding, and this Early Music Month we look into traditional kora music from West Africa, which predates the European Baroque. Next week, New York’s Music Before 1800 presents Malian kora master Ballaké Sissoko and South African guitarist Derek Gripper in recital, an initiative to explore not ‘world music’ but ‘specific niches of historical music that deserve an equal spotlight.’
Mali Before 1800: the Kora Finds its Place in Early Music Read More »
Seven Times Salt’s latest recording revisits music of Shakespeare’s time. Some of the tunes are linked to specific plays — ‘Hamlet’ is a particular fascination — while others are suggestive of a theme or a familiar plotline, from ‘Romeo and Juliet’ to ‘The Merchant of Venice.’ All of it is beautifully delivered, often in charming arrangements. And the sonic engineering makes for a vivid listening experience.
Shakespeare’s Music, Where the Lying is Easy Read More »
Revisit the the 2023 EMA Awards ceremony from the Summit in Boston, recognizing three musicians for their achievements: Lindsey Macchiarella, Arthur Haas, and Ruben Valenzuela and his Bach Collegium San Diego.
Revisit the EMA Awards 2023 for Outstanding Work in Early Music Read More »
Like Monteverdi, Emilio de’ Cavalieri took a ‘seconda pratica’ approach by breaking counterpoint rules to better convey the texts. He also experimented with new styles and techniques, such as dividing a whole-step into more than two pitches. Elam Rotem and his ensemble Profeti della Quinta specialize in this sort of treacherously difficult music to sing, and they deliver Cavalieri’s ‘Lamentations’ with exquisite precision. The effect is a little disorienting and thoroughly mesmerizing.
Celebrating the Microtonal with Cavalieri’s ‘Lamentations’ Read More »
