From a land of kings and queens, poets and playwrights, politics and courtly love, comes a wealth of songs spanning hundreds of years—songs heard in the Queen’s chambers, in Victorian parlours, and in concert halls around the globe. Britain’s great poets have been set to music by Britain’s most beloved composers throughout the ages, from John Dowland and Henry Purcell to Ralph Vaughan Williams and Benjamin Britten. Join the Florestan Recital Project for the next two seasons as it dives deep into the world of songs from the British Isles.
Thank you so much for programming my Drifts & Shadows on your outstanding series. The performance by Krista and Linda was just stunning, and I am sure that, for that one Sunday at least, I was the luckiest composer in America. To have one's composition performed with such commitment and artistry was a real thrill.
I must say that I found the whole afternoon exceptional. Such a varied and thoughtful program, assembled with care and performed at the highest possible level was more than a treat; it was a revelation.
Every composer should be so fortunate as to have works performed by the Florestan Recital Project.Celebrate Robbie Burns Day with a concert of Scottish music! Burns’s poems and songs have long been icons of Scotland’s musical and literary legacy, inspiring settings and arrangements by composers including Britten, Ravel, Robert and Clara Schumann, and John Greer. In addition to these songs and duets, this program features two unique dramatic works: Banquo’s Buried by Alison Bauld, a setting of Lady Macbeth’s mad scene from Shakespeare’s Scottish tragedy, Macbeth, and Judith Weir’s King Harald’s Saga, a scene for unaccompanied soprano that tells the tale of a failed 1066 invasion. Join us for an afternoon of warm wit and Scottish storytelling.
Elizabeth Keusch, soprano / Joe Dan Harper, tenor / Alison d’Amato, piano
Sunday, January 27, 2008 • 2:00 pm,
The Boston Conservatory, Concert Room, Boston, MA
Friday, February 1, 2008 • 7:00 pm
Rubendall Recital Hall, Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA
The Land of Lost Content: Settings of A.E. Housman
Housman’s earthy poems of unrequited love, fleeting youth, grief, death, and patriotism, stem from the soul of a troubled young man. These poems and the myriad songs they inspired have had lasting popularity precisely because of that which they lament: war. Please join us as we consider the modern-day social relevance of Housman’s words. Artists perform settings by Britain’s greatest composers of the 20th century alongside world premiere songs by Ned Rorem and others.
Joe Dan Harper, tenor / Anne Kissel Harper, piano and guest artists to be announced
Sunday, March 30, 2008 • 2:00 pm
The Boston Conservatory, Concert Room, Boston, MA
Friday, April 4, 2008 • 7:00 pm
Rubendall Recital Hall, Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA
Wolf Benefit Concert Series
Join Florestan for a performance on the Andrew Wolf Benefit Concert Series held at the All Newton Music School. This concert is an ideal survey of song repertoire for someone new to our spirited and eclectic song recitals! For further information, please visit the All Newton Music School on the web at: www.allnewtonmusicschool.com.
Shiela Kibbe, piano / Sarah Pelletier, soprano / Aaron Engebreth, baritone
Sunday, April 6, 2008 at 4:00 pm
All Newton Music School, Newton, MA
Tickets $25.00
Songs for the Queen: A Mother’s Day Bouquet of English Ayres
Celebrate Mother’s Day with England’s eclectic early court composers—some of England’s finest music-makers, whose reputations range in fame from Henry Purcell and William Byrd to the lesser-known Robert Hales and John Jenkins. Charged to compose music fit for the Queen, these artists indeed contributed beautiful courtly offerings. But while the Queen was often flattered with the musical gifts of the court, she was mostly unaware of the crass lyrics and bawdy tunes ringing in the pubs down the street. Treat your own Mother like the royalty she is this Mother’s Day, and see why these composers were sometimes revered and other times banished from the Kingdom. But be warned: these devoted subjects had a wicked and infectiously naughty streak!
Catherine Liddell, theorbo / Jane Hershey, viola da gamba / Michael Sponseller, harpsichord
Jason McStoots, tenor / Susan Consoli, soprano
Sunday, May 11, 2008 • 2:00 pm
The Boston Conservatory, Concert Room, Boston, MA
TICKETS
All Boston concerts:
FREE to The Boston Conservatory Community
General Admission $12 • Students and Seniors $5
All Dickinson Programs are free and open to the public
For ticket inquiries and further details
or email info@florestanproject.org
From a land of kings and queens, poets and playwrights, politics and courtly love, comes a wealth of songs spanning hundreds of years—songs heard in the Queen’s chambers, in Victorian parlours, and in concert halls around the globe. Britain’s great poets have been set to music by Britain’s most beloved composers throughout the ages, from John Dowland and Henry Purcell to Ralph Vaughan Williams and Benjamin Britten. Join the Florestan Recital Project for the next two seasons as it dives deep into the world of songs from the British Isles.