35th Annual Concert Series 2011-2012

Catacoustic Consort & Wildcat Viols

—We Hang Our Harps Upon the Willows—

Passionate cantatas from 17th-century Germany

"A balm... endlessly absorbing" — The London Financial Times

This joint production by Catacoustic Consort and Wildcat Viols presents luscious 17th-century German cantatas for solo voices, viols and continuo, with works by Franz Tunder, Matthias Weckmann, Christoph Bernhard and others—the generation of composers who flourished after Heinrich Schütz and before J.S. Bach.

Friday, September 9, First Lutheran Church, 600 Homer Street at Webster, Palo Alto, 8:00

Saturday, September 10, St. John's Presbyterian Church, 2727 College at Garber, Berkeley, 7:30

Sunday, September 11, St. Mark's Lutheran Church, 1111 O'Farrell Street, San Francisco, 4:00

Buy tickets

Ensemble Caprice

Matthias Maute & Sophie Larivière, Artistic Directors

—La Follia & the Gypsies—

Gypsy Music in the Renaissance and Baroque Periods

Winner of the PRIX DU PUBLIC (Audience Appreciation Prize) of the Conseil des arts de Montréal en tournée

The Juno award-winning ensemble performs an exciting program tracing the musical influence of Gypsies on 16th, 17th, and 18th-century composers, including works by Ortiz, Schmelzer, Falconieri, Telemann, and Vivaldi, plus baroque music of Slovakia.

Friday, October 21, First Lutheran Church, 600 Homer Street at Webster, Palo Alto, 8:00

Saturday, October 22, St. John's Presbyterian Church, 2727 College at Garber, Berkeley, 7:30

Sunday, October 23, St. Mark's Lutheran Church, 1111 O'Farrell Street, San Francisco, 4:00

Buy tickets

Baroque Band

Garry Clarke, Director

—Charlie's Angels—

Music from the Court of Charles II

"Baroque Band's programs...continue to make its concerts unmissable." Chicago Tribune

In 1660, Charles II returned from exile in France as Monarch of England. While in France he became a great admirer of Louis XIV’s band, Les Vingt-quatre Violins du Roi. Back in England, it wasn’t long before Charlie had his own band of angels, with the same name! Chicago’s dynamic, young Baroque Band will recreate the era of Charles II with grand celebratory music by Purcell, Grabu, Blow, and Croft.

Friday, November 4, First Lutheran Church, 600 Homer Street at Webster, Palo Alto, 8:00

Saturday, November 5, St. John's Presbyterian Church, 2727 College at Garber, Berkeley, 7:30

Sunday, November 6, St. Mark's Lutheran Church, 1111 O'Farrell Street, San Francisco, 4:00

Buy tickets

Magnificat

Warren Stewart, Director

—Heinrich Schütz's Weihnachtshistorie (Christmas Story)—

Magnificat revives its inaugural program centered on Schütz's Weihnachtshistorie (Christmas Story) in honor of its 20th season and SFEMS’s 35th. One of Schütz's most beloved compositions, the oratorio’s colorful instrumentation, dramatic characterizations, and above all the brilliant role given to the Evangelist make it the most appealing setting of the Christmas narrative from the century before Bach. With special guests The Whole Noyse and the Sex Chordæ Consort of Viols.

Friday, December 16, First United Methodist Church, 625 Hamilton, Palo Alto, 8:00 (this Palo Alto venue for the December concert only)

Saturday, December 17, First Congregational Church, Dana between Durant and Channing, Berkeley, 7:30 (this Berkeley venue for the December concert only)

Sunday, December 18, St. Mark's Lutheran Church, 1111 O'Farrell Street, San Francisco, 7:30 (note later time)

Buy tickets

Harmonia Felice

—Le Virtuose Sublime—

Music of the French Baroque

Sublime, spiritual, and sensual music of 18th-century France for various combinations of instruments, including violin, gamba, cello and harpsichord. The concert will include works by Elizabeth Claude Jacques de La Guerre, Marin Marias, Jean-Baptiste Barrière, and François Couperin.

Friday, February 10, 2012, First Lutheran Church, 600 Homer Street at Webster, Palo Alto, 8:00

Saturday, February 11, 2012, St. John's Presbyterian Church, 2727 College at Garber, Berkeley, 7:30

Sunday, February 12, 2012, St. Mark's Lutheran Church, 1111 O'Farrell Street, San Francisco, 4:00

Buy tickets

Archetti

—Masters of the Italian Concerto—

"...dazzling clarity...Bach at his best." San Francisco Examiner

SFEMS debut! This powerful new ensemble delivers fiery and distinctive performances of the glorious Italian concerti from the 18th century. Archetti’s concert features violin concerti by masters of the genre, including Antonio Vivaldi, Giuseppe Torelli, and G.F. Handel. An added treat will be renowned early keyboard specialist Davitt Moroney’s performance of a harpsichord concerto by J.S. Bach.

Friday, March 2, First Lutheran Church, 600 Homer Street at Webster, Palo Alto, 8:00

Saturday, March 3, St. John's Presbyterian Church, 2727 College at Garber, Berkeley, 7:30

Sunday, March 4, St. Mark's Lutheran Church, 1111 O'Farrell Street, San Francisco, 4:00

Buy tickets

The Lost Mode

—That Which Colors the Mind—

Musical Modes through Time and Space

Spanning centuries of history and great geographic regions, this unique and hauntingly beautiful concert explores the modes that are the foundation of Western music. We will delve into the soul of different modes as expressed in medieval plainsong and early polyphony, traditional Balkan, Celtic and other European melodies, and the music of neighboring Mediterranean lands, including Turkish maquam as well as Sephardic and North African song, all surviving clues pointing to the lost sound world from which our own great traditions developed.

Friday, April 13, First Lutheran Church, 600 Homer Street at Webster, Palo Alto, 8:00

Saturday, April 14, St. John's Presbyterian Church, 2727 College at Garber, Berkeley, 7:30

Sunday, April 15, St. Mark's Lutheran Church, 1111 O'Farrell Street, San Francisco, 4:00

Buy tickets