Solo violin
Bach’s Sei solo ŕ Violino senza Basso accompagnato are central to the lives of serious violinists the world over. All the more remarkable is that this concert offers a rare opportunity to hear three of these masterworks, played by one of the pioneers of the modern early music movement.
Friday, October 20, First Lutheran Church, Palo Alto, 8:00
Saturday, October 21, St. John's Presbyterian Church, Berkeley, 8:00
Sunday, October 22, St. Gregory's Episcopal Church,
San Francisco, 3:30
Wendy Gillespie, Asako Morikawa, Richard Campbell, Richard Tunnicliffe, Richard Boothby, viols
Henry VIII sent to Italy for musicians to improve his court ensemble in 1540 and found two families of Marranos—Sephardic Jews pretending to have converted to Christianity but secretly retaining their Judaism. These were the Lupos and the Bassanos, who faithfully served the Tudors and Stuarts for over a century.
Saturday, November 11, St. John's Presbyterian Church, Berkeley, 8:00
Sunday, November 12, St. Gregory's Episcopal Church,
San Francisco, 3:30
Monday, November 13, First Lutheran Church, Palo Alto, 8:00
Laurie Heimes, soprano; Stephanie Prewitt, alto; Christopher Lecluyse, tenor; Hugh Davies, bass; David Tayler, lute, theorbo, & vihuela; Hanneke van Proosdij, organ & recorder; Peter Maund, percussion
Come celebrate the holidays in an exaltation of carols, villancicos, and sacred music from Spain and England. From the simple songs of the Spanish palacio to the majestic motets of William Byrd, ensemble Voces Musicales brings you Renaissance part-music imbued with holiday cheer.
Friday, December 15, First Lutheran Church, Palo Alto, 8:00
Saturday, December 16, First Congregational Church, Berkeley, 8:00
Sunday, December 17, St. John the Evangelist Episcopal Church, 1661 15th Street near Misson, San Francisco, 3:00
Judith Linsenberg, recorder; Elizabeth Blumenstock, violin; David Morris, cello & viola da gamba; Charles Sherman, harpsichord; with guest artists Stephen Stubbs, lute & guitars; and Maxine Eilander, harp
Experience a rousing program of folk music of Spain, the Spanish New World, and North Africa, side-by-side with so-called “rustic” pieces by Vivaldi, Corelli, and Rameau. The guitar book of Santiago de Murcia of 1732 gives us lively Spanish dances like jácaras, espanioletas, and marionas, along with New World canarios and cumbees, as well as unique pieces by European composers.
Friday, January 12, First Lutheran Church, Palo Alto, 8:00
Saturday, January 13, St. John's Presbyterian Church, Berkeley, 8:00
Sunday, January 14, St. Gregory's Episcopal Church, San Francisco, 3:30
GALAX QUARTET with KAREN CLARK
Karen Clark, contralto; David Wilson & Cynthia Miller, violin; Roy Whelden, viola da gamba; David Morris, cello
These songs and instrumental pieces, from the 16th century and the 21st century, evoke a range of emotions from sadness to rapture, from the sublime to the silly. The modern songs are all written for Karen Clark and the Galax Quartet; the Dowland might well have been.
Friday, February 16, First Lutheran Church, Palo Alto, 8:00
Saturday, February 17, St. John's Presbyterian Church, Berkeley, 8:00
Sunday, February 18, St. Gregory's Episcopal Church,
San Francisco, 3:30
Charlene Brendler, harpsichord, Katherine Kyme, violin; Joanna Blendulf, cello; and guest Spanish dancer Stephanie Neira
The essence of Spanish inspiration, heard in the music of Soler, Lopez, Scarlatti, and Boccherini, is complemented and enhanced with 18th century Spanish dance. Castanets, a fan, or a shawl embellish the rhythmic polyphony of dances such as the jota or the noisily exuberant fandango in this dramatic celebration of vigorous rhythms and modal laments.
Friday, March 2, First Lutheran Church, Palo Alto, 8:00
Saturday, March 3, St. John's Presbyterian Church, Berkeley, 8:00
Sunday, March 4, St. Gregory's Episcopal Church,
San Francisco, 3:30
Sophie Gent & Chloe Meyers, baroque violins; Elin Söderström & Mélisande Corriveau, bass viols; Josh Cheatham, violone; Olivier Fortin, harpsichord
Montreal-based Masques presents music of 17th century violin virtuoso Heinrich Biber and contemporaries Georg Muffat and Johann Heinrich Schmelzer. Biber’s “noble jewel of harmony” celebrated the great humanistic tradition of listening to music while partaking of a meal, thus facilitating the reunion of body and soul and expanding conversational skills modeled on the subtle dialogue of the instrumental voicing.
Friday, March 16, First Lutheran Church, Palo Alto, 8:00
Saturday, March 17, St. John's Presbyterian Church, Berkeley, 8:00
Sunday, March 18, St. Gregory's Episcopal Church,
San Francisco, 3:30
Melanie Germond, soprano; Carolann Buff, mezzo-soprano; William Hudson, tenor
Ruling 14th century Milan under the standard of a viper, the powerful Visconti family strove to make their courts cultural centers, attracting such important composers as Francesco Landini, Jacopo da Bologna, and Johannes Ciconia. Songs celebrating historical events, marriages, heraldry, courtly love, and world dominion paint a picture of life under Visconti rule.
Friday, April 20, First Lutheran Church, Palo Alto, 8:00
Saturday, April 21, St. John's Presbyterian Church, Berkeley, 8:00
Sunday, April 22, St. Gregory's Episcopal Church, San Francisco, 3:30