UPDATE: THIS EVENT IS NOW CANCELLED
We are thrilled to announce the third annual Baroque concert at King Charles with players from the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, directed by Steven Devine, following the overwhelming success of Handel's Messiah in 2018 and Bach's Christmas Oaratorio in 2019.
Tailored for the current circumstances, this performance features a small group perfectly suited to the space and acoustic of King Charles church.
Kate Semmens - soprano
Rory Carver - tenor
Daniel Edgar & Nia Lewis – violins
Lynda Sayce – theorbo
Steven Devine – organ
Decimus Consort of Voices
Please book early to be in the audience for this special event. With social distancing measures, capacity is limited to under 50. Of course, we are working on the basis that lockdown restrictions will ease after 2nd December. In the event that circumstances change, all ticket purchases will be refunded.
Programme
Domine ad adiuvandum (1610): chorus
Pulchra Es (1610): duet
Lute solo
Laudate Dominum: solo
Castello Sonata
Antiphon, Pulchra es (chant)
Nigra Sum (1610): solo
Organ solo
Puer Natus (Chiome d’oro): duet
Magnificat a 6 (1610): tutti
Monteverdi is most famous for the Vespers of 1610, comprising antiphons, sacred songs and psalm settings for a large and diverse group of singers and instrumentalists. Taking this as our inspiration, we present a selection of Monteverdi's music for the vespers service that would have been performed in the Christmas season. In the Baroque intimacy of King Charles, we can transport you back to 17th century Mantua or Venice for an inspiring evening of celebration.
Steven Devine writes: “'Straighten’d Times' as Pepys would have put it, are nothing new and life carried on as normally as circumstances would allow. In Monteverdi’s Venice, it was common practice to replace vocal parts with instrumental ones and vice-versa, or leave them out completely, leaving the bass team (itself a flexible, improvising ensemble) to fill in missing harmonies or fill out textures as appropriate. Equally the distribution of voice parts was much less strict than we expect today as the over-arching concern was the completeness of the text and harmonic completeness."
Music at King Charles has continued to stage concerts this year, whether online or to a live audience, because we know that keeping music alive is of such importance to our society. Should you so wish, you can also support our work through a donation, which will help us pay artists' fees. Donations welcome here.
