À la mode

Download Concert Program (6 MB)

The “sparkling, radiant” Dutch-American soprano Katharine Dain returns in repertoire celebrating the delicious sound of the French baroque.

Our last concert, Bach for Two, juxtaposed Bach’s music with works by two of his French influencers. Our next program, À la mode, focuses on the fashionable French baroque and includes some rarities relating to Greek mythology. We’re thrilled to be joined again by our Dutch-American friend, soprano Katharine Dain, for two cantatas and a vocal lament, plus three instrumental sonatas. We present stories of three women whose tragic destinies place them on the wrong side of the water. In Clérambault’s cantata, Hero throws herself into the sea in grief over her drowned Leander. Collin de Blamont’s Circe is heartbroken when Odysseus returns to his wife in Ithaca. Finally, Handel’s Armida is distraught by Rinaldo’s return to his ship.

We’re also excited to present the two cantatas on the program in different styles. For Héro et Léandre, we use a chamber style most commonly associated with French chamber cantatas, but for Circé, we’ve chosen to augment the ensemble in the more orchestral style in which many of these works were performed, in the 18th century.

Program

François Couperin (1668–1733)
Sonade from La Françoise (from Les Nations, 1726)

Louis-Nicolas Clérambault (1676–1749)
Léandre et Héro: Cantate a voix seule, et simphonie, from Cantates françoises, livre 2 (1713)

Elisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre (1627–93)
Sonata no. 4 in G major/minor (1707), for violin and continuo

François Collin de Blamont (1690–1760)
Circé: Cantate à voix seule avec symphonie, from Troisième livre de cantates françoises (1729)

George Frideric Handel (1685–1759)
Ah! crudele e pur ten vai, from Armida abbandonata, HWV 105 (1707)

Henry Purcell (?1659–1695)
Sonata no. 9 in F major, Z. 810 "The Golden Sonata", from Sonata's in 4 parts (1697)

Performers

Adam Cockerham

theorbo, guitar

Katharine Dain

soprano

Nicholas DiEugenio

violin

Jeffrey Grossman

harpsichord

Daniel S. Lee

violin

Kyle Miller

viola

Maureen Murchie

viola

David Ross

traverso

Ezra Seltzer

cello

Matt Zucker

viola da gamba & cello

Safety and COVID-19

The safety of our performers, staff, and audience are of the utmost importance to us. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, we will closely monitor local conditions as concerts date draw near. We reserve the right to require proof of vaccination, masking, and distance inside the concert hall. We will announce our safety procedures for each concert in advance of the performance date.

By purchasing a ticket and attending a concert, you acknowledge that despite all reasonable precautions, there are risks in attending live musical events and you agree to accept those risks yourself. You release the Sebastians (legally, Sebastian Chamber Players, Inc.) from any claims based on your attendance of one of our concerts. Your in-person concert ticket grants you access to the virtual concert experience—available shortly after the performance. If you have any questions or need assistance, we are always reachable at music@sebastians.org.

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