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Classical Candlelight Concerts
A program of poetry and music, inseparable as in the Elizabethan world, with poetry conceived as song and music taking form and phrasing from poetry. Parthenia, joined by actor Jonathan Richards and vocalist Ryland Angel, will intersperse dramatic readings spanning seven centuries among Renaissance and contemporary music for viol consort and voice. These "local early-music stars," bring their artistry to the candle-lit beauty of the historic First Reformed Church for a spellbinding, one-of-a-kind evening.
The program will feature works by composer Martin Kennedy, including his song cycle, Tomb Sonnets, and the premiere of Kontakion for viol consort and tenor. Through music and verse, with poems by Emily Dickinson (1830-1886), Dylan Thomas (1914-1953), Francesco Petrarca (1304-1374) and others, the enduring themes of longing, loss and memory will be explored.
Meet the artists and their instruments in a special video interview with WQXR's Elliott Forrest:
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
PARTHENIA VIOL CONSORT
The viol quartet PARTHENIA brings early music into the present with a ravishing sound and a remarkable sense of ensemble, animating both ancient and fresh-commissioned repertoire to critical acclaim. These "local early-music stars," hailed by The New Yorker and music critics throughout the world, are "one of the brightest lights in New York's early-music scene." The ensemble is presented in concerts across America and produces its own series in New York City, collaborating with the world's foremost early music specialists. The quartet has been featured in prestigious festivals and series as wide-ranging as Music Before 1800, the Regensburg Tage Alter Musik, the Pierpont Morgan Library, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and in a featured concert at the Venice Biennale. Parthenia's discography includes As it Fell on a Holie Eve - Music for an Elizabethan Christmas, with soprano Julianne Baird, The Flaming Fire - Mary Queen of Scots and Her World with Ryland Angel (countertenor) and Dongsok Shin (virginal), A Reliquary for William Blake, and Within the Labyrinth. Parthenia is Beverly Au, Lawrence Lipnik, Rosamund Morley and Lisa Terry.
RYLAND ANGEL, Countertenor
Born on St Cecilia's day, the Grammy-nominated British countertenor RYLAND ANGEL has built an international reputation on both the opera and concert stage, in repertoire ranging from the Baroque to new operatic commissions at major opera houses, concert halls and festivals throughout Europe and the USA. Performances include Monteverdi's Orfeo, Gavin Bryars's Doctor Ox's Experiment (English National Opera), The Fairy Queen (Barcelona), Gluck's Orfeo (Koblenz), Dido and Aeneas (Opera Comique), The Play of Daniel (Spoleto) and a recital at the National Gallery with Parthenia. Angel has sung on over 80 recordings and film soundtracks, including The Flaming Fire - Mary Queen of Scots and Her World with Parthenia.
JONATHAN RICHARDS is an author, journalist, actor, and political cartoonist. He is a founding member of the New Mexico Actors Lab, a theater company based in Santa Fe, NM, where he has appeared regularly in leading roles. He has appeared with Joan Darling in Callback, and as William Shakespeare in his own play Ever the Twain: William Shakespeare in Mark Twain's America, in Santa Fe and New York, and as Narrator with Several Friends in Shadow of Night, in Santa Fe and Houston. Film includes Independence Day: Resurgence, Alan Arkin's Blood: Thinner than Water, and narration of the Oscar-nominated documentary Never Give Up. TV includes Breaking Bad and Manhattan. In October 2023 he will be appearing in the title role in King Charles III with the Studio Players in Montclair, NJ. Jonathan is a novelist (Nick & Jake), and his political cartoons can currently be seen online at WhoWhatWhy.org.
About the Instruments
The viol, or viola da gamba, is a family of stringed instruments celebrated in European music from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment. Today on both sides of the Atlantic, soloists as well as viol groups - known as "consorts" - have rediscovered the lost repertoire and ethereal beauty of this early instrument. The viol was first known as the "bowed guitar" (vihuela da arco), a joint descendent of the medieval fiddle and the 15th-century Spanish guitar. Unlike its cousin, the arm-supported violin (viola da braccio), the viol is held upright on the leg (gamba) or between the knees; its bow is gripped underhand; and its body is made of bent or molded wood. These characteristics lend a distinctive lightness and resonance to viol sound that have inspired a wave of new works by 21st-century composers and a growing enthusiasm on the part of international audiences.
Phone: Hotel Front Desk: 845-675-8700
Reference Group Name: ArtsRock Candlelight Concert
Online: Click Here for Group Link
All reservations must be made by: Monday, February 19, 2024
September 17, 2024
ArtsRock is thrilled to announce its 16th season bringing world-renowned performers and creators together in performance and conversation for audiences in Rockland County and the wider region. The season features candlelight concerts, family shows, celebrity interviews, one-of-a-kind original productions and multi-media events.
A free, convenient service for converting that extra car, truck, or RV into a tax deductible donation benefiting ArtsRock of Rockland, Inc. You can donate online by clicking here or call 866.398.4483 to make your donation.
