Stile Antico Will Join Folger Consort For PALESTRINA'S PERFECT ART at Washington National Cathedral

Folger Consort, the early music ensemble in residence at the Folger Shakespeare Library, performs two concerts of Palestrina's Perfect Art, February 7 and February 8, 2020 at 8pm in the Gothic nave of Washington National Cathedral. The music of Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina is written in a style known as the Ars Perfecta, the "perfect" refinement of the musical art of the Renaissance. His transcendent polyphonic works will be performed alongside music of lesser-known contemporaries, including such women as Raffaella Aleotti, Maddalena Casulana, Sulpitia Cesis, and Leonora d'Este. Folger Consort-led by Artistic Directors Robert Eisenstein (viola da gamba) and Christopher Kendall (theorbo)-will be joined by British vocal ensemble Stile Antico, the Renaissance brass instruments of Tesserae Baroque, and Webb Wiggins playing portative organ.

Individual tickets are $30-$60 and may be purchased at the Folger box office at (202) 544-7077 or online at www.folger.edu/consort. Discounts are available for students, senior citizens, military personnel and families, teachers, and groups.

ABOUT THE PROGRAM

Palestrina's Perfect Art highlights the transcendent vocal counterpoint of the late Italian Renaissance, led by the critically acclaimed voices and musicianship of British vocal ensemble Stile Antico. Polyphonic vocal music from this era is most famously represented by the works of Palestrina; however many the era is also rich in music composed by women. The composers Raffaella Aleotti, Maddalena Casulana, Sulpitia Cesis, and the noblewoman Leonora d'Este, come from a time when women's unique musical compositions begin to emerge in print. The quality of their music makes it clear why people eagerly visited convents to hear their works and why these composers' contributions should come into the contemporary appreciation of late Renaissance and early Baroque music.

Several pieces on the program draw influence from Palestrina, with variations and dimunitions on his melodies by Francesco Rognoni and Bartolomé de Selma y Salaverde. Other music includes instrumental works - performed by an ensemble of Renaissance brass instruments, portative organ, theorbo, and gamba - such as canzone and fantasies by Italian composers Giovanni Gabrieli, Claudio Merulo, Giovanni Bassano, Lodovico Grossi da Viadana, and Francesco Cavalli. The program concludes with the rousing Ave maris stella from Claudio Monteverdi's Vespers of 1610.

For more information and program details, visit: https://www.folger.edu/events/palestrinas-perfect-art

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

STILE ANTICO

Stile Antico is firmly established as one of the world's most accomplished and innovative vocal ensembles. Working without a conductor, its twelve members have thrilled audiences on four continents with their fresh and vibrant performances of Renaissance polyphony. Its numerous recordings for Harmonia Mundi have earned accolades including the Gramophone Award for Early Music, Diapason d'or de l'année, Edison Klassiek Award, and Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik. The group has received three GRAMMY® nominations and performed live at the 60th GRAMMY® Awards at Madison Square Garden.

Stile Antico has appeared at many of at Europe's most important venues, including the Wigmore Hall, Amsterdam Concertbebouw, and Leipzig Gewandhaus, and regularly features at such prestigious festivals as the BBC Proms and the Antwerp, Utrecht and York Early Music Festivals. The group tours regularly to the US and Canada, and has appeared at the Cervantino festival in Mexico. Stile Antico recently gave its debut South American performances in Colombia, and during the current season makes its first visits to Hong Kong, Macau and South Korea.

Stile Antico's members rehearse and perform as chamber musicians, each contributing artistically to the musical results. In addition to its core repertoire, the group has premiered works by John McCabe, Huw Watkins, and Nico Muhly, and appeared with such diverse collaborators as Fretwork, the Folger Consort, Marino Fomenti, B'Rock, and Sting. Stile Antico regularly leads courses at Dartington International Summer School and continues to expand its work with younger people thanks to the support of the Stile Antico Foundation.

TESSERAE BAROQUE

Tesserae is a Los Angeles-based period instrument ensemble specializing in historically-informed performances of music from the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. Formed in 2010, Tesserae explores some of the most beautiful repertoire of the Renaissance and Baroque, from intimate chamber music to large-scale orchestral works.

WEBB WIGGINS

Performs with the Dryden Ensemble, Chatham Baroque, Hesperus, Bach Parley, Smithsonian Chamber Players, and the Florida Orchestra. Recently retired from the Oberlin College and the Peabody Conservatories of Music, he also taught for many years at the Oberlin Baroque Performance Institute and the Amherst Early Music Festival. He has taught and performed across the globe: China, Taiwan, New Zealand, Ecuador, Europe, as well as on three trans-Atlantic voyages. Recordings can be heard on Smithsonian, Dorian, EMI, Bard, and PGM labels.

SPECIAL EVENTS:

Pre-Concert Discussion: WETA's Robert Aubry Davis

Friday, February 7, 2020, 6:30pm

Artistic Director Robert Eisenstein, national radio personality Robert Aubry Davis (WETA) and Folger Consort guest artists join for a lively pre-concert discussion. Admission is free, with a ticket for the evening performance.

Tickets & Information:

What:

Palestrina's Perfect Art

When:

Friday, February 7, 2020 at 8:00pm, Saturday, February 8, 2020 at 8:00pm

Where:

Washington National Cathedral, 3101 Wisconsin Ave, Washington, DC 20016

Tickets:

$30-60, with discounts available at (202) 544-7077 or online at www.folger.edu/consort

Metro:

Van Ness-UDC (red line)

NOTE:

Programs, dates, and performers subject to change.

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