MADRIGALS OF LOVE AND WAR Comes to Ars Lyrica Houston

Ars Lyrica Houston presents Claudio Monteverdi's timeless late masterworks, The Madrigals of Love and War, on Friday, November 8th in Zilkha Hall at the Hobby Center. The concert will showcase six versatile singers alongside Ars Lyrica's core ensemble of instrumentalists, all performing on period instruments with careful attention to historical style and context.

Monteverdi's madrigals blend expressive, dramatic elements with emotional intensity, setting the stage for the birth of opera in the early 17th century. Ars Lyrica Artistic Director Matthew Dirst notes that “these are truly extraordinary works, experimental for their time and unmatched in the repertoire in their novel use of textures and dramatic text setting. Audiences can expect music that plumbs the depths of emotions, from an abject lover's lament to the most lighthearted of jokes, full of naughty innuendo.” 

Ars Lyrica welcomes back six favorite singers for the concert, including Chicago-based soprano Erica Schuller, known for her “lively personality, abundant charm, and luscious vocalism” (Chicago Tribune) and Austin-based tenor Steven Brennfleck, praised as “dramatically astute” and “stand out” by the New York Times. Bass-baritone Enrico Lagasca, a featured soloist on five GRAMMY-nominated recordings, will return from New York City for his second performance with Ars Lyrica after a spectacular debut last season.

Three rising stars from Houston complete the Monteverdian ensemble: countertenor Michael Skarke, acclaimed for his “exquisite, almost ethereal tone quality” (Vocal Arts Chicago), and soprano Amia Langer and tenor Thomas O'Neill, two blossoming alumni from the University of Houston. The six singers are complemented by an eight-person chamber ensemble performing on specialized period instruments, including the viola da gamba, theorbo, Baroque harp, and harpsichord.

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