Thu 4/7 @ 7:30PM
Fri 4/8 @ 8PM
Sat 4/9 @ 8PM
Sun 4/10 @ 8PM
Apollo’s Fire, Cleveland’s baroque orchestra, adds dancers to its complement of musicians to bring to the stage character from the Renaissance street theater known as commedia dell’arte.
The upcoming programs, which conclude the group’s 2015-2016 season, are called “A Harlequin Romance.” They’re not referring to those formula romance novels, but the character whose light-hearted romance with Columbine was a staple of commedia dell’arte performances.
The musical backbone for the concerts will be provided by Telemann’s Suites from Overture & Burlesque and Bach’s Concerto for Two Violins, featuring Olivier Brault and Johanna Novom as the dueling violinists. Featured as dancers are guitarist Steve Player and violinist/Apollo’s Fire co-founder Julie Andrijeski.
Artistic director/conductor Jeannette Sorrell describes the program as “a spring frolic” and adds “We fear that other musicians may end up dancing out of their seats to join Steve and Julie. Definitely Olivier Brault has threatened to dance. The question is whether there will be anyone left playing in the band, or will all of us be dancing by the end.”
Go see for yourself. They will perform at Bath Church in the Akron are on Thursday, St. Noel Church in Willoughby Hills on Friday, the Maltz Performing Arts Center in University Circle on Saturday and Baldwin Wallace College’s Gamble Auditorium on Sunday. Former Plain Dealer classical music writer Donald Rosenberg will give the pre-concert talks one hour before each performance. And following the Thursday Friday and Sunday concerts there will be an “afterglow” post-concert gathering in the lobby with a cash bar and a change to meet the musicians and learn to dance the menuet. Tickets are $20-$68.
apollosfire.org/harlequin-romance/