Thu 4/8 @ 7:30PM-Mon 4/19 @ 7:30PM
Cleveland-based chamber ensemble Les Délices closes its virtual concert season with what it’s describing as “our most ambitious video project to date.”
Machaut’s Lai of the Fountain is its fourth collaboration with Boston’s Blue Heron ensemble, whose artistic/musical director shares Les Délices founder Debra Nagy’s love of late Medieval music. The centerpiece is the titular work, written by 14th century French composer Guillaume de Machaut. He’s first important composer whose name and work are known, in part because he was meticulous about preserving his work.
As Metcalfe explains in the concert press release, “A 12-stanza lai is a big piece of music, which might take over 20 minutes to perform. Most of them are monophonic and so part of the challenge is to follow Machaut as he leads you musically from stanza to stanza through a series of unfolding variations, and to absorb and transmit the musical and emotional shape of the whole piece. But Machaut’s large-scale sense of the musical and poetic journey is extraordinary. It’s hard to think of many other composers who could write 20 minutes of unaccompanied melody that passes by so quickly.”
The concert, organized on the theme of the medieval garden and its centerpiece fountain, will also feature pieces by fellow 14th-century composer Pykini, Johannes Ciconia, whose life bridged the 15th & 14th century and others. Lai of the Fountain. “Water that flows, ripples, reflects, and refracts light permeates this program from beginning to end,” says the program notes.
Featured musicians include Nagy on voice, winds and harp; Metcalfe on vielle & harp; mezzo-soprano Kim Leeds; soprano Elena Mullins; and Allison Monroe on vielle. The theme and mood music will be enhanced with projected imagery, one of the technical innovations Les Délices has been exploring during its virtual season.
Tickets are $8-$20. Go here to buy them. The concert will be available online through Monday April 19.