The performance brings life to composer Heinrich Biber’s imaginative and dramatic Sonatas on the Mysteries of the Rosary.
Chatham Baroque welcomes Grammy-award-winning Baroque group Apollo’s Fire for their “Violin Fantasy“ performance. The program, an album release concert, will be held on February 18th, at 4 pm, at Calvary Episcopal Church; the program explores the baroque traditional stylus phantasticus, which conveys mood through drama and mystery while showcasing Heinrich Biber’s Mystery Sonatas.
Touted as the greatest violin composer of the 17th century, Biber’s Mystery Sonatas are contained in a manuscript dating back to 1676. The pieces tell a unique, emotional story that is enhanced by rhapsodic and virtuosic passages expressed as engravings at the start of each sonata. The engravings are recognizable as illustrations of the significant life events of Jesus and The Virgin Mary.
The performance brings 5 of the sonatas to life. It begins with Sonata 1: “The Annunciation,” in which the Angel Gabriel’s proclamation that Mary will conceive and birth the son of God is shown through contrasting variations that convey the thoughts of Mary at the time. The program then moves into Sonata 4: “The Presentation,” which uses ground bass from start to finish, a common 17th-century musical technique. The program then highlights Sonata 10: “The Crucifixion,” a dramatic, evocative piece that showcases the emotions present as Jesus is nailed to the cross. The performance then draws on the Catholic Church’s Glorious Mysteries and showcases Sonata 12: “The Ascension” and Sonata 14: “The Assumption of Mary,” both meant to express pure joy.
The performance also features complimentary pieces that showcase similar stylus phantasticus by Johann Heinrich Schmelzer and Johann Jakob Froberger.
“Violin Fantasy” celebrates the new CD album Apollo’s Fire, which will be released the week of February 18th. The CD will contain a similar style of stylus phantasticus Baroque music. The group will be available to sign CDs after the performance.
The performance features Apollo Fire’s Jeanette Sorrell (harpsichord, director), Alan Choo (violin), Rebecca Reed (cello), Billy Simms (plucks), Kivie Cahn-Lipman (lirone), Anna O’Connell (harp) as well as Chatham Baroque’s Andrew Fouts (violin).
Violinist Alan Choo, whose performances have been described by The Straits Times Singapore as “an intoxicating brew of poetry and dare-devilry,” performs on the global stage as a leading soloist, chamber musician, and historical specialist.
“I am deeply honored and excited to be able to champion Biber’s Mystery Sonatas with the brilliant musicians of Apollo’s Fire, who embody so many of the qualities needed to pull these pieces off,” said Choo. “Written in the 17th-century stylus phantasticus (“fantastical style”), these pieces require an innate sense for the drama and rhetoric in the music, as well as a free and improvisatory mode of delivery.”
Named for the ancient God of music and the sun, Apollo’s Fire is a GRAMMY®-winning ensemble. Founded by award-winning harpsichordist and conductor Jeannette Sorrell, the period band is dedicated to the baroque ideal that music should evoke the various Affekts or passions in the listeners.
GRAMMY-winning conductor Jeannette Sorrell is recognized internationally as one of today’s most compelling Baroque and Classical repertoire interpreters. She is the subject of Oscar-winning director Allan Miller’s documentary, PLAYING WITH FIRE: Jeannette Sorrell and the Mysteries of Conducting, commercially released in 2023. As founder and conductor of Apollo’s Fire, she has led the renowned ensemble at London’s BBC Proms, Carnegie Hall, and many international venues.
TICKETS AND DETAILS
Tickets are on sale for the performance on February 18th, 2024, at 4 pm, at Calvary Episcopal Church. More information about the performance can be found at: https://www.chathambaroque.org/concert/apollos-fire-violin-fantasy/
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