Friction Quartet, Ensemble Affect and a group of the best singers in the bay team up to present a concert of masterworks, both new and old which share a kindred spirit.
Ensemble Affect opens the concert with a selection of intimate works for violin and harpsichord from the Baroque era. This half features the works of Georg Muffat, Jean-Féry Rebel and Marin Marais exemplifying the compositional marvel of writing for two instruments. On display is a passion and dedication to the exploration of early music; not just the technical aspects of historically informed performance, but the excitement and drama that it encompasses.
Friction Quartet closes the concert with a reprise of Comedia by Paul Mortilla, a recent commission made possible by the Chamber Music America Classical Commissioning Program, with generous funding provided by The Mellon Foundation. In addition to the string quartet, this exceptional work features four singers and harpsichord and is inspired by a large range of literature and music - most notably from around the renaissance age. This piece is written in extended just intonation, an entirely different way of experiencing music, and utilizes the ability of singers and string players to technically play an infinite set of notes. Taking words from the Dante's "Paradiso" and from the Apollo 11 launch program, this piece is as if a heap of early music were dropped into a portal that spit it out into random locations and times. New worlds and new experiences await!
Jean-Féry Rebel - Sonata No. 6 in B minor for violin and basso continuo
Marin Marais - Les Voix Humaines for solo violin
Georg Muffat - Sonata in D Major for violin and basso. continuo
intermission
Paul Mortilla - Comedìa (commissioned with support from Chamber Music America)
