SATURDAY 16 JULY, 7.30pm
Chapel, Downing College, Cambridge CB2 1DQ ** Please note change of venue** It is now over 200 years since Napoleon crowned himself Emperor of France and still the “Corsican Ogre” both horrifies and fascinates us in equal measure. This ambivalence was also felt during his reign with some artists, such as Goethe, admiring Napoleon, others, were revolted by him, and some revised their opinions as history took it’s course. One of the most famous volta-face has to be that of Ludwig van Beethoven and his violent re-dedication of this 3rd Symphony – “The Eroica”. Anneke Scott (natural horn) and Geoffrey Govier (fortepiano) perform a programme bringing together works by composers whose lives were turned upside down by Napoleon’s advancing armies, including music by Ries, Kuhlau and Krufft alongside Beethoven's magnificent Variations on a theme from the Eroica Symphony. This concert is proudly supported by The Howard Foundation. TICKETS: £5.00 to £18.00 (FREE to under-18s) from our Events Calendar. PROGRAMME: Friedrich Kuhlau (1786–1832) - Andante e Polacca Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827) - Sonata for fortepiano and horn in F Op. 17 i) Allegro moderato ii) Poco adagio, quasi andante iii) Rondo, Allegro moderato Ferdinand Ries (1784–1838) - Grande Sonata in F for fortepiano and horn, Op. 34 i) Larghetto, Allegro moderato ii) Andante iii) Rondo Allegro INTERVAL Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827) - Variations and Fugue in Eb Op. 35 Nikolaus von Krufft (1779–1818) Sonata for fortepiano and horn in E major. i) Allegro moderato ii) Andante espressivo iii) Rondo “alla Polacca” Although Francis Bacon, 17th century philosopher, statesman and visionary, is widely regarded as the father of modern science, his investigations into the nature of sound are little known. He was intrigued by seemingly magical effects like echoes and sympathetic vibration and sought to explain them through a series of experiments in, and observations of, sound.
Combining modern sound technology with ancient instruments, The Society of Strange and Ancient Instruments explore the aural illusions that so intrigued Francis Bacon and our 17th century forbears with fresh interpretations of 17th century music linked to each other by newly composed pieces. The performers play unusual and historically appropriate instruments including the mysterious violone, the jangling bray harp and the little known viola bastarda. You can find out more about the project by watching this YouTube video. “What the Society of Strange and Ancient Instruments have concocted in 'Sound House' is a wondrous journey through a realm of unimaginable sonic possibilities; travel with them, and I guarantee that you will never think of sound in the same way again” – Early Music Today Saturday 25 June 2016, 7.30pm, Wesley Methodist Church, CB1 1LG THE PERFORMERS Jon Banks: santouri, gothic harp, percussion Liam Byrne: lirone, treble viol Jean Kelly: gothic bray harp, triple harp Alison McGillivray: violone, viola bastarda Jon Nicholls: sound designer and composer Devised and directed by Clare Salaman TICKETS: £5.00 to £23.00 (FREE under-18s) from 0333 666 3366 or online using our Events Calendar. |
AuthorCambridge Early Music Archives
January 2019
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