Please sir, can I have another?
Danny Johnson
Another concert, that is! Yes, we’re finally back to concert time and so we have two different programs this week. The first was Sept. 18, the inaugural Kerr Educational Outreach concert at Univ. of Texas: Sephardic Songs: Myths and Realities. We were the recital part of a lecture-recital, with the lecture portion being presented by Prof. Edwin Seroussi, renowned ethnomusicologist from Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He was awesome and we were honored to be featured with him.
The second program, starting our official 2019-2020 concert season, is completely different because, of course, why wouldn’t it be! Oh, Henry! No, not the short-story writer. The composer, Henry. Henry Purcell. You’ve heard his music in countless soundtracks, often in the background, often featured. At any rate, we’re featuring him and only him! This Saturday and Sunday. See all the details below. There are some absolutely emotionally devastating moments in his music as well as tunes that will encourage you to dance [while seated]. The world of Henry Purcell: complicated, complex, and way too short!
See ya this weekend!
-Danny
OH, HENRY!
THE WORLD ACCORDING TO PURCELL
Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019, at 7:30 pm
Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 2111 Alexander Ave., Austin, TX
Sunday, Sept. 22, 2019, 3:00 pm
St. Martin's Lutheran Church, 606 W 15th Street, Austin, TX
Admission $30 general; $25 seniors (60+); $5 students (at the door only)
Tickets available in advance online or by cash, check, or credit card at the door.
Take advantage of preferred seating and other perks by
buying season tickets or sponsoring a concert!
For more information, call 512-377-6961 and leave a message,
or email info@early-music.org.
No, even though O. Henry did sing in the choir at St. David’s Episcopal Church in Austin, this is a concert of music by Henry Purcell. Sorry for any possible confusion, O. Henry fans.
Henry Purcell is deservedly known as England’s greatest composer before Edward Elgar and Ralph Vaughan Williams. His music is used often in movie soundtracks and his operas are revived frequently on international stages. As organist and composer at Westminster Abbey and also the Chapel Royal, he wrote vast amounts of sacred music, which resounds in modern day churches and concert halls.
TEMP has often explored the musical world of this genius, but never with a full concert dedicated to his eclectic and diverse repertoire. We are thrilled to begin our 2019-2020 season with music from Purcell’s compositions for the theater, the opera, the court, the sanctuary, and the pub.
With gifted soloists, a choir of twenty-six, and eleven instrumentalists, TEMP will present selections from Ode to St. Cecilia, the operas King Arthur, Dido & Aeneas, The Fairy Queen, and more, including a couple of catches (or rounds) suitable for late night rowdiness.
Soloists and featured singers include Jenifer Thyssen, Gitanjali Mathur, Meredith Ruduski, Shari Alise Wilson, Jeffrey Jones Ragona, David Lopez, Tim O’Brien, and special guests from the New York area, countertenor Ryland Angel and bass Peter Walker.
As Purcell himself wrote, “Prithee, be not so sad and serious,” come hear “How the wild musicians sing a welcome” to all who would hear music from the “Fairest isle, all isles excelling.”
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