Music of Monteverdi and Schütz
Masaaki Suzuki, conductor
St. Michael’s Church
225 West 99th Street, New York City
May 1 at 8 pm
St. Mary’s Church
5 Hillhouse Avenue, New Haven
May 2 at 3 pm
Masaaki Suzuki to Lead Yale Schola Cantorum in Season’s Final Concert
Masaaki Suzuki will lead the Yale Schola Cantorum in a program of music by Monteverdi and Schütz to conclude the 2009-10 season.
The concert will be at at St. Michael’s Church in New York City (225 West 99th St.) at 8 pm on Saturday, May 1, and repeated in New Haven at St. Mary’s Church (5 Hillhouse Ave.) on Sunday, May 2 at 3 pm.
On the program are works from Monteverdi’s Selva Morale e Spirituale, as well as several pieces, including a Magnificat and three different settings of Meine Seele erhebt den Herren, by Schütz. Robert Mealy, the noted period violinist, will be the concertmaster.
Yale Schola Cantorum, founded in 2003 by Simon Carrington, is a 24-voice chamber choir specializing in music from before 1750 and from the last hundred years. It is supported by the Yale Institute of Sacred Music with the School of Music and open by audition to all Yale students. In addition to performing regularly in New Haven and New York Schola Cantorum records and tours nationally and internationally. 2009-10 marks Schola Cantorum’s first season under the direction of conductor Masaaki Suzuki.
Since founding Bach Collegium Japan in 1990, Masaaki Suzuki has established himself as a leading authority on the works of Bach. He has remained their Music Director ever since, taking them regularly to major venues and festivals in Europe and the USA, and building up an outstanding reputation for the expressive refinement and truth of his performances. He is now regularly invited to work together with renowned European soloists and groups, such as Collegium Vocale Gent and the Freiburger Barockorchester, with whom he visited several European capitals, and he recently appeared in London with the Britten Sinfonia in a program of Britten, Mozart and Stravinsky. Forthcoming engagements with other ensembles include the Hong Kong Philharmonic, the Nagoya Philharmonic and the Netherlands Radio Chamber Philharmonic Orchestras.
Suzuki’s impressive discography on the BIS label, featuring Bach’s complete works for harpsichord, and his interpretations of Bach’s major choral works and sacred cantatas with Bach Collegium Japan (of which he has already completed over forty volumes of a project to record the complete series) have brought him critical acclaim.
Both of the free concerts are presented by Yale Institute of Sacred Music. For more information call 203-432-5062.