Music Before 1800 to Welcome New Year with ACRONYM and Jesse Blumberg

NYC early music series Music Before 1800's 42nd season, which features a series-record 13 centuries of music, kicks off the new year on Sunday, January 15 at 4PM at Corpus Christi Church.

Baroque string ensemble ACRONYM joins baritone Jesse Blumberg in a program entitled Valley of Tears: Bass Cantatas and Instrumental Sonatas by Johann Rosenmüller.

Called "first rate" by Early Music America, ACRONYM is a 12-member group dedicated to the instrumental music of the 17th-century. With Mr. Blumberg, the ensemble will perform chamber sonatas and unpublished bass cantatas by the controversial composer and instrumentalist Johann Rosenmüller (c.1618-1684). Rosenmüller was born and died in Germany but spent much of his life exiled in Italy, where the chamber sonatas were published in 1670.

The program title, "Valley of Tears," is from the text in one of the four cantatas. The texts are influenced by Catholic mysticism prevalent in Italy, however, the emphasis on Christ reveals a fundamental interest in the Lutheran orthodoxy dominant in much of Germany.

IF YOU GO:

ACRONYM
with Jesse Blumberg, baritone

Valley of Tears:
Bass Cantatas and Instrumental Sonatas by Johann Rosenmüller

Sunday, January 15, 4PM
Corpus Christi Church
529 West 121st Street

Tickets: $10-45
212-666-9266 / www.mb1800.org

MB1800, a NYC institution, is the city's longest-running series devoted exclusively to early music. Since the series' inception, concerts have been presented at Corpus Christi Church in Morningside Heights, giving audiences a uniquely satisfying experience. The 2016-17 season features composers ranging from Buxtehude and Byrd, to Rameau and Rosenmu?ller, and include fugues by Bach and Mendelssohn. Texts feature Hercules and other heroes; two suicidal pagan queens, Dido and Cleopatra; and strong women, including the Blessed Virgin Mary. The series welcomes its first ensemble from Cuba, and also performers from Milan, Montreal, Paris and, of course, NYC. Louise Basbas is the founder and director of the series.