Brooklyn Art Song Society to Highlight John Dowland and Henry Purcell in 'BRITANNICA I', 9/18

Brooklyn Art Song Society launces into its sixth season with part one of Britannica, its ambitious six-concert survey of British song.

This concert features England's earliest musical masters: John Dowland and Henry Purcell. Dowland's lute songs are poignant reflections on love and loss, often melancholy and bittersweet. Henry Purcell's lively baroque style is brought to life through Benjamin Britten's inventive realizations. The Polydora Ensemble makes their BASS debut joined by Charles Weaver on the lute and Michael Brofman, Dimitri Dover, and Yuri Kim on piano.

IF YOU GO:

Britannica Part I: John Dowland and Henry Purcell Opening Night Benefit Concert
Friday, September 18, 2015 7:30PM Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church
85 S Oxford St, Brooklyn, NY 11217 ($100/$25/$15)

John Dowland: Selected Lute Songs
Henry Purcell arr. Benjamin Britten: Selected Songs and Duets

Polydora Ensemble: Sarah Brailey, soprano; Kate Maroney, mezzo soprano; Nils Neubert, tenor; Jesse Blumberg, baritone; Charles Weaver, lute; Michael Brofman; Dimitri Dover, Yuri Kim, piano

About Britannica: Brooklyn Art Song Society embarks on an all-encompassing survey of British song: six concerts, 100+ songs, 17 composers, and works spanning over 400 years. Britannica captures the vast English cultural heritage, from Dowland to Birtwistle, Shakespeare to Auden.

The Brooklyn Art Song Society (BASS) will enter its sixth season of first-rate music making in the Fall of 2015, having earned a reputation as one of the preeminent organizations dedicated to the vast repertoire of poetry set to music. The New York Times called BASS "a company well worth watching" and Voce di Meche hailed, "as long as BASS is around we do not need to worry about the future of art song in the USA." BASS's innovative programming is epic in scope yet presented in intimate settings. Past highlights have included performances of the complete songs of Charles Ives and Henri Duparc, a festival of works from Franz Schubert's last year, a five-concert survey of the songs of Les Six, and an ongoing project to present the complete lieder of Hugo Wolf. Committed to keeping art song relevant in our time BASS has collaborated closely with important living composers such as Tom Cipullo, Herschel Garfein, Daron Hagen, Libby Larsen, Lowell Liebermann, James Matheson, Scott Wheeler and Yehudi Wyner, and has commissioned works from up-an-coming composers Michael Djupstrom, Marie Incontrera and Michael Rose. In May 2015 BASS released its first album, New Voices, on Roven Records, which debuted at number one for new releases in Opera and Vocal on Amazon.com and in the top 10 on the Billboard Traditional Classical chart. The 2015-16 season includes Britannica, a six-concert celebration of British song from Dowland to Birtwistle, the conclusion of The Hugo Wolf Project, and the world-premiere of Andrew Staniland's Canadian Songbook (BASS/Casement Fund Song Series co-commission). On top of monthly concerts in Brooklyn, BASS will travel to Kansas City, MO and Portland, ME. In the summer BASS is the Fonzaley Resident Ensemble at the Sembrich in Bolton Landing, New York and the ensemble in residence at the Lake George Music Festival. This season features over 30 of the finest young interpreters of art song. For more information visit www.brooklynartsongsociety.org.