Ensemble Mirable to Perform in Palo Alto, Berkeley & San Francisco, 4/10-12

The San Francisco Early Music Society's 2014-15 season concludes the weekend of April 10-12 with three concerts by Ensemble Mirable and Swedish recorder virtuoso Dan Laurin. Mirable's program focuses on the Italian baroque, including works of Mancini, Fontana, Uccellini, Scarlatti, Vivaldi and others. The ensemble includes Artistic Director JungHae Kim, harpsichord; Elizabeth Blumenstock and Katherine Kyme, violins; Joanna Blendulf, viola da gamba; and Kevin Cooper, baroque guitar.

Mirable's program takes its name from one of the best-known and most beloved works in the baroque literature, Antonio Vivaldi's La Primavera. This piece, in an arrangement by Blumenstock, opens the concert and sets its tone: birdsong, thunderstorms, a sheepdog and bagpipes are a few of the sounds and images that Vivaldi conjures in his ode to spring.

Several of the works for recorder on the program are found in the Manoscritto di Napoli (1725), a collection of 24 compositions for recorder, strings and basso continuo by various composers. Of these, Mirable has chosen a sonata each by Francesco Barbella (1692-1733), Francesco Mancini (1672-1737) and Allesandro Scarlatti (1660-1725).

Other highlights of the program include a Trio Sonata in C Major by Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713); Sonata XXI con tre violini by Giovanni Gabrieli (ca. 1553-1612); Toccata VIII in F by Girolamo Alessandro Frescobaldi (1583-1643); Sonata a Tre "Il Corisino" by Francesco Turini (ca. 1595-1656); and a gorgeous ciaccona by Maurizio Cazzati (1616-1678).

Based in the Bay Area, Mirable is a period instrument ensemble that originated in 1996 at Indiana University's Early Music Institute where baroque cellist and violist da gamba Blendulf and harpsichordist Kim met as students. Together with violinists Blumenstock and Kyme, and baroque guitarist Cooper, Mirable has devoted itself to exploring the cultural varieties and expressive possibilities of the basso continuo, the distinctive combination of bass and harmony instruments that is the foundation of baroque music. Mirable has built an impressive reputation, earning awards from Early Music America and critical acclaim for its performances throughout the United States. Over the past decade, in addition to live performances, Mirable has produced a series of recordings:Triemer Six Cello Sonatas; The Virginalists; Conversations Galantes; D'Anglebert Pieces de Clavecin, 1689 Paris; and Influenza Italiana. For more information about the group visitmagnatune.com/artists/mirable.

Mirable's guest artist for the concert, Dan Laurin, has won numerous awards, including a Grammy and the Society of Swedish Composers' prize for the best interpretation of contemporary Swedish music. Recently he was awarded the "Interpreter's Prize" of The Royal Swedish Academy of Music. Laurin has made more than 30 recordings, most of them for Swedish label BIS, with a repertoire from early Renaissance music to works from the 21st century. His efforts to broaden the repertoire for his instrument have resulted in several concertos for recorder and large orchestra that are already considered classics. Laurin is professor of the recorder at Stockholm's Royal University College of Music, and a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music. For more information visit danlaurin.com.