Early Music New York Will Present SYMPHONIC ZENITH at First Church of Christ

The third program in Early Music New York's 45th anniversary season under the rubric "Harmony of the Spheres" will open, fittingly, with an early symphony by William Herschel, who would go on to become the foremost astronomer of his age, and discoverer of the seventh planet, Uranus. The composers on this program will emerge from the eclipsing shadow of the classical period's "stars" (Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven) to illuminate an era of almost infinite variety with music deserving of discovery.

"Two of my favorite composers - Kraus (sometimes called 'the Swedish Mozart') and C.P.E. Bach - anchor this program with two very strong symphonies that deserve to be better known," states Frederick Renz, Director of EM/NY. "These, along with the other works, will broaden the context within which we perceive the music of this exciting exploratory era, usually represented only by the more familiar Haydn and Mozart." He adds, "It is possible, however, that one of them may show up on the March 7 program as well!"

Concert Information

SYMPHONIC ZENITH

Eclipsing the 18th Century

Saturday, March 7, 2020 at 7:30 pm

First Church of Christ, Scientist, 77 Central Park West, at 68th Street, NYC

Program to include

William Herschel (1738 - 1822)

Symphonia No. 2 in D major (1760)

Christoph Willibald Gluck (1714 - 1787)

Danse des Champs Elysées from Orphée et Eurydice (1774)

Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (1809 - 1847)

String Symphony No. 4 in C minor (1821)

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714 - 1788)

Sinfonia in E major, Wq. 182 No. 6 (1773)

Joseph Martin Kraus (1756 - 1792)

Symphony in C# minor, VB 140 (1782)

(program subject to change)

Early Music New York ~ Frederick Renz, Director

~ TICKETS ~

$40.00 reserved seats

$20.00 student (w/valid ID, available at door, day of)

Tickets available by phone (212-280-0330), on-line (www.EarlyMusicNY.org)

and at the door, half an hour prior to performance.

Group discounts available by telephone. All major credit cards accepted.

FREDERICK RENZ - DIRECTOR

Frederick Renz, Founder/Director of the Early Music Foundation, is internationally acclaimed for his work as a conductor, producer, director, performer and scholar, presenting music and music drama from the eleventh through the eighteenth centuries. He has received commissions from the Spoleto Festival, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, individual grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Ingram Merrill Foundation, and been awarded a doctorate honoris causa by the State University of New York.

EARLY MUSIC NEW YORK / EARLY MUSIC FOUNDATION

Celebrating its forty-fifth season, Early Music New York reaps international acclaim for vibrant and provocative performances of historically informed repertoire from the medieval through the classical eras.

Early Music Foundation (EMF), a not-for-profit organization founded in 1974, is Artist-in-Residence at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in New York City. Under the leadership of Frederick Renz, EMF's mission is to foster public understanding and appreciation of music and music drama from the eleventh through the eighteenth centuries. EMF presents the historical performance ensemble and orchestra EARLY MUSIC NEW YORK - FREDERICK RENZ, DIRECTOR; operates the recording label Ex cathedra Records; and administers a service to the field project, "New York Early Music Central" (NYEMC), sponsoring/managing city-wide festivals serving the NYC historically-informed artist community.

ABOUT THE VENUE

The First Church of Christ, Scientist is located in the heart of the Lincoln Square neighborhood, within the landmark Central Park West Historic District. Designed by Frederick R. Comstock, the copper-domed Beaux-Arts-style edifice dates from the turn of the 20th century, when it was built and originally dedicated as the Second Church of Christ, Scientist.

About its square-proportioned auditorium, NYC-Arts says, "With raked seating, First Church of Christ, Scientist's ambient and acoustical clarity is an ideal venue for chamber and orchestra performance."