Boston Baroque Announces Upcoming Season

Three-time Grammy-nominee Boston Baroque, under the direction of Martin Pearlman, one of this country's leading interpreters of Baroque and Classical music on period and modern instruments, has announced its 40th anniversary season program for 2013 - 2014. The season is packed with masterpieces such as Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, Handel's Messiah, Rameau's opera La Guirlande and Bach's Brandenburg Concertos. And, with Monteverdi's Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria, Boston Baroque continues a tradition of presenting rarely-performed operas from the Baroque and Classical periods.

"To celebrate our 40th birthday, Boston Baroque will expand its repertoire to open with the spectacular Ninth Symphony of Beethoven - the only Beethoven symphony that we have not yet performed," said Martin Pearlman. "This will be a season spanning two centuries, from the early Baroque - Monteverdi's opera Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria in our new performing version - through the French Baroque and Handel's Messiah to Beethoven. Our superb chorus will be center stage for three of the programs, and each concert will feature some of today's foremost vocal soloists, making this a season to sing about."

The 40th anniversary season will feature a rich assortment of world-renowned operatic and concert singers, including the award-winning Portuguese tenor Fernando Guimarães, who will make his U.S. debut with Boston Baroque. Also performing this season are Metropolitan Opera artists soprano Leah Partridge, mezzo-soprano Kate Lindsey and tenor William Burden. In addition, Jennifer Rivera, one of the most sought-after and versatile mezzo-sopranos of her generation, will perform. Bass Kevin Deas and soprano Amanda Forsythe, both Boston Baroque favorites, return again this season. Tenor Nicholas Phan, soprano Kiera Duffy, haute-contre tenor Lawrence Wiliford, mezzo-soprano Ann McMahon Quintero, baritones Jesse Blumberg and Andrew Garland, soprano Sara Heaton (a Boston native), countertenor Christopher Lowrey and tenor Daniel Shirley will each contribute luster to the 40th anniversary season.

2013 - 2014
THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON

The season begins on Friday, November 8 and Saturday, November 9 at 8:00 PM, at NEC's Jordan Hall, with an all-Beethoven program that features the rarely-encountered Elegischer Gesang (Elegiac Song) alongside the monumental Symphony No. 9. Soprano Leah Partridge, mezzo-soprano Ann McMahon Quintero, tenor William Burden and bass Kevin Deas are the soloists in these performances, with the acclaimed Boston Baroque chorus performing the immortal "Ode to Joy."

In time for the holidays, Boston Baroque will present its annual standing-room-only performances of George Frideric Handel's best-known work, Messiah, on Friday and Saturday, December 13 and 14, in NEC's Jordan Hall, at 7:30 PM. Soloists include soprano Kiera Duffy, mezzo-soprano Kate Lindsey, tenor Nicholas Phan and bass Jesse Blumberg.

Following an annual tradition, Boston Baroque once again will "pop the cork" in grand style on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day with an all-Bach program featuring his Brandenburg Concertos Nos. 3 and 4, and Schweigt stille, plaudert nicht, better known as the Coffee Cantata. Concerts, which will include Champagne and chocolates at intermission, will take place at Cambridge's Sanders Theatre on Tuesday, December 31 at 8:00 PM and Wednesday, January 1 at 3:00 PM. Soloists for the Coffee Cantata will include some of Boston's own favorites: soprano Kristen Watson, tenor Matthew Anderson and baritone Andrew Garland.

For Valentine's Day weekend, Boston Baroque has planned a French Baroque program, with concerts on Friday, February 14 at 8:00 PM and Sunday, February 16 at 3:00 PM at NEC's Jordan Hall. Marc-Antoine Charpentier's Te Deum, a grand polyphonic motet in D major, will showcase the Boston Baroque chorus. Jean-Philippe Rameau's opera La Guirlande, with soprano Amanda Forsythe, haute-contre tenor Lawrence Wiliford and baritone Andrew Garland, relates a pastoral story in song and dance.

Boston Baroque's operatic tradition continues with the 2013 - 2014 season grand finale, the Monteverdi masterpiece Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria, on Friday and Saturday, April 25 and 26 at 7:30 PM at NEC's Jordan Hall. Semi-staged and directed by highly-regarded director Mark Streshinsky, Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria has a cast of splendid voices. Tenor Fernando Guimarães and mezzo-soprano Jennifer Rivera star as Ulisse and Penelope; mezzo-soprano Leah Wool sings the role of Minerva, tenor Daniel Auchincloss sings Eumete, mezzo-soprano Abigail Nims sings Melanto, tenor Aaron Sheehan sings Telemaco, tenor Daniel Shirley sings Eurimaco, tenor Marc Molomot sings Iro, soprano Sara Heaton is Amore and countertenor Christopher Lowry is L'humana fragilità. This production will present Martin Pearlman's new performance version of this rarely produced masterwork from 1639 - 1640.

TICKETS

Priority Season subscriptions go on sale Wednesday, March 13 at 10:00 AM EDT at www.bostonbaroque.org or by telephone at 617/987-8600. Individual reserved-seat tickets will be available at a later date. Jordan Hall and Sanders Theatre are wheelchair accessible.

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